Zion's Voice

Brit Hadashah Reflections      16        

Torah portion               Exodus 13 : 17  – 17 : 16

Haftarah portion       Judges 4 : 4 – 5 :31

Brit Hadashah             Mark 7 : 1  - 8 : 38

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Another challenge from the Pharisees! Yeshua’s disciples eating bread without washing their hands in the Pharasaically prescribed manner.

This is where an understanding of the “Hebraic” mindset is so vitally important to understand the message. Whilst it is hygienically advisable, it is not halachicaly prescribed that hands be washed before eating. It is part of Rabbinic tradition, but not part of Torah instruction.

Yeshua meets the challenge head on. He promptly reminds them of other ‘traditions’ which they observe which are not only Torah commanded, to respect, honour and support parents, but which they had circumvented by their tradition. Namely “Corban”. A ‘device’ by which they say that the benefit which would ordinarily accrue to parent support, is given for Temple service, hence they become exempt from parent responsibility.

Then Yeshua launched into an explanation for the benefit of the multitude of folk who followed Him wherever He went. Regrettably, this explanation, whilst perfectly clear to the Jews being addressed, has been used by gentile Christians to abrogate the Deuteronomy 14 dietary commandments of Torah.

Get your mind into gear! The explanation is quite simple. First and foremost, the audience was 100% Jewish. They were familiar with, and observant of, the Torah commands of Kashrut. All of them. So when He says “There is nothing that enters a man from the outside which can defile him”, He was specifically referring to the eating with unwashed hands, which was the complaint raised by the Pharisees. He goes further “but the things which come out of him, those are the things which defile a man”. A very pointed reference to the teachings of the Pharisees about the circumnavigation of the Torah with manmade traditions.

Then in expansive explanation “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man”. None of these things have any relationship to the intake of food. The reference in verse 19 regarding the “purifying all foods” is universally understood to be a reference to the function of the human dietary system wherein the goodness of food is absorbed and the ‘unclean’ or residue of food is purged. It has NOTHING to do with the ‘laws’ of Kashrut.

The healing of the Syro-Phoenecian girl is noteworthy. This event in Matthews gospel draws a comment from Yeshua about His earthly mission, which He said was ONLY to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. But it gives us an example of the widespread effect of Yeshua’s earthly ministry that even at this very early stage, non-Jewish people were exercising immense faith in Him, and received amazing blessing as a result.

Chapter 8 continues with Yeshua’s healing miracles, but also contains the account of an important dialogue between Yeshua and His disciples. His question was simple. “Who do men say that I am?”  It was a reasonable question because we have read a number of times that where people did recognize His identity He quickly charged them to tell no-one.

They proffered many answers to the question. Some say “this”, some say “that”. In fact there appeared to be many “opinions” regarding Yeshua’s real identity. It seems likely that not much has changed has it? “He was ‘a good man’”. “He was a prophet”. “He was ‘whatever’”, we might hear today.

But then, in my mind’s eye, I can imagine Yeshua looking intently at those close disciples. “But who do you say that I am?”

It is a burning question. It required an answer. It still does. Mark records Peter’s response as both short and direct. “You are the Christ”. (a Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘meshiach’ into ‘cristos’ and then English). “You are ‘the anointed One’”. Immediately, Yeshua instructed them to tell no-one about His identity. Why? I believe the reason is that just as Yeshua told Peter (recorded in Matthew’s gospel) that this revelation was of God Himself, and upon that confession of revelation Yeshua would build His church. So today, the identity of Yeshua is revealed by God, through the agency of His Holy Spirit, directly to each individual who is to be part of His Church. Not ‘the church’, His Church.  And how do we know when we are members of His Church?   Read Mark 8 : 34 – 38, Yeshua’s own words describing that membership.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   15         

Torah portion               Exodus 10 : 1  – 13 : 16

Haftarah portion       Jeremiah 46 : 13 – 28

Brit Hadashah             Mark 5 : 1  - 6 : 56

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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The Scripture passage this week has many accounts of the healing power which was exercised by Yeshau and His disciples. The first example being the demon possessed man from the Gerasene region on the Eastern side of Lake Genneseret. Gentile territory.

