Miracle #38. Many healed among crowds.

1. The Thirty-eighth Miracle of Messiah
2. The Ninth Corporate Miracle of Messiah
3. Teaching Bookends to Today’s Corporate Miracle
4. The Prushim came to Rabbi Yeshua to trap Him
5. Deuteronomy 24 and Ervat Devar
6. The Original Intent of Creation
7. Moses’ Provision as a Concession
8. Divorce and Remarriage as Adultery
9. Historical Outcome
10. Elevating the Status of Women
11. God ordains Praise from the mouths of Infants
12. Subverting the Old World Order

The Thirty-ninth Miracle of Messiah:

Mattai 19:1-2

וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת יֵשׁוּעַ לְדַבֵּר אֵת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיִּסַּע מִן־הַגָּלִיל וַיָּבֹא אֶל־גְּבוּל יְהוּדָה בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן׃ וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו הֲמוֹן עַם־רָב וַיִּרְפָּאֵם שָׁם׃

כְּשֶׁגָּמַר יֵשׁוּעַ לְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה יָצָא מִן הַגָּלִיל וּבָא לְאֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה שֶׁבְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. הֲמוֹן עַם רַב הָלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו וְהוּא רִפֵּא אוֹתָם שָׁם. פ

When Yeshua finished speaking these words, he traveled out of the Galil (Galilee) and came to the border of Yehudah (Judah), across the Yarden (Jordan). Large crowds of people followed him and he healed them there.

The Ninth Corporate Miracle of Messiah:

In Matthew 19:1-2, “Many healed among crowds” refers to Rabbeinu Yeshua curing large multitudes of people as he traveled across the Jordan River into Judea.

Today’s corporate miracle is the Ninth corporate miracle of Twelve (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) corporate miracle events that occur in the testimony and witness of the Seven Signs and Fifty Miracles of Messiah. The number Twelve is a symbol of God’s “governance” over the nation of Israel and its people; and over everything that exists.

A corporate miracle involves a singular, supernatural event that happens to a crowd or group as a unified whole and a community-wide event where a large number of individuals are healed of a variety of physical and spiritual afflictions.

Teaching Bookends to Today’s Corporate Miracle:

Mattai strategically places this display of healing right after Rabbi Yeshua’s teaching on forgiveness and just before he delivers tough teachings on brokenness, marriage, and divorce, and the care of children.

For Yeshua’s teaching on forgiveness see the Mashal of the Unmerciful Servant found in Mattai 18.23-34. For the teaching on Marriage, Divorce and Children we pick up where we just left off at Mattai19:3-18. From this text we read:

