Zion's Voice

Brit Hadashah Reflections      20  

Torah portion               Exodus 27 : 20 – 30 : 10

Haftarah portion       1 Samuel 15 :2–34

Brit Hadashah             Mark 15 : 1 - 16 : 20

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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As we saw last week, the die was cast when Yeshua confessed that He is indeed the Son of the living God, YHWH. His appearance before Pontius Pilate was something of a formality. Yeshua was charged with blasphemy and sentenced to be crucified on a Roman cross. But, to his credit, Pilate made one final bid to release Yeshua. It was Roman custom to release one prisoner at the Feast of Passover. Those who sat on the Sanhedrin, stirred up the large crowd, and given the choice of releasing Yeshua or Bar Abbas, a convicted murderer, they chose the murderer. It sounds, and indeed is, a very sad commentary on human behaviour. But the mitigating factor in this story is that God was totally in control of the outcome.

Jews have, for all time since that event been taunted with the label of being “Christ killers”. Dear friends, make no mistake, this was the deliberate act of a holy God, providing for Himself the Lamb without blemish to be slain in sacrifice for our sin that we might draw close to Him in worship and praise. Mankind will NEVER understand the love that was extended to us on that awful, yet triumphant day. But throughout the ages there have been millions who have miraculously come to faith in Yeshua as a result. Praise God.

Understanding the very Hebraic nature of this event ought to quite naturally cause us to celebrate this mighty act of salvation at the time appointed by God for such celebration. Yet very few Christians do. How odd. It is the first annual “mo’ed” (appointed time) mentioned in Leviticus 23. It is the first of seven “mo’edim” (appointed times), which Almighty God described, not as Jewish Feasts as many Christians interpret them, but as MY FEASTS. In effect God is saying “I will be there to meet with those who come at MY appointed time”. There is great blessing available to all who celebrate that time, not the least because it is the remembrance of the act of our salvation. Of course, Jews remember the time when God saved them out of Egypt. Jews who have additionally come to faith in Yeshua have a double reason to celebrate don’t they?

How many of us would turn down an invitation to meet with some high ranking dignitary who specially invited us to an appointment? And yet millions of Christians do. Not once only, but SEVEN times every year.

Earlier, in Matthew 12:39, Yeshua had told the Pharisees that the only sign they would receive of His deity would be the sign of the prophet Jonah. That sign was about to unfold before their eyes.  As Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the fish, so Yeshua would be 3 days and 3 nights in the grave. And so it was. Many Christians have engaged in all sorts of date and day manipulation to try to get 3 days and 3 nights out of the time from Good Friday to Easter morning. Friends, it didn’t happen like that. When we understand the Hebraic nature of this event it all falls quite naturally into place.

Yeshua was put into the grave before the Sabbath. YES. But it was NOT the weekly Sabbath which is how Christians have mistakenly identified Good Friday as the day of Yeshua’s crucifixion. It was the Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the day after Passover. (Please read  Leviticus 23: 5 – 7.) And He was resurrected from the grave immediately following the weekly Sabbath. Then the ladies discovered the empty tomb very early on Sunday morning. Thus completely fulfilling the sign of the prophet Jonah.

(I put it to you that Yeshua was crucified on a Wednesday afternoon, the next day being the Sabbath of Unleavened Bread, spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday (3 days) and Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night (3 nights) in the grave. Resurrection took place on Saturday evening, immediately after sunset, which a Hebraic understanding will tell you was the first day of the week).

 We end our ‘reflections’ in Mark’s gospel, with the record of Yeshua’s ascent into the heavenly realm and “sat down at the right hand of God”.  (which is a bit of a problem for those of the Seventh Day Adventist Church who are erroneously taught about what they term ‘investigative judgment” following the stoning of Stephen).

There are at least twelve records in Scripture about Yeshua appearing to various ones after His resurrection and before His ascent into heaven. The Apostle Paul records (1 Corinthians 15:6) that He appeared to more than 500 persons at one time. And today, dear friends, He enters into conversation with any who approach Him in prayer. In my personal experience He talks to me directly through His written word. May god bless you as you engage with Him too.             

