January 2026

03-January-2026

Vayechi

Brit Hadashah Reflections 12

Torah portion Genesis 47 : 28 – 50 : 26

Brit Hadashah Matthew 26:1 - 28 : 20

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

Such a lot of ground to cover. Yeshua had just concluded a long teaching on living a pure Torah lifestyle. He gave His disciples a glimpse into the future when He would rule and reign as King in Jerusalem. He described a time of judgement when nations would be judged according to their actions and lifestyle. He described that as separating the ‘sheep’ from the ‘goats’. In today’s language quite politically incorrect .. but factual. And sadly, many Christian believers today STILL don’t get the message!

And in this week’s parashah, He brought them back to the reality of His mission. “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” What a contrast. From the “King” in chapter 25, to the “criminal” in chapter 26.

We are usually good at anniversaries aren’t we? Ask your friend at your church when is Passover next year. Then ask why don’t we celebrate the death and resurrection of Yeshua at that time. Of course, you know the answer. The pagan Easter has taken its place. We appear to have forgotten the Jewishness of our Messiah. This is just another important reason to gain a Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures.

Chapter 26 has the account of what we refer to as ‘the last supper’. It was intended, just like Passover, to be an annual remembrance. But it has become a more frequent ritual in its christianized celebration of ‘communion’ or ‘breaking of bread’. Verse 28 quotes the words of Yeshua “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (some Bibles include the word ‘new’ before covenant, but that is not in the Nestle-Aland or the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament translations). Never-the less, the blood of the covenant (which they broke) which Moses sprinkled on the people as a sign (Exodus 24:8) is replicated here by Yeshua in His own blood, as a sign and guarantee of the covenant which is, one day, to be made with the House of Judah and the House of Israel. The only difference between those covenants (both of which require the God ordained Torah centred lifestyle) is that the next covenant, the one guaranteed by the blood of Yeshua, is unbreakable because it will be written on hearts and put in minds by God Himself.(read its full text in Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8).

Yeshua, was arrested, and eventually interrogated, in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin by the Sadducee Caiaphas, the serving High Priest at that time. There are two important Hebraic matters to observe here. Firstly, Yeshua remained silent (Matthew 26:62,63) during this interrogation until put under oath by Caiaphas. As an indication of His perfect Torah observance, Yeshua confirmed His identity as Son of God. The requirement of Leviticus 5:1 would have rendered Him complicit in deceit had He remained silent at that point. And secondly, Caiaphas tore his priestly garments, in direct violation of (Leviticus 21:10) a Torah command. By this action he effectively disqualified himself from his duties, one of which, the next day, was to sacrifice the Passover lamb. The significance being that Yeshua became the Passover Lamb, but was not sacrificed by the appointed High Priest. But rather, in His own appointment as our Great High Priest, offered Himself as that sacrifice.

The final ‘reflection’ on this parashah is in relation to the Scripture we all know as “The Great Commission”(Matthew 28:18-20). “Go and make disciples of all nations”.

Now, making disciples was not an uncommon practise in Judaism. All the well-known, and unknown, Rabbi’s made disciples of themselves. A disciple is an imitator of his Master. The disciple would try to act, speak, think, dress, eat, and behave in exactly the way he observed in his Master. Then, in turn that disciple would eventually develop his own disciples. Here, Yeshua, is commanding, not to make disciples for themselves, but to make disciples of Himself. The result being that there is ONLY ONE Master, Yeshua Himself. And ONLY one teaching. Torah.

It is quite common, today, for people to declare themselves “disciples of Yeshua”. To what extent then should we, as His disciples, imitate Him? Well, the Apostle Paul says (Romans 11) that gentile believers become ‘grafted in’ to the natural Olive Tree, which is Israel. Furthermore that we become “partakers of the root and fatness of the Olive Tree”. We have seen how careful Yeshua was to live His life in accord with every aspect of God’s instructions for righteous living (Torah). What about us?

May God grant us wisdom to understand the Scriptures, not as others may have misguidedly taught us, but as the very Word itself declares?

Shabbat Shalom