Zion's Voice

Brit Hadashah Reflections      34

Torah portion                Numbers 16 : 1  – 18 : 32

Haftarah portion         Isaiah  66 : 1 – 24

Brit Hadashah              John 8 : 1  - 10 : 42

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Yeshua was teaching a crowd of people in the Temple early one morning when the Scribes and Pharisees brought a sinful woman to Him. They announced that she had broken the Law of Moses by adultery. They said that Moses Law clearly specified the punishment but “what do You think we should do?”  Here was an opportunity to trap Him into giving an answer which would condemn Him whichever course He took.

To confirm the punishment contained in the Torah would provide them an opportunity to charge Him with teaching against the laws of the land, Roman Law. To affirm Roman Law would provide opportunity for them to charge Him with not upholding Torah. Condemned either way. But Yeshua stooped to the ground and wrote something in the dust. What was it that He wrote there? Whatever it was had a silencing effect on all who stood with rocks in their hands. There are a number of speculative opinions available about what was written in the dust that day. Yeshua had just the previous day in the Temple, at the time of the Water Libation ceremony, declaring that it spoke of Himself as providing “living water” to all who would ask Him. So did He write Jeremiah 17:13 in the dust?  A sharp reminder to these religious men that they had themselves forsaken the very God they professed to worship. Did He write Hosea 4:14 there, reminding them of the overt responsibility of men in adultery? Did He write specific sins of the accusers, which they previously thought were secret? Whatever was written in the dust ‘convicted their conscience’. What would Yeshua have written in the dust that would have made me put down my rock and slink off in shame? That stuff that I think is a watertight secret? Then to know that He knows. Things for which I have never sought His forgiveness. Take a moment to put things right with Him. Then put down your rock!! Yeshua forgave the woman, told her ‘sin no more’ and sent her to get on with her life. Anyone of us can experience that loving forgiveness, but it requires an encounter with Him who alone has the power to forgive our sin.

Immediately following this incident in our text Yeshua announced the next I AM (the second of seven in John’s gospel). I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. The context, in the Temple, where the area was lit by the Golden Menora, kept alight by the careful continuous attention of the Priests. It was a focal point of gathering of the people. People who were familiar with the Scriptures. They knew that King David had written in Psalm 119 that the Torah was a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 118:105). And here was Yeshua declaring that He is the “light of the world”. He is telling them that He is the ‘living Torah of God’. The Temple Menorah, important to them as it was, became a symbol of the light that His teaching brought to them. As symbolic as the Water Libation ceremony was to His provision of a continuous stream of living water from which they would never again experience thirst. As symbolic as the Bread of life represented by His own presence among them.

It would be much later, after His death on a Roman Cross, that they would come to appreciate the import of His “I AM” words. But what followed was a profound conversation about their status as “sons of Abraham”. It is a conversation that involves everyone who reads this ‘refection’!! At its heart is the question “Who, exactly, is a ‘son of Abraham?’” Because to be a ‘son of Abraham’ is to follow the actions of Abraham. To do what Abraham did.  That they were physical descendants of Abraham is not in question. But Abraham believed God, and that was counted to him as righteousness. The Pharisees did NOT believe that Yeshua was of the Father. They even accused Him of being demon possessed. Yeshua told them bluntly that they were NOT ‘sons of Abraham’ spiritually because they rejected Him. He went further. Because they were not ‘sons of Abraham’ they were ‘sons of the devil’.

Now we dare not mince words here because this is an exceptionally important lesson. Yeshua is saying clearly that there are TWO families on this earth. One is the family of Abraham and the other is the family of the devil. No-one can belong to both families. God’s family is the family of Abraham. Those in that family LOVE the things of God. His word. His teaching. His associates as fellow family members. The DOERS of His word. And anyone NOT in Abraham’s family belongs to the other family. Yeshua tells us here that this other family includes many members who are quite religious, but who do not accept the Son of the Father and His teachings. It is a salutary warning to those who may be regular church attendees, but are still not in the family of Abraham.

Take time to ask the Lord to show you how you can be sure that you are indeed a member of the family of Abraham.   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      33  

Torah portion                   Numbers 13 : 1  – 15 : 41

Haftarah portion            Joshua  2 : 1 – 24

Brit Hadashah                 John 5 : 1  - 7 : 52

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Yeshua travelled to Jerusalem for one of the festivals. We are not told which one. Commentators are divided in opinion about this but it has no bearing on the events anyway. The pools of Bethesda, in the present day Muslim quarter of the Old City, today many metres below the present paved surface, close to the Church of St. Anne (famous because of its amazing acoustic qualities) is a ‘must see’ for visitors to Jerusalem. The place where Yeshua again provoked the Pharisees to anger, not just because the paralytic man was healed on the Sabbath, but this time because the man was told to ‘take up his bed and walk’!! (carrying the bed was considered ‘work’ by the Rabbinate, therefore forbidden on the Sabbath). Then to compound matters Yeshua openly declared to them that He and the Father were one, a confession which they regarded as treasonable. (Also one which Jews today view with utter contempt. But before we condemn Jews out of hand for this, we should remind ourselves that ‘the Jesus’ with which Jews have been confronted for centuries,  fits perfectly into the mould of a false prophet such as is described in Deuteronomy 13. We know that He is NOT, of course, but that is how the ‘church’ has portrayed Him to Jews!!  One who takes them away from the commandments of Moses.)