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections    19

Torah portion                   Exodus 25 : 1  – 27 : 19

Haftarah portion           1 Kings 5 : 26 – 6 : 13

Brit Hadashah                 Mark 13 : 1  - 14 : 72

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Yeshua and His disciples left the Temple (after He had thrown out he traders as we discussed last week) and returned to the Mount of Olives, from where one is able to see the whole city of Jerusalem, including the Temple area. It is truly one of the most captivating sights in the world.

“Do you see these great buildings?” Yeshua said. “They are going to become a heap of rubble”. Wow!! Talk about a conversation stopper. The disciples were naturally curious about when it would be, but they certainly did not express any doubt that the Master might be mistaken. Then, carefully and clearly, Yeshua spelled out the programme of events which we refer to today as “the end times”. There are libraries of books and commentaries written on this subject, (much of it speculatory) and I do not feel that I can cover such a topic in this brief ‘reflection’. It is indeed a study in its own right. Sufficient to say that in reading carefully through Yeshua’s words, it is possible to conclude that we appear, at the very least, to be at the beginning of the end (and we might even be much closer to the end than most of us realize). For those who wish to delve into this topic, your study might well start in the book of Daniel, and will end in the Revelation of Yeshua given to the Apostle John.

As a matter of fact, the Temple was destroyed by Titus of Rome less than 40 years after Yeshua’s prediction, and scholars have calculated that Jerusalem itself has been ‘laid waste’ about 17 times during all its history.

Yeshua had entered the city in great triumph and with much adulation in last week’s reading. But, the Scribes and Pharisees, with the active encouragement of the Chief Priest sought, by trickery, how they could get rid of Him once and for all time. But they were conscious that with Passover just two days away, and with Jerusalem crowded by visitors for the festival, there could be an uproar if they moved too quickly. However, what they could not control was the fact (as we know from history) that this was precisely “God’s appointed time” to transact the final sacrifice by which mankind, forever afterwards, could draw close to Himself. They could not possibly have known, that what they conceived as an evil act of murder, was, in truth, the way in which God Himself voluntarily provided the gracious means of salvation for a sinful people.

There are just two observations to be made as we read the rest of this chapter of Mark’s gospel. Passover is the first of the annual Hebraic ‘feasts’ called “mo’edim” in Hebrew (‘appointed times’ in English) which are specified in Leviticus 23.  It is a perpetual remembrance of the time when God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. A lamb without blemish was killed and its blood was painted on the doorposts and lintels of their homes. On this occasion, exactly to the timing God had specified, Yeshua became the voluntary Passover Lamb, and through the sacrifice of His blood, forever afterwards, those who metaphorically paint that blood on the doorposts  and lintels of their life receive salvation from the ‘slavery’ to sin by which we are bound.

The second observation, which emphasizes the voluntary nature of Yeshua’s sacrifice, is gained by an understanding of the ‘hebraic’ nature of the encounter Yeshua had with Caiaphas the High Priest. The story is well known. Yeshua was silent during most of His interrogation, but there came a moment when He spoke. And for that He was condemned.

Now we need to understand some of the commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures to grasp the significance of this encounter. Firstly, Leviticus 21 :10 has a specific instruction for the High Priest that he is not to tear his clothes, in particular referring to the holy Priestly Garments. Secondly, Leviticus 5 : 1 specifies the guilt consequences for any person, who put under oath to speak, does not do so.

In the first matter, of course, the High Priest violated that instruction by tearing his garment, and in so doing rendered himself ineligible to enact the Priestly function of slaughtering the Passover Lamb. In the second matter, Yeshua fulfilled that commandment by confirming His identity as the Son of God, In so doing, He ‘signed His own death warrant’, and fulfilled the absolute requirement of the Passover Lamb, which was to be completely ‘without blemish’. Perfect in accordance with the Torah instruction. At the same time, establishing Himself as “The Great High Priest” who sacrificed Himself, the Lamb without blemish, at that Passover.  Hallelujah, what a Saviour.