Everyone knows the gist of the story, but there is more to the detail than is obvious to Christian eyes. We are not told specifically why Yeshua chose to visit this area, but we know the result. The “Hebraic” mind sees this incident awash with ‘uncleanness’. The poor man was possessed by an ‘unclean’ spirit (in fact a legion of many spirits). He was found inhabiting an ‘unclean’ place where the dead were buried. (Those who have visited Jerusalem will know that the closed up Eastern Gate of the Temple was ‘guarded’ by the Ottoman Moslem occupants of Jerusalem by a vast cemetery, which remains to this day, because they argued that the Jewish Messiah would not defile Himself by passing through a cemetery on His prophesied return through that Eastern Gate).  When the man was released from the bondage of those alien spirits, they found refuge in the 2,000 strong herd of ‘unclean’ animals, who promptly died when they went over a precipice into the water below.

The ‘Hebraic’ mindset, familiar as it was with ritual uncleanness, would not venture within a mile of this poor man without significant religious consequence. Yet, it appears almost as if Yeshua sought him out, as if to make a special point to those who witnessed the miracle.

The good news of this event is that the man returned to his home clean and in his right mind, speaking in all the mainly pagan region known as the Decapolis (today’s Jordan) about his healing experience. One might think that the local people, having seen the miracle, would bring their sick to Yeshua for healing. But they pleaded with Him to leave the district. Someone once uncharitably commented that somewhat like today, there are many who would rather have their pigs than their Saviour. So Yeshua promptly returned to the other side of the Lake where He was greeted by a multitude who were enthusiastic to see Him back again.

There is a lesson here for us. I have heard evangelists say that Yeshua is ‘pleading with us to accept Him as our Saviour’. He is the Son of the Living God. He offers us the gift of salvation, bought with His own blood. We are drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. The ‘pleading’ should surely be ours, not His. I am confident in saying that no-one is pressed into that position by Him. In our story, He was asked to leave. And He did. It is not God’s wish that any should perish, but if that is our choice, He moves on. Ponder that thought as you read it in this passage of Scripture.

The healing ministry continued. The 12 year old daughter of Jairus, a ruler in the synagogue community, raised from death to life.  The lady with a twelve year history of ritual uncleanness due to the ‘issue of blood’, getting worse each day.  One can only marvel at the immense faith of this desperate lady (do not minimize the devastating effect of her condition on her social and community life).  But she reached out and ‘touched’ the hem of His garment (probably a Tzitzit, the prayer shawl worn by observant Jews). Read the dialogue which took place between Yeshua and His disciples.

And all the while, the religious Pharisees, as we learned last week, attributing such miracles to Satan and in so doing, “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit”. O how careful we should be today to give glory to God for His marvellous works.

Our reading continues with the account of the vengeful death of John the Baptizer. Yeshua and His disciples were heartbroken. “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” He said. So they took a boat and moved to a quiet part of the shore around the Lake. But the multitude of followers guessed where they would go and ran around the Lake (Those who have visited Israel would know that it is relatively easy country to walk around in Northern Galilee).

With great compassion, Yeshua taught the people ‘many things’. But it got late and there was nowhere to buy food. This is where the Scriptures tell us about the 5,000 men who were present. There would have been many women and children present too. The multiplication of the five loaves and two small fish is another “Sunday School” favourite. And finally, we are told about Yeshua’s command of the wind and the waves. What a mighty Saviour we have.           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections     14

Torah portion                   Exodus 6 : 2  – 9 : 35

Haftarah portion           Isaiah 66 : 1 – 24 :13

Brit Hadashah                 Mark 3 : 1  - 4 : 41

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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We ended last week with Yeshua declaring Himself Lord of the Sabbath. In our day, a most “Hebraic” pronouncement. This week’s reading finds Yeshua again attending the synagogue on the Sabbath. Surely anyone can see that Yeshua was as Jewish as it is possible to be, and yet some appear to have difficulty accepting His Judaism. In these early chapters of Mark’s gospel we find Yeshua emphasizing, by healing, His Messianic credentials, and at the same time ‘rattling the cages’ of the religious community by challenging their practice of putting great high fences around the Torah. Sabbath observance is a foundation stone of Judaism, but man-made restrictions regarding these observances are, to many of us, quite ‘over the top’.

I distinguish between Pharasaic Judaism, with its strict man-made rules of observance, and Messianic Judaism, which recognizes Yeshua as Messiah, which I believe was the Apostle Paul’s conversion experience on the Damascus Road. (Acts 9). And which I believe should be embraced by all who claim to love Him. (Read John 14:15 and John 15  for a refresher).