נִגְּשׁוּ אֵלָיו כַּמָּה פְּרוּשִׁים לְנַסּוֹת אוֹתוֹ וְאָמְרוּ: “הַאִם מֻתָּר לְאִישׁ לְגָרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ עַל כָּל דָּבָר.”? הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם וְאָמַר: “הַאִם לֹא קְרָאתֶם שֶׁהַבּוֹרֵא עָשָׂה אוֹתָם זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה מִבְּרֵאשִׁית וְגַם אָמַר, ‘עַל־כֵּן יַעֲזָב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ הַשְּׁנַיִם לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד?’ אֵין הֵם עוֹד שְׁנַיִם אֶלָּא בָּשָׂר אֶחָד. לָכֵן מָה שֶּׁחִבֵּר הָאֱלֹהִים אַל יַפְרִיד הָאָדָם”.  “אִם כֵּן לָמָּה צִוָּה מֺשֶׁה לָתֵת לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתוּת וּלְשַׁלְּחָהּ”? שָׁאֲלוּ אוֹתוֹ. הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם: “בִּגְלַל קְשִׁי לְבַבְכֶם הִתִּיר לָכֶם מֺשֶׁה לְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת נְשֵׁיכֶם, אַךְ מֵרֵאשִׁית לֹא הָיָה כָּךְ. וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם, הַמְגָרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא עַל־דְבַר זְנוּת וְנוֹשֵׂא אַחֶרֶת נוֹאֵף הוּא “. אָמְרוּ לוֹ הַתַּלְמִידִים: “אִם כָּךְ הוּא דִּין הָאִישׁ וְהָאִשָּׁה לֹא כְּדַאי לְהִתְחַתֵּן”. אָמַר לָהֶם: “לֹא הַכֺּל מְבִינִים אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, רַק אֵלֶּה שֶׁנִּתַּן לָהֶם. יֵשׁ סָרִיסִים שֶׁנּוֹלְדוּ כָּךְ מִבֶּטֶן אִמָּם, יֵשׁ סָרִיסִים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ סָרִיסִים עַל־יְדֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, יֵשׁ סָרִיסִים אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ עַצְמָם לְסָרִיסִים לְמַעַן מַלְכוּת הַשָּׁמַיִם. מִי שֶׁבִּיכָלְתּוֹ לְקַבֵּל, שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל”. אָז הֵבִיאוּ אֵלָיו יְלָדִים כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּסְמֺךְ יָדָיו עֲלֵיהֶם וְיִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדָם, אֶלָּא שֶׁהַתַּלְמִידִים גָּעֲרוּ בָּהֶם. אַךְ יֵשׁוּעַ אָמַר: “הַנִּיחוּ לַיְלָדִים לָבוֹא אֵלַי וְאַל תִּמְנְעוּ בַּעֲדָם, כִּי לְכָאֵלֶּה מַלְכוּת הַשָּׁמַיִם”. הוּא סָמַךְ יָדָיו עֲלֵיהֶם וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן הָלַךְ מִשָּׁם. פ

“Some Prushim approached him to test him and asked: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” He answered them: “Have you not read that the Creator made them male and female from the beginning and also said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? They are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” “Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined together.” “Why, then, did Moshe command that a certificate of divorce be given to her and that she be sent away?” they asked him. He replied: “It was because of the hardness of your hearts that Moshe permitted you to send away your wives, but it was not so from the beginning. And I tell you: whoever divorces his wife—except for the cause of sexual immorality—and marries another, commits adultery.” The talmidim said to him: “If such is the case between a man and a woman, it is better not to marry.” He said to them: “Not everyone understands this matter, only those to whom it has been given. There are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let the one who is able to accept this, accept it.” Then children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them, but the talmidim rebuked them [the women]. However, Yeshua said: “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” He laid his hands on them and then departed from there.

The Prushim came to Rabbi Yeshua to trap Him:

“Some Prushim approached him to test him and asked: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

The Prushim were there as spies to observe what Yeshua said and did, using every opportunity to expose him as a law-breaker. They asked a question about divorce to trap him. They asked:  Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause, no matter how petty?

Two Rabbinical Schools: The two main rabbinical schools of thought of Shammai and Hillell differed on the matter of divorce. Shammai insisted that a man might not put away his wife but in case of sexual immorality. Hillel allowed putting away one’s wife for very ridiculously small things. The Prushim were hoping, at the least, to get Rabbi Yeshua to pick a side so that they might alienate him from the followers of one of the two schools.

Deuteronomy 24 and Ervat Devar:

כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֛ישׁ אִשָּׁ֖ה וּבְעָלָ֑הּ וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א תִמְצָא־חֵ֣ן בְּעֵינָ֗יו כִּי־מָ֤צָא בָהּ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְכָ֨תַב לָ֜הּ סֵ֤פֶר כְּרִיתֻת֙ וְנָתַ֣ן בְּיָדָ֔הּ וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃

“When a man takes a wife and cohabits with her, and she fails to please him because he finds some indecency in her, he writes her a bill of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.”

The primary debate between the schools of Hillel and Shammai regarding the grounds for divorce centered on the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1, which states that a man may divorce his wife if he finds some “uncleanness” or “indecency” (עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר) in her. The two schools split dramatically over what qualified as valid grounds for this “indecency”:

Beit Shammai (The School of Shammai): Took a strict interpretation approach, ruling that a man could only divorce his wife if he discovered sexual immorality, unfaithfulness, or gross behavioral misconduct. For Shammai, martial permanence was the norm, and infidelity was the only legitimate justification to dissolve the contract. So Shammai—known for his strict opinion in most matters of Jewish law—said that divorce should only occur over a matter of immorality; only if the marriage has been betrayed by infidelity. For Shammai infidelity is the only grounds for divorce.