Be blessed as you study the depths contained in this portion of Scripture. Share that which God reveals to you with someone you love. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   18         

Torah portion                  Exodus 21 : 1  – 24 : 18

Haftarah portion           2 Kings 12 : 1 – 17

Brit Hadashah                 Mark 11 : 1  - 12 : 44

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Yeshua begins the last week of His life on earth in triumphant fashion. The people recognized that He was their Messiah. “Hosannah! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” was their joyful proclamation. How could they have been so sure? Because here He was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, EXACTLY as Messiah was prophesied to come by the prophet Zechariah 500 years earlier. (Read Zechariah 9:9.)

This would be the turning point, hundreds of years of oppressive occupation by foreigners was about to come to an end! Their joy almost palpable. “Our Messiah has come to set us free. Hallelujah.” One can hear them shout. Anyone who has visited Israel will readily picture the scene. The walk down the hill from the Mount of Olives and into the Old City through the Lions Gate is a ‘must do’ tourist experience. The Temple on your left, and the Antonio Fortress slightly to the right. The Apostle Mark records that Yeshua had a good look around ‘at all things’, and then went back up the hill to Bethany on the Mount of Olives.

The next day, Yeshua returned to the Old City, but shock! horror! instead of turning right to clear out the Romans from their base in the Antonio Fortress, He turned LEFT, into the Temple courts and cleared out the traders who had set up shop there. The Temple had been turned into a place of business. (It is not too much of a stretch to see some parallels in some of our church structures today is it?)

Christians are apt to miss the decidedly ‘Hebraic” nature of the charge laid by Yeshua at this Temple scene. We all know the charge, but not its origin. “A house of prayer for all nations” is actually a conditional promise contained in Isaiah 56. Read the first 6 and ½ verses and the condition is clearly set out. It is for those who “keep the Sabbath”, a key covenant promise made by the Israelites. The “den of thieves” reference is a quotation from Jeremiah 7. Read the whole chapter. To put this into a modern context, Yeshua is effectively saying “Do you think you can do all the religious stuff, say the right words, go to church every week, and by that get a licence to live just as you please?”  Then He says, “remember Shiloh”. (Read the account of that in 1 Samuel 4, wherein the Israelites misused the Ark of the Covenant and lost it to the Philistines as a result.)

So Yeshua gave them a sermon in just those two phrases. And it is a sermon from which there is much to be learned even today for any willing to take note. And there is MORE.

Mark chapter 12 declares the parable of the owner of a vineyard who, when He had completed it and made it fruitful and profitable leased it to some tenant vinedressers. The parable is full of meaning for every age of mankind. The servants who were sent to gather some of the produce were rejected and killed. There were many of them over a period of time. They are interpreted as being analogous to the many prophets and leaders who have been sent, to the Israelites, and by extension to all of humanity, over the centuries, their deeds and warnings documented in Scripture for our understanding.  Then, because we know the end of the story, Yeshua makes reference to Himself, the Son of the Owner of the vineyard. He knows that He is shortly to be rejected and killed. He is the “stone which the builders rejected, and is now the chief cornerstone”. That on which the whole ‘building’ is erected and stands firm. That which we know today as “the church”. Not ‘a church’ but “the church”.

Then at the end of our reading, Yeshua again speaks a warning and condemnation of those who found themselves in positions of authority, leaders of the assemblies. They dress the part, they speak the right words, they are always found in the best seats, are found mixing with the ‘important’ people in the community. Does any of that strike a chord?

He completed the picture by contrasting the plight of the poor widow (and make no mistake, in their community a widow would be poor, which is why so much emphasis in ‘living righteously’ was put on caring for ‘widows and orphans.) who out of her poverty, gave so much, and which was used to support the lifestyle of the leaders.

Yeshua did not mince His words. He still doesn’t. All throughout the Scriptures we are told that when we belong to Him, we are required to show that relationship in the way we live our lives. It is not a self-seeking or self-indulgent lifestyle. It is a life of service, in another place described by the Apostle Paul as a ‘life of slavery’ to Yeshua. So much for the teachers of the ‘prosperity gospel’.        

