Came across an interesting and somewhat difficult passage in the book of Hebrews 10:

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The implications of this are staggering.  If I deliberately sin after having received salvation, does that mean Christ' sacrifice was made forfeit? I immediately turned to the roots of the Hebrew sacrificial system which is outlined in the Levitical law and my findings were just as troublesome for my soul:

"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them..." - Lev. 4:1-2 

“If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt, when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer.." - Lev. 4:13-14 

“When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat..." - Lev. 4:22-23 

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering..." - Lev. 4:27-28

At this point of my research, I was literally trembling before the Lord, shaken by the fact that NONE of the Levitical law provides an avenue for forgiveness for intentional sins. In fact, intentional sin was handled through severe punishments up to & including stoning to death.

This was actually a relief because Christ dealt with an intentional sin when he dealt with the woman who committed adultery in John 8.  The Pharisees brought her before Yeshua and asked him what he thought of Mosaic law commanding them to stone her. Then end result: forgiveness!

But wait, Christ told her to "go and sin no more"... back to square one.  If she sins after Christ forgives her, then doesn't Hebrews 10 still apply? She's received the knowledge of truth and is under an obligation to that salvation and there is no room for intentional sin?

I just couldn't see the forest for the trees. The answer was staring right at me, rooted in the very people I've come to love over the course of my Hebrew roots studies: Israel!  Not only has Israel sinned intentionally, they have done so over and over and over.... Yet, God has forgiven over and over and over.

I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
- Hosea 14: 7-9

In fact, there are several references throughout scripture where intentional sin was dealt with: David & Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12), Peter denied Christ (obviously after receiving the knowledge of truth; Mark 14).

I believe that the author of Hebrews had a different intent behind this passage then what I interpreted. It was not so much about intentional sin as it was about denying the Messiah.  It was a scary journey for me and one I am thankful the Holy Spirit took me through because for the first time in my life of faith, I was scared before the throne of God, fearing that there would not be any forgiveness for me. I've intentionally sinned before long after having received salvation.

The reality of the situation is that sin is a serious matter with severe consequences, but none of it is beyond the realms of forgiveness through God's grace.

Along the journey of discovering the Hebrew Roots of my faith, I’ve picked up on a few interesting theologies, one of which is the Two House Theory.  Essentially, this school of thought teaches that Christians are one of the lost Tribes of Israel and that God is uniting them with the house of Judah (i.e. the Jews) into one House under the New Covenant. 

If this is true, then do Christians need to follow the Torah? Is the reason for a resurgence of interests of Judaism a by-product of our lost ancestry?

Historical Precedence

Historically, we know that after King Solomon died, all of Israel was divided into two: The Northern Kingdom of Israel & the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The division was caused by North’s lack of allegiance to Solomon’s successor. In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom, forcing the 10 tribes that inhabited the land to scatter and eventually become “lost”. 

What does this have to do with Ephraim?

We have to back up all the way to Genesis to get this answer.  In chapter 48, we see that Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, before their grand-father Jacob (also called Israel).  Jacob took Ephraim and spoke a blessing over him that “his seed shall become a multitude of nations”. 

Those who follow the Two House theory suggest that the Assyrian conquering is a direct fulfillment of this blessing forcing Ephraim to scatter and become several nations. And to further support their position they refer to a passage in Romans 11, wherein the Apostle Paul describes Gentiles as being grafted into the root of Jesse in order to receive the blessings of God.

Israel as a Nation

I don't believe God was speaking as a forerunners to Christians in any of these passages. Let's look at a couple of scriptures:

1. It was prophesied that the Jewish people, Israel as a nation, (not the Gentiles) would be scattered:
   
   Deuteronomy 4: 25-31
   When you father children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.
   
   See also Micah 5:7-9
   
2. Conversely, it was also prophesied that the nation of Israel would be gathered:
   
   Isaiah 11:11-13In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.  The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
   
   See also Jeremiah 16:14-15; Jeremiah 23:3-8
   
3. Paul refers to the 'Remnant' (same term used by Isaiah for the nation of Israel) & Gentiles as 2 separate concepts in Romans 11.
   