So Yeshua healed the man with the ‘withered hand’, taught in the open air to many thousands of His disciples on the shores of Lake Kenneret, and then went to quiet place, a local mountain, and called to Himself those 12 men in whom He could see the right spirit and attitude ‘that He might send them out to preach’. He chose those 12 men to be His close disciples. These men were entrusted with the “power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons”. But this ‘power’ was to bring glory to God, not for self-aggrandisement or self-enrichment. I cannot help but compare the situation today, where the exercise of such power, when evident, is most often attributed to the person exhibiting that power. It causes difficulty for that person to remain walking “humbly before his God” doesn’t it?

The Scribes and Pharisees present had witnessed Yeshua’s healing miracles. But they were so enraged by His evident association with healing and forgiving sins, a power which only God Himself could exercise (Isaiah 43:25 and Jeremiah 50:20), that they sought to “destroy Him”. They went further, by attributing His miraculous healings to the power of Satan. This drew from Yeshua, that often mis-understood saying “.. but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness ..”. Mark then qualifies this with the statement that it was because they had said “He has an unclean spirit”.

The situation was unique to that time. Yeshua Himself was present healing sicknesses. The Pharisees were present as eye-witnesses to those healings. And yet, they steadfastly and stubbornly resisted the evidence of His Messianic qualification. Many thousands of others did not. It was their total rejection of His identity as Messiah, coupled with their weak attempt to attribute the healings to Satan, which constituted their ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’.

The question arises “how, today, is the Holy Spirit blasphemed?” Bear in mind that we are dealing with an unforgivable act. There are plenty of people around praying for healing in Yeshua’s Name. There are many who boldly attempt to exercise the ‘gift of healing’. Well, there are at least two ways of ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’ which we learn from our reading today. Firstly, to attribute healing, when prayed in Yeshua’s Name, to Satan. Secondly, stubbornly rejecting the identity and person of Yeshua, when the Holy Spirit is present convicting us of the truth that He is the Son of God. Now I want to be crystal clear here. I have written a number of times in these ‘reflections’ that worship of God is what we DO, not what we say. So it is simply not good enough to merely assent with your mind that Yeshua is the Son of God (even the demons in our reading today said that). The Holy Spirit is blasphemed when we know the truth, but blatantly and stubbornly reject His call to follow Him. (Read John 14:15 and John 15 again).

Finally, it is noteworthy in our reading today that immediately following this, Yeshua changed tack. He began teaching the people by parables.

“And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.”

Be blessed again as we read this Scripture passage, asking the Lord to reveal truth to us that we might be careful not to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.                       

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   13         

Torah portion               Exodus 1 : 1 – 6 : 1

Haftarah portion       Isaiah 27 : 6 – 28 :13 and 29 : 22, 23

Brit Hadashah             Mark 1:1 - 2 : 28

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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The gospel of Mark is the shortest, and probably the first written, account we have of life in Israel when Yeshua walked this earth. Mark does not ‘beat about the bush’! He starts with “.. the gospel of Messiah Yeshua, the Son of God”. No qualification, no apology, no ambivalence, no ambiguity, ‘because I met Him, walked with Him, learned from Him and I was there when He left this earth and ascended to His Father in Heaven’, he might be saying.

Then he began his story, it’s like a ‘once upon a time’ opening. Having established that Messiah Yeshua is the subject, he takes a step back to tell us that John, Yeshua’s cousin, was the personal fulfilment of prophecies that indicate that the way would be prepared for Messiah. Look at Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. (references which are made very convenient for us today, but at the time of Mark’s writings there were no chapter and verse divisions in the parchment scrolls of Scripture).

And what was the message of John as he ‘prepared the way’? Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. We may be tempted today to think of water baptism as a relatively modern invention of the church. But it is a practice which was instituted when God gave Torah, His instruction for righteous living, to Moses. It was a preparatory ritual of cleansing for those who were to appear before a holy God. And to understand the Hebraic tones of the gospels, we need to know what the sin is from which repentance is required. In our churches we are usually taught that ‘that sin’ is some personal misdeed or attitude. Well, that could be right, BUT, ‘the sin’ (‘chata’ a Hebrew word which means ‘to miss the mark’) which our Bibles teach, is the blatant neglect of “Torah”, God’s instructions. Yeshua taught that He was sent ‘only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’. (see Matthew 10 and Matthew 15). They were following what He called the ‘traditions of men’ rather than the Torah of God which was given to Moses. Hence they were ‘lost’.

