HIS COVERING, NOT OURS
HIS COVERING, NOT OURS . . .
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying,`My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (Isa 46:9-10 NKJ)
Moreover, the Spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the Spiritual. (1 Cor 15:46)
Did you realize Adam and Eve were the first Priests and Kings?
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” (Gen 1:28)
“And YHVH Elohim took the man and settled him in the garden to tend (serve) and keep (guard, have charge of) it.” (Gen 2:15)
They were charged with specific authority and responsibility. They failed. Israel failed. We fail.
Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves they had sown together with their own hands, and their covering was insufficient.
The Creator had to provide the only Sufficient covering – skins – which required bloodshed.
“ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no remission . . .” (Heb 9:22)
Now, let’s fast forward to the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the earthly, physical priesthood – an earthly picture of the Eternal Priesthood of Messiah.
Numbers 4:5-19
Kohath was to carry the Holy Things, but first, those Holy Things had to be covered with skins (?) by the High Priest so that those carrying those Holy Things did not die . . .
Without the proper covering, the Covering provided by The High Priest, it meant death for those who were to carry the Holy Things.
“And when The High Priest has finished covering the sanctuary . . . then the children of Kohath shall come to carry; and they shall not touch any Holy Thing, lest they die . . . (Num 4:15)
“ . . . make sure Kohath (The Assembly) does not get cut off; and do this so that they may live and not die . . .” (Num 4:18-19)
(John 17:12 – I didn’t lose any . . .)
“ . . . do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19)
“And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Cor 4:7)
So everything that was present and taking place in the Tabernacle is to be present and taking place in this tabernacle of our bodies and in The Body Universal . . .
Wash – in the water of The Word (Eph 5:26)
Flesh on the altar – living sacrifice- we willingly put our flesh on the altar because He willingly put His flesh on the wood . . . (Romans 12:2)
And the Holy Place –
Golden Altar – incense – prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8)
Showbread & Golden Table – 12 challahs – 2 rows of 6 (Lev 24:5-6)
‘Grafted in’ . . . ‘made a part of . . .’ (Eph 2; Romans 11)
Golden Lampstand with 7 lamps – (Exo 25:37; Rev 1:12)
Light . . . Be light . . . (Exo 25:37; John 1:9)
Matt 5:14 –
Good Works? – Matt 25:34-ff ; Isaiah 58;
Light under a bushel? (10 virgins)
Lamp and Light, feet and path – Psalm 119:105
Beautiful are the feet . . . – Isaiah 52:7
‘ . . . narrow is the path . . .” – Matt 7:14
And this path leads to the Bridal Chamber –
And the bride makes herself ready – Rev 19:7-8
Ok let’s get back to ‘Kohath’ – The Assembly – and the Gold and the Oil and the Fire that we are to carry as we go –
Oil and Fire – Zech 4; 1 Samuel 16:12;
And we have an anointing (a smearing) from the Holy One. (1 John 2:20)
Gold – buy from Me gold refined in the fire . . . ? Rev 3:17
“The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me . . .
To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” (Isaiah 61:1,3)
For I stand at the door and knock . . . Rev 3:20
The tent is dark; He is The Door and He is The Light . . .
Remember – my righteousness is not based on anything I do – but rather Christ in me, the Hope of Glory.
Fig Tree
(He) declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times that which is not yet done, saying – ‘My counsel shall stand. And I will do all My pleasure. (Isaiah 46:10)
Moreover, the Spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the Spiritual. (1 Cor 15:46)
“This Moses whom they rejected . . . This is he, that was with the church in the wilderness . . .” (Acts 7:35,38 KJV)
Let’s take a look at the ‘Cursing of the Fig Tree’ . . .
Now in the morning, as (Messiah) returned to the city, HE was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and He said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” . . . the tree withered away. (Matt 21:18-19)
Mark 11:13 says ‘it was not the season for figs . . .’
The Fig Tree is ultimately a picture of the entire Body of Messiah.
‘made a part of the citizenship’, ‘grafted into’ (Eph 2:12,13; Romans 11:17)
In the passages in both Matthew 21 and Mark 11, we see Messiah being described as ‘hungry’ (?), He curses the fig tree, cleanses the Temple and rebukes the religious leadership and speaks of doubtless, limitless, believing Faith.
First, the word for ‘hungry’ not only means mere physical hunger. It also means ‘to ardently crave’ and ‘to seek with eager desire’. Does not Messiah ardently crave, eagerly desire fruit from His Tree, His Body?
And unlike the physical fig tree in the passage above, His Fig Tree – The Body of Believers, The Priests and Kings after His order – is to NEVER be in a season with ‘no fruit’. We are to always be about producing fruit.
The tree in these passages looked good from a distance, and was lushly covered with ‘fig leaves’, but upon closer inspection exhibited ‘no fruit’.
(side note – any reference to ‘Fig Leaves’ should automatically take us to the scene in the Garden when Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves.)