The defining statement in this exchange with the Pharisees comes right at the end of John 5. Yeshua told them that Moses had written about Him! He clearly identified Himself there as “the promised prophet like Moses”. Take time to refresh your memory. Read Deuteronomy 18:15-19. And if you have an interest in the judgement of self-proclaimed prophets read to the end of the chapter!

Chapter 6 of our reading finds Yeshua back in the Galilee. A ‘great multitude’ followed Him. John takes the trouble of informing us that Passover was near at hand. I am left wondering about this.  In the normal course, in obedience to the Torah commandment, all Jewish men (including Yeshua and His disciples) would be close to Jerusalem for this festival. As I ponder this I find myself speculating that Yeshua had become such an attraction, and the text provides evidence of this, mainly because people were desperate to know if He really was the longed for Messiah, the “prophet like Moses”, (the ‘strong man’ who in the manner of Moses and the Egyptians, would deliver them from Roman oppresion), and that could have delayed their journey to Jerusalem. We will never know. But what we do know is that Yeshua performed a Messianic miracle before their eyes. He fed them. The multiplication of the five small loaves (and two small fish). Immediately (see John 6:15) the crowd had seen enough. They sought to forcibly take Him and proclaim His kingship. They would have willingly followed Him into battle to defeat the Romans. But that was never part of God’s plan was it?  Yeshua was building a “Temple” not made with hands. And what did the prophet Zechariah say? “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says he Lord of hosts.”  (Referring there to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem by Zerubbabel 500 years earlier).

Continuing the theme of the miraculous provision of bread, Yeshua pressed the point with His disciples. They remembered the provision of “manna” in Moses day, but He declared that it was not Moses who provided the bread, but YHWH Elohim. And it is the same YHWH Elohim who multiplied the 5 small loaves. But there was more. As He identified Himself yet again as working under the complete authority and guidance of the Father, He made the first of His seven I AM statements. It is profound. It is the very essence of eternal life in Him. Their forefathers ate “manna’ in the wilderness, but they eventually died. Everyone dies. But Yeshua declared I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Those who partake of the bread He offers will be saved from the death which follows the White Throne Judgment of the Father. They are ones who will be present at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. (Read Revelation 20 for a fuller account of this awesome encounter destined for everyone, yes all of us!).

Chapter 7 relates an account of a major feature of the Feast of Tabenacles. The water libation ceremony. A joyous daily ritual when water from the Gihon Spring, channelled into the Pool of Siloam via Hezekiah’s tunnel was carried into the Temple and poured over the Altar. Yeshua likened Himself to that “living water” which would never cease to flow. So much to learn about Hebraic significance in this passage of Scripture. Be blessed as you search it out.  It is worth it. 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections     32     

Torah portion                  Numbers 8 : 1  – 12 : 16

Haftarah portion           Zechariah  2 : 14 – 4 : 7

Brit Hadashah                 John 2 : 1  - 4 : 54

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Commentators have a wide range of opinion regarding the timing of the wedding at Cana of Galilee! The third day. If it has significance it is lost to most of us. I think it was a Tuesday!! But maybe the wedding festival lasted several days, and by the third day all the wine was gone! In any event, what followed was quite significant because it is the first miracle of Yeshua recorded by John. Upwards of 120 gallons of water turned into best quality wine. That is the recorded fact, but in the story the most significant element of this miracle comes from the mouth of Miriam, Yeshua’s mother. “Whatever He says to you, do it”.

We are only five verses into our ‘reflection’ and we are given the most valuable lesson any of us could ever have. And that from the heart of the person who knew Him best. His mother. The servants at the wedding were obedient to that which Yeshua said, and witnessed an amazing miracle. Who knows what God has in store for those who just take Him at His word?  Just to listen to His Word and do it.   Selah!

There are two accounts in Scripture about Yeshua being angered by the scene He encountered in the Temple in Jerusalem. John tells about the first when Yeshua visited the Temple for Passover early in His ministry. The other gospel writers comment on the second when Yeshua visited the Temple on His final visit to Jerusalem in the year He was crucified. It seems that Yeshua was appalled by the concept of a place of Worship being turned into a commercial enterprise. Perhaps another lesson from this passage of Scripture for those who want to learn.

