The Words and Actions of Yeshua Categorized Topically

The purpose of this study was to as objectively as possible ascertain from the raw data of scripture alone what Yeshua preached about, what he taught and what he did during his early ministry. What subjects did he touch most frequently in his ministry involvements as we went about advancing the kingdom of Elohim? The implications of knowing this should be obvious. If we are to be followers or disciples of the Master, we should be doing what he did. We would do well to study his life and ministry and to model ours after his. His priorities should be ours, his message ours, his methods ours. We should stress the issues he stressed, and not stress what he didn’t stress. Conversely, wouldn’t emphasizing issues that he didn’t emphasize, reprioritizing his priorities be an affront to him an act of disobedience? It seems that the application of situational ethics to the gospel message so that its heart and core is altered in an attempt to make it “more relevant to our modern generation,” to make it more appealing and less offensive, or to make it more “seeker-sensitive” when preaching, teaching or evangelizing an insult to YHVH and to his Word. It’s as if we’re saying, “we know better than Elohim.” How absurd! Deciding what we think what we think the gospel message should be without fully understanding what it was is dangerous. If we base what we do and say on the former rather than the latter, we are feeding from the tree of knowledge and usurping Elohim’s authority to determine his Word, and, again, asserting, unwittingly or not, that we know better than Elohim. This is humanism — the enthronement of the human mind, desires and will over that of the Creator’s. To do this is to become a partner in Satan’s rebellion against the Almighty Creator.

In the data that follows, only the verses in Gospels of Matthew and John were analyzed and tabulated and not Mark and Luke, since they closely parallel and often repeat what Matthew records in his Gospel. Matthew and John are complimentary, since they more or less cover different episodes in the life of Yeshua. The following is the summary of my findings. Of the 136 subjects that Yeshua dealt with, these are the top winners.

• Yeshua speaking about himself: 316 references
• Elohim the Father: 184 references
• Hypocritical religious leaders: 177 references
• The kingdom of Elohim: 71 references (or 144 references when combined with Righteousness)
• The death, burial, resurrection, and suffering of the Messiah: 54 references
• Elohim’s Judgment: 53 references
• Obedience and faithfulness (to the Word or Torah of Elohim): 44 references
• Spiritual rewards: 43 references
• Healing: 42 references
• Worldliness (the cares of this world and carnal mindedness): 37 references
• Persecution and trials: 34 references
• Faith/belief in Yeshua: 32 references
• Faithlessness and unbelief: 24 references

From these data, we can see what subjects were most important to Yeshua. Let’s now ask ourselves how modern Christianity presents the gospel message? How much teaching exists about the Father or about the kingdom of Elohim? How about on Elohim’s judgment against sin (by biblical definition, Torahlessness; see 1 John 3:4), or on obedience to the Torah?

Interestingly, in my analysis of Yeshua’s words and actions, several popular subjects in Christianity ranked low on the bottom of the list.

• Money: 3 references (although “the perils of materialism” had 19 references)
• Blessings: 4 references
• Miracles and signs: 25 references
• Physical needs: 2 references
• Love (brotherly): 10 references
• Love (of Elohim for man and vice versa): 19 references

There were no references for the following popular subjects within Christian circles (go to any Christian book store and see what the subjects of the best selling Christian books are!).

• Financial security
• Pleasure and entertainment
• Retirement
• Sexual pleasure and fulfillment
• Self esteem
• Psychology