Passover on the Plains of Jericho

“Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.” Numbers 9:2 ESV

Our family Passover preparations are now in full swing as we prepare to host a Seder at our home with family and friends in just a couple of days. Passover begins this year on Friday evening, April 6th. Today we are busy finalizing our guest list, grocery shopping, studying, rehearsing, writing this blog and doing plenty of Spring cleaning (which also means we have to drink up all the beer in the fridge really soon - it’s not that much I promise:-)!

Last week I wrote about The “Egyptian Passover” and gave a brief history of that very first Passover event and what made it unique in comparison to all others after it. For this post, I originally wanted to take a quick look at the post-Exodic (not “exotic”, but “exodic” as in after the Exodus) Passover up until the time of the Men of the Great Assembly. But as I begin to research the Passover from the Biblical and extra-biblical sources starting with the Book of Joshua to King Josiah on to the Book of Jubilees and The Wisdom of Solomon, I quickly realized that this would not be a quick survey after all. Instead of writing a 4,000 word blog of which I have scarcely the time, I decided to split this chronological theme up into much smaller sections over a longer period of time (I have Passover ideas to blog about for many years to come now:-). Makes sense right?

“While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho.” (Joshua 5:10 ESV)

This phrase “on the plains of Jericho” sounds very idyllic to me, like some sweeping grandiose setting from a bygone era that gets romanticized in a Hollywood movie. I can picture the scenes in my mind well and imagine some of the interactions of the people. The sweeping Jericho plains at sunset with Palm trees shadowed in the background and the Jordan river flowing in the distance. The tent sites are abuzz with campfires crackling and the excited chatter of the relatively youthful Israelites, almost all who are under the age of sixty with the majority not even forty years old yet. These young generations of Israelites who had weathered the sins of their parents and the harshness of desert life, have just crossed over the Jordan river into this Land they have heard only stories about since they were born. Now it is coming to pass before their very eyes, all of their hopes and dreams will soon be realized in this Land that had been promised to the generations of old, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joshua, who is one of only two who are left from their parents generation, is their courageous and very capable leader. Joshua was Moses’ right hand man while Moses was alive and Joshua was ordained by God to take Moses’ place after his death. Joshua gives a speech to this young nation that is both inspiring and sobering at the same time. He recounts the faithfulness of the Lord in leading them to this Promised Land and details the blessings spoken of to Moses about how God will shower them with so much provision and abundance that it will be like the Land breaking forth into song and dance all around them. Yet, Joshua also reminds them of the dangers of disobedience and rebellion, of a lack of trust in the Lord and the byproduct of that behavior that they know all too well. The youthful crowd responds to Joshua, “We will take care to do all that the Lord has commanded us to do”!

Many of the young men of the camp were anxious to go forth and ”conquer” the Land. They were confident and not a few a bit cocky after they had seen what had happened to the Kings of the Amorites and Canaanites (Joshua 5:1). They knew well the report of the their brethren who had went to spy on the city of Jericho and had brought back this report to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.” (Joshua 2:24 ESV). But before the next battle was to begin, the Lord commanded patience, an obedient patience in the form of circumcision.

 Circumcision?! This second generation of Israelites had not been circumcised in the wilderness due to the sins of their fathers, which had delayed the Israelites from entering into the Promised Land in the first place for 40 years. That ancient rite of passage ”hadn’t been practiced in many years” some of them said and others cringed at the thought of the pain it entailed. Nevertheless, the whole nation was obedient to the Lord’s command through Joshua and they remained in their camp at a place called Gilgal until they were healed.  After Joshua had all the males circumcised, God told Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” (Joshua 5:9 ESV). This circumcision was important for multiple reasons;

1. According to the Covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:10-11, all of Abraham’s descendents should be circumcised as an act of obedience.
2. Circumcision is a sign of the Israelites being in covenant with God and the Land of Canaan is a Promise of that Covenant (Genesis 17:8).
3. According to Exodus 12:48, no one uncircumcised may partake of the Passover sacrifice.

During the time of healing and waiting, their was another rite, albeit a much more “modern” one that perhaps some had never took part in and others had but it had been since their teenage years or earlier - The Passover. Passover was the memorial and commemoration of God’s deliverance of His people Israel, that culminated in the Exodus out of Egypt and set in motion the journey that led them here, to the plains of Jericho - the gateway to the Promised Land.

Sure, they all knew what the Passover was and what it meant to them historically, but most had never actually experienced this sacred event. So here they were on the plains of Jericho, on this side of the Jordan river, with their tribes and divisions of families and they were about to fulfill God’s command to Moses to “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.” (Deuteronomy 16:1). On this night so long ago in the shadow of the infamous walls that would soon come tumbling down, I can imagine all the families remembering the past 40 years gone by since the Lord’s redemption from Pharaoh and his army and a young son of Israel probably no more than 4 or 5 years old asking his father “what does this night mean?” and his father replying with the words of Exodus 13:8 ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ I could also imagine the words and thoughts of the evening not just dwelling on the past but looking forward to the future redemption as well, when God will deliver yet again the people who He saved for all eternity in peace and glory. At least that’s how I suppose it could have all happened out on the plains of Jericho over 3,000 years ago. This was the first Passover celebrated in the Promised Land!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah, our Passover!

Chag Sameach Pesach 5772!!! Happy Passover 2012!!!

The Bond Family

The “Egyptian Passover”

‘The blood shall be a sign for you……And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you” (Exodus 12:13 ESV)

Passover is less than two weeks away. This year Passover begins on the evening of Friday, April 6th, which is also the day that Christians through-out the world will be observing Good Friday (the traditional day of the week that Yeshua was crucified). On Passover Eve, Jewish families gather to have a festive meal called a “seder” in which there are special readings that tell about the Exodus from Egypt. Through a book called a “haggadah”, Jews remember the plight of their ancestors and how God through Moses miraculously saved and redeemed them from their oppressive state in Egypt. This celebration of Passover, which has been  an institution of the Jewish people for thousands of years also has special significance for the Messianic community today that is made up of Gentile Christians as well as Jewish believers of Messiah Yeshua(Jesus).

My home congregation Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue (BHS) is not having a corporate Seder this year. This is the first time that I know of that they are not hosting a congregational Seder. The reasoning is that they wanted to go smaller this year and encourage greater fellowship amongst the BHS family by having members host a home seder (which is how the first Passover recorded in Scripture is celebrated as well as all subsequent Passover’s since the destruction of the 2nd Temple) and invite other BHS attendees and guests. In preparation for this Rabbi Marty Waldman taught a very demonstrative and interactive Passover Seder training course in which he walked through the entire Haggadah. In addition to this, I have also been studying The JPS Commentary on the Haggadah by Joseph Tabory in preparation for the home seder I will be leading this year. In the Foreward to The JPS Commentary, Professor David Stern says that Tabory is “one of the world’s leading authorities on the Haggadah”. Needless to say I came across plenty of insight and I got the idea to chronicle a short summary of that First Passover up to the time of Rabbi Hillel, Rabbi Shammai and the Rabbi Yeshua from Natzeret, who they call Mashiach.

