Musing – Why do we, or don’t we, evangelize?

Hebraic Musing – Why do we, or don’t we, evangelize?

The typical answer would be that we love our neighbor, just as we were told to do.  We quickly think of these red letters in our Bible – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35  NIV

But that does not square with the challenge that Paul faced.  But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Acts 18:6   And shortly after making that statement we read  One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."   So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.  Acts 18:9-11    The book of Acts chapter 17 is all about Paul being rejected while preaching the Gospel in Greece and despite being beaten and rejected he continued to take the Gospel message to people he did not even know!  Why?

For Paul to be taking The Way, a Jewish movement, to Gentiles was not easy thing to do.  Was Paul responding to Jesus’ command to love one another, even the Gentiles?  Or, was Paul motivated out of love and respect for Jesus’ final command in Mark 16:15 before Jesus’ ascension into heaven?   Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

What was Jesus’ command to Peter?   Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"  He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."  Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." John 21:16

What motivates us to evangelize, whether to a neighbor or on a foreign mission field?   I find it to be a challenge to witness to some neighbors considering some of the different cultural issues and personality conflicts we have to overcome.  Jesus well understood the challenge of neighborly love when he answered the “expert in the Law” who asked Jesus in Lk. 10:25-37 “And who is my neighbor?”  Jesus had to stretch his/our thinking to include folks the “expert” did not want to consider.   I am not sure that I have enough love for all “neighbors” to be sufficiently motivated to seek them out socially, much less evangelistically.     

Instead, should my love and respect and desire to serve Jesus Christ be so overwhelming that I naturally overcome my own selfish preferences and reach out to ALL mankind?  Is my faith and commitment to life as a Christian such that I want to obey Jesus’ command to “GO”?  

Remember Mary’s advice to the servants in Cana - “Do whatever he tells you.”

Points to ponder

Did Jesus command us to “Go into all the world” because we love our neighbor? 
Or did He expect us to GO out of love and obedience to Him?

What did Jesus mean by “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me
will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these,
 because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12-13

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,                                  May 31, 2016

Musing – What we say, or how we say it?

Hebraic Musing – What we say, or how we say it?

Josiah was a good king and took on the huge task of restoring God’s Temple.  Kings before him had neglected and even desecrated the holy space. During the renovations, the workers were thrilled to uncover an ancient Torah scroll that had been hidden away in the Temple walls. But the joy was short-lived when they discovered that the scroll was open to an ominous section in Deuteronomy that describes all of the terrible things that will happen to the Jewish people if they forsake the ways of God.  The king was deeply shaken and heartbroken remembering how his father and grandfather had lived.  He rent his clothes and ordered his men to take the scroll to a prophet for further clarification and advisement.

During the time of Josiah, there lived three renowned prophets. Jewish tradition teaches that Jeremiah prophesied in the streets of Jerusalem; Tzefaniah prophesied in the synagogues; and Huldah – a woman – had a school for women.  Together they formed the spiritual leadership of the nation.

Jewish tradition says that from all of the great prophets that were available at the time, the men chose to go to Huldah. Why?  

“Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District:. 2 Chronicles 34:22   NIV

The truth is that any prophet they would have gone to would have said exactly the same thing. A prophet is required to speak the word of God word for word. The king and his men already had a good idea of what the prophet was going to tell them. They knew that they could not change what they were about to hear, but they could change the way in which it was said. Huldah, as a compassionate woman, would give over the prophecy with love and grace. If they were about to hear bad news, at least she would break it gently.

Just as Josiah anticipated, Huldah prophesied that the Jewish people were about to experience the exile described in Deuteronomy. And she concluded it would not happen in Josiah’s lifetime because of his righteousness; but it was on its way.

The reaction to the prophecy was positive. Josiah led the people in repentance and even though they never did fully return to God, perhaps it was that strengthening of spirit that gave the Jews the ability to withstand the harsh exile. This productive reaction and positive outcome can be attributed to Huldah.  Had another prophet conveyed the message it might have resulted in despair, defensiveness and more distance from God.  Huldah’s gentle tone inspired hope and encouraged change.

Every time we speak, people hear so much more than just the words we say. They hear how we say them. So whenever we open our mouths to speak, we have an opportunity to encourage and give hope through our words and tone; or we have the ability to tear down and cause despair.

Points to ponder

If we need to deliver bad news, should we consider what and how Jesus would say it?

If we have bad news or a criticism, should we assess our love for the recipient?
And if we do not love them enough, then what?

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,                                  May 24, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”  “Biblical Marriage”  “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”   “Musings v.2 – The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Note – Inspired by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein More than Words   May 11, 2012

Musing – “Oh what a bloody mess”

Hebraic Musing – “Oh what a bloody mess”

While listening to my audio reading of the book of Leviticus, I found myself confronted by a continual theme of priests having to handle blood over and over again.  These five or six teachings keep coming to mind as somehow related to the Leviticus theme of priests and blood:

·      “The Life is in the Blood.”   While this is often stated, here is the first of eleven mentions.   “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.” Lev 17:11-12  

·      “His Blood is required to have Life”.  This is what Jesus said in red letters.  “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:53-54

·       “The Priests have to handle, sprinkle and carry the Blood for the people”  In fact, the words Priest/Priests and Blood both appear within the same verse 47 times in my NIV.

·      “The Priests were appointed as intercessors between God and Man ”  The book of Exodus closes with God stating seven times that Aaron’s family’s purpose is  to “Serve me as priests”.  And then immediately following in Leviticus the priests become responsible for handling the blood.

·      “We are the Priests of today.”    In the OT, Exod. 19:5-6, God told Moses to tell the Israelites  “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”   
And in the NT we hear Peter telling us “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9    Peter defines us believers as priests!

·      Jesus instructs us to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15   Was He making us priests responsible for the Spiritual blood that gives eternal life to others?

Would it be a stretch to say that as God’s priests today we are responsible for the Spiritual lifeblood of all God’s creation, and for the forgiving of their sins?  

Another perspective; in the OT, each family brought a lamb to be sacrificed and the blood from the priest’s sacrifice was for the whole family.  In the NT we stress that each individual is required to respond to Christ in a self-sacrificing way.  But, maybe we still need more sense of responsibility as priests for the lifeblood of one another like a family?    

The most significant sin our neighbors commit is the sin of rejection of Jesus as their Christ, who gives life more abundantly. 

Points to ponder

Are we responsible to handle the Spiritual lifeblood that provides others with eternal life?

The Torah became extremely relevant for me as I read Leviticus.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,                                  May 17, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”  “Biblical Marriage”  “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”   “Musings v.2 – The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com