Blood on Who's Hands?

"All the people answered, 'Let his blood be on us and on our children!'" (Matt 27:25)

Some time ago a friend asked me if the previous passage recorded in Matthew could be seen as a request for the atoning blood of Jesus to be placed on the nation of Israel. At first appearance, such an interpretation seems feasible as it would be seen to draw a parallel to the blood sprinkled on the people for the original covenant at Mount Sinai. “Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." (Ex 24:8).

In pondering the question, I have noticed that the Bible will often list multiple generations when a judgment or promise is given. For example, the LORD visits “the iniquity of fathers on the children and upon the children’s children to the third and fourth generations” (Ex 34:7, KJV). Further, “No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation” (Deut 23:2). When the LORD talks of eternal blessings the reference frequently used is “children’s children”, such as the LORD’s love to the children’s children of those who fear him (Psa 103:17) and a future return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel when the “children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever” (Ezek 37:25).

The proclamation “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” is found only in Matthew, which is considered the gospel account written to the Jewish people. Had the statement been a request for the blood of Jesus to be an atonement for the sins of the nation, I think it would have read something like, “Let his blood be on us, our children, and our children’s children for all generations.” As stated, the proclamation appears limited to just the generation of the crucifixion and the generation that followed.

Because this historically aligns with the destruction of the temple forty years (one generation) after the crucifixion of Jesus, it would appear to be a curse or statement of condemnation. This is why Pilate washed his hands to be “innocent of this man’s blood” (Matt 27:24) and a position the Sanhedrin avoided in the presence of Peter and John (Acts 5:28). Further, “the people” are principally believed to be the Sadducees and the Herodians, supporters of Herod and his descendants. The Sadducees (priests), ceased to exist shortly after the destruction of the temple. Caiaphas and Annas were Sadducees.

The current form of Rabbinic Judaism derives almost entirely from the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, who had developed their system of worship in Babylon to operate in the absene of a temple. Although we generally condemn the Pharisees along with the Sadducees, historically only 6 to 7 Pharisees were among the 71-members assembly of the Sanhedrin and High Priest. We know from scripture 3 of the Pharisees on the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus (John 3:1), Joseph of Arimathes (Luke 23:51), and Gamaleil (Acts 5:33), and it appears they “had not consented to their (Sanhedrin) decision and action” (Luke 23:51). Approximately 27 members of the Sanhedrin were required to have a quorum, so the condemnation of Jesus could occur with 44 members absent. Recent speculation holds that no Pharisees were present during the condemnation of Jesus.

Thoughts on passage or other observations? Looking forward to seeing everyone. Scott

Torah on the Basis of Better Promises

The following is taken from David Stern’s book Restoring The Jewishness Of The Gospel. I find it very interesting because it gives a perspective on the applicability of the Law to both the Jew and Gentile.

Page 50 includes discussion in reference to Hebrews 8:6 which reads in the NAS, “But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.” (Heb 8:6).

According to Stern, “But upon examining the Greek text I noticed that the phrase “is founded on” renders the word “nenomothetetai”, a compnound of our friend “nomos” (law, Torah) with the common verb “tithemi” (to put, place)…But in the letter to these Messianic Jews, the word “nomos”, which appears 14 times, always Torah specifically, never legislation in general. Moreover, the only other appearnace of “nenomothetetai” in the New Testament is a few verses back…where it can only refer to the giving of the Torah at Sinai…Therefore the Jewish New Testament renders Messianic Jews 8:6: ‘But now the work Yueshua has been given to do is far superior to theirs, just as the covenant he mediates is better. For this covenant has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises’. So the New Covenant has been ‘given as Torah’, which implies that Torah still exists and is to be observed in the present age – by all Jews and by all Gentiles, as we shall see…”

From his book, we can see that David Stern concludes that the new covenant is Torah founded on better promises. But if Torah, how does it apply to the Jew and Gentile. Stern makes a very interesting observation about the ruling of the Jerusalem Council. Although specific guidance was given to Gentiles, the lack of guidance to Jewish Christians implies that no change to their beliefs was required.

From page 57 in reference to the Jerusalem Counsel (Acts 15). “This (the ruling of the Jerusalem Council) teaches us that the elements of Torah which apply to Gentiles under the New Covenant are not the same as those which apply to Jews. (The Jerusalem Council made no change whatever in the Torah as it applies to Jews, so that a number of years later there could still be in Jerusalem “tens of thousands” of Messianic Jews who were “zealots for the Torah.”) It should not surprise us if New Covenant Torah specifies different commandments for Jews and Gentiles. First, the Five Books of Moses have commands which apply to some groups and not others – to the king but not to his subjects, to cohanim (“priests”) but not to other Jews, to men but not women. Second, the New Testament too has different commands for different categories of people, for example, men and woman, husbands and wives, parents and children, slaves and masters, leaders and followers, widows.