4. James 1 refers to the 12 Tribes in the Dispersion (not the 10 tribes plus Gentiles & the lost).
   
5. Ezekiel is chocked full of references to Israel as one nation with no 'lost' tribes. In chapter 47 and following, Ezekiel describes how the land was divided among the 12 Tribes (not 2 tribes & some lost ones), indicating he thought of it as one Jewish Nation.  Jump back 2 chapters to find a summary of this concept:
   
   Ezekiel 45:8
   It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

Spiritual Kingdom

I think Christians feel slighted if they are not Messianic Jews because of the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament, because we have come to associate them with the covenant of Salvation. When in reality, some of God's promises were to a physical Israel and to a land that he promised them. Has nothing to do with salvation or Christ's sacrifice. In fact, Yeshua flat out states that His kingdom (not the Kingdom of Ancient Israel) is a spiritual one:

John 18:36

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 

I don't think we need to concern ourselves with trying to be Jewish as Christians. If you are a Jew coming from Judaism as Paul did (see Galatians 1:13) or you are Gentile, the promises made about the Ephraim and the division of the land has no bearing on your Salvation. Don't worry about it. You are not less in the eyes of the Father because you don't live in Israel or have Jewish blood.

Maybe I misunderstood the Two House Theory?

The author of Hebrews paints an extraordinary (in the truest sense of the word) picture of Christ as the High Priest of Grace:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

What a remarkable passage, that my protestant (read: Gentile) brothers, sisters, and I are quick to pass up.  The author of Hebrews was speaking about an unparalleled High Priest that the tribe Levi had never seen or ever hoped to produce.  Christ is a High Priest that not only had the authority to forgive our sins, presenting atonement through the ultimate sacrifice and enter the Holy of Holies on our behalf, but was able to to do so through grace.

Not just any grace. A transformative grace that shifted the sacrifice from the unblemished lamb to the sinless son of God, that transcended the temple into the very presence of God himself, that went from atonement through others to the atonement through Himself.

Not only that, but he understood our deepest needs by becoming man himself. While a lamb, ram, bird, or grains were acceptable forms of sacrifice, they were in effect less than perfect because they knew nothing of the human condition. They were a means to an end, a reminder to us of the power of sin.  The lamb knew no different when walked to the altar before being slaughtered. Yet, our High Preist is Christ knowing our deepest, darkest stains and secrets, knew full well what we were doing to Him before being led to the altar of calvary.

He was indeed a High Priest of Grace.

Tonight  we celebrate the first night of Shavuot. Literally translated, it means "weeks". However, most of our protestant kin refer to this holiday as Pentecost.  Both names for the holy day come from the counting of time from the last holy day celebrated, which was Passover.  Shavuot occurs 50 days or several weeks after Passover.  Pentecost translated in Greek means "the holiday of 50 days."

 For the Jew

The purpose of Shavuot is to celebrate the giving of the Ten Commandments from Mt. Sinai. This event was celebrated in Deuteronomy 4:

God spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you were hearing the sound of words, but you were not seeing a form, only a sound. He told you of His covenant, instructing you to keep the Ten Commandments  and He inscribed them on two stones.

Traditionally, it is custom to stay up the entire night learning Torah and say morning prayers the following day. It is also treated similar to the Sabbath, where in no work is permitted. The only exception is that you can prepare food.

In Exodus 23, a prohibition of the mixing of milk and meat is laid out. Some Jews also celebrate Shavuot by fixing two meals: one of milk and one of meat. Dairy meals might be comprised of cheesecake or puddings (definitely something I could get behind).  Through out the Old Testament, there are references to the Torah (word of God) as nourishing milk.

For the Christian

As a protestant, there is an important lesson to learn from our Jewish heritage in the Holy Day of Shavuot. They are celebrating God caring enough to give us His word. Furthermore, for the Christian, it is significant because it was during Pentecost that the Holy Spirit descended:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly  a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what  seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

We have every reason as the Jews to celebrate Shavuot!  Not only has God given us his Word, but He has also sent the Holy Spirit to help us.

