Observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal

Before Jesus went to the Olive Garden where he would be taken prisoner by the Roman soldiers, Jesus had come together with his disciples in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem, the city of David.

The son of man, born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth, had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples. 14 Nisan, Thursday evening, March 31, 33 C.E., and a full moon very likely adorned the skies above Jerusalem. Jesus Christ and his apostles had just concluded the Passover celebration when he took some other bread and a cup of wine.

Gospel writer Matthew wrote

 “Jesus took a loaf and, after saying a blessing, he broke it and, giving it to the disciples, he said:

‘Take, eat. This means my body.’

Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying:

‘Drink out of it, all of you; for this means my “blood of the covenant,” which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28) 

For the master teacher this was not going to be "a one-time event". He requested his pupils to remember that night and to come to break bread in the future as a memory of what Jesus has done, having given himself as a lamb of God, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of sins.

The step that Jesus Christ took on the night of Nisan 14, 33 C.E., was much more than a passing incident in his life. The apostle Paul discussed it when writing to anointed Christians in Corinth, where the pattern was still being followed over 20 years later. Although Paul was not with Jesus and the 11 apostles in 33 C.E., he surely learned from some of the apostles what happened on that occasion. Furthermore, Paul evidently got confirmation of aspects of that event by inspired revelation. Said Paul:

 “I received from the Lord that which I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: ‘This means my body which is in your behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me.’ He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: ‘This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”​—1 Corinthians 11:23-25.

In this day and age we too have to remember this act of Jesus. Like he had an evening meal with his close friends we should have too. Though this year we shall be limited in such act, because we have to keep us to the restrictions of travelling and gathering as well as social distancing.

The present lockdown does not have to mean we can not have a memorial meal, nor should it have to mean we can not express our unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

We may not allow this unseen enemy get us away from our obligation to come together, even when it might be virtual, or to take our memorial meal.

The Gospel writer Luke confirms that Jesus commanded:

 “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

 These words have also been rendered:

 “Do this in memory of me” (Today’s English Version) and “Do this as a memorial of me.” (The Jerusalem Bible)

 In fact, this observance is often referred to as the Memorial of Christ’s death. Paul also calls it the Lord’s Evening Meal​ — an appropriate designation, since this was instituted at night. (1 Corinthians 11:20)
 Christians are commanded to observe the Lord’s Evening Meal.

that meal should us remember how Jesus put his own will aside to do the will of God and being prepared to give his flesh and blood he died as an upholder of his heavenly Father’s sovereignty and brought salvation unto mankind.

Jesus ‘gave his soul a ransom in exchange for many.’ (Matthew 20:28)   By having once a year a special evening to remember this we show our thankfulness. that is the least we can do. Observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal reminds us of the great love shown by both Jehovah and his Son in connection with Jesus’ sacrificial death. How we should appreciate that love!

Regarding the Lord’s Evening Meal, Paul said:

 “As often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

 Individual anointed Christians would partake of the Memorial emblems (breaking the bread and drinking the wine) until their death. Thus, before Jehovah God and the world, they would repeatedly proclaim their faith in God’s provision of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice.

The Passover was held only once a year, on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan. (Exodus 12:1-6; Leviticus 23:5)Wednesday the 8th of April 2020 is the day all lovers of God all over the world shall remember that exodus from Egypt, the liberation from human slavery of the People of God. Christians also shall remember how all mankind can come under the grace of salvation by the sacrificial offer of Jesus and therefore shall also remember that night when Jesus took that bread and wine as a symbol for a New Covenant.

Let us be blessed and be happy that we can remember those memorable nights when salvation came over mankind.

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Find to read

1. The unseen enemy
2. Using fears of the deadly coronavirus
3. Not able to see Jesus working wonders
4. Thinking about fear for the Loving God and an Invitation for 14 Nisan
5. Death and Resurrection of Christ
6. When Belonging to the escaped ones gathering in Jesus name
7. Worthy partakers of the body of Christ
8. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
9. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
10. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
11. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
12. A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life
13. High Holidays not only for Israel
14. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
15. Yom Hey, Eve of Passover and liberation of many people
16. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
17. Observance of a day to Remember
18. A night different from all other nights and days to remember
19. Jesus memorial
20. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
21. Even in Corona time You are called on to have the seder
22. One Passover tradition asking to provide the less fortunate with foods and help
23. In a time when we must remain in our place

 

 

The night before Jesus his execution

These coming days we make time to think about what Jesus has done.