Additionally, we are informed that as He was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum (now a well preserved and excavated tourist site in the Galilee), that those present were astonished at His teaching, because He taught with a freshness of insight, and with an authority of His own, not, as was commonly taught by other teachers, in the name of some previous Rabbi.

When Yeshua was confronted by the paralysed man let down through the roof of Peter’s house, obviously knowing why he was brought there by his friends, He chose to say “Son, your sins are forgiven you”. Now the religious men there, familiar with the Scriptures, knew that this was an act of God alone (see Isaiah 43:25 and Jeremiah 50:20). So, to them, this appeared as a blasphemous statement. Then Yeshua, discerning their thoughts, addressed the paralytic man, “.. arise, take up your bed and go to your (own) house”. Clearly illustrating His credentials as both healer and forgiver of sins. God Himself in a human body.

Then follows the calling, as a disciple, the hated tax gatherer Matthew, called Levi in Mark’s gospel, and had a meal with him and other tax collectors. Bringing from Yeshua His famous remark “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. Tax gatherers were a hated clan, their very occupation requiring them to be official thieves and robbers. And as servants of the Roman rulers, even more despised. Yeshua’s words in Mark 2: 21,22 give us an insight into His motivation for selecting as his disciples men who had no ‘religious’ baggage. The ‘new wine’ is the revelation of Himself, His person, His identity, His calling, His mission. The Scriptures are full of clues and references to His coming, both then, and on a future occasion. Many of them, and many of us, are blinded by the ‘religious’ teaching we have received, so that we cannot recognize Him as He is, and what His requirement is of us. I have said in previous ‘reflections’ that we worship God in what we do, not in what we say. It is how we live our lives, not in what we say we believe. Yeshua called these fishermen and tax collectors to Himself and they were immediately transformed from a previous lifestyle to a new lifestyle, it showed. It is quite “Hebraic” in its outworking. It’s a doing thing.

Our reading concludes with an unequivocal reference to the Sabbath Day. The fourth commandment says “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (set apart)”. Yeshua says He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was made for man, for man’s benefit and delight, for man’s rest and pleasure. Enjoy it in His company.    

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections     12

Torah portion             Genesis 47 : 28  – 50 : 26 

Haftarah portion         1 Kings 2 : 1 – 12

Brit Hadashah             Matthew 26:1  - 28 : 20

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections   11

Torah portion                  Genesis 44 : 18  – 47 : 27

Haftarah portion           Ezekiel  37: 15 – 28

Brit Hadashah                 Matthew 24:1  - 25 : 46

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

​“The disciples of Yeshua came to show Him the buildings of the Temple”. Why? Because He had just told them “Your house is left to you desolate”.

It would be another 40 years before that event, under the destructive hand of Titus of Rome, but Yeshua then began to unfold for them the things that would lead up to that catastrophic event. And, as is the case with many prophetic messages, there would be multiple fulfilments of the prophecy, perhaps the most significant still future to us today.

The “abomination of desolation” (Daniel 9:27) certainly speaks of a future event, but we must not overlook the relative immediacy of the prophecy for the people in Yeshua’s day. The destruction of Herod’s Temple was brutal and bloody. In verse 34 Yeshua told them that “this generation (a generation was about 40 years) will by no means pass away till all these things take place”. And they did take place. Read the account yourself and you will identify the events which actually took place strictly as prophesied when the Temple was destroyed. No doubt, many Jews ran away to safety at that time because of His warning.

That surely adds credence and validity to the other elements of His prophecy which are still future to us.

Bible students would need to read the descriptions given in Revelation, in harmony with today’s parashah, to fill out the picture of the events which are to take place. And we need to take great care to acknowledge that these words of Yeshua were spoken to a Jewish audience. They were actively looking for their Messiah. One who would rid them of the Roman oppression and cruelty.

What they could not comprehend was that this Man of Peace, this Torah observant Rabbi, this Person who had chastised them for their commercial activities in the Temple, the One who criticized and berated the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, the One who had drawn to Himself a bunch of nondescript fishermen from Galillee as His disciples, could actually be Whom He claimed to be. The very Son of the Father. Their Messiah. But He still had work to do before that revelation would be obvious to them. Unlikely as it seems, He had to die on a Roman cross of shame, bearing their guilt, and ours, in His body, to reconcile humanity to a Holy God, our Father in Heaven.

