Zion's Voice

Brit Hadashah Reflections   50 

Torah portion          

Haftarah portion       

Brit Hadashah          Acts 24 : 1 - 25 : 27

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

Paul was held for 5 days in the Roman Praetorium in Ceasarea awaiting the arrival of his accusers from Jerusalem. Ananias, the High Priest, with elders of the Sanhedrin, who brought with them Tertullus, a man gifted in public speaking to present their case before Felix, the Roman Governor. The exchange of testimony before Felix is interesting, but it has to be viewed through the lens of God’s direction. He had determined that Paul would appear before the authorities in Rome. So the events which took place in Caesarea are just a prelude to the ‘main event” so to speak.

However, there is much for us to learn about the faith of the Apostle Paul from this encounter, especially when correctly viewed from a “Hebraic” mindset rather than the ‘traditional’ Gentile one. Firstly, Tertullus makes his statement, which is a faithful repeat of charges made in Jerusalem. Paul is described by them as a “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (not to be confused with ‘Nazarites’). It was the “Nazarenes” (equally properly called “Messianic Jews”), who were the irritant to these ‘orthodox’ accusers. Paul does not dispute their description of him, but he flatly denies the charge of incitement of the crowd in any location.

Paul then, referring to these “Messianic Jews” as a sect of Judaism known as “The Way”, readily confesses to being one of them. Then he elaborates on the doctrinal belief of this sect. Like them, he declared, “I worship the God of my fathers, believing ALL things which are written in the Law (Torah) and the Prophets”. I cannot find any place in Scripture where Paul ever amended this statement of the relevance of this doctrine in regard to his personal faith. It is the misunderstanding of this which has caused error to be taught about him by some Christian leaders in modern days, particularly in relation to many of the statements contained in his pastoral teaching letters. His burden in those letters was to assert and confirm that there was no compulsion on Gentiles to convert to Judaism in order to become a member of their community of faith. (as the orthodox Judaizers were proclaiming). However, it is noteworthy that invariably, the Gentiles joined the Jewish believers in worship. And that usually as part of the “ekklesia” which met in Synagogues. Compare that to today.  Selah.

Felix, who had a Jewish wife, understood the doctrines of “the Way”, so having heard the accusations against Paul, and his response, decided to defer his judgement. He had hoped, and even expected, Paul to offer him a bribe to let him go. Instead Paul preached to him about ‘the fruit of the spirit’ and the judgment to come! Felix continued to hold Paul in a kind of open captivity in Caesarea for another two years until his time in office came to a close. He was superseded by Porcius Festus, who shortly after his arrival in Caesarea took a trip to Jerusalem. There he was confronted by the members of the Sanhedrin about “Paul’s case”. They connived to have Paul brought back to Jerusalem, planning to assassinate him on the journey back from Caesarea. Festus would have none of it, and ten days later went back to Caesarea.

Another trial, more false accusations, another defence by Paul who again affirmed his position that “Neither against the law (Torah) of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended in anything at all.” He also claimed his Roman citizenship rights to be judged before a Roman court. Thus it was that Festus, being satisfied of Paul’s innocence of the charges laid against him by the Jews, decided that Paul would be sent to Rome to be judged by Caesar Augustus. But still, Festus had no charges against Paul which warranted such a course of action!

Then Festus received Royal visitors. King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. This Agrippa was a great grand-son of Herod the Great. He was ‘puppet’ king of that region but was held in esteem by the Roman governors. So it was that Festus acquainted him with “Paul’s case”.  Agrippa was intrigued by Festus’ explanation and decided that he would like to hear Paul for himself. (Now this is a further fulfilment of the prophetic announcement which God made to Ananias in Acts 9:15 wherein God said Paul would testify of Himself “before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel”). This Royal audience also gave Festus something to write to Augustus about to warrant his decision to send Paul to Rome.

The two main lessons illustrated in this portion of Scripture, for me, are that God is faithful to every prophetic pronouncement He makes, and He has His own way of arranging the outcome. Also, the clear evidence from Paul’s own testimony (as distinct from what others teach about him) is that he remained a faithful, Torah observant Jew, right up to this time when he was about to depart for Rome.    

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   49 

Torah portion          

Haftarah portion       

Brit Hadashah          Acts 22 : 1 - 23 : 35

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

Paul had been falsely accused of taking a Gentile into the Temple courts. For that, he was beaten by the mob, then rescued and arrested (as was prophesied by Agabus in Acts 13) by the Roman militia. As he was being led away he asked that he be allowed to address the crowd. Permission granted. Thus began a series of trials and defences to which Paul was subjected. So fulfilling the prophecy the Lord spoke in Acts 9:15,16 when He sent Ananias to minister to Paul on the road to Damascus.

