FROM THE INSIDE OUT . . .
Since, at least for this year, we have completed another season dubbed as the ‘birth of Jesus ( Yeshua )’, we would like to take a few moments and look at Luke 1 and related passages from a little different perspective and as a segue into an understanding of a deeper truth. Allow us to establish up front that the mentioned passages as well as other writings of the Apostles are not an effort to set a birthdate or establish a birth celebration of the Messiah, but rather to confirm the unavoidable fact that He – Yeshua – is the promised Messiah of Israel spoken of by the Prophets, the ‘Seed of the Woman’ of Gen. 3:15, and the ‘Son of Man with all dominion’ of Daniel 7:13-14.
Have you ever been reading your Bible and then, all of sudden, BAM !!, you see something in the passage or a connection to another passage that you’ve never seen before ? Well, that’s what happened back in 2011. There is much more to this, but here is an overview and the ‘reader’s digest condensed version’, if you will.
The Scriptures address the concept of that which is good comes from the ‘inside out’ rather than from the ‘outside in’.
“. . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks . . .” Matt 12:34;
“ . . . From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. . .” John 7:38
“ . . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3-ff, just to list a few . . .
When the Tabernacle was erected, the process began from the inside out. The first thing that was put into place was the heart of the Tabernacle – the ‘Tent of Meeting’ – and it’s heart is the Most Holy Place – the place of The Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat, the earthly throne of God Almighty. Afterward the rest of the Mishkan ( the Tabernacle – the place of the Shekinah ) was put into place from the inside outward. ( Exo. 40 ) ) From the inside out’ is foundational in Scripture and evident even from the beginning when Abba brought forth EVE from Adam ‘from the inside out’ .
Another concept we see in the Word is the requirement of the shedding of blood to seal a covenant. It was actually customary for the parents of the new bride to obtain and keep the ‘wedding night bedding’ in case the virginity of the bride was ever called into question. The shedding of blood was recognized as validation of the consummation of even this most holy and intimate of covenants. ( Deut.22:13-19)
So What does all THAT have to do with the account of the birthing of Messiah in the Apostolic Writings ?
While reading the passage in Luke about the ‘then’ upcoming birth of Yeshua ( Jesus ), Rhonda was suddenly struck with new insight and fresh revelation within this passage. She, Mary, asks the Angel Gabriel how all this could come about – the birthing a child – since she was a virgin and had never had intimate relations with any man. He begins to explain to her that this event would come about by a work of the Spirit of God from the ‘inside’ rather than from the ‘outside’ by the will of man. John makes reference to this concept in his Gospel rendering.
Without being to graphic, we understand that when a man and a virgin woman come together intimately, there is the ‘shedding of blood’ in the ‘ tearing of the veil of her flesh ( the hymen ) ’ . The ‘seed’ is implanted from the ‘outside in’ by the ‘will of man’ and the covenant between the bride and bridegroom is sealed by the shedding of that blood.
But this was not the case with Mary and the conception of Yeshua . . . ‘for The Holy Spirit will come upon you and EL ELYON shall envelope you and this offspring shall be Holy . . .’ ( Luke 1:30-35 ) ‘ . . . and The Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . the only begotten of the Father full of glory and grace’ . . . ( John 1:14 ff ) The ‘seed’ was planted from the ‘inside out’ by Abba. So where is the ‘blood’ that seals the covenant ? It was shed at Yeshua’s birth. When the ‘veil’ of His mother’s flesh was torn from the ‘inside out’ at His birth, it was the consummation of the promise that Abba made in the garden and it was sealed by the blood shed at the birthing. By the way, at any birth there is both blood and water present. Keep that in mind . . .
Hopefully we understand that when a man and woman ‘come together’ in an intimate relationship they have literally become ‘one flesh’. If that intimate encounter culminates in pregnancy, the two have literally become ‘one flesh’ in the body, birth and life of the child. The child is ‘one flesh’, made up of the two, 100% mother, 100% Father, yet unique, one of a kind.
So it is with Yeshua. At His birth, he was 100% flesh ( His mother ) and 100% Spirit ( His Father ), unique and ‘one of a kind’. At His death – the ‘tearing of His flesh’ – not only was His bride ‘birthed’ ( blood & water – John 19:34) but it culminated in the birthing of ‘many children’. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name . . .” John 1:12
So let’s look at a bigger picture. Adam was put into a deep sleep and while he slept his side was opened up and out of that wound was ‘birthed’ his bride . . . from the inside out . . . When Yeshua (the second Adam) went to the cross, His side was opened up and out of that wound HIS bride was birthed . . . from the inside out with water and blood. . . . the tearing of the veil, which is HIS flesh . . . ( Heb 10:20 ) .
A ‘veil of flesh’ was torn at HIS birth and at HIS death . . . the first tearing was the consummation of the promise ( Gen. 3) The second tearing not only birthed the bride of the Second Adam ( Yeshua ) but also consummated that relationship. And THEN the veil of the temple was rent by Abba to display for the Bride that access to HIM had been secured through the blood of HIS Son. The ‘veil was torn coming in and torn again going out . . . all of this, ‘from the inside out’ .
So when we read the writings of the Apostles, let us remember part of their purpose. The point of the writers was not to establish a birth date or a birth celebration. Rather their writings would and should establish to all the prophesied lineage of the One born, the prophesied type of birth, and establish the fact that Messiah has come. HIS birth fulfills the promise and the prophecies and reminds us that anything our Father GOD does is always from the ‘Inside Out’ .
In Matt. 5:17 Yeshua declares that He has come to fulfill . . . ( Heb. 10:7, Psa 40:7 ) Remember, nowhere are we commanded to celebrate His birth, but we ARE commanded to remember His death until He comes again; and we know the month, day and hour of His death . . . not so with His birth.
( 1 Cor. 11:24-26 )
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are of the nations by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” . . . 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from the citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah.
Ephesians 2
“ . . . I was sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel . . .” Matt. 15:24
Shalom U’Vrachot – Peace & Blessings – Rhonda&Jerry
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