Many times we are asked why we focus so much on studying and teaching the Torah alongside the teachings of Yeshua. The answer to that is quite simple. Yeshua was a Torah teacher. He was a first century rabbi, expounding upon the concepts of Torah and sharing his interpretations and rulings for the practical applications of Torah with his disciples. Many people do not approach the teachings of Yeshua from this perspective, simply because they do not realize his focus was upon bringing the hearts of his followers closer to the Torah.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Yeshua challenges his disciples in many areas of life. In his longest recorded sermon, he reveals the will of the Father in relationship to how the principles of Torah should be lived out. This lengthy teaching begins with what has been labeled as the Beatitudes. These are short, pithy sayings in which the Master praises a particular character trait or behavior and associates it with a reward or gives the result of such action.
In our study thus far, we have seen how the Gospel — the Good News — of John the Immerser, Jesus, the Apostles (represented by Peter) and Paul are all in agreement as to its basic content. The Gospel first proclaimed by John pointed to a coming King who held judgment in his hands. Of him, John said,
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
The Gospel of Jesus
Lest we forget our purpose for our Gospel exploration, our objective is to examine the various gospel proclamations by John the Immerser, by Jesus and also by the Apostles in order to see if the Gospel we are proclaiming today is the same Gospel they proclaimed. Otherwise our Gospel is one which would be foreign to Jesus and his disciples. Our goal is to try and recapture the original gospel message of Jesus and his disciples and let that be the Gospel we proclaim.