Lots of Christians do forget that God can not die, but that Jesus really has put his own will aside to do the will of God (when Jesus would be God he naturally would always have done his own will). Jesus really found his death at the stake and after his resurrection could show the wounds of his torture at the stake, proving he is no spirit, like his Father is Spirit.

In the Scriptures we also can find how Paul describes the true Christ or Anointed of God and not God the Anointed, something totally different. As a devout Jew Paul was convinced that in Jesus could all people receive salvation or redemption through Jesus and not through God His blood, because Paul knew that God has no bones, flesh or blood Him being a Spirit. John and the other apostles believed the same as any other Jew would believe. (Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:50; John 4:24)

Paul does not say Jesus is God but defines Jesus to be in the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn of every creature. You seem to forget we all are made in the image of God. God is invisible but Jesus not and was seen by many who did not fall death when they saw him. No man can see God and live (Exodus 33:23; John 1:18; 1 Tim 1:17).
Paul like the apostle John also considers Jesus as the instigator of the New World, a new creation of which all followers of Jeshua shall become inheritance.

Paul writes that it was for it pleased the Father (i.e. Jehovah God) that in Jesus should all fulness dwell because we may count on it that peace is made through the blood of his death at the stake (please also do not forget that God can not die). This giving of his own body and soul as a ransom was to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, Paul says, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

In the Olive Garden the night before his execution when Jesus prayed the scripture uses phrases like,

“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death”…
”he went forward an little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: never the less not what I will, but what thou wilt”.

Jesus expresses that he wants God Will to be done and not his will. In case Jesus is God, naturally than it would always be his own will which would happen.

In this Olive Garden we find the son of man praying to his heavenly Father, and not praying to himself, which he would have done when Jesus is God.  See Jesus did exactly what we are expected to do.  Pray for our need, but submit to the will of the Father.  Know that what he is asking us to do is needful and necessary.

  If Jesus would not have suffered for us, then his sacrificial offering would not benefit us. When Jesus is God and if he as God having come to this world would have faked his temptation, his praying to the Most High and faking his death (because God cannot be tempted nor die) then we would not know the Father.
  If you do not have times of suffering, someone else who may have come to know Jesus by the example of your faith, might also die  but not in their sins when he or she accepted Jesus Christ.  We have to trust in his will and continue spreading the message of Christ, calling people to come to God having Jesus as the way to God, that is faith.  Standing in that hope and knowledge of the love of God towards you is exercising that faith.

  So then the disciples awoke Jesus in some vague hope that he just might be close enough to God to do something. But fear did overcome them and it took until the day that the Holy Spirit came over them before they dared to come out in public again to tell others they were followers of Jesus Christ.

Are you a real follower of Jesus Christ?
Do you dare to tell others that you believe that Jesus is the son of God and not god the son?
do you dare to tell others that you worship the same God that was worshipped by Jesus Christ and his disciples, namely the Only One true God Who is One, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah?

Or is their fear in  you, not willing to admit yet that you believe Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, sent by God?

Or you still in a stadium of being 'in the night before Jesus his execution'?

Celebrations pointing to events of ultimate meaning

Although other holidays sometimes get more attention, Passover and Easter/Pascha are truly the most important times of remembrance and reflection in the corresponding Jewish and Christian faiths. These celebrations point to events of ultimate meaning and call for observers not only to reflect but to prepare.

The name “Easter” is not biblical, so we better let us get that out of the way first, because the Divine Creator wants us to worship Him properly and has given us orders and a set of feasts we should celebrate. We do not to use other day and certainly not days which are connected with false gods.

Easter bunnies and Easter-eggs have nothing to do with Jesus and most of all also nothing to do with God. Easter/Estra “ostara” or “eostre“ comes from the goddess of fertility Eostra, Estra or Esdra and Ishtar the pagan Babylonian and Assyrian deity of fertility and sexuality, later adopted by the Romans, and formally introduced into Christianity by Emperor Constantine. The goddess of fertility was celebrated with elements that showed the fertility and that’s why there are “Easter eggs”, to represent new life.  Instead of the eggs, let’s focus on the real new life.

Little lambs may also present new life, but here the lambs have come in the picture by the event of warning for the Peple of Israel, who had to stroke the blood of the lambs on their doorposts to make sure the wrath of god would not come in their house.