Can you understand, as I can, that their very humanity got in the way of their understanding? And even more unlikely, it is exactly how God planned things, so that salvation would come to us, gentiles in the flesh.

His prophecy continues with the announcement about His return (verses 29-31). Understanding the Hebraic nature of these writings is pivotal to understanding the signs. Sure, no-one except the Father knows the day nor the hour, but we certainly know the season don’t we? The Apostle Paul knew (1 Cor 15:52 and 1 Thess 4:6). And Moses knew! Because God told him about His appointed times. Where are we told about Yom Teruah? Leviticus 23 spells out each of God’s mo’edim (appointed times). It is.as yet, the first of three unfulfilled prophetic gatherings. Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets heralding Christ’s return, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, heralding the great White Throne Judgement, and The Feast of Ingathering, (also known as Booths and Tabernacles) heralding the Marriage supper of the Lamb.

Who, reading this ‘reflection’, would not want to be part of that? No-one.

So the rest of this Scripture portion is taken up with the recipe for ensuring that a person qualifies for inclusion. Ah! I hear someone say, it’s not about anything we do, it’s all about faith. Quite right too. It is all about faith, BUT it is a faith which results in a change in lifestyle and attitude. Matthew 24;12 talks about “the love of many growing cold”. How? Because “lawlessness” abounds. What is “lawlessness”? The Greek word used is “anomia”. It is the negative translation of “Torah” (Torahlessness). We worship God by what we DO, not by what we say or think.

I remind you again, these words were addressed to JEWS. They understood precisely what He was saying. It is unfortunate that the gentile propensity to ‘christianize’ the text, causes us to miss some of the most elementary teachings of Yeshua. So as you read this Scripture passage again, take note of the urgent call to readiness in preparation for the return of Messiah Yeshua. His first entry into Jerusalem was on a donkey. His next visit will be on a White horse as leader of a battle, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.           

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      10    

Torah portion                    Genesis 41 : 1 – 44 : 17 

Haftarah portion             Zechariah 2 : 14 – 4 : 7

Brit Hadashah                   Matthew 21:1  - 23 : 39

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Because we are working sequentially through the Gospels and Acts, there is no direct relationship between the weekly Torah and Haftarah readings and our gospel study each week. But there are frequent reminders of the Hebraic context of the gospel message. About 500 years earlier, God had caused Zechariah to make the most unlikely prophecy regarding the coming Messiah of Israel. “Behold your King is coming to you, He is just and having salvation (Hebrew ..Yeshua), lowly and riding on a donkey. A colt, the foal of a donkey”. In fact it was such a difficult concept for them that many Yeshiva Rabbi’s taught their students that there was some error in that wording, (Messiah was expected to be a mighty man of valour) but they did not know what.

Now bring that right up to the time of our reading. The nation under the oppressive rule of Roman masters. Every one expecting (or hoping) for the promised Messiah to arrive and relieve their misery by throwing out the oppressors and restoring the land back to their own management. He would surely be a strong authoritative person, instilling fear into the Roman armies.

“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me”.

Those who have visited Israel will know the route well. Down the hill from the Mount of Olives, into the valley, then up the hill to the Lion’s Gate into the old City of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount on the left and the Antonio Fortress (where the Roman garrison was lodged) directly ahead. Can you hear the people shouting? “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”  This is it. He is going to throw the Romans out.

But Yeshua turned left!! Into the Temple courtyard He went and threw out the sales vendors and moneychangers.

“My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”  The Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and religious persons there would immediately know those references from the Hebrew Scriptures. Isaiah 56:7 (today most often quoted by Christians without reference to the conditional (Isaiah 56: 1-6) nature of that statement), and then Jeremiah 7:11, which, in its context, is a most damning expression of the hypocrisy of the people. (read Jeremiah 7 : 3-11 to see how well it fits with us today).