Take Away

For my family, we will sit down this evening and talk about the significance of God caring enough about  us to share His Word with us. Definitely will find some cheese cake as well.

Weekends have become somewhat problematic for my family since we started discovering our Hebrew Roots. We now celebrate every Sabbath from sun down on Friday night through sun down on Saturday, during which time we do engage in any activity that feels like work. The point being that we honor God with a day of rest imitating His rest at the last day of Creation (not to mention its one of the 10 commandments).  Then on Sundays, we get up and do it all over again, attending the morning service, and try to jam all of our remaining activities (house cleaning, yard work, etc.) into Sunday afternoon. It's exhausting at times and often feels like we can never keep on top of things. Furthermore, I feel like we are serving two masters and I do not think that either day was meant to be a burden!

All of this has me thinking.  Why did we start worshiping on Sunday to begin with?

Pro Sabbath Scriptures

The commandment to honor the Sabbath begins in Exodus 20:8-11:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV)

We find that Christ honored the Sabbath. In Luke 4:31, Yeshua was teaching in the Synagogue specifically on the Sabbath. From this we can also deduce that since Christ came to the Jews first (Romans 1:16), He would have honored the 10 Commandments literally keeping Sabbath. Furthermore, if Yeshua is indeed our High Priest, then He would have fulfilled & continued to fulfill His duties on the Sabbath.

We can also turn to the Book of Acts, to find the first Christians keeping the Sabbath even though Christ had already risen: Acts 13:13-14, Acts 16:13, and Acts 17:2.

Pro Sunday

So why then did Christians start worship on Sunday? Actually, it also started with the scriptures. Paul implies that Christians were worshiping on Sunday in 1 Cor. 16:1-2, when he instructs them to set aside an offering on the "First Day of the Week", which many interpret as Sunday.

Another school of thought is that many Christians worship on Sunday to honor the day of Christ' resurrection. For many years, I shared this same belief because I understood that this event was so powerful Jews were willing to change their day of worship. The Sabbath is considered the holiest of days, and to change that day would require a very powerful, life changing event. However, I can not get the math to add up. If Christ died on Friday and was buried for three days, then doesn't that mean he rose on Monday? Or does it mean that Christ died on Thursday?

Another school of thought is that since keeping the Sabbath was a part of the law, Christians are no longer required to keep it, since we are not under the law. For this, I would point that we do not have the freedom to murder, lie, steal, or sleep with our neighbor's spouses, as these too were under the law.

Church History

The Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, and our Christian forefather's might have interpreted this as God's anger towards the Jews, stirring Christians to segregate themselves from the Jews.

We have a snippet from Ignatius (2nd Century Church Father  in his letter to the Magnesians indicating should worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday) instead of the Sabbath, asking the early congregation to "Lay aside the evil, the old, the sour leaven...It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus and Judiaze. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism but Judaism Christianity." I hardly think that this was written in love!

Constantine, a man who I think did more damage to the Church than good, passed a law in 321 AD that closed all Roman courts and restricted the use of slave labor on Sunday.  This may have created a cultural shift in the Early Church, emphasizing Sunday as a day to be set apart.

Matter of the Heart

I think it had something to do with the Gentiles coming into the Kingdom, which challenged many Jewish customs including the Sabbath. In Romans 14:5-6, we find Paul addressing an argument where there was opposing views on the day of worship and food laws:

In the same way, some think one day is more holy than the other day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food, do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.

It seems that Paul was dealing with the exact same issues we deal with today and it always boils down to one point: its a matter of the heart. Regardless of the day you choose to worship, the point is to worship God with the intent of pleasing Him.  With this in mind, my family and I have some choices to make and regardless of which day we land on, God will honor it. I will not get caught up in the legalism that leads to judgement & dissension.