The mob were silent as Paul began to address them in Hebrew. He briefly outlined his background as a rabbinic student under Gamaliel, stressing his strict orthodox Jewish upbringing and practice, even to the point of severe persecution of the followers of Yeshua (just as they were themselves). He told them the story of his encounter with Yeshua on that Damascus Road and as he did, he provided information about the above mentioned Ananias which is most enlightening. Paul said “Ananias, a devout man according to the Torah, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there.”  That was the description of the lifestyle of a devout believer in Yeshau. Ananias was a man zealous for the Torah. A man having a good testimony with ALL the Jews living there. It was the hallmark of their life of faith. This is certainly not the description of one who considered Torah obsolete, which is what many of us have been taught to be a characteristic of those Jewish believers today, is it?

Now Paul was doing pretty well with his audience until he declared that God had called him to go to preach the word to the Gentiles. The crowd turned on him immediately, so for his own safety the Roman militia again bound him, intending to interrogate him whilst giving him a good beating at the same time. “I am an uncondemned Roman citizen” Paul said. Then under direct questioning he confirmed it again in Acts 22 verses 27,28. (It is thought that citizens of Tarsus, the Capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia, were granted special status by the Romans). So Paul’s Roman citizen claim did two things. It saved him from a severe beating, and it put him into another round of questioning in front of the governing Jewish Sanhedrin, with the Roman authorities as observers to the proceedings.

“I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day” Paul started. “Smack him in the mouth” ordered the High Priest. Wow!!  A bitter exchange followed, for which Paul graciously apologised when he discovered that it was indeed the High Priest with whom he was having the stoush. But Paul had made his point! In the same way that Yeshua had charged the ruling Jewish authorities of being all show and no substance (whitewashed walls) so Paul too had accused them. But knowing that there were both Sadducees and Pharisees on the Council Paul then provoked division between them knowing that they held opposite views about the resurrection of the dead, and that he himself was a born a Pharisee (albeit now converted to Messianic Judaism). The dissention in the Council became heated! The Pharisees found no fault in Paul and wanted him released. The Sadducees wanted him executed. So much so that a group of over forty of them bound themselves in an oath to not eat anything until they had put an end to Paul’s life, (they might have starved to death) and then set about plotting how to arrange it.

But God had more work for Paul to do. And that work was in Rome!! The Lord spoke to Paul whilst he was incarcerated in the Roman barracks. “Be of good cheer Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” What an amazing assignment! But in that assignment, Paul had the assurance then that he would not be put to death at the hands of the Jews. Furthermore, God confirmed again the prophetic announcement He had made to Ananias about Paul in Acts 9:15. That Paul would “bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel”. The Romans were rulers in Israel, but the seat of their power was in Rome.

Paul’s nephew became aware of the Jews assasination plot and told the commander of the Roman militia, who promptly arranged for Paul to be taken, under substantial armed escort, to Caesarea, to be judged by Felix the Roman Governor. But when Felix discovered that Paul, even though he was a Roman citizen was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, he decided that he would not hear the case until Paul’s Jewish accusers were also present. So Paul was held in custody within the Governor’s residence in Caesarea for the next several days.

And so it was, that God continued to work out His purposes in His chosen ‘vessels’, just as He does today.   

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections        Tabernacles

Torah portions              Leviticus 22:26 to 23:44  and Numbers 29 :12 - 16

Haftarah portion         Zechariah 14 : 1-21

The Torah of YHWH given to Moses

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 festival is a happy occasion. It lasts for seven days and begins and ends with a Sabbath rest. Following just 4 days after the most solemn remembrance of Yom Kippur it is celebrated in a very special way in Israel particularly.  The festival is actually known by THREE different English names. Tabernacles, Booths and Ingathering. In Hebrew” Sukkot”.

Each family builds a kind of makeshift shelter, which they call “booths”, outside their home. It is deliberately constructed so that the roof is lightly covered with palm fronds which easily allows those inside the shelter to see the sky above. Observant Jewish families then carry on all normal family activities in and around this shelter. That includes having meals and sleeping.  The purpose of these constructions is to cause the family to remember the time when their ancestors lived in this manner in their wilderness journeying’s from Egypt to the Promised Land. Naturally, there is also much storytelling and appropriate scripture reading to encourage and enlighten the experience for the children of the family.

As mentioned above, it is an especially joyful festival.

In terms of our understanding of the prophetic significance of this festival, we need to recall the teaching which accompanied the first two festivals of this season. TRUMPETS heralds the return to this Earth of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach in power and great glory. Then follow 10 days of putting things right, before we remember the very solemn festival of YOM KIPPUR which is prophetic of the Great White Throne Judgement.