A Quick History Lesson (Exodus 1-13)

Under the Pharoah of that time, the Israelites had become enemies of the state and the Egyptians  feared them causing a revolution. Due to this, the Israelites endured many hardships including  infanticide and harsh slavery.  Through Moses and his brother Aaron, God made Himself known to His people Israel, as well as the Egyptians by His judgment upon the so-called gods of Egypt. God’s power and sovereignty was made known through the 10 plagues, which culminated in the death of the firstborn. The Israelites were told to apply the blood of a lamb to their door posts so that the Angel of Death would “passover” their homes. Due to the Israelites trust in this provision of God, they were saved from death and given the opportunity to have a new life no longer bound by the shackles of their previous existence but freedom to serve the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The “Egyptian Passover”

Some scholars refer to the Passover spoken of in Exodus 12 as the “Egyptian Passover”. The Rabbincal Sages considered the instructions from Exodus 12:11 to be a onetime occurence and a permanent distinction of that first Passover and every other that would come after it.  “In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.”  Modern Samaritans on the other hand still consider this instruction to be applicable today.

The Torah itself doesn’t make any other distinction in regard to the timeliness of the meal, but it is assumed that Passover in post-Exodic times were festive and leisurely. The Torah does suggest a change in setting, from home based to Temple based in Deuteronomy 16:2  ”And you shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the LORD your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the LORD will choose, to make his name dwell there.” This change in setting would happen once the Israelites had settled in the Promised Land and God had chosen a place for His dwelling (The Temple).

The only items mentioned in Scripture that were on the table that first Passover were: 1. Lamb (The actual Passover sacrifice) 2. Unleavened Bread 3. Bitter Herbs as it says in Exodus 12:8  ”They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.” The cups of wine, haroset (apple and nut mixture), debates about lettuce or horseradish, etc etc. were much later additions.

The Torah also omits any instructions for any specific ceremony connected with the meal though the Torah does suggests that some type of narrative or commentary would accompany the meal for later generations in Exodus 12:26-27  ”And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” Also in Exodus 13:8 “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ I agree with Tabory when he states that it would be “hard to imagine that a meal in the memory of the Exodus would not be used by parents to transmit the story of the Exodus to the younger generation – even if there were no specific Torah mandate.”

It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.
(Exodus 12:42 ESV)

For additional insight into the “Egyptian Passover” check out Rabbi Derek Leman’s recent post on the matter The First Passover.

Next Time (Hopefully by next weekend:-): Post-Exodic Passover to the Men of the Great Assembly

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

Esther: A Diaspora Story of Israel

“Who knows whether you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this” Esther 4:14

The Jewish festival of Purim is coming upon us rather quickly. In fact, it begins this evening and might just last until Friday evening (depends on how long you would like to extend the party:-). Purim is traditionally celebrated on the 14th of Adar according to the Hebrew calendar and Shushan Purim is celebrated on the 15th of Adar. What’s the difference in dates? According to the Book of Esther, those who lived in unwalled villages at the time defeated their enemies on the 14th of Adar and those in walled villages (Shushan) by the 15th of Adar. Purim is celebrated as a very joyful festival with a carnival like atmosphere that includes a lively and participatory reading of the Book of Esther, plays, masquerading, customary food and plenty of drink. It is also interesting to note, that Esther is the only book of Scripture, outside of the Torah that addresses the origin of a new festival. In true diaspora style, you could easily celebrate this holiday for 2 days; after all it is a diaspora story!

Last year I picked up the JPS Bible Commentary for Esther by Adele Berlin and decided to put it on the shelf until the time was right in the year to break out the ”scroll”. Just the introduction to the commentary is formidable in its own right and is probably 2-3 times longer than the actual Biblical book.

Berlin begins her commentary by alluding to the question of which came first; Esther or Purim? That is, did the book precede the festival or did the festival precede the book?

Berlin says that the book’s fame is largely based on its association with Purim. And without the celebration of Purim with its annual reading of Megillat Esther (Scroll/Book of Esther) as its core tradition, “Esther would languish in obscurity”. But on the other hand, without the Book of Esther, “there would be little reason to perpetuate the observance of Purim.” So, however it happened and whatever the order (Berlin gives her educated opinions – she believes Purim existed in some form or fashion as a festival before the events recorded in Esther actually happened), Esther and Purim are forever attached and bundled up together for the benefit of all who might enter into this Biblical story of comedy and drama that is mixed with a heavy dose of courage and carousing.

What do I mean by “A Diaspora Story on the Continuation of Israel”?

The term “diaspora” is an ancient Greek term which literally means “scattered” or “dispersed”. As in a people or ethnic group living outside of their ancestral homeland. This is the setting and condition of the Jewish people in the book of Esther. The majority of modern scholarship dates the writing of Esther to the late Persian period or early Greek period, somewhere between 400-200 B.C. Berlin personally thinks the book was written between 400-300 B.C., after the reign of Xerxes (486-465 B.C.), but before the Hellenization of the East that was spurred on by Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.).

Outside of establishing an “official” reason for the observance of Purim, Berlin states that a main purpose of the book was to “promote pride in Jewish identity and solidarity with the Jewish community and with Jewish tradition”. Esther reflects the all too common circumstance of the history of the Jewish people where they are a “minority in a larger society and where it fell to the individual Jew, not the state, to ensure Jewish continuity”. The Book of Esther is not alone in this mode of “diaspora stories” for the time period. The Biblical Book of Daniel (especially chapters 1-6), as well as the Apocrypha Book’s of Judith and Tobit, also have similar settings and features of “pious Jews overcoming all odds to defeat the oppressive enemy”.

Berlin also stresses an important dimension of Jewish Diaspora stories that she says are rarely adequately noted. That is, “these stories not only provide models for Jewish success and Jewish pride in foreign lands; they also provide answers to the critical question of how a Jewish community in exile can see itself vis-a-vis the Israel of the Bible”. It is clear that Esther has accomplished its two primary goals;

1. To establish the festival of Purim in perpetuity for Jews of all generations
2. To tie the fate of the Jewish Diaspora community to the story of Biblical Israel

I encourage you to pick up your Bible and read Esther in lively fashion to your family this year, you could even have everyone dress up and have a part. Go to your congregation or synagogue for a play or Purim party and participate in the “boos” and “cheers”. Eat some Hamantaschen or chocolate, have a few strong drinks (not for the kids) and watch One Night With The King (one of my wife’s top 3 favorite movies). Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord and have fun, a lot of it – now’s the time!

May you be filled with the joy and strength of the Spirit which comes from HaShem in Messiah Yeshua this season and always!

Happy Purim 2012!!!

Awesome Enthusiasm

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. Psalm 145:6

Awesome and Enthusiasm are two buzz words that are commonly bantered about back and forth in our modern society. This is especially true in the business world where it is “awesome” to hit your daily quota or sales goals for the month; and in order to achieve this objective you must be filled with ”enthusiasm” for your employer. To quote the former Green Bay Packers legendary coach Vince Lombardi “If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm”. I don’t disagree entirely with the reality of the modern use and view of these words, as I frequently use them in the same context myself. I mean come on’, I lead a team in retail banking and I do need this kind of ”enthusiasm” from my associates and it is “awesome” when we hit our numbers. However, what if we took away the context of post-modernism and peeled away the layers of western influence? What if we took these words “awesome” and “enthusiasm” back to their Biblical perspective? Once we begin to dig a little deeper, many might be surprised to learn of the theological weight and depth associated with these words that many of us use weekly, if not daily as a part of our regular vocabulary without a second thought.