Perhaps the meaning of Sabbath changed as did the other commandments through the fulfillment of Christ, wherein hatred becomes murder, lust becomes adultery, and the Sabbath becomes a day set aside for Him?

While studying the roles of Christ as the Anointed One, there was one role in particular that stood out to me, primarily because I know little about it as a Gentile. That is the role of the High Priest.  What is the purpose of such a role if we all belong to a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)?

The Role of High Priest

When the High Priest was first established in scriptures, the Israelites were living in slavery under the rule of Pharaoh, Moses rescued them, and now they are faced rebuilding the temple & restablishing the roles, liturgy, ceremonies, etc. that God desired for his people. As such, Aaron was appointed the High Priest in Exodus 28. Lets explore his role and gain insight into Christ as our high priest.

First, the High Priest was required to wear an ephod. Best I can tell, this was an apron of sorts made from two pieces of cloth joined by straps placed on the shoulder. A stone of remembrance was placed on each strap, set in gold and inscribed with the tribes of Israel (6 on each stone). Thus, whenever the High Priest entered the presence of God, he carried the weight of all of Israel.

The stones of remembrance were accompanied by a breastplate that was attached to the front the ephod. On this breastplate, there were 12 different engravened stones arranged in four rows of three, again identifying the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Of particular interest is the fact that the scriptures mention this was placed "over Aaron's heart" three seperate times. When the High Priest entered God's presence, he had all of Israel on his heart.

We also see the High Priest had a robe, with pomegranates & bells attached to the hem. These served as a primitive alarm system, should something happen to the High Priest die when he entered the Holy Place (it literally reads "so that he may not die"!).  In other words, the work of the High Priest was a matter of life and death.

An ornament of pure gold inscribed with the phrase "Holy to the Lord" was attached to the turban that went around the High Priest's forehead. Not only did this indentify him as the anointed one, but it was symbolic of the High Priest as taking the sins of all of Israel before the Lord, and was made Holy.

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

In day to day functions, the High Priest was an intermediary between God and His people, speaking on our behalf. However, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:1), the High Priest became the bridge over the chasm of sin that separated God and Israel. Through the High Priest, the people of God were brought into oneness with Him.

The atonement ritual is outlined in LeviticuFirst a bull was sacraficed for the High Priest's sins. Then two goats were brought in: one to be sacraficed and the other to be driven to the wilderness. The sacrafice was a grave reminder that there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. The one driven out, the scape goat, symbolically bore the sins of Israel as it was expelled into the wilderness.

Christ as the High Priest

Wow, incredible insight into His function as our High Priest. Christ bears our weight on his shoulders with the stones of remembrance (and I would suggest that His scarred hands do the same) and when he enters God's presence, He continually has us on His heart.

When it comes to atonement, Christ did not need to sacrifice a bull, because he was blameless. However, we were not blameless and blood had to be shed. On the cross, He acted as both the sacrifice for us and the scapegoat, as He bore the sins of all.

While God continues to hear our prayers (as we are all priests), it is our High Priest, Yeshua, who continues to act as our liason, bridging the chasm caused by sin in our lives.

Have you ever thought about Christ as your High Priest?

In Greek, Jesus is referred to as Christós or Christ, meaning "the Anointed One." In Hebrew, Yeshua is known as the mashiach or messiah, meaning "the one anointed with the holy oil". Given the correlation, there must be significant not only with the anointing process, but specifically with the holy oil.

Holy Anointing Oil

People, places, and various objects were anointed with oil through out scriptures as a means of identifying the recipients as set apart for God's purposes.  Typically this was pure olive oil, sometimes mixed with various herbs and spices.  However, in Exodus 30, Elohim (God) outlined the details for a very specific oil that was to be holy & set apart to the extent that the Israelites were forbidden to make it for themselves:

The Lord said to Moses, "Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil...And you shall say to the people of Israel, "This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people."

Who  Was Anointed?