Beit Hillel (The School of Hillel): Adopted a much broader interpretation, ruling that a man could divorce his wife for virtually any reason that caused her to lose favor in his eyes. The Talmudic sages famously illustrated this by noting a husband could divorce his wife even if she merely “spoiled a dish” or burned his soup..

The Original Intent of Creation:

וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

עַל־כֵּן֙ יַֽעֲזָב־אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד׃

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Rabbeinu Yeshua pointed back to Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 to define the essence of marriage. He emphasized that God created humans male and female and ordained that a man would leave his parents and be united to his wife.

One Flesh: He stated that in marriage, the two become “one flesh.” Therefore, they are no longer two, but one.

Divine Binding: He famously commanded, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mattai 19:6).

An Unbreakable 3-Way Alliance: The scriptures describe a spouse as a “companion” and “wife by covenant”. The original Hebrew context for companion implies a deep, unbreakable alliance. This alliance is unbreakable because it is a three-way covenant that involves God Himself.

Moses’ Provision as a Concession:

The Prushim challenged Yeshua by asking why Moses commanded a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce.

Hardness of Heart: Yeshua corrected their phrasing, noting that Moses permitted divorce rather than commanded it. He explained that this law was a temporary concession due to the “hardness of your hearts,” but concluded that “from the beginning it was not so.”

Divorce and Remarriage as Adultery:

Yeshua elevated the moral standard of marriage, warning that casual divorce and subsequent remarriage violate the original marriage covenant. In the Besora of Markos (10:11-12), he stated:

.אָמַר לָהֶם: “כָּל הַמְּגָרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ וְנוֹשֵׂא אַחֶרֶת נוֹאֵף הוּא נֶגְדָּהּ. וְאִם הִיא תְּגָרֵשׁ אֶת בַּעֲלָהּ וְתִנָּשֵׂא לְאַחֵר נוֹאֶפֶת הִיא”

He said to them: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Divorce and Remarriage as Adultery:

In the Besora of Mattai (19:9), Yeshua includes a specific exception regarding divorce, he stated:

.”וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם, הַמְגָרֵשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא עַל־דְבַר זְנוּת וְנוֹשֵׂא אַחֶרֶת נוֹאֵף הוּא “

“And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife—except for the matter of sexual immorality—and marries another, commits adultery.”

One Flesh, One Bond: In ancient Israel, this exception protected the innocent party from being held spiritually or legally responsible for the breakdown of the covenant if sexual unfaithfulness had already broken the “one flesh” bond.

Historical Outcome

Loose Constructionist Approach: For the Jewish successors to the Prushim the more lenient position of Beit Hillel ultimately prevailed, establishing the technical legal right of a husband to dissolve a marriage without needing to prove physical adultery.

Strict Constructionist Approach: For the Jewish followers of Yeshua the strict constructionist approach of Beit Shammai prevailed. In fact the followers of Messiah embraced a more strict position than even Beit Shammai. For Rabbeinu Yeshua and his chosen emissaries taught marriage is a sacred, permanent, and God-ordained covenant between a man and a woman that should not be dissolved by human authority.

Elevating the Status of Women:

In the first-century Jewish world, men could divorce their wives for trivial reasons, leaving women economically destitute and socially disgraced. By calling unauthorized divorce “adultery against her,” Rabbeinu Yeshua stripped away the double standard of his era, placing Jewish husbands and wives on an equal moral footing and holding men fully accountable for maintaining their vows to God.