In the passages above, Messiah rebuked the activities of the Temple and the leadership thereof, because there was no fruit, but rather the focus was on their own ‘kingdom’. (Vineyard – Matt 20)
They had ‘covered’ themselves, and perhaps because of all the trappings, they looked good from afar, but their covering was worthless and would ultimately lead to their destruction.
They had faith in themselves and what they were doing, rather than in The One Who is the only Sufficient Covering.
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds . . .” (Matt 5:20)
And without that doubtless, believing, expectant, reliant Faith in The One Who supports the Tree – The Root – and provides for it, we cannot produce the fruit He is hungry for.
And with Faith the size of a mustard seed, Faith that believes there is not limit in what our Messiah can do and will do for us and through us by the His work on the cross and the Gift and necessity of the Holy Spirit, we can be in a constant season of fruit-bearing that our Messiah so eagerly desires, that He is hungry for.
Now, back to the first mention of ‘Fig Leaves’.
Did you realize Adam and Eve were the first Priests and Kings?
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” (Gen 1:28)
“And YHVH Elohim took the man and settled him in the garden to tend (serve) and keep (guard, have charge of) it.” (Gen 2:15)
They were charged with specific authority and responsibility. They failed. Israel failed. We fail.
They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves they had sown together with their own hands, and their covering was insufficient.
The Creator had to provide the only Sufficient covering – skins – which required bloodshed.
“ . . . without the shedding of blood there is no remission . . .” (Heb 9:22)
Let’s fast forward to the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the earthly, physical priesthood – an earthly picture of the Eternal Priesthood of Messiah.
Numbers 4:5-19
Kohath was to carry the Holy Things, but first, those Holy Things had to be covered with skins (?) by the High Priest so that those carrying those Holy Things did not die . . .
Without the proper covering, the Covering provided by The High Priest, it meant death for those who were to carry the Holy Things.
“And when The High Priest has finished covering the sanctuary . . . then the children of Kohath shall come to carry; and they shall not touch any Holy Thing, lest they die . . . (Num 4:15)
“ . . . make sure Kohath (The Assembly) does not get cut off; and do this so that they may live and not die . . .” (Num 4:18-19)
(John 17:12 – I didn’t lose any . . .)
“ . . . do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19)
“And we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Cor 4:7)
So everything that was present and taking place in the Tabernacle is to be present and taking place in this tabernacle of our bodies and in The Body Universal . . .
Wash – in the water of The Word (Eph 5:26)
Flesh on the altar – living sacrifice- we willingly put our flesh on the altar because He willingly put His flesh on the wood . . . (Romans 12:2)
And the Holy Place –
Golden Altar – incense – prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8)
Showbread & Golden Table – 12 challahs – 2 rows of 6 (Lev 24:5-6)
‘Grafted in’ . . . ‘made a part of . . .’ (Eph 2; Romans 11)
Golden Lampstand with 7 lamps – (Exo 25:37; Rev 1:12)
Light . . . Be light . . . (Exo 25:37; John 1:9)
Matt 5:14 –
Good Works? – Matt 25:34-ff ; Isaiah 58;
Light under a bushel? (10 virgins)
Lamp and Light, feet and path – Psalm 119:105
Beautiful are the feet . . . – Isaiah 52:7
‘ . . . narrow is the path . . .” – Matt 7:14
And this path leads to the Bridal Chamber –
And the bride makes herself ready – Rev 19:7-8
Ok let’s get back to ‘Kohath’ – The Assembly – and the Gold and the Oil and the Fire that we are to carry as we go –
Oil and Fire – Zech 4; 1 Samuel 16:12;
And we have an anointing (a smearing) from the Holy One. (1 John 2:20)
Gold – buy from Me gold refined in the fire . . . ? Rev 3:17
“The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me . . .
To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” (Isaiah 61:1,3)
For I stand at the door and knock . . . Rev 3:20
The tent is dark; He is The Door and He is The Light . . .
Remember – our righteousness is nothing we do – but rather Christ in me, the Hope of Glory.
Teacher, Master, Rabbi – What’s The Word Say?
Teacher, Master, Rabbi –
What’s The Word Say?
In the verse below, the Greek word translated as ‘teacher’ in the English, is accurately the Greek word for ‘teacher’.
“Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” (Mat 8:19)
Strong’s # 1320 διδάσκαλος didaskalos {did-as’-kal-os}
Meaning: 1) a teacher
From the root word – 1321 διδάσκω didasko {did-as’-ko}
Meaning: 1) to teach
In the following passage, the Greek word translated as ‘teacher’ in the English is NOT the Greek word for ‘teacher’.
“And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.” (Matt:23:10)
The Greek word translated as ‘teacher’ in this verse is actually the following Greek word –
Strong’s # 2519 – καθηγητής kathegetes {kath-ayg-ay-tace’}
Meaning: 1) a guide 2) a master,
“And do not be called master or guide; for One is your Master, your Guide – the Christ.” (Mat 23:10)
The following passage may be controversial for some, but please remember, The Word Says what He Says . . .