From the instructions outlined in Exodus, I gathered that in order to use this oil, it was for a very specific purpose and it had to be directed by God.  My understanding is that if God directed the anointing, then the holy anointing oil may be used as the subject is not considered an ordinary person, having God's blessing during the act of anointing. In the scriptures, we only find 3 offices wherein anointing took place:

• Prophets - All of the prophets were considered anointed by Elohim and the people were directed not touch them (1 Chronicles 16:22). We also see both a king and a prophet anointed as a directive of God in 1 Kings 19:16.
• High Priests - Aaron was anointed as the High Priest of the Temple, setting the standard for all High Priests who followed in the same passage of Exodus 30
• Kings - David were anointed to be King by Samuel the prophet & the Lord's Spirit "rushed upon him" (1 Samuel 16:12-13)

Coincidence

So is it then mere coincidence that Yeshua was called the Anointed One in both languages?  I don't think so! In fact, the scriptures identify Him in all three roles:

• Prophet - Christ first came as a prophet and identified himself as such in Matthew 13.  The woman at the well identified him as a prophet in John 4:19. And we see that in Luke 7:16, that the disciples considered him a prophet.
• High Priest - First, let me preface by saying that as a Gentile, I haven't fully grasped this role yet, but it is a longing of mine to fully understand it. Christ is identified as our High Priest in both Hebrews 4 &; Hebrews 9. So after his death, resurrection & ascension, Yeshua is acting as our High Priest at the throne of God. 
• King - And when Christ returns, He will serve as our King. He was identified on the cross as the King of the Jews and in 1 Timothy will be the King Eternal. 

Out of all the nations in the world, Israel was chosen to be set apart. Out of all of Israel, the Tribe of Levis was chosen to be set apart. Out of all the Levites, the House of Aaron was chosen to be set apart. Out of all the House of Aaron, only one person was chosen as our liaison between us and the Father, acting on part in the cleansing of sins, the High Priest.  With that in mind, I am very thankful that my High Priest is Yeshua, the Messiah and Christ, anointed one. 

So what does having Christ as our high priest mean for you? Are you a Jew or Gentile? Does it matter when it comes His role of acting on our parts?

I am trying to wrap my head around the Covenant and I think that God has given me something to chew on for a bit and I would like to share it with you reader.  In Jeremiah 31, we see that God intends on creating a new Covenant:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Yet, on the other hand, Christ says that He never intended to abolish the Covenant in Matthew 5. Instead, God's purpose was to fulfill it:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So which is it? Throw out the Covenant and Law or keep it? It occurred to me that perhaps it isn't the Covenant that is changing, but our perspective of it. To illustrate this truth, I have captured a picture of my 2 year old's slide:

So what does that have to do with anything? Well, to my two year old, this is not the picture of the side of his favorite slide. But rather, it is the face of a scary monster, wherein the scoreboards are eyes, and the green joint is a scary mouth with teeth. (Look again: do you see what he sees?)

The reality for him is a very real and very scary truth: this is the face of  a monster. Now, let's fast forward 5 years from now. In the year 2018, when my now 7 year old looks at this picture, what do you think he will see? Probably just a couple of score boards and a green joint. 

What changed? Well, the slide never changed, but in fact, it was the exposure to truth and intent that changed. When Hendrix realizes the scoreboards were never intended to be eyes, his perspective of the situation will radically change the fear that seizes him. Likewise, the truth about the intent of the Law and the Covenant will change when we realize the purpose behind it. Jesus put it this way:

• Instead of don't murder (Ex. 20:13), Christ says do not hold anger or resentment (Matt. 5:21)
• Instead of don't commit adultery (Ex. 20:14), Christ says not to lust (Matt. 5:22)
• Instead of an eye for an eye (Ex. 21:24), Christ says you should forgive (Matt. 5:38)

In other words, Christ never intended to throw out the laws, but rather change our perspective of them. They were never meant to be scary faces on the side of slide, but rather a scoreboard of joy in serving the Creator. 