As the old hymn puts it “When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there”. Well this festival is effectively the time for ‘roll calling’. Those who have been judged worthy at the Great White Throne Judgement are invited to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That is consistent with the joyfulness of the occasion isn’t it?  In fact, “the Bride” of the Lamb is the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21 : 9 – 27) and there is no place for impurity within its walls. Only those cleansed by the blood of the Lamb participate in the Marriage Supper.

There is ONE more activity associated with this festival in Judaism. On the last day of the celebration is the most joyous parading of the Torah Scrolls through the Streets in Jerusalem, and I suspect, but have not personally witnessed, in other Jewish communities. This is called “Simchat Torah” (Rejoicing in the Torah). It marks the fact that the whole cycle of reading the Torah starts again for another year.

Take time to study and learn the significance of all the “mo’edim” of the Lord. They are full of rich meaning and this festival has been singled out for special mention in the millennial Kingdom. Read it for yourself in Zechariah 14 : 16 -19. It forms part of the Haftarah portion for this week.

Why is this ‘mo’ed’ singled out?  For your thoughtful consideration, the first clue comes in Jeremiah 16:14,15. Probably the most memorable day in the Hebrew calendar superseded by a bigger event! Jews restored to the Land in preparation for the return of Messiah. Pesach (which includes Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits) no longer celebrated. Shavuot, traditionally the time of giving of Torah superseded by a New Covenant. Yom Teruah completed by the appearance of Yeshua as King of kings.(No third appearance expected)  Yom Kippur, already completed at the White Throne Judgement. And what remains is the joyful time when Yeshua Tabernacles with us for the rest of time. It is the ONLY festival which remains when Yeshua returns to reign.  Hallelujah, what a Saviour. Be part of “The great ingathering”.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      48     

Torah portion                  Deuteronomy 33 : 1 – 34 : 12

Haftarah portion          Joshua  1 : 1 – 18 

Brit Hadashah                Acts 19 : 1  - 21 : 40

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

What an interesting and challenging encounter Paul experienced when he got to Ephesus, once an important sea port. Today, some kilometres from the present-day coastline, it is one of the best preserved and restored of all the Biblical sites in Turkey and it is possible to walk the streets and imagine things about which we read in the Scriptures.

Paul found about twelve ‘disciples’ there who had established a Synagogue. But these men were ‘disciples’ of John the Baptizer, and had probably left Israel before Yeshua began His earthly ministry. In any event they were unfamiliar with the Holy Spirit. Paul laid hands on them and they “spoke with tongues and prophesied”. The Scripture is clear on this point. (Many churches today teach that the “tongues” of Acts 2 were foreign languages. And certainly foreigners understood the message in their own tongue. But here there is no suggestion of other languages here is there? Just “tongues”.  Selah)  Paul remained with them, teaching in their Synagogue for a further three months. But some of these men became ‘hardened’ and spoke evil of the “ekklesia”. So Paul withdrew from meeting with them and arranged for his small “ekklesia” to meet separately in another place. He continued to teach there for another two years and God worked many “unusual miracles” amongst them during this time. Even healing people and casting out demons using aprons and handkerchiefs which had been touched by Paul.

Then came the counterfeits! There are always ‘counterfeits’ aren’t there? But God exposed the counterfeit and brought great blessing to the “ekklesia’ and “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed”. In fact, so mightily that the peddlers of artefacts relating to the many breasted goddess Artemis (also called Diana) saw significant threat to their business. A lesson for us here. There will ALWAYS be conflict between idolatry and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Count on it. Eventually, Paul wanted to preach in that temple, but after much dispute as the idolaters tried to have Paul and the other disciples charged with offenses against their ‘godess’, the city clerk intervened and restored some order. So Paul moved on again. Chapter 20 gives the account of various places visited before Paul, after celebrating Passover in Philippi met up with the others in Troas, where they stayed another seven days.

A “Hebraic” understanding of the well-known, but often misunderstood, events in Troas is worth explaining. Our Bible tells us “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread”. This was NOT a Sunday morning communion service as is often supposed. To ‘break bread’ was to share a meal together. This was the first meal after Shabbat, eaten after sundown (the beginning of the first day of the week) on Saturday evening. It was then, and still is, known by Jews as Havdalah (a Hebrew word meaning ‘separation’). It is a time of fellowship when in those days people met together to share a meal and  to rekindle their lamps (hence the presence of many lamps in the room) and to celebrate the end of the “holy” (Shabbat) and the commencement of the “secular” (the regular days). On this occasion Paul spoke for a long time (until midnight) and one of them, Eutychus, fell asleep. Please note again in verse 11 the reference to ‘breaking bread’ being a phrase denoting eating food.

Eventually, Paul made his way back to Jerusalem, but not before again encountering the prophet Agabus, whom Paul had first met at Antioch at the beginning of his ministry. Agabus warned Paul that he would be taken captive at the hands of Gentiles if he returned to Jerusalem. But Paul went anyway.