Yeshua is teaching pure Torah here. Just like most of us today, they expected Yeshua to remove obstacles, fight their battles, make things right etc. etc.. What He is saying, by His actions and His words is “Get yourselves right, with God and with each other.”  I am continually reminded as I study the Scriptures, that Yeshua is affirming, yet again, we worship God by what we DO not by what we say. In another place (Matthew 6:33) He says “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.”  Nothing has changed. The blind, the lame and the sick knew Him and trusted Him. Those in real need, those of simple faith, those who cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David”. The religious amongst them remained indignant .. and lost.

In the remainder of Matthew 21 and into 22, Yeshua continues to teach the people by use of a number of parables using familiar ‘everyday’ examples. But then, His religious detractors, the Sadducees and the Pharisees lined up in their attempts to entrap Yeshua, using various ‘trick’ questions based on Scriptures. Here is a great example for those of us who are willing to learn. By His complete knowledge of the Scriptures, Yeshua was able to firmly, but gently quote correct application of those Scriptures to answer all the ‘trick’ questions which were thrown at Him. He did not employ opinion, or commentary, or third party views. Just the truth of the Scriptures. Chapter 22 ends with the triumphant statement:- “..nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.”

Matthew 23 should be obligatory reading for every Christian, especially for those who are, today, called into Christian leadership roles. It is a solemn warning about understanding the responsibilities assigned to those called into leadership within ‘religious’ communities, be they synagogues, churches or small home group fellowships. It is not easy reading. It specifically deals with the ‘religious order’ in Jerusalem in the first century. The system which caused Yeshua to describe many as ‘the lost sheep of the House of Israel’. But there is here, as in all Scripture, a timely message for us today as we prepare and look forward to, His return to rule and reign in Jerusalem.      

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections     09

Torah portion                      Genesis 37 : 1  – 40 : 23 

Haftarah portion              Amos 2 : 6 – 3 : 8

Brit Hadashah                   Matthew 19:1  - 20 : 34

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? The question sounds ‘loaded to the hilt’, but it was not. On this occasion, the Pharisees wanted to know precisely where Yeshua stood on this issue. Understanding the Hebraic background gives enlightenment. Two of the most influential Rabbis of their day disputed the interpretation of “.. and it happens that she finds no favour in his eyes because ….” Deut. 24:1. (Bible students might ‘google’ Hillel and Shammai).  Shammai was one for very strict interpretation, declaring that ‘finding no favour’ meant adultery or other sexual immorality, whereas Hillel was infinitely more liberal, to the extent that ‘finding no favour’ even extended to a wife being a less than competent cook!

It would appear that in Western society today, the overwhelming majority of Christians probably fall solidly in the “Hillel” camp (without even knowing it!). Yeshua however, goes back to Genesis 2:24 to remind them of God’s expectation about this issue. Some years ago I heard David Pawson say (somewhat tongue in cheek) “To dwell above with saints I love, that would be GLORY. But to dwell below with those I know, that’s a different story”!  All Scripture, as the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, is “God inspired and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness …” Those who find themselves in a difficult marital situation could not be better advised than to seek the Lord’s counsel. The opinions of men vary so greatly, just look at the greatly respected Shammai and Hillel.

In spite of a clear instruction (Genesis 1:28) for people to be ‘fruitful and multiply’, the disciples of Yeshua opined that, because of unpleasant consequences which inevitably flow from divorce, it might be better not to marry at all. The response of Yeshua indicates that for some people this may well be a God given ministry to those who are able to accept it. But not everyone can.         (Our reading also contains the story of the wealthy young man who wants to find salvation. This encounter is repeated in Mark 10 and will be ‘reflected upon’ when we get to that passage of Scripture.)

We next come to the parable of the ‘landowner’. The likeness to the kingdom of heaven is fascinating, and the Jewish audience would initially have been somewhat perplexed by this reference. Their mindset would be very much influenced by the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which was mainly encouraging of strict adherence to the Torah to warrant the ‘smile’ of God upon them. The longer they persisted in their obeisance, the better would be their reward.

The parable which Yeshua related was firstly to set the reward for the day’s work to be undertaken. One Denarius. Contract agreed, and off to work they went. As the day progressed, more workers were hired, with the promise that they would be paid “whatever is right”. At the end of the day’s work, the paymaster was called to pay the men, those hired last were paid first and so on. Everyone received One Denarius, the agreed amount for the first workers. No-one was cheated of anything, but there was discontent on the part of the first hired workers.