As I continue diving into the Hebraic roots of my Christian faith, I find myself on the doorstep of a Jewish Holiday called, "Purim". Essentially, it is the celebration of the story of Esther and in my opinion is just as relevant to the Christian community as it is the Jews.  In fact, the inauguration of the holiday comes straight from 9th chapter of Esther:

20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

Traditional Celebration

Jews celebrate Purim a couple of different ways. First, Jewish children will dress up in costumes, typically as one of their favorite characters from the Bible. While this holds no bearing in our scriptures, it is viewed as part of the celebrating and letting our defenses down. The other celebrations come straight from Mordecai's directives (see above):

• Give to the Poor - In the Hebrew, this is called "Matanot La’evyonim" and calls us to remember the less fortunate in our time of celebration. It is tradition that you give to at least two impoverished food equal to the amount you eat during the celebration. The concept of giving to the poor is at the very core of our Christian values as Christ told us that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him.
• Give to Friends - The celebration also includes sharing the joy with fellow friends as well, by making them a friend. Tradition holds that you should share at least 2 items of food. I am not as interested as following tradition as I am in sharing with others. Christ called us to be as one and remember each other in thoughts and prayer.
• Feast - Mordecai asked his fellow Jews to have an annual feast in remembrance, just like Esther had a feast with the King. Surprisingly, you might find an excess of alcohol in a Jewish feast as a way of relaxing and forgetting Haman's hatred. While alcohol is perfectly acceptable (we can argue that later), we are reminded as Christians not be drunk with wine. And again, the concept of corporately celebrating is a part of our Christian culture.
• Read Esther - Outside of the biblical canon, the Scroll of Esther is referred to as the Megillah.  Every Purim, the scroll is read in synagogues during corporate worship. Reading scripture shouldn't be a problem for any Christian.

The Take Away

I have always found Esther's story to be fascinating because it doesn't include God's name through the entirety of the narrative. Not once. Yet, God's intervention is incredibly visible in Mordecai's happening upon the plot, Esther's favor in the King's eyes, and the bravery she portrayed when rushing upon the throne. Again, I feel as though we have lost so much by denying our Hebrew roots as Christians. Purim is certainly a celebration for both, holding timeless truths of God's interventions in our own lives.

For my Christian readership, would you be willing to celebrate Purim even thought its a Jewish holiday?

While I am by no means a Jewish scholar, I have come across some fascinating symbolism in the Hebrew roots of my Christian faith. In Leviticus chapters 23-25, God laid out seven distinct feasts that He expected His people to follow:

1. Passover (Pesach) - also known as the Feast of Salvation commemorating the Exodus story
2. Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMotzi) - yeast symbolized sin; they would search their houses and burn anything that contained leavened yest.
3. First Fruits (Reshit Katzir) - acknowledging the good crops God gave
4. Pentecost (Shavuot) - commemorating the Torah given to Moses
5. Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) - Jewish New Year; Trumpets were blown to bring field workers to the temple
6. Atonement (Yom Kippur) - day of confession; highest of the holy days.
7. Tabernacles (Sukkot) - symbolizing the wandering in the desert, living in tents

Why aren't Christians celebrating these?
That was my first thought.  Jesus Christ himself was a Torah observant Jew. These feasts were commanded by God. It makes sense to me that Christians are expected to follow them. Yet, no where in my protestant upbringing did I ever come across any of these except for Passover as it related to Christ' sacrifice.

There is not an easy answer for this question, but a survey Christian history shows that our practice of Jewish feasts gradually diminished over time as a means of segregating ourselves from the Jews. You see Paul dealing with the roots of the segregation when it came to circumcision in the scripture. The Council of Jerusalem around 50 AD recommended that converts are not bound by the Mosaic law, except for 10 commandments, and therefore the Feasts didn't apply to them.  In a letter to the Council of Nicaea (early 4th century), you see Constantine the Great moving the celebration of Easter so it does not coincide with Passover because they should not follow the customs of the Jews.

Not all of the history was filled with such disdain. As Christianity grew, more and more of the people came from a Gentile background. The Jewish roots to these feasts and other practices were dropped because people no longer found them relevant to the Christian faith.

