Passover: remembering redemption and the alternativeApril 7th, 2010 Published in the Contact – Issue 2010-1 Passover is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. It is certainly one of the most celebrated. Even Jews who are not very religious in practice, will annually celebrate the Passover Seder, the special ceremonial meal that recounts God’s redemption of the Jewish people from servitude in Egypt. Throughout the Passover Seder, the miraculous deeds of God are recounted, praised and glorified. God sent Joseph into Egypt to prepare the way. Then, after the Israelites became enslaved, God protected Moses while other infants his age were killed. God later met Moses at the burning bush. God sent Moses to Pharaoh to proclaim freedom for his people. God brought down ten plagues on the Egyptians, culminating in Pharaoh’s release of the Israelites. God caused the Egyptians to be generous at Israel’s departure. God divided the sea so that Israel could pass beyond the reach of the Egyptian army who themselves were destroyed as God drowns them in the sea. All of these amazing things God did to redeem His people Israel from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh. All these things the Jewish people rejoice in, and rightly so. Beyond that there were the miracles in the wilderness, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, the sending of manna for eating, the defeat of the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16), the clothes and sandals that lasted 40 years (Deuteronomy 29:5), and, finally, the fall of Jericho and their entry into the Promised Land. For all these reasons, Passover is a time of great rejoicing. And yet there is a shadow on the proceedings. There are four cups that are drunk during the Passover Seder – a ceremony that might take four or five hours. In order these cups are: The Cup of Sanctification Of the four, the cup of redemption is the most important – reminding us of the blood of the Passover lamb that was sacrificed so that Israel could have redemption from Egyptian bondage as they put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. This is the same cup that Yeshua used when he said, “this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:20)” Yeshua points to himself as the new Passover Lamb that brings redemption – not from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh, but bondage and slavery to sin and death, as promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. All four cups are drunk after reciting the appropriate prayers, and all of them remind us of the unalloyed joy of God’s salvation – all, except the second cup, the Cup of Plagues. Something different is done with this cup. In Jewish tradition, a full cup represents complete joy; and so all the cups at the Passover table are to be filled to the brim. Before drinking the Cup of Plagues, however, we place our finger in our cup and let 10 drops fall onto our plates as everyone at the table recites the 10 plagues that were poured out on the Egyptians: one drop per plague. In this way we diminish our joy. We mourn the loss of the Egyptians, whose destruction came for our benefit. Does it seem right to express sorrow for the enemies of God? We must remember that God’s wrath on the Egyptians doesn’t mean he didn’t love the Egyptians. Many centuries later, through the prophet Isaiah, God talks about a time when Egypt will be blessed (Isaiah 19:25). We also know that though Egypt didn’t follow God, neither did the Israelites throughout most of their history and God eventually punished them for their disobedience. The Scriptures describe the grief with which God punished Israel, and yet God always holds out the promise of redemption to them when they turn back to Him (2 Chronicles 7:14). In all this there is an application for believers hinted at by the Apostle Paul when he writes: We who are believers in Messiah Jesus, came to be believers while we were yet enemies of God. The Gentiles among us are like the Egyptians, just as the Jews among us are like the prodigal nation Israel. Yet God loved us and brought us out of bondage and into eternal life. As children of God, should we not therefore sorrow over those who remain enemies of God? Should we not mourn for those who are destined to live eternally without God’s presence? Should we not strive to reach out to those who are enemies, so that they might know Him as father and friend? There are great lessons, I think, in this second cup of the Passover Seder – the Cup of Plagues. Through this cup, sorrow for the lost is expressed even in the midst of the joy of the redeemed. Certainly we have joy in the redemption that was obtained through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, however our joy cannot be complete while there are still those who are suffering. Furthermore we should cherish our salvation all the more as we remember the alternative – that from which we were delivered – the pain of death and separation from God for eternity – the sufferings of hell. Let us remember God’s admonition to Jonah, who wanted to see the Ninevites die instead of allowing God to redeem them: Let us cherish our salvation, and let us express God’s love for the lost by being the messenger of the Good News of Jesus Christ! Contributed by Daniel Muller, General Director of New Covenant Forum. Posted in Blog, Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews, Jewish festivals, Jewish holidays, Messiah in the Tanach, This, That, The Other Thing | No Comments » What does Hanukkah have to do with Jesus?December 10th, 2009 What does Hanukkah have to do with Yeshua (Jesus)? Perhaps nothing, but Yeshua did have something to do with Hanukkah. He used the opportunity of Hanukkah to remind his Jewish people of the importance of dedication. After all, the name Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew root word meaning ‘to dedicate.’ In Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John (John 10:22-39) we see Jesus visiting the temple during the Feast of Dedication (v.22). Some people claim this to be during Sukkoth (the Feast of Tabernacles) because Solomon dedicated the temple to God during that feast, but this does not seem likely for the following reasons.
At that time, Yeshua was asked to say whether he was the Messiah. He responded in this way: “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” The sheep that are his flock, are those who hear his voice – who believe in him. In the same way that Judah Maccabee and his followers were dedicated to their God, those who recognize Messiah Yeshua are likewise dedicated to God the Father. Moreover, as God was dedicated to the Israelites and delivered them from the hands of Antiochus IV, so is He dedicated to those who have dedicated themselves to Messiah Yeshua – no body can snatch them out of the Messiah’s hands or the Father’s hands. Then he makes the remarkable statement, “I and the Father are one.” Those who say that Yeshua never claimed to be God need to come to grips with this statement. In these verses he equates himself with God unequivocally. If his statement here is not enough to convince us of that affirmation, the reaction of the crowd certainly should be: “The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” The Israelites in Yeshua’s day, certainly knew what he was saying. And they reacted strongly because they didn’t believe him, despite all the evidence that pointed to Yeshua as the Messiah. But there were still many Jews in his day who did believe. Among them were scholars and shepherds, rich and poor, leaders and followers – just as their are today (well, maybe not so many shepherds). Hanukkah is a Festival of Dedication. We Jews who are believers in Yeshua (Jesus) celebrate this festival as a reminder of God’s dedication in the time of Judah Maccabee, and as a time to remember the dedication of God to all those who will dedicate themselves to him and follow him according to his standards. Messiah Yeshua is the standard by which we are called to dedicate our life to God. When we put our faith in him as our Saviour and as our Lord we enter into a perfect life of dedication: us to Him, and Him to us. Hanukkah is also a Festival of Lights, and when we light the Menorah we remember what Yeshua said to his Jewish people: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)” Why don’t you check out Yeshua’s claims for yourself. Read the Tanakh – the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). Read the Brit Hadashah (the New Testament) as well. Then ask God to show you his truth. If you don’t have a bible, contact us. We’d be happy to send you one. If you want, give us a call and we’ll talk! Call 647-439-2936 and ask for Daniel. Or email us at info@newcovenantforum.org. Or check out our website at www.newcovenantforum.org. You don’t have to agree with us. But, at least, make your decision from an informed perspective.
Contributed by Daniel Muller, General Director of New Covenant Forum. Posted in Jesus and Jews, Jewish festivals, Jewish holidays, Jews and Jesus, Knowing God, This, That, The Other Thing | No Comments » |
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