Those who loved the only one God where asked to select lambs and to bring them in the house on the 10th of Nisan for inspection and to slaughter it the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan to roast it, and have it for dinner. When the animal would be stricken in the neck to kill it and to let the blood run out of it, it had to be collected and applied to the wooden doorposts of their houses, using a hyssop branch to apply the blood.  That evening all lovers of God had to stay indoors until God had finished smiting all the firstborn males of any household where there was no lamb’s blood applied, causing the Destroyer to Pass Over those houses.  This is the reason for the name of “Passover”.  That blood was absolutely necessary for the protection of the household.

According to the famous historian, Josephus, the day that Jeshua (Jesus Christ) was put on the stake, there were 250,000 lambs brought into the temple to be sacrificed.  At the conclusion of all the sacrifices, the high priest yelled out “It is finished.”  According to the historical record, it was 3:00 pm.  At that precise moment, Jeshua also yelled out “It is finished”, and died.

After the Egyptian shedding of blood the Pharaoh at last gave in to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Three days the Israelites travelled to the Sea of Reeds, being led to their escape on the third day. And when we look at Christ he was laid in a tomb for three days, and on the third day, he arose from the dead.  In fact, he was seen alive by thousands of eyewitnesses over the next forty days.

When the Exodus happened, God told Moses that the Israelites were to commemorate this Passover event every year, for all generations, and that includes our generation.  We are supposed to commemorate this event — that we are protected from the Destroyer by the blood of the sacrificed Lamb!
Scripture also says that anyone who is not an Israelite, but is a follower of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, must gather together on this day to commemorate the event of Passover.  In fact, this is so important to the heart of God that He commanded that anyone who misses Passover on Nisan 14 must have their commemorative gathering one month later, on the 14th of the next month!

Jesus and his disciples also came together in the upper-room to celebrate Passover. It was there that Jesus took the bread and broke it as a sign of the new covenant and asked his friends to remember that moment. Each follower of Jesus therefore should also remember that special moment and have such memorial meal.

Not all of us may have their own Christian community which celebrate on the by god given days. But today there are more Biblestudents around  and more groups can be found who know about the days of God.

I strongly encourage any one of you who is reading this article to attend a Passover gathering near you, to enjoy the blessings of God that come from participating in this holy celebration.
If you are unable to attend someone else’s hosted gathering, then be sure to gather together as a family, with friends, in your own home, and read the Passover story that begins with Exodus 12.

The Bible does not call Passover a “feast of the Jews” — it is called a “feast of the LORD.” GOD is the host of the party. Be sure to attend HIS party!

This year, Nisan 14 falls on Friday evening, March 30.  If you don’t have a group to celebrate with, consider joining the co-meeting of the Belgian Christadelphians, Belgian Biblestudents and International Biblestudents, their gathering in Mons showing their unity as members of the Body of Christ.
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Find to read:

1. 9 Adar and bickering or loving followers of the Torah preparing for Pesach
2. Preparing for 14 Nisan
3. Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
4. Most important weekend of the year 2016
5. 14-15 Nisan and Easter
6. Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
7. Making sure we express kedusha for 14-16 Nisan
8. The flood, floods and mythic flood stories 2 Mythic theme 1 God or gods warning
9. After darkness a moment of life renewal
10. Objects around the birth and death of Jesus
11. After the Sabbath after Passover, the resurrection of Jesus Christ

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In Dutch 

1. Neem afstand van heidense vastenperiodes
2. 13 Adar opening naar 14 Nisan
3. Vrijdag 3 april 2015 een dag voor verenigde samenkomst ter herinnering
4. Belangrijkste weekend van het jaar 2016
5. Zeven Feesten van God de belangrijkste feesten van de hele Bijbel
6. Fragiliteit en actie #14 Plagen van God
7. Verwaarloosde geboortedag en sterfplaats 1 Rabbijn Jeshua en Romeinse weerstand
8. 2017 Nisan 10, uitkijkend naar 14 Nisan
9. Messiaans Pesach 2017 en verharde harten
10. Na de sabbat na Pesach, de verrijzenis van Jezus Christus

Do you purpose that your mouth will not transgress

When we believe in God and have our heart in the right place we can count on Cod.

Though it is not always clear for us that God might be with us or has abandoned us. Even for Christ Jesus in the hour of his death it was not clear for him that God would still be with him. Naturally if Jesus was God, like so many Christians think, than God would always have been with Him because he himself was God and never had to be afraid of man because they could do God nothing and death also can do nothing to God. But as a real man of flesh and blood Jesus had enough reasons to fear man as well as death.