Here, Messiah is still speaking- “But you, do not be called `Rabbi‘; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren;” (Mat 23:8)
Strong’s # 4461 ῥαββί rhabbi {hrab-bee’}
Meaning: 1) my great one, a term of exaltation
Strong’s # 2519 καθηγητής kathegetes {kath-ayg-ay-tace’}
Meaning: 1) a guide 2) a master
What this verse actually says is this –
“But you, do not be called `my great one’; for One is your Master, your Guide – the Christ, and you are all brethren;” (Mat 23:8)
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Mat 23:12)
“And He (Messiah) Himself gave some to be
apostles (apostolos – delegate, messenger, sent-one),
some prophets (prophetes – spokesperson)
some evangelists (euaggelistes – bringer of good news)
and some pastors (herdsmen) and teachers (didaskalos) . . . (Eph 4:11)
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd (pastor – poimaino) the church of Godwhich He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28)
Shepherd (Pastor – poimaino) the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly1, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; and when the Chief Shepherd (ArchPoimen -Head Pastor) appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. ( 1 Peter 5:2-3)
History of the Modern Seder
‘Over the period of time between the Temple and the Mishnah, the Seder was a novelty which signaled a new phase in the religion of those who claimed the Hebrew Bible as the basis of their religious beliefs, but required mechanisms to cope with the new realities of the third century.
Mishnah mandates the ritual of what we recognize as the modern day seder
Mishnah is from the early third century’
There was no Seder in the Biblical period. The Torah instructs us to eat the paschal lamb with matzot and marror and that the father should teach his son about the Exodus from Egypt. Similarly, the Seder is not mentioned in Second Temple sources such as Philo and Josephus. It is first mentioned in the Mishnah and Tosefta (Pesahim Chapter 10), which date from shortly before or after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. What is the source of the elaborate rituals and literary forms of the Seder? What is the origin of the Seder and the Haggadah?
Siegfried Stein proved conclusively (The Journal of Jewish Studies, 1957) that many of the Seder rituals and literary forms were borrowed from the Hellenistic banquet or symposium. Let us first compare the rituals.
The Torah instructs us to slaughter the Korban Pesah , the paschal lamb, to eat it with matzot and marror , and to sprinkle some blood on the lintel and the two doorposts (Exodus 12:22 ff.) It also instructs the father to teach his son about the Exodus on Pesah (Exodus 12:26; 13:6, 14; Deut. 6:12 and cf. Exodus 10:2) (For a summary of the biblical passages about Pesah, see Siegfried Stein, The Journal of Jewish Studies 8 (1957), pp. 13-15 and Baruch Bokser, The Origins of the Seder , Berkeley etc. 1984, pp. 14-19). These mitzvot , however, are a far cry from the many rituals which we do at the Seder and from the literary forms which we recite in the Haggadah.
Furthermore, the Seder and the Haggadah are also missing from the Second Temple period descriptions of Pesah, including a papyrus from Elephantine (419 B.C.E.), the book of Jubilees (late second century B.C.E.), Philo (20 B.C.E.-50 C.E.), and Josephus (A. E. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C ., 1923, pp. 60-65 quoted by Chaim Rapael, A Feast of History , London etc., 1972, p. 128 and Franz Kobler, A Treasury of Jewish Letters , Vol. 1, Philadelphia, 1953, p. 22; Book of Jubilees , Chapter 49; Philo, The Special Laws, II, 145 ff.;The modern ritual of the Passover seder is formatted primarily by the Mishnah, which was compiled in the early 3rd century by Judah the Prince.
Rabbi Professor David Golinkin, President of The Schechter Institutes, April 24, 2019
David Golinkin is President of The Schechter Institutes, Inc. and President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. For twenty years he served as Chair of the Va’ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly which gives halakhic guidance to the Masorti Movement in Israel. He is the founder and director of the Institute of Applied Halakhah at Schechter and also directs the Center for Women in Jewish Law. Rabbi Professor Golinkin made aliyah in 1972, earning a BA in Jewish History and two teaching certificates from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received an MA in Rabbinics and a PhD in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was also ordained as Rabbi.
This article was first published in Jpost.
It is worth noting that scholars of Rabbinic Literature do not date Mishnah Pesachim chapter 10 to the period of Jesus. Rather, it was codified c.200CE. In fact, Philo of Alexandria’s (C.20 BCE – 50 CE), description of the passover ritual does not include the four cups. The ritual of the four cups was probably introduced years after the life of Jesus.
Philo does not associate drinking wine with the passover ritual. Neither does Josephus(It is also not mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls or in any part of the Hebrew Bible). It seems that the ritual of the four cups of wine originated after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70CE. Therefore, I would not try and read the four cups into the Gospel’s descriptions of the Last Supper.
The two cups mentioned in Matthew 22 probably refer to the Jewish custom of blessing and drinking wine at the beginning and conclusion of meals.
At the time of Jesus, wine was blessed at the start of the meal – this was not unique for Passover. They probably did not have a “passover cup” the way that Jews today have a special “Elijah’s Cup” at the Passover meal.
A good introduction to the development of the development Passover rituals is:
The Origins of the Seder: The Passover Rite and Early Rabbinic Judaism By Baruch M Bokser.
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