However, Acts 15 also teaches that although Gentiles were required to observe only four laws upon entering the Messianic Community, they were permitted to learn as much about Judaism as they wished and presumably to observe as many Jewish laws and customs as they wished. The only proviso added in the New Covenant (in Galatians) is that Gentiles should not suppose that their self-Judaizing will earn them “salvation points” with God…

It’s easy for many Gentile Christians to agree with the abstract statement that the Torah is still in force under the New Covenant, for they are unlikely to have a sense of how to draw out its implications…What ought to be done, and what ought not to be done in particular situations? Should one refrain form lighting fires or from driving on Shabbat? Should a man wear a kippah in a congregational meeting? Should he wear tzitziyot (tassels on the corners of his garment)?…May a Messianic Gentile be called up to read from the Torah scroll in a Messianic synagogue? May a Gentile Christian convert to Judiasm? And if so, under what auspices? How should Messianic Jews relate to the State of Israel? Should Messianic Jews immigrate to Israel? Is there halakhah concerning when a Messianic Jew might marry a Gentile Christian?…To what extent may or should Gentile members of Messianic Jewish congregations imitate or take on Jewish practices? Etcetera.”

All these are questions that we are struggling with, but to conclude requirements may be different for the Jew and for the Gentile finds some precedent in scripture. Does this prevent me from studying and participating in Jewish laws and customs? Not at all. For if “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ” (Gal 3:24), then these instructions have much benefit because we have not arrived at a complete understanding but are on the upward path.

More Loving -Kindness

When we were in Houston, we visited the Jewish Community Center gift shop. I bought a prayer book, Siddur Sim Shalom, one for myself and one for Teresa. This is what I learned about chesed from this book.

A disciple of Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai was lamenting the destruction of the Temple and said: “Alas, for us! The place which atoned for the sins of the people of Israel through the ritual of animal sacrifice lies in ruins!” Then Rabbi ben Zakkai spoke these words of comfort: “Be not grieved, my son. There is another way of gaining atonement even though the Temple is destroyed. We must now gain atonement through deeds of loving-kindness.” For it is written, “Loving-kindness I desire, not sacrifice.” Hosea 6:6.

Rabbi Elazar said: Whoever does deeds of charity and justice is considered as having filled the world with loving-kindness. “He loves charity and justice; the earth is filled with the loving-kindness of the Lord.” Psalm 33:5

“She opens her mouth with wisdom and the Torah of loving-kindness is on her tongue” Proverbs 31:26. What does this mean? Is there a Torah of loving-kindness and a Torah that is not loving-kindness? Torah which is studied on its own merit is a Torah of loving-kindness, but Torah studied for an ulterior motive is not a Torah of loving-kindness. Furthermore, Torah which is studied to teach is a Torah of loving-kindness, whereas Torah which is not studied in order to teach is a Torah which is not of loving-kindness.

The Torah begins and ends with deeds of loving-kindness. In the beginning, it is written, “The Lord God made for Adam and Chava garments of skins and clothed them.” (Gen 3:21) In the end, it is written, “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab.” (Due 34:6)

Deep is your love for us, Lord our God, boundless Your tender compassion. You taught our ancestors life giving laws. They trusted in You, our Father and King. For their sake graciously teach us. Father, merciful Father, show us mercy; grant us discernment and understanding. Then we will study Your Torah, heed its words, teach its precepts and follow its instruction, lovingly fulfilling all its teachings. Open our eyes to Your Torah, help our hearts cleave to Your mitzvot. Unite all our thoughts to love and revere You. Then shall we never be brought to shame. Trusting you awesome holiness, we will delight in Your deliverance. Bring us safely from the ends of the earth, and lead us in dignity to our holy land. You are the Source of deliverance. You have called us from peoples and tongues, constantly drawing us nearer to You, that we may lovingly offer you praise, proclaiming Your Oneness. Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, who loves His children.


Sandi

Thy Loving-Kindness is Better than Life

“Thy lovingkindness is better than life,” so says the Psalmist about God. That word, lovingkindness, caught my attention as I was reading. I don’t remember ever seeing it in the Greek text. And upon further research, it isn’t. Why not? It appears there is no single Greek word that completely captures the full extent of the Hebrew word, chesed. In fact, there is not a single English word that captures the whole picture so someone came up with the idea of cramming two words together—loving and kindness. Still, it seems, the picture is incomplete so translators use other words—mercy, grace, faithfulness, devotion, goodness. Those are the words we read in the Greek text.