The word Awesome has all but lost its original scope and depth as a definition for something which is “profoundly reverent or that which inspires awe”. I would say that the majority of events that are connected with its use today are neither that “profound” or “inspiring”. An example of the word awesome used in this fashion would be “I went to Chick-fil-a today and they gave me a free chicken sandwich” “Wow dude, that’s awesome!”. The word Enthusiasm is generally equated with being motivated or ecstatic about something. A common example of how this word is used today might be “John, as a part of your career development, I would like to see you show more enthusiasm during our team meetings and when we have a team contest”. The famous 19th Century writer and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said that “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm”. To the Emerson quote I say an enthusiastically Amen! Hopefully, you will too after some additional insight into what is so awesome about the greater meaning of these two words.

I have been reading a couple of different books simultaneously that I believe compliment each other well; God In Search Of Man – A Philosophy of Judaism by Dr. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Messianic Judaism – A Modern Movement With An Ancient Past by Dr. David H. Stern. This post in part is a continuation of a series (albeit a slow one:-) in which I am going through God In Search Of Man chapter by chapter. You can read other posts in this series here; Beyond the Mystery, Being is Mysterious, A Legacy of Wonder, The Sublime, Ways to His Presence, Philosophy and Religion and God in Search of Man Part I.  This post draws heavily from Chapter 7 of God In Search Of Man, with some additional insight provided by Stern around the word enthusiasm.

I will begin with what Stern notes about the word “enthusiasm”, which will in turn set the tone and backdrop to what makes this so “awesome”. Stern notes that the word Enthusiasm comes from the Greek en (in) and theos (God). Enthusiasm therefore literally means to; be in God and have God in you. That bit of info brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “filled with enthusiasm”! Maybe the next time someone in a “secular” setting brings this word up, you could use this info as a great conversation starter about what this means to you. Stern says that when you are in relationship with the God of the Bible and He in you, as His Word promises, then you will surely find yourself enthused in the most ultimate sense. Stern goes on to say that God’s answer to Man’s ultimate questions such as “Is there meaning to life?” and “Does my existence really matter?” is an enthusiastically charged Yes when we are aware and a part of this relationship.

“The loss of Awe is the great block to insight” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

From what I gather, Heschel believes that in order to get to the deeper and spiritual meaning of enthusiasm, we must understand What?, Why? and most importantly Who? it is that is doing this “filling up”. As the quote above alludes to, without Awe, there is no Awesome. I will let Professor Heschel take it from here for a few minutes and give us a broader view that could lead to us regaining this Awe and in turn being able to understand that which is Awesome.

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Deuteronomy 10:17

Heschel begins this chapter by stating that ”all reality is involved in the will and thought of God, he who wants to understand the world must seek to understand God.” But how do we do this? What is the way of understanding Him?

Heschel says that practical wisdom can availeth much, but human wisdom comes up short when confronted with the mysteries of nature and history. He says that some people may regard wisdom as “an uncommon degree of common sense.” I know that many people, myself included, like to think of themselves as somewhat within this “common sense” realm because we suppose we know a little about a lot of subjects. We may be able to navigate and structure our “wisdom” in a way that makes us look and sound “wise” until we get to the ultimate questions of “What is this life really about?” and “Why does it matter?”.  Human wisdom in and of itself ultimately leads to despair or agnosticism when confronted with ultimate questions because all of its answers are grounded in uncertainty – they are finite by nature; human nature that is. In comparison to the Atheist or Agnostic though, the Bible doesn’t convey the message of “we don’t know”, but “God understands the way to it”. What is unknown or concealed to us is known and open to God. Heschel says that “true wisdom is participation in the wisdom of God.” For the Biblical man, “wisdom is the ability to look at all things from the point of view of God, sympathy with the divine pathos, the identification of the will with the will of God.”

So what is this way to ultimate meaning and wisdom? It is our relationship with God. Heschel says that that relationship begins with awe, which he defines as “an act of insight into a meaning greater than ourselves.” This “act of insight” and “meaning greater than ourselves” is where we begin to get a wider glimpse at the word Awesome and its meaning.

And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” Nehemiah 1:5

Heschel says that Awe is a way of being in rapport with the mystery of all reality. The awe that we sense or ought to sense when standing in “the presence of a human being is a moment of intuition for the likeness of God which is concealed in his essence. Not only man; even inanimate things stand in relation to the Creator. The secret of every being is the divine care and concern that are invested in it.”

What Heschel says here is profound and yet so simple that we almost certainly miss the insight of it every waking hour of the day. With every single person we come into contact with everyday and with every step our feet take we have the opportunity to enter this insight which leads to this awesome experience. Heschel says that this “mystery” is not a synonym for the unknown but rather a name for that which stands in relation to God. Awe is “an intuition for the creaturley dignity of all things and their preciousness to God; a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something absolute.”

Heschel relates an expression of awe in an example from Maimonides:

“…any man who wishes to be a true “man of God” must awake to the fact that the great King who constantly protects him and is near to him is mightier than anyone……that King and constant guardian is the spirit emanated upon us which is the bond between us and God.”

This example of Awe by Maimonides sounds like it could be commentary on a number of Apostolic (New Testament) writings which depict the Holy Spirit as God (King) and yet also as our “guardian” and “bond between us and God”. According to Maimonides, the awesomeness that the “man of God” realizes is being “awake” to the fact that God is the great sovereign King of his existence.

 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear (yirah) of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28:28

The fear (yirah) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Heschel says that according to the Bible, one of the prime religious virtues is yirah. Yirah is a Hebrew word which can mean fear and awe. Heschel says that the Biblical man is not motivated by fear in the sense of God punishing him in this world or the next, but rather by awe, by the realization of the grandeur of God’s eternal love. Heschel defines fear as the “anticipation and expectation of evil or pain.” He contrasts this with hope, which he defines as the “anticipation of good” and Awe, which he says is the “antithesis of fear”. Heschel states that Awe, unlike fear, does not make us shrink from the awe-inspiring object, but, on the contrary, draws us near to it. Heschel believes that Awe precedes faith because it is at the root of faith. Heschel states that for this reason, Awe rather than faith is the cardinal attitude of the religious Jew. He says that in Biblical language the religious man is not called a “believer” which is undoubtably the most popular term in use today, but Yare HaShem (One who stands in Awe of God).

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. Psalm 66:5

For the Christian or Messianic Jew, our personal and corporate relationship to God is through Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. It is in this relationship that we find “a meaning greater than ourselves”. It is through this relationship in Yeshua that we are all collectively “One who stands in Awe of God”. That the God of eternity would humble Himself and take on flesh to walk among us is Awesome! That He would suffer with great pain and sorrow, even unto death on our behalf is Awesome! That He would do all of this because of His immense grace and love for humanity and creation is Awesome! That He would provide a new and living relationship with Himself through Yeshua the Messiah in communion with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is Awesome! That through His resurrection He has proved mightier than death itself is Awesome! That He has deposited in all of us this “anticipation of good” which is the resurrection of all who trust in Him is Awesome! That He will complete the work he started in us no matter what is Awesome and should fill us with more than enough enthusiasm to “run the race that is set before us”!

“Who is like you, ADONAI, among the mighty? Who is like you, sublime in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

Bring Back The King

*Attention: This is not a post about Elvis, Michael Jackson, or even that goofy looking character from the Burger King commercials.*

This post is about a hope and a prayer, that I pray and hope will turn into a plea by Yeshua’s (Jesus’) brothers and sisters according to the flesh (i.e. The Jewish People) really soon in the coming days. Amen! These thoughts are primarily drawn out of the 16th Chapter entitled Life from the Dead in Michael Brown’s book Our Hands Are Stained With Blood.