During that visit to Jerusalem, there were many who believed in Him because of the signs which He did among them. But Yeshua did not commit Himself to them because He discerned that their motive was not right. In essence I think that means that because He is able to discern the heart He could see that there was no change taking place. It was a mental assent rather than a repentant spirit. Another lesson. How often today do we hear a gospel of repentance preached?  It is more often the case that we hear a prosperity gospel “Come to Jesus and all your problems will be solved, financial, emotional, and practical”. So there are those who believe because of what they can see Him doing for them, not because He teaches that those who belong to Him WILL show it in a change of lifestyle. A repentant ‘turning around’.

A high ranking Pharisee called Nicodemus found this out at first hand. “You must be born again” he was told. Then the most famous Scripture in our Bible. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes IN Him should not perish, but have eternal life”. Followed by :- “But he who DOES the truth comes to the light, that his DEEDS may be clearly seen, that they have been done by God”.

Can you see that Yeshua is clearly teaching that when we put our trust in Him, IT SHOWS.? It makes a difference in how we live. The Apostle James stated it even more clearly. “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” James 2 : 18  This is NOT salvation BY works, but works BECAUSE of salvation.

Yeshua had a most fascinating encounter with the Samaritan woman at a well. He asked her to draw Him some water from the well. “If you knew who it was that asked for the water, you would have asked Me to give you water” He said, “because if you drink the water that I give you, you will never thirst again!”. The story is well known and He shocked the woman by telling her things about her private life which illustrated that He was a Prophet. But as the conversation developed, Yeshua said something quite amazing. Most of us have read it many times without absorbing the importance of it. (Especially those of us who are staunch Israel supporters)  The day is coming when true worshippers will not worship in Jerusalem, but “will worship Him in Spirit and in truth”.

There is presently NO Temple in Jerusalem. But it was the place of earthly worship designated by God. Ezekiel describes a Temple yet to be built. The “Temple Mount Faithful” are planning to rebuild a Temple in Jerusalem. But Yeshua is prophesying that the Father will not be worshipped there. For your consideration I offer the following. When a new temple is built in Jerusalem, it WILL for worship. However, there is another who will demand worship in that Temple. It will happen at the end of this age. The Bible refers to him as “the Beast”. Antichrist. And there is NO Temple in the New Jerusalem.

Watch and pray.       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections       31     

Torah portion                   Numbers 4 : 21  – 7 : 89

Haftarah portion           Judges  13 : 2 – 25

Brit Hadashah                 John 1 : 1  - 51

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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The gospel of John is different to those which precede it in our Bibles. His focus is significantly on the deity of Yeshua, whereas the other gospels report on His humanity.

“In the beginning” he starts off. Right back to the mighty act of creation. The Word which became flesh and dwelt among us was there. Grasp the enormous implication of that. Our well recognized Messiah Yeshua who climbed the hill at Calvary to die on that Roman cross is the same One who spoke light into being. The same One who made the firmament and divided the waters. The same One who spoke blessing and promise to Abram. The same One who spoke to Moses on the mountain. The same One who brought fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice of Elijah on Mount Carmel. And the same One who appeared to Rabbi Sha’ul on the road to Damascus.

Now if that does not stir your heart, it should! The continuity of the whole of Scripture is vested in the person of Yeshua. He is both the author and the purpose and fulfilment of Scripture. Without Him, the Scriptures are just an interesting documentary of the history of one people group. But He is the purpose, and John knew it full well.

It is Yeshua Himself who commanded Moses to tell the people how to live righteously before each other and before Almighty God. Is it any wonder that He said (as recorded in Matthew 5:19) “I did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets” How could He since He was the author?

The Apostle John takes time to acquaint us with the prophetic references to the Messiah. First, John the Baptizer. He was Yeshua’s cousin in the flesh. They would have grown up knowing a lot about each other. John the Apostle tells us that John the Baptizer came to this earth with a special mission, that being to herald and bring attention to Yeshua. But John the Baptizer must have been extremely impressive too, because the Scribes and Pharisees were able to discern something quite different about him. They couldn’t quite work him out. “Who are you?” was the question. Then they had a few guesses. All wrong. But John clearly testified as to the true identity of Yeshua. He had absolutely no doubt. He said “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” and the very next day as he watched Yeshua walk by “Behold the Lamb of God”. What an insight.

However, those close to John the Baptizer were looking for the coming Messiah and began to follow Yeshau upon John’s confirmation of His identity. “We have found the Messiah” was their triumphant testimony. Soon Yeshua had attracted close followers whom He chose to be His disciples. Friends and family members of each other mostly.

Is there a lesson for us here?

We are blessed to have the Scriptures. John has made it clear that Yeshua is the author, and the substance, the purpose, and the fulfilment of those Scriptures. And we KNOW Him. We have met Him. We trust Him. It challenges me to ask myself what I am doing to introduce my friends and family to Him.