Should Christians celebrate the feasts?
In one word, "probably".  As is always the case with God, it is a matter of the heart. Paul's concern to the early church was that those who followed the Torah were prone to legalism. You shouldn't follow the feasts because Jesus was a Jew. You should follow the feasts because of the deep roots of our faith and the incredible depth it brings to our relationship with God through Christ.

In fact, in my next post, I want to share with you some incredible correlations between the events in Christ' life and the 7 feasts.

We had some acquaintances from our local homeschool community over this weekend and they noted our eclectic juxtaposition of both Hanukkah and Christmas decor.  We have a menorah in the window, a "Happy Hanukkah" sign by our front door, a colorful Star of David cloth spread out on the dining room table, and dreidel with chocolate coins. At the same time, there is a lighted garland around the flower bed, a wire frame snowman by the front door, various decor through the living room, and as you can tell in the picture there's a collection of nutcrackers, a Christmas tree trimmed out and stockings.

Granted this year is first time to decorate with mixed decor, but it speaks to the place that we found ourselves over the year.

 

The Reason for the Season

We threw this nonsense out last year as we were putting up our decorations. We had a metal nativity scene that we decided to keep as part of our decor in the living room.  Christ never was the reason for the season (consumerism & family time is) and we are tired of pretending. So, why not leave it in the living room as a beautiful reminder all year long? As far as the kids are concerned, we teach them that Christmas time is about coming together as a family and giving gifts because we love each other.  Christ was born in the fall, during Sukkoth (the Feast of Tabernacles), and we celebrate his birth during that holiday.

As far as Christmas songs and such, we've taught them that anything that points you towards God and what He has given is a very good thing.  Sing away to your hearts content! In fact, we have Christmas music playing all the time during this season.  Those songs still have truth hidden away in the lyrics and help us reflect on what an incredible gift God gave through Christ.

Why Hanukkah?

My wife and I are thoroughly enjoying celebrating the Jewish heritage of our faith and quiet frankly wish there were more Christians who did the same. Our beliefs are forever intertwined and we as Christians have lost a lot through the years by remaining apathetic towards the Old Testament. Celebrating Jewish traditions breathes new life into the biblical stories and stirs us towards His redemptive story, which is why we chose to celebrate Hanukkah this year.

There is a section of scriptures known as the Apocrypha that captured events during the 400 years that passed between the Old and New Testament. Within the Apocrypha, the miracle of Hanukkah story is captured by the Maccabees.

During 2 BCE, Israel had been captured by Greek-Syrian armies, lead by Antiochus.  During their enslavement, Jews were forbidden to practice their beliefs (our beliefs) and to study the Torah (first five books of the Bible).  The temple was destroyed and many were forced to sacrifice to pagan gods or be killed.

A family known as the Maccabees, including Judas (the most known one), had enough and refused to participate. Ignited by a passion to restore God's people and his laws, they fled and hid in the caves outside of town to start a revolt. They eventually won and found themselves in the temple. They went to light a candle, but only had enough oil for one day. God found favor on them and the oil lasted 8 days until they could get more.  Hanukkah last for 8 days to remember what God did during that time.
The word Hanukkah simply means "dedication" in Hebrew and is symbolic of those who were dedicated to the Torah and God's dedication to protecting Israel.

The Menorah & the Dreidel

A menorah is just a fancy word for candle holder. There are 9 candles because one candle (the shamash) is used to light the other 8 candles.  You light a candle each night for 8 days in remembrance of the Hanukkah story.  Traditionally, you also eat oily foods as well.

The dreidel's were toys used by the Jewish children to continue learning the Torah while it was outlawed. There were markings on each side of the dreidel. As the kids played various games (who could spin it the longest, who could spin the most at one time, etc.) they could be reminded of the Torah. Meanwhile, the soldiers occupying their towns thought nothing of it since they were just toys.

The Hanukkah dreidels have a special letter on each side representing the phrase: "Nas Gadol Heya Sham" or "A Great Miracle was There". 

If you are interested in celebrating any of the Jewish holidays, I highly recommend Aish.com.