According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, three concepts are combined every time the word is used—strength, steadfastness, and love. So, the Psalmist says that God’s love, steadfastness, and strength expressed to us is better than life, itself—a concept we should explore further sometime.

Also according to Vine’s, chesed can only be expressed within a covenant relationship. In fact, it becomes an expression of generosity and mercy that the stronger party expresses to the lesser. Chesed requires a personal involvement in the relationship that goes “beyond the rule of law.” In other words, God’s steadfastness and commitment to us is stronger than law requires.

Hosea and Gomer’s relationship comes to mind. While Torah says to put the adulteress to death, Hosea’s chesed toward his wife supersedes Torah. Does this mean there are situations where we should NOT obey Torah? Apparently so, IF there is a covenant relationship and the offended party chooses to respond with chesed. In other words, Hosea’s response to Gomer’s infidelity demonstrates his strength of character, steadfast commitment, and unending love to the weaker party in the relationship.

Finally, according to Telushkin’s commentary on the Babylonian Talmud, “Charity is equal in importance to all the other commandments combined.” And, “One who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses.” However, given charity’s preeminence over the other mitzvah, there remains one thing greater than charity—chesed. How is chesed greater? It is greater in three ways.

Charity is done with one’s money, while lovingkindness may be done with one’s money or person [e.g. spending time with a sick person].

Charity is given only to the poor, while lovingkindness may be given both to the poor and to the rich [e.g. consoling those who are mourning or depressed].

Charity is given only to the living, while lovingkindness may be shown to both the living and the dead [e.g. by arranging burial and handling after death business].

Perhaps we should expand our understanding of at least two verses that come to mind:
Hosea 6:6 “I desire mercy [chesed], not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. “

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Shalom,
Bryan

The Third Temple - A Regression Back to Revelations

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. (Rev 11:1-3)

In the Book of Revelations, John is given a measuring rod like a stick and instructed to "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there" (Rev 11:1) This passage seems to pronounce the existence of the temple, but no measurements are recorded by John, although he was told to measure. This is contrasted with the angel in Revelations who used a measuring rod to measured Jerusalem (Rev 21:16) and reported its length, width, and height as 1200 stadia. The three identical measurements for the length, width, and height of Jerusalem can be seen as a picture of the unity of God.

Several explanations are offered for the lack of recorded measurements given by John. First, measuring the temple area could be symbolic of the coming judgment on the place or people. Daniel told Belshazzar, the king of the Babylon, “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting” (Dan 5:27). If the Revelation passage is pronouncing judgment, it appears to be directed at the “temple of God, and the altar, and…the worshippers there” (Rev 11:2). Such judgment would have the objective of cleansing any contamination or false worship from the temple area and has occurred in the past to purify the temple along with the nation.

Second, measuring might be symbolic of God reclaiming His Own possession. John was told to “count the worshippers,” but to “exclude the outer court…because it has been given to the Gentiles” (Rev 11:2). In Jewish tradition, God physically placed His name on the land at the site of the temple (Deut 12:5-7) as a permanent stamp of His claim. Zechariah was once told in a vision to measure Jerusalem. “Then I looked up — and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand! I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He answered me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is’" (Zech 2:1-2). As in the story of Revelations, no subsequent dimensions are given. The act is symbolic of God measuring Jerusalem to take the city back as His possession “for whoever touches you (Zion)touches the apple of his eye” (Zech 2:8). John’s vision may represent a future time when the temple is either under construction or a survey is necessary to begin the construction. At that time, the LORD is making His Own survey to re-claim the temple area as His possession.


THE PROBABILITY OF A THIRD TEMPLE BEFORE THE RETURN OF JESUS

One of the questions pondered by many about the time of the end, "will a third Jewish temple be constructed before the return of Jesus Christ?” If the answer is "yes," then the timing of the return of Jesus Christ can be fixed with relative certainty once construction of the temple begins. Paul makes a strong case for a future temple when he told the Thessalonians, “the man of lawliness…the man doomed to destruction…will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess 2:3-4). Paul’s writings specifically reference the temple and the desire of the “man doomed to destruction” to sit on the throne and proclaim himself to be God.