Ah! But you do not know what my friends and family are like! True. But He does. The overwhelming bulk of persons who trust in the saving grace and sacrificial death and resurrection of Yeshua were told about Him by someone else. But generally, that ‘someone else’ was a person who had a life ordered by God. A disciple of Yeshua in fact. And it showed. It is often true that we talk to others more by what we are than by what we say.

So here’s the challenge. When I was a VERY young man I heard a visiting evangelist (to our town in Wales) say “Get on fire for the Lord and the world will come to watch you burn”.

There are many good lessons to be learned from our study of the gospel of John in the coming weeks. For this week, there are two stand-out lessons for me. The first is the recognition of the Creator of the Universe, taking human form, living as we live, but in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. The second is to observe the way in which Yeshua attracted those early disciples to Himself. It was a word of mouth recommendation of those who knew Him.

God will bless you as you talk about your Saviour. He is worthy of our praise and our commendation.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections       M3    

Torah portions               Exodus 19:1 to 20:23  and Numbers 28 :26 - 31

Haftarah portion          Ezekiel 1 : 1-28 and 3 : 12

Listen to the Prophets

Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 have the commandments about annual observances of the “mo’edim”. (The Hebrew word for “appointed times”, which in turn is usually translated into English as “feasts”). These are times when God specified He would meet with His chosen ones.

Today, they are most often referred to as “Jewish Feasts”. That correctly describes the fact that they are observances remembered by Jews. But it is an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures.

When God gave these instructions to Moses, He carefully worded these ‘appointed times’ (mo’edim) as MY ‘mo’edim’. They may be characterized as times when God says, in effect, “I will be there to meet with you on these specific occasions”. Those who choose not to attend miss an opportunity of blessing through meeting with Him at His invitation.

This ‘appointed time’ is fixed in relation to Pesach. Seven Sabbaths plus one day later.( In the Christian reckoning, it is called “Whitsun” and is seven weeks after Palm Sunday, but it bears no relationship at all to the ‘mo’ed’ of the Lord specified in Leviticus 23.) Some pretty exciting things happened at Shavuot, and the festival (also known as the Feast of Weeks) figures most significantly in the prophetic calendar as it relates to Yeshua.

Firstly, by Jewish calculation, and there is good evidence for it, this was the time when Moses was on the mountain communing with the Lord and receiving the instructions for righteous living, which we know as Torah. (see Exodus 19:1)  That, in my view is cause enough to celebrate. The very Word of God, which is ‘sharper than any two-edged sword’, came to us at this time of the year. An immeasurable blessing. My Bible tells me that Moses spoke “all that the Lord had told him” and wrote it in a book.(Exodus 24: 3 and 7). More importantly, that was the exact time that the first covenant was sealed, when the people voluntarily agreed as they said “all that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient”.

Secondly, according to Acts 1, Yeshau returned to His Father 40 days after his resurrection from the grave. But He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. Just 10 days later was the festival of Shavuot. Jerusalem was overflowing with people, there for the festival from all over the known world (as it is today for the three pilgrimage festivals). Then came a sound ‘like a mighty rushing wind’. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, the One who points to Messiah, was sent to minister His blessing to those who would receive it.

The disciples, already emboldened at meeting the resurrected Lord Yeshua, were imbued with power from on high. No longer the ‘shrinking violets’ who were shattered by the death of Yeshua on that cruel Roman cross. They spoke boldly to the throngs of people in the Temple courtyard, and miracle of miracles, the foreigners present all heard these fishermen from Galilee speaking in their own several languages. It is almost impossible to imagine. But by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, over three thousand were added to the company of believers that very day. Now that surely is another reason to celebrate.

But there’s more!!   Both events related above did not stop.

Today, we have the precious Holy Scriptures, written in so many of the world’s languages. The faithful Jews who were entrusted with those Scriptures have carefully preserved them for our blessing and instruction down through the ages. In the early days, meticulously copying by hand every ‘jot and tittle’. Every yod and vav.

The Holy Spirit of God is alive and well in the earth today. His role on earth is to point us to Messiah Yeshua, by any and all means possible. He brings strength to the ‘weary’, comfort to the ‘afflicted’, guidance to those who seek, and blessing to all who ask.

So if any still wonder why we should celebrate Shavuot, I trust that this ‘reflection’ will provide some answers. But there is a much greater and compelling reason. God commanded it. His promise, is included in the introductory remarks of this ‘reflection’. He will be there to meet all who come. It is a special time. It has never been revoked.

