Musing – What does the word “Scripture” mean in the NT?

Hebraic Musing – What does the word “Scripture” mean in the NT?

The word “Scripture(s)” is mentioned 53 times in the NT[1]; but the NT had not been canonized when the NT letters were written.  So what did the word “Scripture” refer to?   OT writings!  Examples to consider:

·         Haven't you read this scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; Mark 12:10

·         "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32   Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:45

·         After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled …. Then they believed the Scripture   John 2:22 

·         This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, …  John 19:24  

·         The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:   Acts 8:32 

·         …Bereans … received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11-12

·         …through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  Rom 15:4

·         The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, … Gal 3:8  

·         But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin    Gal 3:22  

·         From Paul to Timothy … and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  2 Tim 3:15

·         Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,    1 Tim 4:13     Hmm…read the OT now?

·         All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Tim 3:16          

In the NIV’s NT the word “Word” is capitalized 9 times (S/B more); and “word of God” appears 38 times. To the Jewish ears, the “Word” and/or “Word of God” typically refers to the Torah, or Pentateuch (gr.). Here are classic examples where understanding the reference to the Torah clarifies the meaning:

·         In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. John 1:1-2

·         The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  John 1:14  No wonder the Jews refer to the Torah as the Living Word, and the scroll is treated as a person!

·         And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:31

·         And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.   1 Thess 2:13

·         Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; 2 Tim 4:2    Oh!...preach the OT!?!?!

·         For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,   Heb 4:12

·         I saw heaven …He has a name written on him … and his name is the Word of God.   Rev 19:11-14

It is no wonder that Jesus is referred to as the “Living Torah”!

Points to ponder

How can we ignore the role of and the study of the OT and the Torah?!?!

Is NT an epilogue to the OT?  (I am not diminishing the role of the NT!)

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                             January 27, 2015              

Author “Hebraic Insights”;  “Biblical Marriage” & “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”
Yosef1@cox.net   or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

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[1] All references are from the NIV.

Musing - How did the Messianic Church begin?

Hebraic Musing - How did the Messianic Church begin?

We know from Scripture that the Messianic Community in Jerusalem and other cities in Judea thrived in the first decades after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. (“Messianics” are Jews who believe Yeshua is the awaited Messiah)  When Paul came back to Jerusalem to greet the apostles he gave his report and -- On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him, “You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah.” CJB Acts 21:20     Consider these two observations:

First, the believers were Torah-honoring Jewish believers. They suddenly found deep meaning in the laws that they previously kept out of religious guilt or soul-ish zeal. Paul’s report was considered to be worthy of praise and with no hint they are moving away from Torah or their Jewishness, but closer.
Second, many translations use the English thousands for the Greek myriads. However a myriad is 10,000, so myriads plural, as is used in this verse, probably means tens of thousands!  

“The Way” continued to grow under the leadership of Jacob (James) until the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 CE.   That’s when things changed drastically for the Jewish believers in Israel. Yeshua had told his disciples less than 40 years before, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.” Luke 21:20-21  NIV    “The Great Revolt” took place in 66 CE when the Jews rebelled against Roman rule; Romans responded by leveling the city, destroying the Temple and as many as one million Jews perished.

The Messianic Jews heeded the warning of Yeshua and fled across the Jordan River, and settled in a mountainous area in Jordan in expectation of the second coming of the Messiah. When the war ended and Yeshua had not yet returned, the Messianic Jews returned to Jerusalem where they suffered persecution from the Jews who had fought the Romans; they were labeled as traitors.

How did Pharisaic Judaism, a.k.a. Rabbinic Judaism, survive?  Rabbi ben Zakkai opposed the war and would have been killed except for a clever escape plan. He convinced General Vespasian to set aside a place where he could start a school and study Torah in peace.  Rabbi Zakkai was primarily responsible for the survival of Pharisaic, or Rabbinic, Judaism.  He put to paper the Oral Law which Yeshua referred to as the “Traditions of the Elders.”  In the 80 CE, he arranged for a 19^th paragraph to be added to the Amidah or Shmoneh Esri (18 blessings). That 19th benediction weeded out Messianic Jews because by praying it they would be praying a curse on themselves. This pushed the Messianics further out of the Synagogue.

But Rabbinic Law had to change?  Ben Zakkai convinced leadership of that day to replace the need for sacrifice with prayer, quoting Hosea 6:6a, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” This interpretation took away the need to rebuild the Temple and the need for sacrifice, both of which had been central to Judaism.  Temple ritual was replaced with prayer service in synagogues, building upon the practice of Jews during the Diaspora, or Babylonian exile. One of the main arguments Orthodox Jews use to refute Messianic Judaism is that prayer and repentance are enough to atone for sin; that was certainly not the Jewish view before the Temple was destroyed.  But Lev. 17:11 still says “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” NIV

Points to ponder

Does this help us understand our Hebraic Roots?
Christianity, as we know it, has an interesting history!

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                             January 20, 2015              

Author “Hebraic Insights”;  “Biblical Marriage” & “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”
Yosef1@cox.net   or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

Note – Excerpted from “Birthed in Revival” by Ron Cantor; confirmed in numerous other sources

Musing – What does “The Mark” really mean?

Hebraic Musing – What does “The Mark” really mean?