God ordains Praise from the mouths of Infants:

Then children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them, but the talmidim rebuked the women who brought them. However, Rabbi Yeshua said:

“.אַךְ יֵשׁוּעַ אָמַר: “הַנִּיחוּ לַיְלָדִים לָבוֹא אֵלַי וְאַל תִּמְנְעוּ בַּעֲדָם, כִּי לְכָאֵלֶּה מַלְכוּת הַשָּׁמַיִם

But Yeshua said: “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Defense of the Children: According to the Sifrei HaBesorah (סִפרֵי הַבְּשׂוֹרָה) when children in the temple courts shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the chief priests and scribes became indignant. These Messiah defended the children, quoting scripture to show that God ordains praise from the mouths of infants, bypassing the educated religious authorities.

כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאוּ רָאשֵׁי הַכֺּהֲנִים וְהַסּוֹפְרִים אֶת הַנִּפְלָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְאֶת הַיְלָדִים הַצּוֹעֲקִים בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, “הוֹשַׁע־נָא לְבֶן־דָּוִד,”! נִתְמַלְּאוּ כַּעַס וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: “אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ מָה שֶּׁאֵלֶּה אוֹמְרִים”? הֵשִׁיב לָהֶם יֵשׁוּעַ: “כֵּן, הַאִם מֵעוֹדְכֶם לֹא קְרָאתֶם, ‘מִפִּי עוֹלְלִים וְיוֹנְקִים הֵכַנְתָּ הַלֵּל”?’ לְאַחַר מִכֵּן עָזַב אוֹתָם וְיָצָא אֶל מִחוּץ לָעִיר, אֶל בֵּית עַנְיָה, וְלָן שָׁם.פִּ

When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders He had performed and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were filled with anger and said to Him, “Do You hear what they are saying?” Yeshua answered them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have ordained praise’?” Then He left them and went out of the city to Beit Anii, and spent the night there.

Divine Identification: Rabbi Yeshua stated that welcoming a child was equivalent to welcoming him and God the Father. For a Rabbi to equate the Creator with the lowest, most vulnerable members of society was culturally shocking.

The Controversy: In the ancient Jewish, Roman, and Greek societies children occupied the bottom rung of the social ladder, possessing no legal rights, political voice, or social authority. By Rabbi Yeshua placing a child at the center of his teachings and declaring that the Kingdom of Heaven belonged to them, he was directly challenging prevailing cultural norms regarding social status, age related religious merit, and power.

Subverting the Old World Order:

Absence of Legal Persona: In the ancient world, children were often treated as family assets or property.

Usefulness to Society: While Jewish culture traditionally viewed children as blessings from God, they still held zero social status or agency until they reached adulthood.

The Talmidim’s Dismissal: When the women brought their infants to Rabbi Yeshua his own students, disciples rebuked them. These Jewish men viewed children as a distraction from what they believed was a serious, adult religious and political movement to liberate the people of Israel from Gentile-pagan rule.

Redefining Greatness: When the talmidim argued over who among them would be the greatest, our Rabbi Yeshua used a child as an object lesson. He taught that whoever takes the lowly position of a child is the greatest in the kingdom (Mattai 18:2).

יֵשׁוּעַ קָרָא אֵלָיו יֶלֶד, הֶעֱמִידוֹ בֵּינֵיהֶם וְאָמַר: “אָמֵן אוֹמֵר אֲנִי לָכֶם, אִם לֹא תָּשׁוּבוּ וְתִהְיוּ כִּילָדִים לֹא תִּכָּנְסוּ לְמַלְכוּת הַשָּׁמַיִם. לָכֵן מִי שֶׁיַּשְׁפִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ לִהְיוֹת כַּיֶּלֶד הַזֶּה הוּא הַגָּדוֹל בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָּׁמַיִם. כָּל הַמְקַבֵּל יֶלֶד אֶחָד כָּזֶה בִּשְׁמִי, אוֹתִי הוּא מְקַבֵּל”. פִּ

Yeshua called a child to himself, set him in their midst, and said: “Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself to become like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”

Challenging Imperial Authority: Roman society heavily praised power, physical strength, and political achievement. Yeshua’s elevation of child-like vulnerability implicitly criticized the values of both the Roman Empire and the Jewish religious and political elite.

NEXT, HEALING TEN MEN OF LEPROSY…

Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 109 >>