You will be blessed as you meet together and thank Him for His unspeakable gift.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      30  

Torah portion                     Numbers 1 : 1  – 4 : 20

Haftarah portion             Hosea  2 : 1 – 22

Brit Hadashah                   Luke 23 : 1  - 24 : 53

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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For most Christians, our reading this week is the most familiar in all the Scriptures. At the conclusion of the reading last week, Yeshua declared that He is indeed the Son of Almighty God. To the Pharisees, a statement of blasphemy which was ‘the last straw’.  Unceremoniously, Yeshua was taken to the Roman Governor, with false accusations about His ‘treasonous’ acts of subverting the nation and forbidding the people to pay taxes to Rome. Pontius Pilate questioned Him at length and declared that he was unable discover any fault worthy of the death penalty. In fact, no fault at all!! But Pilate discovered that Yeshua was from Galilee. That was under the jurisdiction of Herod, so Yeshua was paraded before Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem (presumably for the festival of Pesach) and who was pleased to meet Yeshua because of His reputation. But all Herod’s questioning was met with only silence from Yeshua. So He was taken back to Pilate, humiliated but without accusation.

Now this is an important part of the story because it verifies two things. Firstly, that Yeshua was found ‘without fault’ by TWO investigations by the Roman authorities. In addition the Pharisees could only muster ‘false accusations’, so that made three investigations that Yeshua was ‘without blemish’. So the second verification was that Yeshua fulfilled a principal requirement of the condition necessary for the chosen Passover Lamb that was to be slain. Without blemish.

The atrocity, which His crucifixion was, is too horrific to understand. But it happened. By mid-afternoon, Jerusalem experienced a devastating earthquake. Yeshua was dead. The sun was obscured so it became dark. The huge veil which separated the Holy place from the Most Holy place in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. The magnitude of this cruel episode was not lost on the captain of the Roman guard. “Certainly, this was a righteous Man!” he declared. The crowd who had looked on were terrified at the thought of what they had been party to. They could not imagine what might happen next. But that was because they did not understand that this was not the ordinary punishment of a deserving criminal. What they had witnessed was the voluntary act of the Son of God, presenting Himself as the final Passover Lamb ‘without blemish’, paying the penalty of man’s unrighteousness in order that any who trusted in that selfless act (metaphorically painting that shed blood on the doorposts and lintels of their heart) would know peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and be ready to appear righteous and forgiven before Him. “Passed over” when final judgment is declared. What a picture!

Yeshua was placed into the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jerusalem council who dissented from the council decision to seek Yeshua’s crucifixion. It was late in the day, just before the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. A Sabbath. (A lack of understanding of the Hebraic nature of this event has caused the church to confuse this Sabbath with the weekly Sabbath which came two days later) . The celebration of this event at Easter can never satisfy the clear teaching of Yeshua that He would be in the grave for three nights and three days!! The resurrection of Yeshua would have taken place immediately at the conclusion of the weekly Sabbath, but was not discovered by the ladies until they visited the tomb very early the next morning.

That same day, the first day of the new week, Yeshua met Cleopas and his friend as they journeyed to Emmaus. They were the first of over 500 people who had an encounter with the risen Messiah. As He walked with the two friends, He spoke with them, beginning with Moses, then through the Prophets and Psalms, expounding to them all things concerning Himself. They would later say “Did not our heart burn within us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

That same experience is available to us today! Ask the Holy Spirit of God to show you, as you read the Scriptures, both the Hebrew and the Apostolic Scriptures, the revelation of the wonder and perfection of God’s plan for mankind. Get excited about the Scriptures and your heart will burn within you as you hunger to know more.

Yeshua then met with the rest of His close disciples. He spoke with them. He ate with them. He encouraged them by opening their understanding of the Scriptures. They became eye witnesses of the resurrected Messiah. That emboldened them to testify to the resurrection of Yeshua, against threat of persecution, nothing could stop them because they had that personal encounter with Him. He had conquered death and hell.  Then He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father to await the time for His return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah!

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections        29     

Torah portion                    Leviticus 25 : 1 – 27 : 34

Haftarah portion            Jeremiah  16 : 19 – 17 : 14

Brit Hadashah                  Luke 21 : 1 - 22 : 71

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

The Temple in Jerusalem, in the days when Yeshua walked this earth, was a magnificent, dominant, seemingly impregnable feature of the city. It was the very centre of religious life. And like some of our mega-churches today, had also become a centre of commerce, which had drawn the ire of Yeshua as He drove the merchants out of the Temple courts. He had described what was to be “a House of prayer” (Isaiah 56) as “a den of thieves” (Jeremiah 7). Harsh words eh?