Jesus told His disciples, “when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matt 24:15-16). Daniel connected the “abomination”, referred to by Jesus, to the temple when he said, “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation” (Dan 11:31). Although the passage in Matthew may have witnessed a partial fulfillment at the destruction of the second temple, Revelations seems to speak of a future fleeing of Jews from Jerusalem in the twelfth chapter. The women (representing Israel) “fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days” (Rev 12:6).

There is another hint given in scripture that a third temple will exist before the return of Jesus. Daniel tells us that the “horn” (Antichrist) “will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws” (Dan 7:25). Changing “the laws” is a reference to the Mosaic commandments (Torah) consistent with the title given this man, “the man of lawliness” (2 Thess 2:3). The “set times” most likely refers to the “appointed times” (Lev 23:4), a term used in scripture for the times established by the LORD for celebration of the sacred assemblies (feasts). “Set times” could also include the times appointed for the offerings at the temple (Num 28). Both interpretations refer to conduct in the operation of the temple. Changing the times suggests the Antichrist is attempting to change the daily service and celebrations associated with the temple. Therefore, a temple must exist in some form.

The “appointed times” are also viewed as the times when the LORD had an appointment to meet with His people. Significant events associated with Jesus have already occurred on some of these “appointed times”. Jesus was crucified on Passover, placed in the grave on Unleavened Bread, and resurrected on Firstfruits. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given. The remaining feasts of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles (Sukkot) await additional fulfilments associated with the second coming of Jesus and judgment of the world. By changing the “set times”, the Antichrist is attempting to change the plan of the LORD.

Scott

Observations of a Sorta-Want-A-Be Kosher and Torah Observant Gentile (at least on the things I think I can do without)

After a couple of weeks of snubbing pork, here are some observations:
1. This is hard! Much harder for me, in fact, than the wilderness- wandering folks of Exodus. I am almost sure of it.
2. My lifestyle must change if I’m to be porkless. I love breakfast tacos—the sausage and egg variety. Or bacon and egg will work. Have you noticed that ALL breakfast meat is pork? I never realized that before now. I certainly am willing to substitute turkey sausage and bacon; however, Whataburger doesn’t give me that option.
3. My culture does not have room for this foolishness of God.
4. My friends treat me differently. They look out for me. They plan ahead and go out of their way to accommodate my experiment.
5. My friends treat me differently. They wonder how far I’m going to take this. Will I become a weirdo? Hmmm! Now, I wonder, “How far am I going to take this? Am I a weirdo?”
6. Regarding Sabbath, it’s easy to be Sabbath observant these days—it’s summer vacation. Will I have the drive to carry it through when my employer tests me on this resolve? Am I ready to trust God through the consequences? Will my co-workers treat me differently? Will they think I’m a weirdo?
7. I talk about it too much. I think I draw too much attention to the fact that I’m not eating pork and not working on the Sabbath. That makes everyone uncomfortable. “What can we eat around Bryan? Will he approve? Will it offend? Does Bryan think he’s better than me? Is Bryan just a weirdo?”
8. I don’t want any attention for this. I just want to do what I do while everyone else comfortably and confidently eats what they want to eat.
9. I am a weirdo. This is, of course, the whole point of the mitzvot. “Be holy, because I am holy.” For the experiment to succeed, everyone must see me as different—my culture, my friends, my co-workers, and myself.
10. This is very hard!!

Wisdom to the Wise

He gives wisdom to the wise (Dan 2:21)

“A noble lady asked Rabbi Yosef ben Chalafta what is meant by that which is written, ‘He gives wisdom to the wise’. It should have said, ‘to the stupid’. He said to her, ‘My daughter, if two people, one poor and one rich, should come to you to borrow money, to whom would you lend?’

She answered him, ‘To the rich man’. He said to her, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘So that if he has a loss he should have money to pay. But if a poor man has a loss, from where would he take money to pay?’

He said to her, ‘Let your ears hear what your mouth is saying. If the Holy One, Blessed be He, would have given wisdom to the stupid, they would sit in unclean places and in theaters and use it. So he gave wisdom to the wise, so that they would sit in the synagogues and the Batei Midrashos (houses for Torah study) and use it.’”

In the story of the talents (Matthew 25), the man with five talents “gained five more” and the man with two talents “gained two more”. The story reveals a truth for the present, not just the future. Both had the wisdom to use their talents and God was faithful to provide them with more talents. In the context of rabbinic story, the talents of Matthew 25 seem to represent the wisdom and a measure of the Spirit God has given each of us.

If believers are faithful to apply what the LORD has given, He is faithful to increase the measure each believer already has because, “He gives wisdom to the wise”.