I commend everyone reading this ‘reflection’ to spend time reading Acts Chapter 21 carefully. You will find out more about Paul, and early Jewish believers than you imagine. Paul presented himself to the Jerusalem Council, headed by James, who told Paul that many ‘miriads’ (means tens of thousands) of Jews had come to faith in Yeshua and that “they are ALL zealous for the Torah”. BUT that they had been misinformed that Paul was teaching the Gentiles to “forsake Moses”. Then James told Paul that in order to correct this misinformation he should demonstrate “that you yourself ALSO walk orderly and keep the Torah”. Which he did.

But that did not end Paul’s woes because then he was accused of taking a Gentile in to a part of the Temple which was exclusively for Jews. That earned him another beating, but he was arrested by the Roman soldiers which saved him from the beating, but also fulfilled the prophecy of Agabus referred to above.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Torah Reflections   Yom Kippur

Torah portions            Leviticus 16 : 1- 34   and

                                             Numbers 29 : 7 - 11

Haftarah portion       Isaiah 57 : 14  to 58 : 14

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.

The 10 days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur are referred to as “the days of awe”. In Judaism, they are days of intraflection and reconciliation … putting things right.. putting things right with God and putting things right with those we live with and associate with on a daily basis. In fact the Scriptures clearly tell us that we cannot be right with God, and be at odds with each other (Matthew 5 : 24).

Those who have visited Israel at this time of year will know that everything stops on Yom Kippur. It is a day of fasting and reflection.( It is the reason why, in 1973, the Arab nations around Israel attacked them on that specific day. There is No Radio, No Television, No answering phones.. NOTHING goes on). The Scriptures declared that all the people have a day of solemn rest and strict Sabbath keeping. A day to “afflict your souls”.

It was the one day in every year, appointed by God, for the Chief Priest to enter the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and the Temple when they were functioning. The whole purpose of that visit by the Chief Priest was to ensure that he himself, and the Nation of people he represented, were made right with God in preparation for the year that lay ahead.

The awesome significance of this very special day is, regrettably, totally lost to the church. In addition to its special anointing by God, being set apart from all other days as it is, there is a unique event recorded in Revelation which we should all be acutely aware of. It is the day of the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT. It is represented for us today by the day of Atonement. It is a special day ‘to put things right’.

Revelation 20 : 11 – 15 describes that day of Judgment. It needs no comment from me. The judgement is to determine who is right with God, and who is not. It is there for everyone to read, but before you read it I caution you to read Revelation 22 : 18,19 first. Many ‘Christians’ today have never taken time to even read Revelation, let alone try to understand its message. It is a letter written by Yeshua Himself, or at least dictated by Him to John.

The climax of the whole letter, in fact the climax of the whole message of the Scriptures comes in the next festival of the Lord, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is why these “mo’edim” of the Lord are so important to celebrate, be part of, and to remember.

I am saddened that the modern Christian church, which is largely ignorant of the “mo’edim” of the Lord, has missed a blessing which God intended us to enjoy.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   47     

Torah portion                 Deuteronomy 32 : 1 - 52

Haftarah portion          Hosea  14 : 2 – 10  Micah 7 : 18 – 20

                                                Joel 2 : 15 - 27

Brit Hadashah               Acts 16 : 1  - 18 : 28

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement about taking John Mark with them on, what turned out to be, Paul’s second missionary journey. So, Paul chose Silas as his companion and Barnabas took John Mark with him. Paul’s intent was to re-visit the places in Galatia where he and Barnabas had brought many to faith in Yeshua, in order to encourage them, and to continue teaching there. Passing through Derbe, they arrived in Lystra, where they met Timothy, a young man who was brought up as a Gentile even though his mother was Jewish. Now here is a revelation for those who do not have a “Hebraic” understanding of Paul. Read verse 3 carefully. “Paul took him (Timothy) and circumcised him”. IF Paul had been ‘converted’ from Judaism (as we are often taught) why on earth would he circumcise Timothy?   Selah. (ponder)

Well, of course, the answer is that Paul intended to have Timothy accompany him into the Synagogues and to partake in the teaching. No Gentile would be allowed to do that. (some time later, Paul actually left Timothy behind in Ephesus to pastor the “ekklesia” there) However, as we read about the detail of Paul’s teaching on this trip we find that his main goal, apart from bringing new people to faith in Yeshua, was to emphasize the teaching of the “letter to the Gentiles” which had been written by the Jerusalem Council. We are told that there was a daily increase in their numbers as they taught the people, both from the Scriptures and by making known the contents of the letter from the Jerusalem Council. What a blessing!