For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:39 ESV)

Yeshua (Jesus) spoke these words in sadness to Jerusalem not too long before his death. These words come after a long litany of warnings to the oppressive and unbelieving leadership of the Jewish people in Yeshua’s day. Yeshua’s words as recorded here in Matthew are insightful and indeed prophetic. These words are magnificent and the implications are probably beyond our full scope of understanding until they become the reality that will usher in the Age to Come. And yet with clarity, there is an aspect and an event in view that all believer’s should understand right now in this present age - The Jewish People play an integral part in the 2nd Coming of Yeshua!

Ever since I can remember, in my lifetime, there has always been talk of the Lord’s return to this earth. This is popularly known as the 2nd Advent or 2nd Coming. This desire and speculation of Yeshua’s return has not just recently become the hot topic of believers, but it is true of my parent’s and grandparent’s generation as well. In fact, the imminent expectation of Yeshua’s return goes all the way back through every generation of the last two thousand years, even to the very generation(s) in which the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) were written. But, have we really had genuine reason to believe that He could return at anytime? I suppose that each and every generation could validate and give “evidence” for His return in some form or fashion. Some of the “evidences” of our modern times (most of which I agree with) are the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish control of Jerusalem for the first time in almost 2,500 years in 1967, Tens of thousands of Jewish people coming to faith in Yeshua in the last 40-50 years, the increased frequency of natural disasters, the increased frequency of wars and rumors of wars, the explosion of knowledge and technology, etc, etc. Yeshua talked about many of these things being a “sign of the end”, but there is still a caveat, there is still something else that must happen before his return – Yeshua said so, very plainly, himself. As Brown makes note of  in his book “He will remain in heaven until Jerusalem welcomes Him back. That is how it must be!”.

So it is with this caveat in mind that I write this post; that Yeshua will not return until his own people, the Jews, welcome him back as Melech Mashiach (King Messiah).

Brown brings up a portion of Scripture from 2 Samuel, having to do with King David, in which he suggests is prophetic in light of Yeshua’s words in Matthew 23. At this point in David’s life, he had been on the run after his son Absalom had stolen his throne. David had previously left Jerusalem out of fear for his life, but now his son Absalom has been killed and David was ready to return and resume his kingship from the City of the King. After hearing of Absalom’s death, the Israelites argued amongst themselves saying;

“The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?” (2 Samuel 19:9-10 ESV)

King David took their sentiments a bit further and went right to the source of contention. He sent a message straight to the leadership in Israel at the time and said;

“Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king? You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ (2 Samuel 19:11-12 ESV)

“You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ These words could easily reflect the attitude of Yeshua to his brothers and sisters in the flesh. All the nations of the world are represented in wanting to bring back the King (including Messianic Jews), but until Jerusalem (represented by Israel and the Jewish People as a whole) receive and welcome Him back – He will not return!

So this is one of the great challenges and opportunities we face! Some might say Mission Impossible, it can’t be done or it won’t be done until Yeshua comes back, but wait, according to Yeshua’s own words it must happen before He returns – not after! Many Christians might be surprised to learn that religious Jew’s pray for their Messiah’s return daily, as well as it being a central tenet to their faith (though currently they reject Yeshua as this Messiah).

The 15th blessing of the Amidah (daily standing prayer) is called The Kingdom of David and it appeals to God to bring the Messianic King to sit on David’s throne:

May the seed of David thy servant flourish speedily and may You exalt in Your salvation. For in Your salvation do we hope all the day. Blessed are You, Lord, Who brings forth the horn of our salvation.

The 12th principle in Maimonides 13 principles of Jewish faith states; the belief in the coming of Messiah and the Messianic era.

How can we challenge and change the status quo of long-held assumptions about who the Messiah is? What part can you play in this Divine objective?

For starters, we can all join in prayer a la Psalm 122:6; Pray for the Peace and Salvation of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will not experience true and lasting peace and salvation without her true Messiah, Yeshua.

Second, we must understand Paul’s words in Romans 11 and keep them continually on our heart and in focus:

Christians (non-Jewish believers from among the nations) must understand that it is only in part to Israel’s stumbling that we are able to proclaim God’s amazing grace as grateful believers today.

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. (Romans 11:11 ESV)

To me, this is also one of the lost callings of the Church and Christianity in general. We have hardly provoked Israel to jealousy by showering them with the love of Christ, but instead, historically speaking, we have persecuted them in Jesus’ name as Christ killers! All believers everywhere must repent for ourselves and our ancestors in the faith. We must take a stand against and denounce all anti-Judaic and anti-Semitic behavior and theology. 

Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (Romans 11:12 ESV)

I believe that many Christians are eternally thankful to God for “calling them out of the darkness and into His marvelous light”. “For O’ the depths and heights” of God’s blessings that he has bestowed upon us and yet this is only a taste of the mutually universal blessing that will be showered upon all believer’s once Israel is brought back into the fold under her Messiah.

For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15 ESV)

This portion of Scripture penned by Paul through the Holy Spirit is astounding! Israel’s rejection enabled all the nations of the world, you and I, to be brought into a personal and corporate relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The I AM who spoke to Moses, the God of Israel, the Tetragrammaton – YHVH! Meditate upon this, all of this was done because of Israel’s (temporary) rejection! We should hardly be able to contain ourselves at the thought of Israel’s future acceptance and welcome message back to her King ”Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai”, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”! For this message is about one of our primary and eternal hopes – The Resurrection!

The Resurrection is a central tenet to the theology of Christianity and Judaism and is something in which we are all eternally hopeful. Again, from Maimonides 13 principles of Jewish faith; #13 – the belief in the resurrection of the dead.

Finally, I believe that it is to this end that the modern Messianic Jewish movement has arisen in these last days. I believe that Messianic Judaism will be the great bridge of reconciliation between Christianity and normative Judaism. I believe that it is the high calling of the Messianic Jewish movement to prepare the remnant of Israel with all believers from the nations alongside her in love and prayer to proclaim the message “Bring Back The King”!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

2011 In Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for my blog. I’m pretty sure you’ll want to read about it:-)!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,600 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people. Ladies and Gentlemen, All Aboard – It’s time to jump on board the Messiah Connection Light Train and take a little trip!

Click here to see the complete report.

2011 is officially history now!

It happened as of about 10 hours ago as I sit writing this post! It’s a time to feel good about a new beginning, a clean slate, a fresh start, new opportunities and adventures. This feeling will last at least until about your 2nd day back to work or school and you realize that for now things are not that much different in reality than they were the last week. Time will tell and there’s always hope. Here’s to wishing you and yours the best in the year to come!

Welcome to 2012 and Happy New Year!