Coming from the root of King David Jesus also could think of the agony and fear David had gone through his life as well.
Today, reading his 17th psalm we perceive that the more troublesome the circumstances that surrounded him, the closer he came to God. With many other men it is the same. I must agree, also for me, it took two near death experiences before I got such an intimate relationship with God. Before the last terrible accident I was already a believer for years, but at moments had doubts about my faith and about others their belief, like the Trinity, if they would not be right and I be wrong. But in the end God gave me enough answers and got me to belief the non-trinitarian way is the right way.

In today’s Psalm 17 we read King David his prayer,

“13 Arise, O Jehovah, Confront him, cast him down: Deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword; 14 From men by thy hand, O Jehovah, From men of the world, whose portion is in [this] life, And whose belly thou fillest with thy treasure: They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their substance to their babes.” (Psalms 17:13-14 ASV)

At that time also David was able to say that Jehovah, God, had tried his heart. He at that stage knew that God had visited him more than once and had given him more than once signs. There were moments in his life that he ignored those signs. We too sometimes forget God or ignore His directions.

The man of God, David, knows that God has tested him and thinks God will find nothing, but god knows the heart very well and knows our bad and good doings. As any man, David was also fallible and also did some faults, which perhaps seem horrible in our eyes, but god was able to forgive him when David repented. Also when we repent God shall be willing to be close to us and be forgiving.

We have to question ourselves who we want to follow, man and his traditions or God and His ordinances!

Are we willing to do like Jesus and King David, so that we can say like him

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress … by the word of your lips … My steps have held fast to your paths …” (verses 3-5).

 “The word of your lips” is of course, God’s word; God’s words gave David the strength to hold fast to godly ways: but do we use his word today as earnestly as David did then?
David wrote,

“I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God: Incline thine ear unto me, [and] hear my speech.” (Psalms 17:6 ASV)

Are we willing to call onto God? Are we willing and looking forward to such an intimate relationship as David and Jesus had with their heavenly Father?

David established an intimacy in his relationship with his God. What an example this is for us – and we have the wondrous further blessing of a mediator and Saviour!

David next prays,

 “8  Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me under the shadow of thy wings, 9 From the wicked that oppress me, My deadly enemies, that compass me about.” (Psalms 17:8-9 ASV)

Our we willing that Jehovah is with us even at the moments that we might be found in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness (Deuteronomy 32:10) When we prefer to follow Jesus, his teachings and believing his words instead of the doctrines of man, we may be sure that by this son of God we may be blessed and God shall be willing to be merciful and guiding us.

“Jehovah recompense thy work,“How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.” (Psalms 36:7 ASV)

 “«For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.» Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; For my soul taketh refuge in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, Until [these] calamities be overpast.” (Psalms 57:1 ASV)

 “I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever: I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. [[Selah” (Psalms 61:4 ASV)

 “For thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.” (Psalms 63:7 ASV)

 “1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust. 3 For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.” (Psalms 91:1-4 ASV)

 and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:12 ASV)

In God we may trust. Every day of the year god is wiling to hear our call and to be with us. When we are willing to give our heart to Him he shall be there too for us. Doubtless kindness and mercy shall follow.

“Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.” (Psalms 23:6 ASV)

 “One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.” (Psalms 27:4 ASV)

Dare we come close to God, like David and Jesus did? Are we willing to put our will aside, like Jesus did not his own will (which he would have done when he was God) but fulfilled God's Will? Would we love it to be kept as  "the apple of God's eye"?


May our steps hold fast to God’s paths that we may be “willing” as God’s judgements falls on our world, as they fell on Jerusalem long ago. May we, especially at that time, say to our Saviour as David said to God in this Psalm,

 “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence …” (verses 8,9).

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Preceding article: A heart in the right place and brightly burning faith

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Killing Jesus nabbed 3.7 million viewers on opening night — the biggest audience in history for a National Geographic product

Owned by Newscorp National Geographic Channel premiered "Killing Jesus" on Nat Geo MUNDO at the end of March.




In Belgium, the last few days on several television channels people could watch the 3 hours docudrama National Geographic Channel’s adaptation of Bill O’Reilly’s book Killing Jesus.

Adapted from the book by Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, writer Walon Green brings the life of Jesus to life by focusing on his role in the geopolitical landscape of his time: Romans versus Jews, the local Roman leadership (Pontious Pilate played by True Blood star Stephen Moyer), the fallout from John the Baptist’s arrest and execution, and the prevailing tensions within the Jewish power structure.