For reasons which we do not know, the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and Silas to teach in some of the places along their journey. Eventually, Paul, Silas, Timothy and possibly Luke came to Phillipi, a Roman city in Macedonia, north eastern Greece. It is likely that there were no Jews there, and certainly no Synagogue. Paul stayed there many days and established an “ekklesia” there of some ladies who met for prayer on the Sabbath Day near a river. Here we are introduced to Lydia, a seller of ‘purple’, and to a slave girl who had a ‘spirit of divination’, from which her masters made a lot of money! Paul cast the “spirit” out of the girl, and for his trouble received a severe beating and was put into prison. The Lord miraculously saved them from custody, caused the jailer and his household to come to faith in Yeshua, arranged a pardon and apology from the magistrates, and shared fellowship and hospitality at the home of Lydia. Then they moved on again.

Next stop was Thessalonica, where there was a Synagogue of the Jews. For three Sabbaths Paul reasoned with them about Yeshua from the Scriptures (we must not forget that the only Scriptures then were the Hebrew Scriptures of course) Some Jews and many Greeks joined the “ekklesia” in Thessalonica. Other Jews remained unconvinced, and out of jealousy stirred up a mob against them and eventually the “ekklesia” arranged for Paul and Silas to leave by night to go to Berea, a town about 70 Km away, still in Northern Greece. Of the Bereans, the Bible tells us that “they were more fair-minded than the Thessalonians because they searched the Scriptures daily” to check what Paul was teaching!!

That is possibly the best lesson to be gained from this ‘reflection’. To be a “Berean”. They were cautious, they were sceptical, they were suspicious, and they were FAIR. They actually searched the scriptures to verify for themselves what they were being told. (It is a lesson I learned some years ago. I put everything I had been taught in Sunday School and Church on the ‘metaphorical’ shelf. Then I took off that shelf those things which I personally verified from the Scriptures. There are still many things on that shelf!). I recommend it to you.

Paul left Berea alone. Silas and Timothy remained there until Paul sent for them. Athens first, with Paul’s famous sermon on Mars Hill. “to the unkown God”. Then Corinth, where he met up with Aquila and Priscilla who had recently been expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius .It was here in Corinth, having preached in the Synagogue for several weeks and gained many more adherents to the “ekklesia”, that Paul grew weary of the continuous opposition of the orthodox Jews. The last straw came when they blasphemed against Yeshua. Paul retorted “Your blood be on your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles”.

Paul remained there for another 18 months before moving on to Ephesus. The travelogue is exciting as Paul consistently preached salvation through the Sonship of Yeshua. Be a Berean, check it out.                 

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      46 

Torah portion                Deuteronomy 29 : 9  – 31 : 30

Haftarah portion         Isaiah  61 : 10 – 63 : 9

Brit Hadashah              Acts 14 : 1  - 15 : 41

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

​

As we follow the ministry of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas it makes interesting context to locate the various places on the maps in the back of your Bible. The general area of activity is known as Galatia, a large area of today’s central Turkey. There were obviously diaspora Jews living there, because the Apostles visited their Synagogues, seeking to teach the orthodox Jews about Yeshua. However, the populace in general were pagan Gentiles. It is also obvious from our reading that great division occurred between those who came to faith in Yeshua and those who did not. Very little has changed in that regard !! .(We know from Paul’s letter to the Galations that many of the Gentile population came to faith in Yeshua too, but they were harassed by the orthodox Jews to convert to Judaism in order to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A situation against which Paul fervently taught). Anyway, the orthodox Jews managed to somehow “poison the minds” of the general Gentile population against Paul and Barnabas. Never-the-less, they continued there a long time, and many signs and wonders were done among the people. But in spite of that, eventually, the situation turned violent, so Paul and Barnabas moved on.

About 30 Km south was the city of Lystra, their first stop. There is no mention of a Synagogue in Lystra, but they preached the gospel anyway, presumably in the open air. Listening intently to Paul was a man who had NEVER walked. Their eyes met, and instantly Paul was aware that the Holy Spirit had work to do in that place. “Stand up straight on your feet” Paul shouted. The man who had NEVER walked instantly leapt to his feet and began to walk! The result was more than Paul and Barnabas had counted on. The locals began to worship them as visiting ‘deities’. Shock, horror. (Note carefully the reaction of Paul and Barnabas here. They were almost beside themselves in deflecting ANY glory from themselves. Their attempts to heap praises on ‘the living God’, witnessing to His great power as Creator of the Universe caused the locals to venerate them more as His emissaries, and it was all they could do to prevent the locals offering sacrifices to them.)  I can only guess what temptation there is, on those whom God uses so mightily, to take some of that glory for oneself, albeit with a modicum of modesty!