2012 is undoubtably the most hyped up year in the “apocalyptic/end of the world” sense that this world has known since the year 2000. The year(s) leading up to 2000 were hyped up by the fact that we were entering a new millennium, which is in fact a rarity, since it does only happen once every one thousand years. The year 2000 was also hyped up by the Y2K scare, which was basically a theory that the world’s computer systems would not know how to handle going from 12/31/99 to 1/1/00. And this “numerical glitch” would send our post modern world and technology back to the turn of the 20th century. This real life “back to the future” scenario would make our electrical grid non-existent, world financial markets would crash, airplanes and satellites would fall from the sky, food supplies would stop, the mark of the beast would be initiated, world-wide anarchy and chaos would ensue, and on top of all this, aliens would probably attack our poor state of existence. Looking back, this sounds ludicrous, but at the time I heard all of these theories from respectable, educated persons. I knew people at the time, who had been preparing ”hideouts” in the country, stockpiling canned food, water, and weaponry (yes, guns and lots of ammunition), for the mass hysteria that would be our existence at 12:01 am, January 1st, 2000. At the time, I worked for a mobile paging and phone company. The owners of the company were planning to “camp out” in the server rooms on New Year’s Eve 1999 in case there was any “technical difficulty”. I was also in a band at the time and we had a gig on NYE in a town about 30 minutes from our hometown. One of our band member’s parent’s was “extremely concerned” about us “traveling” 30 miles to play a Rock n’ Roll show on this most fateful of nights. On the way to the gig that evening, we spotted numerous bonfires and camping sites off the highway in the distance, safe from all of the world’s troubles (though these self-proclaimed hide-outs could hardly be verified as such since they were only 200 yards from the highway!). As a group of teenagers, we could feel the excitement in the air that evening and we all hoped ”something might happen”, and we all thought it would be “very cool” if it did. How awesome, we thought, would it have been to be on a stage, playing a rock n roll song, when the world stopped turning! That’s how a 19-year-old thinks, or at least that’s how I thought.

None of that happened of course. The New millennium and Year began just like all the rest before them and by the time September 11th, 2001 happened, the world had all but forgotten about the perceived threat of our existence with Y2K, as a new era of reality and fear in the name of Terrorism had begun.

2012 is another one of those types of years. It has been hyped as such for at least more than a decade. I remember seeing a tv show (I forget the channel) in 1998 about the end of the Mayan calendar  on December of 2012. Why didn’t they date past that date? What will happen then? Does it predict the end of mankind’s existence as we know it? Why? What? Why? How? When?

Here is what I do know; There will be shocking things happen in 2012. There will be unbelievable events happen in 2012. It will be the end of the world for millions of people in 2012. I can guarantee that. But, does that make me a prophet, a modern-day Nostradamus? Does it mean that 2012 will be all that it’s hyped up to be in the doom & gloom department? Probably not, at least not according to the popular view of it. I do believe that we are getting nearer to the Lord’s return (everyday in fact), and that leading up to this nearness, there will be birthpains before the birth of a new age. The Messiah said so in Matthew 24:3-8. The Biblical view of these things is vastly different from the popular view though. For in the Bible, the end of this age doesn’t signify the end of mankind and all death and despair. Though that is a reality in the Bible, what is in greater focus is the Age to Come, an age of increased peace and joy due to the Messiah’s rule and reign over this earth with Justice and Truth. The end of this present age will segue into the Age to Come when the Messiah returns and sets up His world government from Jerusalem.

I hope to publish a post about Yeshua’s (Jesus’) return and the peace of Jerusalem in the coming days. I hope that you would add these two things to your prayer requests/resolutions for 2012. Maranatha!

To end on a lighter note, I heard a joke a year or two ago about the Mayan Calendar that went something like this:

                      

Happy New Year everyone and many blessings to you in the Name of the Lord for 2012!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Messiah Yeshua!

Between Miracles

 ”Do you believe in miracles?”

- asks Matisyahu in the song Miracle. This will also be my over-arching question and theme for this post.

Last week I wrote about some of my views and shared a bit of my personal journey on whether or not you could have a Chanukah and a kosher Christmas celebration if you were either a Messianic Jew, a Messianic Gentile, or a Judaically informed Christian. I share my perspective as a Christian (The word Messianic is a synonymous term) who has been influenced and continues to be informed by Judaism and it’s philosophy and traditions. Since Hanukkah and Christmas intersect this year, I wanted to continue to explore a thematic parallel that is shared between the two holidays.

I originally sat down to write this post with a working title called Festivals of Light. I was going to look at how the Festivals of Light could describe both Chanukah and Christmas and how they relate to God and His Word, Messiah and His Disciples, plus customs and traditions associated with the Light of both festivals. But, like what happens so many times, inspiration strikes from out of nowhere (or somewhere) it seems and the next thing you know you’re being led into a direction that you hadn’t prepared for but amazingly ideas are flowing like a proverbial river. Ok, so I don’t know if this happens to everyone but it happens to myself enough for me to think it might be a common occurence that leads to creativity for everyone else.

Yesterday, my wife and I officially became members and a part of the mishpacha (family) at Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue. For the last 4 months we have been reading through 3 required books and attending a weekly class for membership. So, after a 4 month hiatus, this morning I picked up God In Search Of Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel. I haven’t had the time to continue reading and studying through God In Search Of Man due to our membership class requirements with Baruch HaShem. I have posted multiple times in the past about this book and I started thinking again of what Heschel had to say about the mystery, wonder, awe, amazement and glory of God. One of the reasons that led me to Heschel and God In Search Of Man today, was a Facebook comment that a friend of mine posted last week about the death of one of his hero’s and fellow atheists Christopher Hitchens. In addition to that, I heard through song and movies a few references to miracles this past week. When I sat down to write this blog originally about the Festivals of Light, all these various thoughts from the last few days led me to start thinking about miracles and the shared miracle theme of Hanukkah and Christmas.

It is common to hear stories about miracles during Hanukkah and Christmas.

For Hanukkah, probably the most traditional and well-known story of a miracle has to do with the Miracle of the oil for the Temple Menorah. In the Talmud in tractate Shabbat 21, it is said that when the Maccabees defeated the evil Antiochus Epiphanies and his Greek army, they took back control of Jerusalem and the Temple. Upon doing this though, they found only enough oil to light the Temple Menorah (that should burn continually in representation of God’s presence) for one night and that it would take a total of 8 days to consecrate new oil that is fit to be burned in the Temple. Miraculously, the one night of oil lasted for 8 nights and hence God provided the miracle in order to create new oil and we have the 8 nights of Hanukkah. This is a great story and the primary event that the holiday commemorates. Perhaps though, a more historical and even more miraculous event to happen that led to Hanukkah being celebrated, is when the outnumbered and outsourced band of guerilla fighters led by Mattathias and Judah Maccabee overcame all odds and adversity to defeat the larger, better trained and more equipped Greek army. After the Jewish victory in about 165 BCE, on the 25th of Kislev, the Temple and Altar were cleansed and re-dedicated (this is what the word Hanukkah means) back to God. At this time, an 8 day festival was proclaimed with much feasting, song and sacrifice and is thought by many scholars and historians to be a belated festival of Sukkot (which last 8 days). This is also alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18. The Jews had been unable to properly celebrate the feasts during the years preceding the victory and Sukkot was the most recently missed holiday. I know of at least two other miracle stories which are interesting that relate to Hanukkah as well:

1. 2 Maccabees 1:18-36 also says that the reason that the 25 of Kislev was chosen for the day of Hanukkah (re-dedication) was that, that was the same day that God had miraculously caused the fire for the sacrifice of the Altar to be re-lit by those priests, who had preserved in the Persian exile, the elements of the former fire of the Temple Altar.
2. It is thought by some in the Messianic and Jewish Roots movement that Yeshua was born in the fall, perhaps during one of the fall feasts. If this was the case, then if we were to rewind the clock back 9 months, one would come to the approximate time of Hanukkah. This is all merely speculative, but it would be very interesting to suppose that the Light of the World could have been conceived during the Festival of Lights. That would be yet another miraculous event indeed!