Imagine the shock when, as some of them were discussing among themselves the beauty of the place, Yeshua announced to His disciples that a day was coming when “not one stone will be left on another”. Destroyed. Finished. No longer useable. Unthinkable statement. So they asked Him when this would happen. His answer was prophetic then of the physical destruction of the Temple by Titus in 70 C.E. (less than 40 years ahead) and it is prophetic today, because His answer embraces a time when certain events would take place, which many people readily identify as events which are occurring before our very eyes in our day. Days which herald the coming return of Yeshua as King of kings to rule and reign from Jerusalem. “Look at the fig tree” He said. “When that is budding, you know that summer is near.” So it will be when Yeshau returns. You will see the signs, then “watch and pray”. The signs are all around us aren’t they?

The season of Passover was upon them. Yeshua knew that in a few short hours He would be condemned to die on a Roman cross. The Scribes and the Pharisees wanted Him out of the way for sure, and to that extent they were complicit in His death. They brought false accusations against Him, and of course, because they were false, they did not stand up to rigorous scrutiny by the Roman authorities, who openly declared that they could find no fault in Him.

But Yeshua had a few more things to teach His disciples before that appalling crime was committed. As He reclined with His close friends around the table of the Passover Seder He told them that this would be the last time He would share Passover with them in this life. Understanding the form and substance of the Hebraic Passover Seder gives us a clear insight into the sequence of events around that table. And it is vastly different to that which has been taught in our modern churches for centuries.

Passover is an annual remembrance, throughout their generations (i.e. as long as there are Jews on this earth!). The Seder (a Hebrew word which simply means “order” or “arrangement”) has been developed as a ritual remembrance which is used in Jewish families to teach the children (and anyone else present) about the miraculous salvation of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt about 3,500 years ago. In Leviticus 23, it is described as the first of seven annual “mo’edim” (appointed times) of the Lord. This is what Yeshua and His disciples were about in our readings today. Tradition has it that there are FIVE cups of wine at a Seder meal. Four are drunk, and the fifth (Elijah’s cup) remains untouched until he comes to herald the coming of the Messiah.

The ‘third cup’, often referred to as the ‘cup of redemption’, taken after the meal, is the cup which is recognized by Christians in celebration of ‘communion’. (Note:- From a Hebraic understanding of the Scriptures I conclude that this was always intended by Yeshua to be an ANNUAL remembrance at the Passover Seder. Unleavened  bread representative of His sinless body, and His blood the guarantee of the New Covenant which is to be made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah). Regrettably, the lack of understanding of this Hebraic connection results in loss to the church, because the Lords ‘appointed time’ of Passover has been replaced by the Christianised pagan celebration of Easter.

After that Passover Seder with His disciples, He spoke to them about the betrayal which would shortly take place. He spoke about the testing which they would endure for ‘His name’s sake’. Then He went to a quiet place to pray. It is the place where He suffered great agony as He contemplated the magnitude of that which He was to bear. I do not think that agony was in regard to the physical deprivation He knew was to take place. It was the agony of the knowledge of the ‘chata’ (the sin) that He was to bear in His sinless body. The sin which would separate Him from His Father in Heaven. My sin. Your sin.        Selah!                           

If this ‘reflection’ means nothing else, it is worthy of your contemplation of the agony borne by our Saviour Yeshua on our behalf.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      28

Torah portion                     Leviticus 21 : 1  – 24 : 23

Haftarah portion              Ezekiel  44 : 15 – 31

Brit Hadashah                    Luke 18 : 1  - 20 : 47

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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It never ceases to amaze me how God speaks directly into ones situation through His word. Our reading this week opens with an encouragement to ‘pray and not lose heart”. We know that God is not deaf! He hears our prayer, and yet we are encouraged to ‘pray, and keep on praying’. The unjust judge in the parable dealt with the widow’s plea so that she would not keep bothering him. God is different. He loves our communication with Him as we pray, and has no difficulty with us who ‘pray and keep on praying’ about the same matter over and over again. The most important point is to recognize that God, unlike us, sees the whole picture. He sees the end from the beginning, and has our best interests at His heart ….  even when we do not understand the process.

The parables flow as Yeshua continues to teach the people the essence of Torah living. Caring for one another in love. Being child-like in our faith, trusting the words and actions of a loving Father. The blind man on the road to Jericho had heard of the miraculous healings which had been witnessed as Yeshua travelled around the country. Suddenly a large crowd of people came along the road. What was happening? Yeshua of Nazareth was passing through Jericho. The blind man cried out, not once, but many times, louder and louder making himself heard above the noise of the vast crowd. “Yeshua, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He would not be silenced. He asked, and kept on asking. Then those wonderful words coming from the very heart of God. “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight, and followed Yeshua, glorifying God.