But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium turned up. They managed to persuade the locals, who only recently were venerating Paul and Barnabas, to turn against them. Paul was stoned by the crowd, dragged out of the city and left for dead. The disciples of Lystra gathered round the prostrate Paul. Suddenly, he stood up as though nothing had happened and walked back into the city. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” was a promise of God given to Isaiah. Hallelujah.

The next day, they left for the 80Km or so journey to Derbe, where they preached the gospel, made many disciples, and after a short stay retraced their steps back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. What a trip! Eventually they arrived back in Jerusalem and reported their success in bringing to faith many Gentile believers. The Jerusalem Council was aware from Peter’s encounter with Cornelius that God had made no distinction of grace against Gentiles, but there was a question in the Council regarding what should be expected of Gentiles who wished to fellowship with Jews in Jewish Synagogues.

They prepared the well-known “Letter to the Gentiles”, details of which are recorded in Acts 15:23-29. Many of us have been taught that this short list of basic instructions for Gentiles supersedes the Torah of Moses which applies to Jews. But we need to carefully consider exactly what the letter says, as well as the reasoning of the Council after the wording of the letter had been agreed.

Firstly, what was NOT necessary. Circumcision was not a prerequisite for partaking in fellowship with Messianic Jews. Secondly, what IS necessary. There are THREE non-negotiable requirements. Two have a direct bearing on the idolatrous pagan past of these proselytes. Eating food which had been offered idols, and sexual immorality which was a feature of many pagan festivals and rituals. Lastly to abstain from food not killed by ritually Kosher methods. That is food containing the blood of the animal, as in being strangled. BUT that is NOT all. Note carefully verse 21, which formed an important part of their conclusions in deciding what to put in the letter. They expected that the proselytes joining the “ekklesia” would, over time, learn the full extent of Torah as “Moses” would be read and preached in Synagogues in every city.  Didn’t Yeshua say “My yoke is easy and My burden is light”?           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      45    

Torah portion                   Deuteronomy 26 : 1  – 29 : 8

Haftarah portion           Isaiah  60 : 1 – 22

Brit Hadashah                 Acts 11 : 1  - 13 : 52

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

Our reading this week opens with confirmation of the “Hebraic” nature and the true intent of God’s ‘sheet’ vision given to the Apostle Peter (and which we ‘reflected’ upon last week). It related to inclusive relationship with Gentiles. As Peter enlightened fellow Jews about his visit to, and dining with, Gentiles in Caesarea, they too became excited about the fact that God had graciously “granted to the Gentiles repentance to life”. Most of those reading this ‘reflection’ are direct beneficiaries of that grace today. Praise be to our God who does all things well.

But to emphasize the point, the ‘sheet’ vision was NOT about food!

In further emphasis, we are appraised of the fact that following the stoning death of Stephen, a great dispersion of “the ekklesia” (Messianic Jews) took place. That resulted in a situation of Messianic Jew teaching diaspora Orthodox Jew about Yeshua in Jewish Synagogues wherever they went. Additionally, there was a significant expansion of believers among Gentiles, especially in the city of Antioch (about 800Km north of Jerusalem).

When “the ekklesia” in Jerusalem heard about this Gentile awakening, they sent Barnabas there to teach truth to the Antioch “ekklesia”. He found ‘fertile ground’ because more and more people came to faith in Yeshua. Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus (about 250 Km away) to get the recently converted Sha’ul, and together, in Antioch, for the next twelve months, they joined the local “ekklesia” teaching and encouraging them. It was in Antioch that believers were first called “Christians”, but trust me when I tell you that, at that time, it was a term of derision which was coined by those who did not accept the truth about Yeshua’s deity.

Out of the Antioch “ekklesia” certain prophets arose. One of them, called Agabus, prophesied a worldwide famine. It came sometime between the mid forties and early fifties (which is when Claudius reigned in Rome). The faithful saints in Antioch determined to send relief to the brethren in Judea, which they entrusted Barnabas and Sha’ul to deliver. (Later, Rabbi Sha’ul would write “For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things” Romans 15:27)  It could be that he was greatly moved by the actions of the Antioch “ekklesia” don’t you think? My mind also goes to the promise of God given to Abram in Genesis 12:3.

Before Barnabas and Sha’ul returned to Antioch, they celebrated Passover in Jerusalem. At that time King Herod was flexing his muscle against the believers. He had already killed James the brother of John, which pleased the hierarchy of the Jews. His clear intention was to deal similarly with Peter, but because it was Passover, he threw Peter in jail until Passover was ended. But God had other plans. He sent an Angel to rescue Peter. Then later, Herod overstepped the mark by exalting himself above God in the eyes of the people and he died. So it was that Barnabas and Sha’ul returned to Antioch, this time taking John Mark with them.