For Christmas, it is often said (in the movies at least) that something that happens out of the ordinary or that cannot be explained easily at this time of year is a “Christmas miracle”. Many times this is probably thought of in the secular and general sense of the “spirit” of Christmas creating these “miracles”. I equate this type of “miracle” thinking to the kind of “miracle” of the mythical Santa Claus figure who can fly around (through flying deer who pull his sleigh) the world in a single night and drop gifts off at all the good little boys and girls homes. This is what I would call the fairy tale “miracle”. But for many who might proclaim witness to a “Christmas miracle” there is another source. A Source and Reality that is hidden and yet more real and evidenced than many would like to admit or contemplate. A miracle that has a deep-seated mystery about it and causes a wonder and amazement that is beyond belief, yet in some glorious way is believable. There is one such “Christmas miracle” that is proclaimed by many at this time that is one of the most miraculous events to ever happen in the history of the universe……a birth of a baby boy by a young women. What? What in the world is so miraculous about that? Absolutely nothing! That is, unless you believe, that the child (Yeshua) was born of a virgin (Miriam) who had been conceived by God (The Holy Spirit) and that the child who was born had been with God in the beginning before there was the concept of creation and time and that this child was in fact God Himself who had left His exalted position to take on flesh and literally became Immanuel (God is with us), the Author, Perfector, and Sustainer of our faith! That is the greatest miracle I have ever encountered!!!

What of these miracles of the past you might ask? What about the here and now? How do we really believe in miracles today?

In the book, God In Search Of Man, Heschel talks about the sense of wonder and miracles being the “source of prayer”. Heschel mentions that the religious Jew will pray 3 times a day: “We thank You……For Your miracles are with us daily, For Your continual marvels….”

As I sit typing this post about miracles, at this very minute I just received a text from a good friend of mine who lives in Georgia. My friend’s dad has been critically ill while waiting for a heart transplant and has spent the past few weeks in the ICU of the hospital. The last update I had from him was on Thanksgiving, Nov 24th. The text reads verbatim “Thanks everyone for all your support and prayers. There is a heart match and my dad goes into heart transplant surgery in an hour.” Praise God!!! I would ask that you keep this friend of mine and his dad in your prayers for a speedy and strong recovery. I would even ask for a miraculous recovery!

Heschel says that in all things, no matter how great or small, good or bad we perceive them to be we must remain aware of God’s wonder and miracles. We must seek and learn to invoke His great name and our awareness of Him continually.

“There is no worship, no music, no love, if we take for granted the blessings or defeats of living.”

Heschel says that one of the goals to the Jewish way of living is “to experience commonplace deeds as spiritual adventures, to feel the hidden love and wisdom in all things.”

According to Heschel, you might say that daily, we are constantly between miracles. Living life each day from one miracle to the next.

“Do you believe in Miracles?”

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

Chanukah and a kosher Christmas?

(My 4-year-old daughter approved the picture for this post because she thought it represented the title well….I couldn’t agree more, nice job mija!)

I’ve read many different blogs and articles in respect to these holidays over the past couple of weeks. Feelings run the gamut of excitement to loathing, from celebratory to critical. I’ve seen many Facebook posts and Twitter tweets with healthy doses of “hot” holiday opinions and “scholarly”comments. So, I thought to myself, self, since I have a computer with some online “space”, I might as well share IMHO as well.

Conventional wisdom (along with the majority of my family, friends and just about everyone else I know ) would say that these two holidays wouldn’t mix and match well, unless that is;

A. You’re a retailer who could benefit from the dual marketing schemes and crafty advertising to create a shopping frenzy that is even grossly above the one that we see today. This would skyrocket the revenue from tapping into the commercialism of both holidays or………

B. You’re a kid who gets not only one day to reap the proverbial harvest but an additional eight nights to flood your bedroom with things you will be tired of in three weeks, which will lead to your parents to constantly remind you to clean up your mess until they give up and just start to do it themselves or……….

C. You could combine both A & B, plus order in, or eat out Chinese food and go watch a movie on the big screen.

On the other hand, we could all save ourselves lots of money, headaches and arguments and just celebrate Festivus! No? What do you mean it was just made up for tv? Ok, ok, enough of my bad seasonal holiday humor. On with the subject at hand!

What about these two holidays from a traditional Christian and Jewish religious perspective? For the majority of Christians and Jews this is a non-issue. “Christmas is for Christians and Chanukah is for Jews.” A significant part of Christian history has rejected “all things” Jewish and in turn Judaism on a whole has rejected the Messianic claims of Yeshua (Jesus) espoused by Christianity. “The religions, less alone the holidays clearly don’t belong together!” this is an unfortunate, but common sentiment shared by followers of both. [As Morning Meditations blogger James states in the comments below; apart from the time of year, Chanukah and Christmas "really have nothing to do with each other". On some levels this is true. As James notes, Christmas is a major holiday for Christianity and Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday for Judaism. They are also not equivalent in the sense that you could interchange either one culturally and basically end up with the same holiday, i.e. Chanukah would not be the "Jewish Christmas". For additional response to these thoughts see the comments below.]

But for those of us involved with the Messianic movement in some form or fashion, it isn’t always so simple. I know some inter-married couples (where one spouse is Jewish and the other Christian) who struggle at this time a year with their extended family tugging on their coat-tails to focus on Chanukah and non-assimilation this or Christmas and Joy to the World that. I have non-Jewish friends and family who avoid “all things” Christmas and others who “redeem” all things Christmas. And still I know of others in the Messianic realm that won’t have anything to do with either holiday because it’s not a “biblical” holiday.

On this topic I could think of many questions that would be worthy of discussion:

• As a Messianic Jew, could you or should you for that matter, celebrate Christmas as a legitimate expression of your faith in Messiah?
• As a Christian informed by Judaism, what reasons or benefit could there be in celebrating Chanukah in respect to the Christ?
• What about celebrating Christmas in solidarity with Christendom?
• What about celebrating Chanukah in solidarity with Israel?
• What is their shared history, themes and theology?
• What about the pagan/secular influences of both?
• Does pagan mean it’s inherently evil and unable to be given the right theology?

I’m probably not going to directly answer any of these ?’s in this post and even if I did it would not likely please anyone on this topic. Instead, I primarily want to share some of my journey and where I am now in respect to these two winter celebrations.

***Disclaimer*** I’ll answer a question I usually get when talking about anything “Jewish” related; “Are you Jewish?” No, the simple answer is No. The main problem with this answer is that it doesn’t set the heart of the person asking the question at ease. If my answer was “Of course I’m Jewish”, then everything would make sense and all things in the world would be right (sigh). We could at the least move on to whatever else we wanted to discuss in peace. But when I say “No” to the “Are you Jewish?” question, confusion abounds and further explanation must be given in a way that communicates “Why in the world would you do that for if you’re not Jewish?”. I digress………..

Last year I wrote A Christmas Conversation, which was a brief look at my personal history and some thoughts as it relates to Christmas. I was brought up in what I would consider to be a typical “Christian” household in Small Town, USA. I had a loving family and for the most part everything was good. I have fond memories of Christmas growing up as a kid. Since I was a child there has always seemed to be something a bit magical and mysterious about Christmas and this season in general. As I mentioned in A Christmas Conversation, I was shocked when my parents came to me at 18 or 19 years old and said that we weren’t going to do Christmas anymore but we were going to celebrate Chanukah!

Chanukah O’ Chanukah?

As mentioned above, I’m not Jewish. I also didn’t have any friends as a child who were Jewish, I didn’t know any of my parents friends who were Jewish and I didn’t date anyone that I knew of who was Jewish either that would have influenced me. So how did I end up celebrating Chanukah?