 
Fox News Channel star O’Reilly wrote Killing Jesus with Martin Dugard. Their two earlier books, Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, also were adapted for NatGeo and had been the two most watched programs in the network’s history until March the 29°s Killing Jesus unveiling. Killing Kennedy nabbed 3.4 million viewers in its November 2013 launch, and Killing Lincoln had clocked 3.35 mil in February 2013. Before the Killing franchise came NatGeo’s way, NatGeo’s largest crowd came way back in August 2005 with Inside 9/11 which had logged an initial 3 mil.

Kelsey Grammer as King Herod the Great; Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilate; Haaz Sleiman in the title role as Jesus; Rufus Sewell as Caiaphas; Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodia; Eoin Macken as Antipas; and John Rhys Davies as Annas could get on March 29 3.7 million viewers across that Sunday night — the biggest audience in history with this product which was hailed by critics as “gritty and moving,” “beautifully subtle,” “compelling” and “thoughtful”. The channel noted that the 8 PM premiere’s 1.0 rating in adults 25-54 is the highest rating for that demo since the net’s November 2013 premiere of O’Reilly’s Killing Kennedy, which clocked a 1.1, and 300% higher than NatGeo’s Sunday 8-11 PM average this calendar year..

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Actions to be a reflection of openness of heart

The people of God heard the words Moses brought to them from the Adonai and they were willing to listen and to take them at heart.

Without a willing mind, costly offerings would be abhorred. With it, the smallest will be accepted. Our hearts are willing, when we cheerfully assist in promoting the truth both by giving our money and our time and our labour. It is up to each individual to decide what he is going to do for God and how much time and money he or she is willing to invest in this God's work. The command, and its fulfilment, was not based on wealth. Nor was the determination of the donation — be it of gold, fabrics or skills — based on what the mind thought would be “appropriate” charity. It was based on each person becoming aware of their spirit and their heart and acting on that awareness.  Thus anyone who attends to his work in the faith and fear of God, may be as wise, for his place, as anyone else, and be equally accepted of the Lord. Our wisdom and duty consist in giving God the glory and use of our talents, be they many or few:

 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1Corinthians 10:31).

Exo 35:20-29 MKJV  And all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.  (21)  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom His spirit made willing. They brought Jehovah's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments.  (22)  And the men came in together with the women, as many as were willing-hearted, bringing bracelets and earrings, and rings and ornaments, all jewels of gold. And everyone who offered waved a wave offering of gold to Jehovah.  (23)  And everyone with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and bleached linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.  (24)  Everyone lifting up an offering of silver and bronze brought Jehovah's offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia-wood for any work of the service, brought it.  (25)  And every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands. And they brought spun yarn, blue, and purple, scarlet, and bleached linen.  (26)  And all the women whose hearts were lifted up in wisdom spun goats' hair.  (27)  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breast-pocket.  (28)  And they brought spice and oil, for the light and for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense.  (29)  The sons of Israel brought a willing offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring for all kinds of work which Jehovah had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

The inhabitants of this world have to choose which world they want to belong to. Each person also has to chose on whose side he or she wants to stand and where to look for wisdom and truth. To come to wisdom and insight there has to be an open mind, willing to look further then the length of the nose and looking beyond the man made dogmas and teachings. That last part is the most difficult. Most people are afraid to set aside the dogmatic teachings, like the teaching of the Holy Trinity.
Most often they want to silence themselves such a tri-une godhead is too difficult to understand for man so it shall only be understood when the Holy Spirit is on man.

As such many Christians keep blinding themselves, not willing to accept the words like they are written down in the Bible. They forget that God commanded each person to search for the truth and to seriously study His Word, being prepared to put aside man's word. Each person has to become aware of their spirit and their heart and acting on that awareness, and God shall consider each person himself or herself responsible for the (man)made choices.

Rabbi Michael Barclay reminds us that in the past each gift was not judged by its financial value, but valued because it was a gift of the heart, a unique expression of that person. According to Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum:

 “The various different physical materials that different men and women had in their possession and contributed for the construction of the Sanctuary correspond to the unique personal attributes and powers possessed by each and every individual.

These days we look at the Book Exodus and at the Book of Proverbs trying to see how God's Wisdom is given free to share with many and enabling to free our minds and souls. coming closer to 14 Nisan we remember the Exodus of God's People. With them we find the story of a journey into freedom, but with freedom comes responsibilities.