The story of Zacchaeus is a bit different. Everyone who has ever attended Sunday School knows the story. He was a ‘chief tax collector; and he was rich” my Bible tells me. We need to understand the Hebraic context of this encounter to fully appreciate the enormity of the hateful feelings of the ‘man in the street’ for a person such as Zacchaeus. He was a servant of the Roman authorities. He collected taxes on their behalf, and added plenty for himself in the process. He would have been considered a traitor. Because of his short stature he climbed a tree to get a good look at Yeshua as He passed by. Then ‘shock, horror!’, Yeshua, addressing him by name, invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. It changed Zacchaeus’ life. He remembered the obligations of Torah on those who believe! Exodus 22 speaks about restoration of property stolen from others, and Zacchaeus had done plenty of that. So he made the correct restitution, and for that Yeshua declared “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;” What does that mean? Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness. He did the right thing! Then forever more, those who become ‘sons of Abraham’ through their faith, have righteousness credited to them. They receive salvation. But take careful note here. That faith was exhibited in their actions. It is infinitely more than verbal assent to something we believe. It is faith which results in righteous action. What we do, not what we say.

The story of Zacchaeus is immediately followed by the parable about stewardship. This emphasizes the role expected of those entrusted with “Sonship”. The slothful servant lost what he had been given because he had not ‘borne fruit’ for the kingdom. There is clearly the expectation that as His earthly stewards, the believers should be doing works which bring reward and harvest. It is not doing works in order to be saved. It is doing works because we have already received His salvation.

Yeshua then entered Jerusalem, riding on the colt of a donkey. The last week of His earthly sojourn. The Pharisees were enraged as His disciples shouted and cheered “Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord!”  But Yeshua wept over the city. Such hypocrisy and disregard for the ‘instructions for righteous living’ which was given by Moses. Speaking words which sound religious, but acting, that is DOING that which showed that they were far from the heart of God.

Dear friend reading this ‘reflection’. What would Yeshua say if He were to visit our church services today. Would He be delighted to see how much money is collected in the offering bag? And what happens to that money? Would He be pleased to see the way we care for the poor and needy in our community? Would He look us in the eye and say “Well done good and faithful servant?” Our reading today has provided us with a glimpse into the very ‘heart of God’. His intent in sending Yeshua was to ‘seek and to save that which was lost’. To find those who are counted as “sons of Abraham”. Be blessed as you seek the Lord, asking Him to reveal truth from His word, which He has promised ‘will not return to Him void but will accomplish that for which it was sent’.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections       27  

Torah portion                      Leviticus 16 : 1  – 20 : 27

Haftarah portion               Amos 9 : 7 – 15

Brit Hadashah                     Luke 16 : 1  - 17 : 37

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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The teaching parables continue. Firstly the parable of the ‘unjust steward’. Having been charged with deceit, he compounded that in his attempt to ingratiate himself with the owner’s debtors, and at the owner’s expense. The owner commended him for his shrewdness!! But that was not all good. The owner explained that his shrewdness had only served to make friendships with equally devious men. In so doing he had abandoned the security which was available to him had he dealt justly with the owner. The lesson was obvious to the disciples who heard it. The unjust steward had forsaken God (the owner) with His promise of eternal life, for the present transient offerings of men. A poor exchange. “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men (his shrewdness) is an abomination in the sight of God”.

Yeshua says that up to John the Baptizer, people were encouraged to ‘draw near’ to God with gifts and offerings according to the Torah of Moses. Now, the message is that the “kingdom of God” is with us. Time is short. Act whilst you can. So Yeshua followed that up by telling another parable about the rich man and Lazarus, the poor beggar. What is portrayed is a distressing account of that which awaits those who die not having faith in Him who died for us. We read in Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed unto man once to die, and after death, the judgment”. It is a solemn warning. Nothing has changed since the day it was first spoken. In this parable, when the rich man asked that the poor beggar be sent to warn his five brothers where they were heading, the blunt message of Yeshua was “They have Moses and the Prophets, they must listen to them”. As the rich man argued that his brothers would only listen if someone returned from the dead to warn them, Yeshua re-affirmed the status of Moses and the Prophets as His emissaries.

How sad that today, in many of our churches, Moses and the Prophets have been consigned to antiquity! Irrelevant. Of no consequence. Did Yeshua know something that the rest of us do not? It is incumbent on each of us to discover that truth for ourselves. It is that important.

The Pharisees were likened to ‘obstacles’ to faith in Yeshua. In life, these obstacles will continue to appear and in all sorts of guises. Regrettably, even within some modern church denominations there are obstacles to truth. Yeshua’s message is clear. At the end, it would be better for those who create those obstacles to have a millstone put around their neck and be cast into the sea. Because the alternative is as described in the parable of the rich man and the beggar.

Please note the language of Yeshua. There is no attempt to “guild the lily”. To make it easy. To provide an alternative. He tells it like it is. There is no ‘grey’. There is ‘black’ and there is ‘white’. Make a choice.