There may be several ways to interpret this parable, but the one that impresses me is that which the parable makes clear. The landowner had the absolute right to pay what he agreed to any and all the workers. Remember the beginning of the parable? That is what the kingdom of heaven is like. The landowner rewards as He will, without injustice to anyone. There is joy in heaven over every one who repents. Those who repent early in life and those who repent later in life. The reward of the Father is the same for all. And He is righteous in all His ways.

Matthew 20:17 records the beginning of Yeshua’s journey to Jerusalem for Pesach. It was to be His last Pesach on this earth. So He warns them of what is to come. Zebedee’s wife, Salome, asks Yeshua a favour for her sons. “Let my boys sit, one on your right and one on your left, in Your kingdom”. Yeshua gently and tenderly, I believe, told her that it was not His decision to make, but Father God had Himself prepared the order of things in heaven. Then He compared our human understanding of authority, a hierarchical line of superiority, (as we see in our churches today) with that of kingdom authority. I can almost hear the Master saying ‘I’ll give you the tip’. “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

That my friends, is the Hebraic message of Yeshua. We worship God by what we DO, not by what we say.     

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections      08  

Torah portion                     Genesis 32 : 4  – 36 : 43 

Haftarah portion             Obadiah 1: 1 – 21

Brit Hadashah                   Matthew 16:1  - 18 : 35

 Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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Just two weeks ago we found the Pharisees and Sadducees seeking a sign of Yeshua’s Messianic credentials. Here again our reading opens with the same request. “A sign, a sign .. give us a sign” they said. Yeshua gave the same answer He did the last time they asked, but not before charging them with hypocrisy.  The sign was that of the Prophet Jonah. A sign which they would not recognize for some little while, until after He was miraculously resurrected from the grave. But the sign was, and is, there for any who would discern it.

Yeshua then warned His disciples about the ‘leaven’ of the Pharisees. They did not immediately understand His analogy. But because He explained it’s meaning to them, we can also understand that He was talking about the ‘leaven’ of the sin of false doctrine.  The pervasiveness of which affected the whole group. (They were quite familiar with that, of course, because at their annual celebration of “Pesach”, they were careful to clean their homes of every trace of leaven). We see a parallel today. False doctrine is like ‘leaven’. It affects the whole. The false doctrine which the Pharisees and Sadducees were preaching was the heavy yoke of impenetrable fences around the Torah, one of which was dealt with in our reading last week. The ‘traditions of men’ Yeshua called them. In our fractured hierarchical church structures today there are many and various false doctrines on parade.  One might conclude that the presence of the multiplicity of denominational labels is one sign of potential falsity, because they cannot all be correct can they?

Then Yeshua moved into the area of personal perception of Himself. “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” It was natural for Jews of that day to compare Yeshua with ‘heroes’ from their past history. Elijah, Jeremiah, another of the prophets, even John the baptizer (presumably from those who had not met him) all had a mention. I am personally curious as to why Moses name was not mentioned, maybe that would have been too Messianic!! In any event, Yeshua then put them right ‘on the spot’. “But who do you say that I am?” Good question eh? It is the question that requires an answer from every one of us. One’s answer to that question is so important that it has eternal consequences. The blunt, passionate and faithful Simon Peter, immediately answered Him. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Yeshua’s response to that confession speaks volumes. It was a revelation that could ONLY be made by God Himself. But Yeshua’s response has been misunderstood too. It has been used as authority for establishment of the hierarchical earthly church, out of which much false doctrine has emanated.

The “rock” on which Yeshua’s ‘church’ was to be established is the “rock” of Peter’s confession. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” There can be no other foundation. The CHURCH is comprised only of those who have, or will, make such a confession. Just attending a local congregation of believers does not make one a member of His ‘church’.

Chapter 17 contains the account of the transfiguration of Yeshua, wherin He appeared with both Moses and Elijah. Interestingly, Yeshua charged them not to talk about that to anyone until after His prophesised resurrection. His intent seemed to be that the confession referred to above must be made by people individually through revelation rather than by persuasion of men. 

Chapter 18 of our reading contains Yeshua’s instructions for dealing with disputation between brethren. It is Hebraic in form and substance, and was perfectly well understood when Yeshua spoke the words. It is direct, simple in form, and effective. But it is rarely, if ever, implemented today, because we have no Hebraic understanding of the process. Up to this very day, major synagogues establish a congregational “Beit Din” (House of Judgment). It comprises two or three men of good character, good standing, and good report from within the group. This comprises the court of last resort referred to in this passage. This is the “two or three gathered in My name”, where God promises to reside and ‘bind or loose’ their decisions.