We can not ignore how even the People of God once liberated form slavery by Him, dared to doubt Him and even went astray at several moments in their life. From the book Exodus we should hear the clear teaching:

 Each individual must choose to give from the deepest part within themselves in order to achieve God’s goals and obey God’s instructions. There are no statements that one person’s gift is better than another’s, just an instruction that the gifts must be heartfelt. {Building a community on individual effort}

When we look at what happened in Ancient Egypt and later in Jerusalem when the Nazarene Jew Jeshua offered himself as a lamb for the liberation of many,we can see the generosity of two people, one the Most High Divine creator, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, and second His only begotten son, who is called son of man but also son of God.
That man only did what his heavenly Father wanted. He managed to keep doing the Wishes of the Most High. He told people he could do not anything without that God Who is much higher than him.

Joh 14:27-31 MKJV  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (28)  You have heard how I said to you, I go away and I am coming to you again. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I go to the Father, for My Father is greater than I.  (29)  And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you might believe.  (30)  I shall no longer speak many things with you, for the ruler of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me.  (31)  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go away from here.

Today there are still lots of Christians who do not want to believe the words of Christ Jesus and his heavenly Father, what they say about each other, but prefer to keep to the idea of a tri-une god.
They should come to understand that this Jew who said he can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing is the one promised in the Garden of Eden and the one who was tempted, though God can not be tempted, and really died, whilst God can not die.

It is that period of the last hours we are going to 'celebrate' these days and in particular next Friday and Saturday. We do believe that the Nazarene Jeshua, is the one provided by the Elohim to bring a solution against the curse of death. The son of man who is also the son of David and son of Abraham could do only the things he did because God allowed him to do it and gave him the power to do it. For those around Jeshua and for us it should be the sign that God the Father loves this son and shows him everything he does, and will show him greater deeds than these, so that we will be amazed.

We shall read the coming days in the books of the New Testament how Jesus prepared himself to the agony and death he was expecting. We also shall read how he ended up in hell for three days and afterwards was taken up from the dead by his heavenly Father, who made him higher than angels. In that action taken place some 1985 years ago we can see how God raises the dead and gives them life and how in the same manner now life has come over us who want to accept Jesus as the son of God.

We all should also be fully aware how God now has assigned all judgement to the Son, so that all people will honour the son just as they honour the Father. We also should know that the one who does not honour the son does not honour the Father who sent him.

 Joh 5:18-27 MKJV  Then, because of this, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the sabbath, but also said that God was His father, making Himself equal with God.  (19)  Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise.  (20)  For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all the things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may marvel.  (21)  For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son of Man makes alive whomever He wills.  (22)  For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son,  (23)  so that all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  (24)  Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.  (25)  Truly, truly, I say to you, The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live.  (26)  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself,  (27)  and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

Jesus honoured his Father and honoured God His commandments, asking us to do likewise.

Our generosity, especially toward honouring God’s commands, must be determined by what our hearts say, not our minds (which are often concerned with growing assets and eliminating financial debts). All too often, we think about and even “want to” donate something but hesitate because we are scared that ultimately we will “not have enough.” Our minds, busy worrying about the future, often get in the way of what our hearts know is truly righteous. {Building a community on individual effort}

We can hear the words of Jesus and prefer them to place them in the tri-une god dogmatic teaching or can place them like God wants us to see them in the light of the Only One Godship. Having to make the choice to stay popular by man or to become popular by God, honouring the right people in the right concept, worshipping only One True God.

The people who got guided out of Egypt also had to make the right choices and many of them had difficulties to worship the true God all the time.  They who felt the Hand of Salvation by God, even had a moment they came to worship a golden calf.

We, in our generation have not felt the Hand of God like the Jews had felt it. This perhaps makes it more difficult for many to see that Hand of God. Though god has given His Word where in wisdom can be found. We only have to take it up and study it. Reading the words we should come to hear the words and  then we shall have to make the right choices.

In reality, every choice is one between faith and fear, and while our hearts may know that it is right to give of ourselves, our minds sometimes get caught in that fear, and so we don’t follow the deeper parts of ourselves. The teaching in our portion (Exodus 35:21) reminds us to follow our hearts and to give fully … knowing in faith that we are in partnership with God and that our well-being is always in God’s hands. {Building a community on individual effort}

Ben Azzai in Pirkei Avot 4:3 says:

“Do not regard anyone with contempt, and do not reject anything, for there is no man who does not have his hour and nothing which does not have its place.”