With the “ekklesia” at Antioch well served with teachers and prophets God spoke to them about releasing Barnabas and Sha’ul for the extensive work as itinerant evangelists. It seems that this was the point at which Rabbi Sha’ul began to be known as the Apostle Paul. (In 1 Cor 9:19-23 he takes time to explain how he presents himself as ‘becoming all things to all men’)  And so it is that we see for the first time Paul and Rabbi Sha’ul (the same person) begin to minister fearlessly and with great authority, in Synagogues and in the open air, to any and every audience he could find.

Have you ever wondered why, wherever he went, his first point of contact seemed to be the local Synagogue? And why he almost invariably was invited to speak there?  I have. Did he have some kind of ‘light’ shining on him wherever he went? I think not. The answer which occurs to me is that, even though we are never taught this in our churches, (at least I wasn’t) he was Rabbi Sha’ul. He maintained his Judaism all his life (At least until Acts 28!!) He probably dressed as a Rabbi, and of course, when he spoke, he spoke with authority and great knowledge. After all, he was trained by the Rabbi Gamaliel wasn’t he?

Much of the remainder of “Acts” deals with the ministry journeys and trials of the Apostle Paul, on which we will ‘reflect’ in the weeks ahead. I pray that you will come to appreciate, perhaps in a new way, the blessings which are ours resulting from the obedient, faithful, service of this Messianic Jew, Rabbi Sha’ul. (A Hebrew of the Hebrews!)

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections        44     

Torah portion                   Deuteronomy 21 : 10  – 25 : 19

Haftarah portion            Isaiah  54 : 1 – 10

Brit Hadashah                 Acts 9 : 1  - 10 : 48

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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This week, two passages of Scripture which are quite misunderstood by a majority of Christians. The task here being to provide the “Hebraic” understanding of these events, which differs from the usual conventional Christian teaching on these passages.  The first, in Chapter 9 relates to coming to faith of Rabbi Sha’ul. The second, in Chapter 10 relates Peter’s vision of the sheet with all manner of food on it.

That Rabbi Sha’ul was ‘converted’ on the Damascus Road is not an issue. We know what he was ‘converted’ from. He was an ardent practitioner of Rabbinic Judaism. They were Pharisees, described by Yeshua as ‘following the traditions of men’. But what was he ‘converted’ to? If you are like me, you will have been taught that he was ‘converted’ to Christianity (a new faith set apart from Judaism) and so he is considered the father of this new faith which is centred on Yeshua. As a result, the vast majority of Christians have become disciples of Rabbi Sha’ul (through their genuine misunderstanding) rather than disciples of Yeshua.   Selah. (which means take a moment to reflect on that).

We know that Sha’ul was a fervent persecutor of believers in Yeshua. He refers to them (v.2) as “the Way”, (and later in Acts 24 he adds that they were a ‘sect’ of Judaism of which he had become part!! A most significant confession by him given our normal understanding of his “Christianity”)  His mission to Damascus was to take captive anyone he could lay his hands upon who had become a believer in Yeshua.

Suddenly a ‘light shone around him from heaven’ ! He became blinded by that light and for three days he neither ate nor drank. His companions saw nothing but heard the voice that Sha’ul heard. The story is well known. What is usually missed however is the person God sent to minister to Sha’ul. Ananias was one of the believers. Fearful of Sha’ul because of his reputation, Ananias eventually went and announced to Sha’ul that he was to receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is noteworthy that Ananias and other disciples of Yeshua in Damascus spent ‘some days’ with Sha’ul, presumably teaching him about Yeshua. We also know that these men (see Acts 22:12) were ‘devout men according to the ‘Law’ (Torah). This is consistent with the statement by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 21:20 that upon coming to faith in Yeshua the believers were all ‘zealous for the Law’ (Torah).  So now we can answer the question about what was Sha’ul converted to! He was converted from Pharasaic Judaism to Messianic Judaism. And that, my dear friends, is not the same as the anti-semitic, anti Torah, Romanised Christianity, which is usually taught about the conversion experience of the highly esteemed Rabbi Sha’ul.

In Chapter 10 we have the account of Peter’s vision of the descending sheet displaying food. Again, to understand the “Hebraic” import of this vision we need to understand that ALL the early believers in Yeshua were Torah observant Jews and proselytes. They were adherents or converts to Messianic Judaism. They were “zealous for the Law” (Torah). Why? Because that was the unambiguous teaching of Yeshua. Peter, in particular, had spent three years in close company with The Master. Disciples are learners, imitators, copiers of their Master. They sought to be as much like Him as possible. He did not come to abolish Torah, but to make it full of meaning. That is the background.

Christians have been taught that this vision was given to Peter with the express purpose of superseding the dietary laws contained in the Torah (see Deuteronomy 14). That was NOT what Peter understood. Was Peter both confused and concerned by the vision? Yes he was.  Immediately after he had his ‘sheet’ vision he received a visit by men from Caesarea, sent by the gentile believer Cornelius ( on the instruction of an Angel by a vision) requesting that Peter visit him. But devout Jews did not visit with gentiles and certainly wouldn’t eat with them !!