In our day, this process is misunderstood to involve any gathering of believers. We may be sure that God does meet with all who come to Him in faithfulness and truth. But that is NOT what this passage is about.

A most interesting and informative portion of Scripture. Be blessed as you study it for yourself.

Shabbat Shalom

RS

Brit Hadashah Reflections     07

Torah portion                     Genesis 28 : 10–32 : 3 

Haftarah portion              Hosea 12:13–14:10

Brit Hadashah                   Matthew 14:1 - 15 : 39

Hebraic understanding of the Gospel of Yeshua

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One of the sons of Herod the Great, who was the ruler of Galilee and Perea on behalf of the Roman Emperor, had just had Yeshua’s cousin, John, beheaded at the revengeful whim of his sister-in-law, Herodias. The disciples of John came to tell Yeshua what had happened. Displaying His complete humanity, Yeshua sought solace in private. He took a boat to grieve in some quiet place. But a multitude of people followed around the Lake on foot. When Yeshua saw them, He was ‘moved with love’ for them, all 5,000 men, plus women and children, and healed their sick.

Out of their concern, the disciples suggested that they should just ‘close the meeting’ and send the people away to get food for themselves. “No, you feed them here” Yeshua said. The story is well known. The five loaves and two fish were ‘multiplied’ to feed everyone present, and have plenty left over.

Now there is an interesting Messianic message in this event. God had promised to send a “Prophet like Moses” (Deuteronomy 18). Moses was regarded as a ‘Messiah’ in that he freed the people from oppressive slavery in Egypt. He provided ‘manna’ on their wilderness journey. One of the expected characteristics of the Jewish Messiah was that He would free the people from oppressive servitude and provide bread, just like Moses did. Satan knew this and the first temptation he presented to Yeshua at the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4) was to turn stones into bread, because he knew He could do it. In our reading today Yeshua miraculously provided bread for the people out of His compassion for them. It was an act of Messiah, but not then quite realized by all those who witnessed it.

He then spent time alone again and sent His disciples in a boat across to the other side of the Lake to Gennesaret. A storm arose, threatening the lives of the disciples. Yeshua used this occasion to again demonstrate His Messianic credentials, by miraculously walking on the water, drawing from them their conclusive declaration “Truly, You are the Son of God”. What a moment.

Chapter 15 of our text opens with another challenge from the Scribes and Pharisees. This time for not washing hands before eating. A perfectly good practice of cleanliness, but NOT a commandment of Torah. It was another of the ‘fences’ which the Rabbi’s had constructed around Torah which ensured that they did not unintentionally eat something which was forbidden! Yeshua was able to use their tradition by showing them how they had craftily circumnavigated the fifth commandment by “Corban” (given to God), saying that if their money was used for Temple purposes, they were ‘off the hook’ in looking after elderly parents. Yeshua uses a quotation from Isaiah to press the point. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men”    Owch!!   Couldn’t be talking to us today, could He?

Then we have words from Yeshua which have been used by gentile believers to try to negate the Torah dietary commandments, but which are nothing of the kind. “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man”. At Peter’s request, Yeshau explains more fully what He means in verses 16 -20. It is about the challenge of the Pharisees about unwashed hands, not about food in general. All Jewish believers of the first century, including the Apostle Paul (see Acts 28:17 two years before his death in Rome) were Torah observant disciples of Yeshua.

A final ‘refelection’ relates to Yeshua’s encounter with the Canaanite woman of great faith in the coastal region of Northern Israel. It is to this lady that Yeshua declared, as He had done with His disciples in Matthew 10, that His mission on earth was exclusively to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. (Notwithstanding that, He still healed the lady’s daughter). It is well that we remind ourselves that Yeshua was ministering principally to these Jewish folk for all His time on earth. The parables, examples, phraseology and conversation was taken out of His earthly Judaism. We are prone to misunderstand what He was saying when we attempt to ‘gentilize’ Him. And, furthermore, He will return to this earth one day as King of the Jews, reigning from Jerusalem. A day when our Bible tells us “All Israel will be saved”. Amazing.

Our reading closes with another miraculous provision of bread to a great gathering of people in the Galilee region.  

 Shabbat Shalom

RS