The portion, as well as the words of Ben Azzai, also reminds us to honour the honest gift of each person.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all judged each other with the same standards that God demonstrates in this part of the Torah? If, rather than glorifying someone who gives a lot of money to their temple and degrading someone who gives less — or worse, trying to shame them into giving more — we chose to look at whether the gift was a reflection of the person’s spirit and heart. If we valued the volunteer who helps set up and take down services and does it from their heart, as highly as we valued the financial donor? If we followed this simple instruction of respecting and treasuring each person and their individual gifts, how much more full would our communities be?  {Building a community on individual effort}

The month Nisan is the first of the Judaic religious year and should also be our first month of the year were we think to start a new or make some good intentions again. It is a point were we should reconsider how we treated everybody last year and how we should treat everybody in the future.

How much more welcoming and healthy would our communities be if we truly honoured each person for their own uniqueness, special qualities and expressions? {Building a community on individual effort}

Freedom itself is a Divine gift. This week’s portion reminds us to truly open our hearts and let our actions be a reflection of that openness — to respect each individual for their unique gifts and to embrace the results of more participation in all ways. {Building a community on individual effort}

Open hearts, action and true respect. Isn’t that what defines a healthy community?

May we all be blessed to build our own communities with the same integrity and passion as our ancestors, and to reap the blessings God provides as a result. {Building a community on individual effort}

Jesus asked us to become part of his body. With him we should all gather in unity trying to exhort each other and helping each-other to get more insight and wisdom.

++

Find also to read:

1. Hearing words to accept
2. Looking for wisdom not departing from God’s Word
3. Increased in wisdom in favour with God
4. Fools despise wisdom and instruction
5. We may not be ignorant to get wisdom

 +++

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Renewed Catholic-Jewish relations still with a blemish

It is a good sign we may find some trials of the new pope, Francis I, to bring the monotheist faithgroups Jews Christians and Muslims closer to each other again.

The Jews of Antwerpen (Photo credit: CharlesFred)

Catholic-Jewish relations for sure need some boost now we can see many fundamentalist groups trying to undermine such relations and trying to bring more extreme right-wing thoughts in the forefront. In Western Europe we might see again a growing anti-Semitism and a growing hate against Muslims. That hate is mostly triggered by fundamentalist faith-groups giving their 'religion' a bad name.

The world should always remember that the minority faith where people only wanted to honour Only One God Who created heaven and earth, suffered centuries of persecution. The world was warned already in the old days, many centuries before Jesus was born, that those people were the chosen people of God, but would also have to suffer much because of their choice. Also Jeshua, the Nazarene Jew warned his followers they should know when they would like to follow him, they would be a target of spot and bullying. Followers of Christ would in case they originally did not belong to the People Israel, also be taken up in the Family of God. But that would mean they also as part of the Body of Christ, would be part of God's people and would have to suffer likewise. though they may become protected more than those who did not accept the Messiah.

The Jews would have to live in ghettos and face the horrors of the Holocaust. Christians were persecuted but Jews were more and still are persecuted and shunned.

It is a pity the Jews have one distorted picture of the Christians, because they always see the majority of them being Trinitarians often raging against Jews. It is true when they say Christianity began as an offshoot of Judaism, because Jeshua (Jesus Christ) was a Jew, who never intended to make an other religion. After the church leaders of followers of that Jew made a bond with the men in power they took on the Greek-roman cultur with its many gods and holy days. they made Jeshua part of a three-une god like in the pagan cultures and as one bigger group they formed Christendom that became the main religion across Europe. It was that group which treated the tiny minority that did not follow Jesus as a tri-une god with persecution, exclusion and expulsion. Many Christians and Jews found their death as other people who did not want to confirm to the doctrines of that church.

Archbishop Angelo Roncalliin Worl War II was using his wartime post as Vatican ambassador in Istanbul to run a network of nuns, diplomats and other people to issue forged visas and baptismal and immigration certificates to Jews from the Balkans to get them to Turkey and then to British-mandate Palestine.
Later as Pope John XXIII he modernised the Roman Catholic Church at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), whose landmark document "Nostra Aetate" (In Our Times) repudiated the 2,000-year-old concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus.

Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Inter-religious Affairs of American Jewish Committee, said:

"Nostra Aetate ushered in amazing changes in Catholic-Jewish relations around the world, even if the degree to which it was internalized depended on whether Catholics and Jews lived side by side." 

Today we can see a lesser nice site of that Roman Catholic Church which got several of its members really helping Jews out of love for the children of God. But some of them also could have taken action and used the situation to 'win more souls' for the 'good faith'.