It started somewhere around 1999 or 2000. My parents had been introduced to the Jewish roots of Christianity by a Bible teacher and I think my parents originally thought of Chanukah as a nice Jewish alternative to Christmas. It was a holiday that was celebrated around the same time of year, but without the Pagan influences of Christmas. It was also not nearly as commercialized and had less pomp and circumstance about it. I was 20 years old and I couldn’t even spell Chanukah (I came to find out later it could also be spelled Hanukkah) and the only thing I knew about Chanukah at the time were the things I had learned from the Adam Sandler song.

So for the next few years I was a bit confused to say the least when it came to this time of year. I couldn’t give up Christmas cold turkey after almost 20 years, it was all I had ever known and yet I didn’t have a problem including Chanukah, but early on I didn’t really have the slightest idea of how to truly make it meaningful. It was mostly this type of struggle for me until 2007. That year was a watershed year for my faith. I was young in my walk with God and Yeshua (Jesus) and I begin to study for the first time on my own accord the pagan influences of Christianity in general but Christmas and Easter in particular. At this same time I was also introduced to Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue and began to study the Jewish roots of Christianity. In the beginning of learning both the Jewish roots as well as the Paganism of Christianity I was shocked at first and then I became angry. It was like I went through the 5 stages of grief in relation to this:

1. Denial – This can’t be true! Say it ain’t so. Has this really happened.
2. Anger - I was angry at the Church for suppressing this info and angry towards others who didn’t understand my new-found knowledge.
3. Bargaining – I wanted to share with anyone who would listen and try to have them understand my position so I would feel understood and justified.
4. Depression – Nobody cares about this. Everyone is right in their on mind and theology. I’m one of the few who knows the truth and that is a lonely position.
5. Acceptance – I continued to research and ask ?’s year after year and begin to get a broader perspective and a greater understanding and depth of what is truth.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t exactly the same, but I could relate to that model. Thankfully God in his rich grace, hasn’t left me to that same level of anger, confusion and pride that I had a few years ago in relation to this subject.

After a couple of years like that, in 2009 I begin to have a new perspective on both Chanukah and Christmas that continues to be reflective and thoughtful to this day. I don’t go into anything blindly accepting everything that has been told or shown to me and I don’t expect you to either. Below are some additional thoughts of mine and some links to blogs and articles that I found to be helpful on the Chanukah and Christmas quest for balance and truthfulness:

Chanukah for Christians? Here is a link to a blog I wrote last year called Consider Christ, Chanukah!

Also see, A Bissell of Hanukkah How-To’s and Inspiration, MJ Style by Rabbi Derek Leman.

A kosher Christmas? As far as my ghosts of recent Christmas past are concerned, they don’t haunt me the way they used to anymore. I think it was a blessing that I was able to learn the intricate history of Christmas and struggle for a few years with its implications. This is a healthy and necessary practice and process to keep integrity in our faith expressions. I should do more of this and so should you. Here are a few thoughts on what I’ve learned and where I am now:

• The birth of Yeshua (Jesus) by the virgin Miriam (Mary) is historical.
• The Bible gives details about the birth of Yeshua but doesn’t call it Christmas.
• Christmas is a man-made holiday by Christians for Yeshua.
• The Bible doesn’t prohibit celebrating Yeshua’s birth.
• The Bible emphasizes and makes much of Yeshua’s death.
• The Bible contains many God ordained festivals that reveal Yeshua.
• Most scholars put Yeshua’s birth in the Spring or Fall and not the Winter.
• Celebration of Yeshua’s birth most likely began in the late 2nd Century.
• His birth became wide-spread and official by the Church in the 4th Century.
• This was likely done to combat paganism, not to conform to it.
• Most Biblical Festivals have almost identical practices that predate them.
• The Winter solstice has been celebrated since before Yeshua was born.
• Many Christmas customs seem to have their origins in non-biblical religions.
• Some practices and customs can be redeemed, some can’t. Use discernment.
• All of creation is good and from God but mankind can form into idols.
• Trees in the Bible were used as decoration and symbolism by God’s people.
• Trees in the Bible were made into idols and used in false worship by pagans.
• God created light and He is the Light of the World. We are to be His reflection.
• Christmas music can be worshipful, uplifting, inspiring and theological.
• Peace, Joy and Goodwill for all men is a disciples goal and Messianic ideal.
• Giving gifts and helping others is a good, fun and Christ-like thing to do.
• Excessive consumerism is a sin.
• Santa Claus is not real and we shouldn’t lie to children about him being real.
• Santa Claus did start as a historical figure in the person of St. Nicholas.
• It’s good to see churches and believers emphasizing Advent vs commercialism.

Here is a link to a very interesting article that was written in 1910 by the early 20th Century Messianic Jew Chaim Yedidah Theophilis (Lucky) called “Hanukkah or Christmas?”.

For some additional Jewish background to the Biblical “Christmas” story go to Yeshua In Context and watch the three recent videos Bethlehem Shepherds, Bethlehem Star, and Magi’s Gifts.

I’m of the opinion that if you are a Christian who identifies with Judaism and gleans from its rich tradition or if you are a Messianic Jew and find depth and beauty in a Messiah centered Christian tradition, you can (gasp) definitely celebrate both Chanukah and a kosher Christmas. What does that look like? It will vary on the individual level and from family to family. For my family, we put the emphasis on Chanukah in our home. We make use of Chanukah’s light and miracle themes and relate them to God, Yeshua and His people. We tell the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil. We light the menorah on all eight nights, bless God, give gifts, play driedel and texas driedel (for the adults), and eat latkes and donuts. For Christmas in our home, you won’t find any of the traditional decorations that you might expect. One of the primary reasons we do this is that for us and our kids, in the culture of America, we have no shortage of exposure to Christmas in its many forms. When we walk out the door of our house, it’s all over our neighborhoods, shopping places, work, school, etc. Chanukah on the other hand is harder to find, it’s less exposed and that to us makes it even more special and intimate. It is primarily limited to our house, a few friends, family and our synagogue.

Chanukah begins on the evening of December 20th this year and as I write this post that is only 9 days away. I think we all know when Christmas is.

I pray that this year your heart is warmed by God’s mercy and provision in your lives and you carry that glow or spark into the new year and I hope that the embers of His Spirit would grow day upon day into a full-fledged wildfire for Him and His ways. May He lead all of us to do mighty works for His Name and Glory!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

The Bond Family 2011

Thankful For Thanksgiving

I find it a pretty easy task to celebrate the majority of our holidays in the good ol’ USA. I work for a bank, so I get the opportunity to partake in just about every holiday you can think of in this country. For me, it’s not a hard sell; you give me a day off and I can make the most of it, I’ll guarantee it! Celebration runs in my blood. It must! Out of all the American Holiday’s, I do have a favorite though, one that is a cut above the rest. This particular holiday is just a tad bit more filling and sweeter in my opinion than the others. It also probably has something to do with this holiday falling within my favorite season, Autumn. The Holiday that I’m most thankful for is Thanksgiving.

My memory of Thanksgiving runs back as far as I can remember to when I was a child and every year, my Mom, Dad, Brother and I would travel about 30 minutes down the country back roads of Northeast Texas to have Thanksgiving dinner with my Grandparents in a little community called Monkstown. The atmosphere was always so warm and inviting, I can still almost smell and taste all the goodness from that old house to this very day. We did this for about 15 years, until they moved to be closer to my parents and my brother and I moved to Big D to be a little further away from everyone:-). We had other family in Monkstown as well for many of those years, Great-Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc, that you would very rarely, if ever see if you didn’t see them at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Example – It’s been 10 years now since we’ve had a Thanksgiving in Monkstown and I don’t think I have seen a single one of them in person since (save maybe a funeral). This is a bit sad I know, but the majority of the family that I’m aware of just aren’t the reuniting type. I share the blame at this as well, but maybe one day this will change.