Later, as Yeshua was journeying between Samaria and Galilee, He was passing a village and met with ten men who were ‘lepers’. The law required that they be separated from the main populace, hence they called to Him from a distance. Yeshua told them to “Go and show yourselves to the priest” (As described in Leviticus 14) As they did so they were all miraculously healed. But only one returned to give thanks to the Healer, and he was a Samaritan, a foreigner to Israel. I am reminded of times when prayer meetings are called to intercede before God for some community or National need or disaster. It is rare for such a meeting to be called to give thanks, and to praise God for Who He is.

Finally, an interesting observation about the Haftarah portion this week, Amos 9 : 7 – 15. When David ben Gurion declared Israel an independent Nation again on Friday May 14 1948, the Torah readings for the Shabbat which began at sunset that very day included Amos 9 :10-11.

“All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say ‘the calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’

On that day I will raise up the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old”

The modern State of Israel was born. And history records that on that very day, the Arab world declared what has become known as the ‘war of independence’ for Israel. It lasted 10 months. Israel prevailed, with the miraculous help, deliverance, and grace of Almighty God, and was forged in the process into a strong independent nation. Israel’s population of about 7 million, comprises just under half of the world’s Jewish people.

What a might God we serve.          

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      26

Torah portion                     Leviticus 12 : 1  – 15 : 33

Haftarah portion              2 Kings 7 : 3 – 20

Brit Hadashah                    Luke 13 : 1  - 15 : 32

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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We need to know a little of the history to appreciate the opening verse of our reading today. Acts 5: 37 provides the clue. There were dissident followers of Judas Gaulonitus of Galilee who opposed the payment of taxes to Caesar. They travelled to Jerusalem for one of the pilgrimage festivals, making their gifts to the Temple. Pilate treacherously sent a company of soldiers, who murdered them so “mingling their blood” with their sacrifices. Yeshua posed the question to the multitude “Do you think they were any worse sinners than other Galileans?” Then He told them that “unless you repent you will all likewise perish”. This was not a threat. It was a clear statement of fact for ALL who do not repent of sin and turn to Yeshua for salvation. It is a message for today, as it was for those who heard the words at first hand.

Then He spoke a parable of the fig tree. The interpretation is clear. The fig tree was given time to ‘bear fruit’. Those who hear the gospel are given time to consider and respond, to ‘bear fruit’. But that time is not limitless. It has a finite end. That was Yeshua’s message in the parable.

He then launched into another rebuke of the Pharisees in the synagogue because they objected to His healing of a crippled lady on the Sabbath. The dear lady ‘glorified God’, the Pharisees criticized Him. But they were shamed at their attitude as the multitude of ordinary people rejoiced at His actions and words. Then Yeshua taught them about the ‘kingdom of God’. How from little things, big things grow. The mustard seed, so small and yet grows big enough to have birds nesting in its foliage. Like leaven, wherein such a small amount, over time, leavens of large mixture of dough. The lesson for us is to remain faithful to what we have learned of Him, because even though we may not be aware of it, many others of our acquaintance notice how we behave, what we say, how we live our lives. The problem is that they see everything. So there is a downside if we are not projecting the love we claim to have received when we came to faith. Yeshua said, in Matthew’s gospel “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”. So there is a message and a challenge for us right here. It is how the Kingdom of God increases in the earth. In another place we who are disciples of Yeshua are described as ‘salt’. But later in our reading Yeshua says “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land or for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear let him hear!”

At this point in His ministry, Yeshua had turned to the use of many parables in order to bring His message. The man who gave a great supper for his friends, who all made excuses for not attending. So the host instructed his servants to go to the poor, the disadvantaged and any other who would accept the invitation. A picture of His rejection by His own, and the blessing which has been made available to non-Jews. But He then warned the multitude that to follow Him would be costly. It involves a complete change in lifestyle, habits and even friendships. How often do we hear that message preached in our affluent churches today?

The parable of the lost sheep, only one out of one hundred, but the Shepherd does not rest until that one lost sheep is safely in the sheepfold. In fact, He carries the wayward sheep on His shoulders to the place of safety. It speaks of the boundless love of Messiah Yeshua for those who are His. The parable of the wayward son who squandered his inheritance on selfish pursuits. The jealousy of the older brother. A parable often taught as the relationship between the Jew (the older brother) and the pagan who comes to the Father. It speaks of the warmth of welcome awaiting ALL (represented by the wayward son) who come in repentance to seek the safety of the Father’s home.

So again this week, we find Yeshua in conflict with the religious people, more intent with their legalistic observances than they are with the compassion exhibited in all of Yeshua’s actions. Is there a parallel here? Our church attendance is often perceived to be more important than living the life of faith in our neighbourhood. It is within the church where these principles of righteous living are taught. Or should be. Most of us were introduced to Yeshua in a church environment, but the life of faith is illustrated to our fellow ‘travellers’ in life, out in the community. It is not what we say, it is what we DO that counts,    

Shabbat Shalom

RS