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections    17

Torah portion                    Exodus 18 : 1  – 20 : 23

Haftarah portion            Isaiah 6 : 1 – 7 : 6 and 9 : 5 – 7

Brit Hadashah                  Mark 9 : 1  - 10 : 52

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Yeshua took Peter, James and John with him to a ‘high mountain’. It is traditionally thought this to be Mt. Tabor, a few miles east of Nazareth. But the site of the ‘confession of Peter’ which we discussed last week is in Banias, in Northern Galilee. That is much closer to a higher mountain, Mount Hermon. However, the site is immaterial to the event. Yeshua’s appearance was visibly changed to a brighter than bright whiteness. He glowed. Not only that, but two other men, identified as Moses and Elijah, appeared there on the mountain in conversation with Yeshua. Wow!!

My Bible describes the disciples as ‘greatly afraid’. I think we can all identify with that can’t we? It was an amazing spectacle to be sure. I have no idea how these men recognized Moses and Elijah, whom they had certainly never met. Maybe Yeshua introduced them. What we do know is that neither of them had an earthly burial place. In fact, Elijah did not die a natural death, he was transported into heaven, and Moses, even though he had a ‘normal’ death, where he was buried is a “God secret”.

The other thing we know is that both Moses and Elijah had very high standing in the eyes of the disciples (in fact in the eyes of all Jews). Moses is forever identified as God’s messenger in leading the Israelites out of Egypt, and subsequently bringing ‘Torah’, and Elijah was known to them as the “prince” of prophets, not least because of the way he faced down the 400 prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. And now, before their very eyes they see their Master, Yeshua, in conversation with these giants of their faith. IF they needed any proof of Yeshua’s identity, here they see Him in close company with Moses and Elijah. But there was more. The VOICE. “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.”

Talk about a ‘life changing’ experience! It is hard to imagine anything to compare with what they witnessed.  But they had questions. “Why do the scribes say Elijah must come first?”  Yeshua told them, not only must Elijah come first, but he has already come! He spoke of His cousin, John the Baptizer. There are a number of reasons why. From the Hebrew Scriptures we know that they dressed alike (2 Kings 1:8 and Matt 3:4). We know that they preached a similar message (Malachi 4:5,6 and Luke 1:17) Both of them had very high profile enemies (1 Kings 18:17 and Matthew 14:3). Some may point out that in John 1:21, John flatly denied that he was Elijah, but this may be explained because there was a belief that because Elijah had never actually died, that he was still around roaming the earth. John’s denial was that he was NOT the ACTUAL Elijah who had been transported into heaven many years earlier.

Later, when the three had returned to the where the crowds were gathered, they were confronted by a discussion about the failure of the disciples to exorcize a particularly nasty demon from a man who had suffered the agony from childhood of being rendered deaf, dumb and smitten with uncontrollable fits. To my mind there are two notable features of this healing. The first is the action and words of the distraught father of the man. He had the faith to bring his son to Yeshua. But he said “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  Yeshua’s response, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes”. Sounds so easy doesn’t it? With tears of pleading the distraught father said words which so many of us need to learn. “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”  I think the father was saying “I’m doing my best, I’m doing all I know to do, but I still need help, I need Your healing touch too.”

Maybe, as some evidence of this, we find Yeshua travelling south again, with His disciples. During the journey, He told them about His impending death and resurrection. They clearly did not understand this, but were afraid to ask Him any more details. What they did discuss however, and evidently with some disputation was what their ‘pecking order’ would be after the announced death of the Master. How human is that?

But Yeshua, discerning their hearts, called them together and said more words that need to be burned into our spirit as followers of Him. It is plain and unequivocal. “If you desire to be FIRST, then take your position as last of all, and servant of all”.  Friends, we have generated a hierarchical structure of authority within our modern day churches which is diametrically opposed to that statement. We have adopted the hierarchical business model with high sounding names, adding words like “senior” and “chief” to Biblical ministries which were intended to be ‘servant ministries”. Dare I say it?  We would do well to abandon the “greek” and put on the “Hebraic”.                    

Shabbat Shalom

RS