How many times have you heard Christians claim they do not want to receive “The Mark”?  However… first mention of “The Mark” in Genesis refers to those destined to be cut off from the Lord.  But the Lord said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.   NIV[1] Genesis 4:15-16

In another example “The Mark” or seal identifies His people. In Exod. 28:36-38 the priest is marked "Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE Lord.  … It will be on Aaron's forehead, ….  so that they will be acceptable to the Lord.”  In Deut. 6:8 God tells the faithful ones to remember His Words by tying symbols on your hands and foreheads.   “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” Dt. 11:18 

The prophet Ezekiel expected “The Mark” to be on the faithful and righteous ones.  Ezek. 9:3-4  Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen …  "Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it." 

In Rev. 7:3 servants of God will receive a seal (“The Mark”) on their foreheads,  "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."  And that seal becomes protection for the faithful in Rev. 9:4  “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but (harm) only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

So how should we interpret Rev. 13:11-17?   “Then I saw (the beast) … he deceived … was given power … and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.  He also forced everyone…, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.”   What answer do we get by applying wisdom because the next verse says “This calls for wisdom….” This is definitely not “The Mark” we faithful Christians want to receive because Rev. 14:9-10 says, “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb’.”   Those not having “The Mark of the beast” seem to be the Faithful Ones in Rev. 20:4, “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” 

In the end, will God’s servants be those with “The Mark” of Ha Shem (The Name) on their foreheads.  Rev. 22:4  “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.”

Now consider the conclusion from Jesus’ parable in Matt. 13:29-30. “…while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”  Might that imply that the weeds will be taken up first, leaving us, the wheat?

Two points to ponder

Why are we told of two distinctly different marks?

Are the “Weeds” to be taken up first?

What think you?

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                             January 13, 2015              

Books author “Hebraic Insights” and  “Biblical Marriage”
Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”
Yosef1@cox.net   or  www.InsightsByYosef.com

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[1] All Bible references are from the NIV.

Musing – Should The Didache have been in the New Testament canon?

Hebraic Musing – Should The Didache have been in the New Testament canon?

I’ve just studied the writings of the early church and the convoluted process by which the New Testament became canon-ized. “Recognized” might be the better word. Warren Carter’s Seven Events that shaped the New Testament World considers the sixth event to be the discussion of all the various Writings that existed; and the seventh event he considers to be The Process of “Closing” the New Testament Canon.  Those are well-chosen titles; adoption of the Canon as we know it was a dynamic, multi-cultural, multi-ethic, multi-church process contributed to by many writers each coming from their own backgrounds and experiences.

The book of James is said to be one of the last books to be included because of its focus on “faithfulness” rather than “faith alone.”  Followers of Marcion resisted that book and also resisted recognition of The Didache (Geek for Teaching). They rejected any Hebrew Scriptures concerned with law and not love.  

Many letters did not survive. Why?  Consider whether you would share and archive a letter critical of you or your fellowship’s conduct?  The Didache is one of the few letters of the era that did survive, so I had to acquire a translation since it was a close ‘also ran’ in the race to the final canon. This writing, an early Catechism of the church, has two thrusts – First, how to live and how not to live; Second, how to conduct and structure community life. There are 16 sections, so reference can be made by chapter and verse. I’m attaching the English translation of the Greek text of The Didache (translated and edited by Tony Jones). These verses/phrases jumped off the pages at me:

Part one starts with “There are two ways, one of life and one of death! and there is a great difference between the two ways.”  An example: 1:5 “…but if one receives not having need, he shall stand trial.”

Chapter 2 sounds like the Sermon on the Mount and contains interesting phrases like:  “…do not have illicit sex” and “you shall not murder a child, whether it be born or unborn.”

Chapter.4 makes a statement counter to today’s laws:  “Do not remove your hand from your son or daughter; teach them the fear of God from their youth.”  And then v.13 makes a blanket statement obviously referencing the Torah: “Do not in any way neglect the commandments of the Lord….”

Chapter 5 deals with The Way of Death and describes “those who persecute the good, hate the truth, love lies, and do not understand the reward for righteousness…. They do not know their Creator; they are murderers of children, destroyers of God's image.”

Part two advocates rather strict practices for managing a fellowship/church.  Do these have merit?

7:4 “Before the baptism…the candidate should fast for one or two days beforehand.”  A good idea?!?!

8:3  “Pray this (Lord’s prayer) three times a day” which sounds like the Jewish recitation of the Sh’ma.

9:5 “Allow no one to eat or drink of your Eucharist, unless they have been baptized’” Interesting thought!

11:6 “And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread to last him until his next night of lodging. If he asks for money, he is a false prophet.”  Why did the word “Televangelists” come to mind?

12:4-5 “…. a Christian should not live idle in your midst.  If he is dissatisfied … he is a Christ peddler…”

15:1 “Appoint bishops …, as well as deacons, worthy of the Lord, …   unattached to money…”

16 Watch Over Your Life, a discussion of eschatology:  “A life of faith will not profit you if you are not made perfect at the end of time.”   16:4 “When lawlessness increases, they will hate and persecute and… the world-deceiver will appear claiming to be the Son of God… and many will be made to stumble and many will perish; but those who endure in their faith will be saved from under the curse itself.”

Points to ponder

Could or should “The Didache” have been included in the NT?

Does it teach anything wrong or misleading?
                  (A thought-provoking read!   See the attachment)

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                 January 6, 2015

Books author “Hebraic Insights”; “Biblical Marriage”; “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings” at   insightsbyyosef.blogspot.com/
Yosef1@cox.net   or  www.InsightsByYosef.com