Harold Pollack writes:

A great many individual Catholics, priests, nuns, bishops, and others acted heroically to save Jews and to oppose Hitler. To pick one example among many, Archbishop Jean-Geraud Saliege of Toulouse bluntly declared that ”the Jews are our brothers, like so many others, and no Christian can forget this fact.” The Archbishop said this from the pulpit, in 1942, in the middle of occupied Europe. He was not alone in such heroism.

Unfortunately, as an institution the Catholic Church, particularly Pope Pius XII, spectacularly failed. The Church bears general responsibility and (in many cases) specific guilt both its failure to intervene and for particular actions taken against Jews.

Not many Catholics shamed themselves for certain actions taken by their church against people of other faiths. Several Roman Catholics became right wing fighters against those who did not want to come to the real faith of the god son Jesus. All others where considered blasphemous, and the Jews traitors to God. Many in charge of that Roman Catholic Church did not want to react against the way some of their flock were thinking. For years the West could see what was going on in Germany, but not many reacted against the genocide taking place.

Pope Pius XII called Pastor Angelicus, was the most Marian Pope in Church history. Bäumer, Marienlexikon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As head of the Chruch you would think Popes Pius XI and Pius XII could do something against the Nazi doctrine, but they failed to plainly condemn Nazism and specific genocide against Jews (and others). From historical sources we know that diplomats representing France, Poland, Brazil, the United States, and Britain approached the Vatican more than once with the request that the Pope specifically denounce Nazi crimes against Jews. British diplomat Francis D’Arcy Osborne, wrote:

A policy of silence in regard to such offences against the conscience of the world must necessarily involve a renunciation of moral leadership and a consequent atrophy of the influence and authority of the Vatican…

Terrible was it when after the war the Catholic Church did not enough to bring the Jewish kids back to their family or did not allow them to keep their faith. Instead they tried to keep them away from their faith.

Harold Pollack  in his article The Pope at Yad Vashem writes:

Some misdeeds continued beyond the war. Jewish children were hidden in Catholic homes or religious institutions during the war. When children were baptized, the Church sometimes deliberately obstructed their return to surviving Jewish relatives. As one notorious 1946 memorandum directed:

1) Avoid, as much as possible, responding in writing to Jewish authorities, but rather do it orally.

2) Each time a response is necessary, it is necessary to say that the Church must conduct investigations in order to study each case individually.

3) Children who have been baptized must not be entrusted to institutions that would not be in a position to guarantee their Christian upbringing.

4) For children who no longer have their parents, given the fact that the Church has responsibility for them, it is not acceptable for them to be abandoned by the Church or entrusted to any persons who have no rights over them, at least until they are in a position to choose themselves. This, evidently, is for children who would not have been baptized.

5) If the children have been turned over by their parents, and if the parents reclaim them now, providing that the children have not received baptism they can be given back.

It is to be noted that this decision of the Holy Congregation of the Holy Office has been approved by the Holy Father.

This stain can not be wiped out. It is a blot on the Roman Catholic Church its escutcheon. Trying to keep the children away from their original family and original faith, this intentionally done, is a sin. You may say the Church had a responsibility to those who it could save from the horror of the Nazi's, but it did not give them the right to take away all the grounds to restore their original faith.

To claim those children who lost their family and who were baptised, was not respecting the will of the deceased family members. The parents would have loved to see their children saved in the faith, not given them over to an other religious group to have them unwillingly be reformed in that other faith.

Naturally it would be wrong to take Pope Francis I accountable for what happened in the 1930s -1960s. He bears no personal stain for actions undertaken almost seventy years ago.

Some Christians do not seem to like what he is doing the last few weeks, which shows how there are still too many Christians who do not want to see their connection with the Jews, and how many still consider a whole people guilty for what some of their folks did. It would be the same as the Jews would consider all Christians guilty for killing so many Jews. The same with the Muslims, too many Christian are generalising the Islamic community, equalising them all with those lunatic fundamentalists. You also could say it would be the same if we all would consider the Christians on the same line as some freaky fundamentalist Christians like the Westboro Church a.o.

We should welcome Pope Francis I his efforts to helpfully mediate the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis even at a time when still a debt remains unacknowledged and unpaid.

Rabbi David Rosen, the American Jewish Committee’s director of international interreligious affairs and former head of the IJCIC, welcomed the Pope’s speech as conciliatory.

“Pope Francis is a very good friend of the Jewish people, and we rejoice in the fact that he will continue to advance the path of his predecessors in deepening the Catholic-Jewish relationship.”

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