“What God has cleansed you must not call common (or unclean)”

Those words of God in his ‘sheet’ vision slammed into his mind. Peter confirms this in verse 28. “But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”  For Peter, the confusion of the ‘sheet’ vision was immediately resolved. It was NOT about food at all, It was about human relationships in the sight of a Holy God.

Dear friends, when Yeshua said “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets” He meant it. Trust Him on that. God will bless you as you study His word with a “Hebraic” understanding.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      43     

Torah portion                  Deuteronomy 16 : 18  – 21 : 9

Haftarah portion           Isaiah  51 : 12 – 52 : 12

Brit Hadashah                 Acts 6 : 1  - 8 : 40

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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The number of disciples was ‘multiplying’. To put the correct “Hebraic” understanding here, we must remember that, whilst it is now commonly taught that this relates to ‘church growth’ (and we mostly,  incorrectly, relate that to the building on the corner of our local High Street), it is in fact a growth of what is known today as Messianic Judaism ( ‘ekklesia’ in Greek). It was part and parcel of the local Synagogue. (The Apostle Paul would later describe them in Acts 24:14 as a sect of Judaism known as “The Way”). That community had begun to attract Gentiles into their number. And it was still in the era of “having all things in common”. Then dispute arose about a degree of favouritism to Jews in the “daily” food distribution.

The result was the appointment of ‘deacons’, charged with the daily responsibility of ensuring that the “ekklesia” were organised in an orderly manner, and with fairness to all its members.  The Apostles, the original 11 plus Matthias, giving themselves to the most important responsibility of prayer and teaching the Word. We are also told that following the appointment of these seven deacons “the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith”. Let us remind ourselves again that all this evangelism and spectacular growth took place within the boundaries of Judaism. Our foundations as believers is rooted and firmly grounded in Judaism. Gentiles were not excluded but were very much a minority group within the “ekklesia”. However, the deacons were also engaged in ministry duties and we are told that one of them, Stephen, “did great wonders and signs among the people”.

We are then introduced to the “Synagogue of the Freedmen (Libertines)” from which a small group of troublemakers arose. This Synagogue is believed to be a Greek speaking Synagogue comprising of mainly diaspora Hellenists who had made Aliya and sundry other Greek speaking proselytes. They conspired to bring false charges of blasphemy and false teaching against Stephen. They were certainly ‘anti-Christ’ by persuasion and determined to have nothing to do with Yeshua. Similar charges were later laid at the Apostle Paul’s feet. Specifically, the charge at that time being that he was teaching AGAINST the “Law of Moses”, the Torah, which, of course, he was NOT.

I find it interesting to see how much things have changed. Today the charge laid at the feet of Messianic Judaism (“the ekklesia”) is that they ARE teaching that the “law of Moses”,(the Torah), is alive and well and has never been abrogated. The REAL issue today is no different to that which was present in the days of Acts 6. It is what Yeshua described as “the traditions of men”, the teachings of Rabbinic Judaism which deny the deity of Messiah Yeshua.

As Stephen spoke in defence of his teaching, it was his charge against his accusers that they were not keeping the Torah as it had been revealed to them, by angels, and more recently by Yeshua, the living Torah, which “cut them to their heart”. In their rage they stoned Stephen to death. One of the witnesses, consenting to this action, was none other than a young Rabbi Sha’ul. He became a fervent activist in the persecution of the “ekklesia”. We are told that he “made havoc of the “ekklesia”” entering homes, and by the authority he was given by the ruling body, committed many to prison. But the hand of God was in this too, because this persecution caused the faithful to scatter across the land, and wherever they went, they preached the good news of the gospel of salvation in Yeshua.

One such was Philip. He went to the city of Samaria (not far from modern day Nablus, originally the biblical Shechem). He preached Messiah to them and using the gifts with which he was anointed he proclaimed healing to the sick and cast out demons from those possessed by unclean spirits. Thus he brought great joy to the city. One of the converts was a man, Simon, who had previously practised sorcery. BUT, Simon observed that by the laying on of hands, the apostles were able to impart supernatural gifts to others, so he sought to BUY that gift with the prospect of making money out of it! There is not enough money in the whole world to BUY anything from God. His gifting is freely preserved for those whom He chooses to anoint, but it is perfectly proper to ask God for such anointing. One is never left wondering whether or not that gift is present. Its evidence in a person’s life cannot be mistaken  ..  and neither can the counterfeit. God requires that He, and He alone, receives the glory for our gifting. By such is the Kingdom of God extended.

Shabbat Shalom

RS