In 2005, my soon to be wife and I decided to host our first Thanksgiving together with both sides of our family. We both wanted to have family gatherings similar to what we had growing up and since we didn’t want to trade-off every other year we thought “why not bring them over to our house”. My wife is from West Texas and I’m from Northeast Texas, so being in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area it made sense to us for everyone to “meet in the middle”. This inaugural gathering of our families worked out really well as we had a dozen or more family members who are rarely at the same place, at the same time, to get a chance to fellowship together with some who had never even met each other before.

Fast forward to 2012 and we are extremely blessed to be hosting our 7th annual Thanksgiving this year (for more on the significance of the #7 check out my friend Coley’s recent post 7 onto 8). We have always had a dozen or so join us every year and that doesn’t look like its changing this year either. My family has grown by two (3 if we count the dog) since 2005 and it seems we always have a new face or two join us each year to make up for someone else who couldn’t make it this time around. We cherish these few precious hours that we get to spend in this setting once a year.

Starting back in 2008 (minus last year due to a last-minute weather change) we have made the Capital One Bank/Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot a part of our Thanksgiving Day tradition. This is a fun way to “shotgun” start the day with 40,000 of our “friends” from our “community”. In addition to the Turkey Trot, we wanted to find a way to extend this holiday a bit more and have something unique to do with whoever would be free or in town early on the night before our big day. A couple of months ago, Elizabeth and I came up with the idea to have a “Pilgrim Party” the night before Thanksgiving - a throwback party 1621 style to usher in the holiday for us. I had originally sat down to write this post about what this Pilgrim Party might “look” like and then my thoughts were taken in the direction of everything else you’ve read up to this point. The basic idea of the Pilgrim Party is to have an “original” type Thanksgiving meal somewhat similar to what we now call that first Thanksgiving. This would include a brief look at the history, type of dress, menu selections (you might be surprised what they had and didn’t have to eat), games, etc. Lord willing I will get a post out about our Pilgrim Party experience at some point.

For now though, this holiday is upon us. Take the time to reflect in the midst of the prep and business (in a day or two its only going to get crazier for the next month). Collect your thoughts and count your blessings. Be joyful and grateful. Smile big and laugh hard. Have light conversations and deep ones. See to remember, listen well and breathe in deeply your surroundings. Be thankful for others and yourself. Be thankful for someone or many and make sure they know it. Be thankful on Thanksgiving, but not only on Thanksgiving. Be thankful daily. Be thankful to Him Who makes all things according to His will for His glory!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!

Philo-Semitic Puritans

“No Christian community in history identified more with the People of the Book than did the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed their own lives to be a literal reenactment of the Biblical drama of the Hebrew nation.” Gabriel Sivan – The Bible and Civilization

“For the first time in history, Jewish ethical ideas were legally enshrined into the laws of a non-Jewish nation.”  Ken Spiro – Simple To Remember (Judaism Online)

As I wrote about in last week’s blog A Subject So Heavy, I have been reading Michael Brown’s book Our Hands Are Stained With Blood – The Tragic Story of the “Church” and the Jewish People. Chapter 3 is called A Blessed and Beautiful Stream. In this chapter, Brown highlights some of the various denominations of Christendom during the last few centuries that have had “mercy and compassion for the Lord’s brothers and sisters according to the flesh”. I wanted to focus on one group specifically during this Thanksgiving week that has had such a huge impact on our nation since its inception and continues to do so up to this very day. This religious group has impacted everything from our government and education systems, to our religious values and holidays; they are The Puritans.

The Puritans were part of a Protestant movement that became prominent in late 16th century and early 17th century England. Originally, they were called “Puritans” because they wanted to “purify” the Church of England from within, much like their early Protestant counterparts wanted to “reform” the Catholic Church from within (hence the name; reformers). Like with the Reformation though, there was a group of Puritans called “Separatists” who thought the moral guidance of the Church of England was so far off base that they would be better off forming their own brand of “true” Christianity. It is this group of Puritans who we know so well as “Pilgrims”, a name they gave themselves due to their wanderings in search of religious freedom. The majority of those who came over on the Mayflower and set up shop at Plymouth Colony in 1620 was from this group of Puritans. The next year, in the autumn of 1621 is when we have what many historians refer to today as the first “Thanksgiving”.

The rest they say is history! Well, yes and no. There are many different angles and topics to discuss around the Puritan movement and what it has meant to our nation on so many levels. For this post though, I wanted to share some of the quotes referenced by Brown in his book as it relates to the Puritans views on the Jewish People.

Consider the testimony of the Puritans. They sought to go back to the Word of God and to separate themselves from the dead traditions of men. They preached the need for individual salvation and holy living. They helped shape the American colonies. And many of them had a special love for Israel.

Consider these quotes by John Owen, who many consider to be the chief of the Puritan theologians:

“The Jews shall be gathered from all parts of the earth where they are scattered, and brought into their homeland.”

“…. of raising up a kingdom unto the Lord Jesus Christ in this world…it is either expressed, or clearly intimated, that the beginning of it must be with the Jews.”

The following is from Robert Leighton, who was another Puritan theologian and contemporary of Owen:

“Undoubtedly, that people of the Jews shall once more be commanded to arise and shine, and their return shall be the riches of the Gentiles, and that shall be a more glorious time than ever the Church of God did yet behold.”

Now we come Samuel Rutherford, who is the third and final Puritan theologian quoted by Brown. It is said of Rutherford, that he knew “the heartbeat of his Savior” intimately, and “in every way, wanted to bring joy to his Master”. Rutherford knew the Jews were still God’s Chosen People and that they “had a special place in the Kingdom of God.” None other than England’s greatest 19th century Preacher Charles Spurgeon had this to say about Samuel Rutherford:

When we are dead and gone let the world know that Spurgeon held Rutherford’s Letters to be the nearest thing to inspiration which can be found in all the writings of mere men.

In the quote below, Rutherford echos the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:3, in that he would be willing to be separated from the Master he loved so much if he could witness this;

“I could stay out of heaven many years to see that victorious triumphing Lord act that prophesied part of His soul conquering love, in taking into His kingdom the greater Sister, the Jews….Oh, what joy and what glory would I judge it, if my heaven should be suspended till I might have left to run on foot to be a witness of that marriage-glory, and see Christ put on the glory of His last-married bride, and His last marriage love on earth; when He shall enlarge His love-bed, and set it upon the top of the mountains, and take in the Elder Sister, the Jews, and the fulness of the Gentiles!”

Rutherford also had the following to say about Israel’s future restoration:

“O to see the sight, next to Christ’s coming in the clouds, the most joyful! Our elder brethren the Jews and Christ fall upon one another’s neck and kiss each other! They have been long asunder; they will be kind to one another when they meet. O Day! O longed for and lovely day dawn! O sweet Jesus, let me see that sight which will be as life from the dead, Thee and Thy ancient people in mutual embraces.”

What an amazing testimony from these men of the 17th century who came to the New World in search of religious liberty and freedom with a passion for Messiah, a zeal for the Word of God and a love for the Jewish People. They are some of the most influential forefathers that our nation has ever known! Undoubtedly, their love for God and His People merited His blessing and abundance showered upon this nation for centuries to come. May it be the same for us!

May grace and shalom be multiplied upon you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah!