Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken

Tol’dot, Toldos, or Tol’doth 

תּוֹלְדֹת 

Hebrew for generations, ancestors or descendants,

Strong’s Hebrew: 8435.

תּוֹלְדוֹת (toledoth) — generations

our Toldot are our ancestors our previous generations.

They are our Avot: forefathers, fathers or ancestors.

אבות

The opening blessing of the T’filah/prayer, is called

Avot v’Imahot,

which literally means

Fathers and Mothers.

The blessing connects us with the patriarchs:

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ;

and the matriarchs:

or imahot (אמהות) in Hebrew,

refers to the Torah ’s four foundational women:

Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

Below In Hebrew:

Rachel, Leah, Rebecca and Sarah.

רחל לאה רבקה שרה מהתנ”ך

I am the root and offspring of David, and the star, the bright, the morning (star).

He is David’s Lord and David’s Son, possessing David’s throne Matthew 22:42-45; Luke 1:32 ;

He is the bright star which leads up the dawn of everlasting day Malachi 4:2; 2Peter 1:19 

שֶׁרֶשׁ

shoresh: a root

8328 Original Word: שֶׁרֶשׁ
Transliteration: shoresh
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh’-resh)

The certainty of final triumph for all mankind rests on the fact of its intimate relationship with Yeshua/Jesus which is only found in a vital union with Him.

These titles imply the entire identification of humanity with Messiah.

Jesus/Yeshua, declared Himself to be the fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah would come:

John 6:25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” 26 Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.

Another translation says:

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus answered “I am he, the one who is speaking to you”

and,

 not only is He the promised descendant or

Offspring of David,

but that He is the eternal source or

The Root of David. 

Yeshua/Jesus is not only the Offspring of David,

He also is his Root.

The Root is that which,

hidden from sight,

is

the SPRING and origin of life/chaim

to trees and herbs

and

countless OFFSPRING

of the garden and the plain.

Thus Yeshua/Jesus is the

cause of life/chaim

to David.

I am the root of David

that is, 

David sprang from Him.

That is a title of deity

I am the ROOT of David.

David came into existence

through

the omnipotent power of Yeshua/Jesus.

I was before all things…

Colossians 1:17

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Before Abraham was I am

The ancient Hebrew form for

I am

is

ehyeh.

אני כן.

אָנֹכִי

anoki: I

Original Word: אָנֹכִי

Transliteration: anoki
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-no-kee’)

Strongs#595

anokhi elohim – I AM GOD.

In the word anokhi

ani is the common Hebrew pronoun for I.

Adding khi makes the word a very definite, deliberate action.

It means Because I AM

and the word elohim meaning God. 

JOHN 8:56-59 56 “ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Some say that the words

I AM

is the divine name of God

of which Yeshau/Jesus attributed to Himself.

John 8:58

The context of the passage for which Yeshua/Jesus was answering points to the fact that He was speaking about

His existence,

NOT

His name,

which is in reference to the words

Before Abraham.

 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Luke 24:44

Proverbs 8:22-31. 22 “I, wisdom, was with the Lord when he began his work, long before he made anything else. 23 I was created in the very beginning, even before the world began. 25 before the hills were there, before the mountains were put in place.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Genealogy has become a popular hobby as we try to find out where we come from. Most know their immediate family members but after grandparents, things often get cloudy and memories fail and so we lose the connections to our ancestors.

In Hebrew those who were to become priests had to have documents as proof of their being qualified to be accepted into the priesthood.

It was all about lineage from acceptable tribes that God had begun with Moses and the Levites from the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel.

This is why in Matthew and Luke the first chapters have the genealogy of Jesus clearly stated. He was to become our high priest and the Toldot was of critical importance.

Kohen · Recognition of priestly descent. 

There were other qualifications for becoming High Priest other than heredity. Although the age of eligibility is not fixed in the Bible, according to rabbinical tradition it was twenty years old 2Chronicles 31:17.

The man considered for the office of High Priest must be married, and his wife must be an Israelite maiden

Leviticus 21:13 – 14.

The priesthood of ancient Israel was the class of male individuals, who, according to the Hebrew Bible, were descendants from Aaron, who served in the Tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple and Second Temple until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Their temple role included animal sacrifice.

The priests are viewed as continuing in the Kohen families of rabbinical Judaism. 

We often skimmed through or

even pass over reading the list of the begats

and yet… within this list are

five chosen specifically by God

in a line unbroken

in the root and offspring of David.

This is not a comprehensive in depth study but rather an overview of Mary as being 1 of the 5 connected by their Toldot.

These who came before Him were also born of woman.

The racham/womb was essential

even though the fathers were listed.

click link for more on the racham:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-season-of-our-hiding/

From Genesis, God refers to the seed of the woman, not the man, who is the one crushing the seed of the serpent.

No doubt this is why women have had such a rough deal through the millenia; the seed of the serpent hates her because she is the agent of his demise!!

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your seed and

her seed/zera.

He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

This was the first announcement of the gospel.

This is the first prophecy about the Messiah (Christ), who through His death on the cross and resurrection would ultimately defeat Satan, the power behind the serpent, with a death blow.

The Lord Jesus/Yeshua is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but He is also the Root of David (Isaiah 11:1 and 10).

Yeshua the Messiah is in absolute control. The title/the Root, or descendant, of David comes from a prophecy in 2Samuel 7:5-16, the chapter of God’s covenant with David, where ADONAI said:

Your house and your kingdom will last forever before Me; your throne will be established forever.

The Bible is over 95% male-oriented. Of 1,426 names in the Bible only 111 names are women’s. … Mary of Nazareth, however, is among the women most mentioned in the Bible, that is, in the New Testament./B’rit Chadashah

חֲדָשָׁה  בְּרִית

The Brit Chadasha, like the Tanakh, is a collection of writings (27 in total) all authored by devout Jews (with the possible exception of Luke/Acts).

But it is essential that everyone comes as a child through a womb. Just as Jesus/Yeshua also came through a womb to enter this realm; and the seed was from above the womb from below.

Heaven and earth joined and brought forth a child who would be our agent of salvation.

From the realms of unapproachable light, God sent Gabriel His angelic messenger with a message specifically to the children of Israel.

The Toldot of Jesus/Yeshua is clearly listed and within the list are five Rechem/ wombs that were essential in His Toldot.

Because it is the season when many think of His birth, we will first look at His mother whose Rechem carried Him while His physical body developed.

The word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Because so much unscriptural doctrine revolves around Mary it is important to examine the scriptures carefully to avoid being misled.

Initially lets discard some traditions of men, some church folklore and other misconceptions that have gathered around Mary over the generations/Toldot.

Mary was called Miriam/Maryam/Miryam in Hebrew

and she was not Catholic.

Catholicism was rooted in Roman Christianity which began much later.

The official beginning of the Roman Catholic church occurred in 590 CE, with Pope Gregory I. This time marked the consolidated of lands controlled by authority of the pope, and thus the church’s power, into what would later be known as ” the Papal States.”

Christians started the church in Rome almost certainly by AD 50. Paul visited the well-established church in AD 63. The Roman Catholic Church can trace its roots all the way back to the original Christian church in Rome.

In fact all denominations have their roots back there…

 

The scriptures do not tell us that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life; nor that she was herself coming from an immaculate conception. There is no scripture that says she was raptured into heaven without dying; or that she has any part in the process of salvation for the humanity of the world. Nothing in the Jewish/Hebrew prophets point to anyone other than Jesus/Yeshua becoming flesh to save and redeem humanity from sin.

As the Scriptures tell us, Mary/Miriam like every other human being was born in sin. Romans 3:23

Mary did not have any god-like qualities placed upon her at her death, and we are to pray to the Father in Jesus/Yeshua Name according to the scripture.

Matthew 14:19.

Praying directly to God the Father in the name of Yeshua/Jesus, means you recognize and realize that it is only through Yeshua/Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross,  that we now have direct access to both Him and His Father in heaven.

And Him only are we to worship. No one else can hear and answer prayers. Matthew 22:37

It was important that Jesus/Yeshua be known as the legitimate son of Joseph and Mary because through Joseph He came the right to David’s throne.

In Mary’s day there were Jews and Gentiles, pagans and heathens who worshipped idols. Mary/Miriam was Jewish and for centuries Israel had waited for the redeemer spoken of by the prophets.

It is probably true to say that many Jewish women desired to be that ONE; even maybe prayed to be the chosen vessel. It was part of their faith, culture and belief system. It was not an unknown possibility/ and they believed that prophecy would be fulfilled one day. Luke 1:28

Then it happened God sent Gabriel to Nazareth to a young woman whose faith was noticed and whose Royal lineage made her the perfect vessel/racham/womb, for the Masters use.

The announcement Gabriel made and her response was indicative that she was willing, available and spiritually prepared to fulfill her destiny; and the reason she had been born/ sent here at that time. Just as Esther and ourselves, who knows but that we are come into the kingdom for such a time as this.

Mary was a direct descendent of King David through Bathsheba’s son Nathan from the tribe of Judah.

Nathan means to give.

One view of the lineage recorded in Luke is that it is referring to Mary.

Mary’s husband Joseph was descended from David and Bathsheba’s son Solomon. 

Caesar Augustus decreed that people were to return to their ancestral homes for taxation purposes, Mary and Joseph have to Bethlehem which was David’s Home town. 1Samuel 16:1, 4

for more on ketubah and wedding at Cana click link below

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-miracle-in-time/

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-hidden-mystery-of-the-kallah/

Thousands of years had already passed since the Lord had promised to send the redeemer through the seed of a woman to crush the head of Satan. Genesis 3:15

The unfolding of biblical prophecy revealed the promise coming to a female descendent of David who would fulfill three things:

one she would be a virgin Isaiah 7:14

Second she would bear a son verse 14; and

thirdly she would give birth to that son in Bethlehem, Ephrathah Micah 5:2

 

Mary’s husband had to be of David’s Line, so that they would be in Bethlehem for the census and birth to fulfill prophecy.

Who Was Mary? Historically, little is known about Mary’s background, but we know she was of the tribe of Judah and the line of King David (Luke 1:32).

We are told that Mary was a 1st-century Galilean Jewish peasant woman from Nazareth; where she lived before her marriage. She became the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus/Yeshua.

Mary was the daughter of Joachim and Anna, and she’s first mentioned by name in Matthew’s Gospel. She was an ordinary woman, and her name was common enough that other women of the same name in the gospel, had to be distinguished by their relatives or their place of origin.

Though she was of nobility, being in the line of King David, the family had lost all its status because of the years of Israel’s captivity and years of foreign domination.

From tradition we can assume that she grew up as a young Jewish girl in a small town in the Palestinian Galilee. Because Mary was born into Judaism, she would have experienced the Hebrew Scriptures both in her prayer and her way of life as a woman living in Nazareth. As a girl, Mary’s education would have included listening to the readings of the Torah and the Prophets in the synagogue. We cannot be certain, however, it’s possible that Mary knew how to read and based on the knowledge found in the Scriptures of Mary’s character, there is little doubt that she came from a godly Jewish home.

In the time period that Mary lived, girls were not always trained in the Holy Scriptures, but were trained mainly to run the home; however, it would seem Mary had training in the Scriptures which is obvious by her praise of God in her Magnificat in Luke 1:47-55, showing that  Mary was well-versed in the Scriptures and had hidden portions of it in her heart.

Although women probably were seated separately from men during synagogue services, they could have learned the prayers and listened to the readings from the Tenach. … There is no reason to suggest that Mary wasn’t present when Yeshua/Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, maybe even wondering about the Messianic implications of certain passages?

 Every Jewish girl was a minor until the completion of her 11th year and from her 12th birthday, she was considered to be of age.

That meant that from that day forward, Mary was expected to keep those parts of the Torah, which were specific to women; It also  that she had became eligible for marriage.

She would have surely been submissive, and obedient to her earthly parents’ wishes. So, when she was about 14, and her parents promised her to a man of their choosing, she accepted their decision, having little choice of the arranged marriage which was normal in their culture.  

 It was probably around that time that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, which generally lasted a year. We know that Gabriels visit occurred during this time.

God had communicated to women previously, as recorded in the scriptures concerning the mothers of Samuel and Samson. When God desired to make a Covenant with humanity, He had only spoken to men; examples: Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

At the beginning of the New Covenant, which was to be eternal and irrevocable, He chooses a woman: Mary/Miryam who was a virgin living in Nazareth.

Luke 1:35 details her conversation with the angel Gabriel concerning her calling to bear the Messiah. Mary was related to Elizabeth who confirmed the words of Gabriel to Mary when she went to stay with her and Zacharias.

So many of the pictures we see show Joseph as being an older man  but, we really don’t know as there is no reference in the Scriptures. Bible scholars have put Marys age at between 14 and 16 and as mentioned earlier, as was the culture, it is believed that Mary was quite young when she married. Most Israelite boys at that time married in their late teens. According to The Handbook of Life in Bible Times, by J.A. Thompson, rabbis had set the minimum age for marriage at 12 for girl, so Mary was likely a young adolescent.

Mary clearly knew the Hebrew Scriptures and believed them.

Both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts show that Joseph and Mary were faithful observers of the law in the Hebrew scriptures.

However in Luke 1:29 it says that she was troubled/ when she saw the angel.

It’s not surprising that she was alarmed for it was well known before the angel appeared to Zacharias 6 months previously, while he was attending his priestly duties; she would have known that there had been no prophet in Israel, no prophetic vision or utterance for 400 years. God had been silent for a long time.

Again no wonder she was surprised when Gabriel told her that her son would reestablish the Israelites kingdom on reign on David’s throne forever; and furthermore that He would be the messianic hope that her people had clung onto since the days of the patriarchs!

She asks how it can happen and  Gabriel tells her Ruach haKodesh/ Holy Spirit would overshadow her, verse 35.  The words she spoke following this declaration, showed her unshakable faith and trust in the God of Israel.

v 38. Lets it be done unto me according to your word.

The One who called her His most beloved, is Love Himself.

Mary learned that she is loved for who she is and not for what she can do and this awareness leads her to identify herself as the handmaid of the Lord; and compelled her to embrace the task and destiny given to her. Mary completely entrusted herself to God submitting both her intellect and will, showing faithful obedience to the One who spoke to her through Gabriel. 

The previously mentioned Zechariah was married to Elizabeth, Mary’s elderly cousin who lived in the hill country of Judea she was at that time 6 months pregnant with John.

When Mary arrived and Elizabeth heard her greeting, the baby within her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:41, 43, 45

No doubt Mary was encouraged by Elizabeth reaction and surely it confirmed the message Gabriel wrote to her. It is significant that Elizabeth called Mary

the mother of my Lord

that had to be Holy Spirit within her telling her such an amazing thing.

The verses 46 to 55 is Mary’s response and from the first word of the Latin translation is known as the Magnificat. It is Mary’s declaration of her faith and unconditional love for the Lord; which include at least 15 references from the Hebrew Scriptures the Old Testament/tenach, obviously because the New Testament had not yet been written.

 Her song also bears a striking resemblance to Hannah’s famous prayer 1Sam. 2:1-10. Now, she would become part of the fulfillment of God’s ultimate plan. 

He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. Luke 1:54-55 .

Mary had other children after Jesus/Yeshua Scripture tells us verses 55 and 56 and also the references to Jesus brothers and sisters.

His parentage was not an issue

13:54 – 55 is this not the Carpenters son

Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ They were deeply offended and refused to believe him. Mark 6:3.

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers Acts 1:14.

Miriam was the most recent (2000yrs ago) of

Five Chosen In An Unbroken Line

of Toldot – Generations.

Although Joseph was with her as they witnessed His birth, she was the only person that was present as Messiah took His first breath on this earth and she also saw Him breath His last.

Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Aramaic Bible in Plain English “And a lance will pass through into your soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed

Luke 2:35

Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. john 19:25.

Mary was a woman who was blessed by God.

Though she seemingly had nothing to offer, she was chosen by God Himself to be a part of His plan of redemption of mankind.

She was young, poor, and unknown. She had never been a mother, she possessed no wealth or family inheritance, and she boasted no fame or social status; and yet she has been honored throughout the last 2000+ years of history for her faithful obedience to God.

Mary was a mother to Yeshua/Jesus for the thirty years that He lived with her their Nazareth home.

Mary loved and nurtured Yeshua/Jesus as He grew into manhood. She did all the things a devoted mother did for the son she new was no ordinary man.

Mary did not offer her Son earthly wealth or success. It would appear that the family was poor because when they went to the Temple to present Him to the Lord, they only offered a pair pigeons which was the offering of the poor.

She endured a forced exile in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) yet Mary had so much to give Yeshua/Jesus, gifts of greater value than worldly material things.

 She gave Him birth and along with Joseph, gave Him a home with a purity of heart, obedience, and love.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4. There, Paul says that God’s son was “born of a woman, born under the law.”

The phrase,

genomenon ek gynaikos, ‘born of a woman’,

is a frequently used Jewish expression to designate a person’s human condition. It reflects

ādām yělûd ‘iššāh of Job 14:1 

a human being (that is) born of a woman …

אִשָּׁ֑ה. יְל֣וּד אָ֭דָם

this significantly refers to Genesis 3:15

with words of

the Proto-evangelium

She is that woman who was present in the miraculous unfolding

of the long awaited plan of salvation….

which marks the fullness of time:

this event is realized

in her

and

through her womb

Mariam–The picture that emerges through the Gospels is at times powerful and detailed.

She celebrates.

She suffers.

She observes.

She prays.

She treasures things in her heart and reflects on them.

From the time the shepherds’ visit the ‘babe lying in the manger’, Mary as a woman of Israel and daughter of Zion must have remembered and ponders over the words and events of God.

in Luke the Greek word symballousa used of her means:

to turn over and over again in one’s mind and heart in order to face what is happening either through life’s experiences or God’s revelation.

in those days a Jewish woman faithful to the law did not participate in public life. No doubt even her chin was covered by the veil, which she wore so that none of her traits were distinguished. The fact that in Mark’s Gospel, Mary is searching for Jesus/Yeshua, and is familiar with His whereabouts could lead to an almost certain conclusion that she is then a widow and has possession of all that Joseph owned.

Mary was, for Yeshua/Jesus, what every Jewish mother was supposed to be for her child; and while Joseph was alive Mary apparently went with Him to Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

Mary’s last appearance is found in Acts 1:14.

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

We see her in the midst of the Apostles/Disciples in the Upper Room, prayerfully waiting for the gift of RuachHaKoesh/Holy Spirit. To the ecclesia of that time, Mary was a living witness to Yeshua/Jesus’ childhood and hidden years of life in Nazareth and  now she can share what she has kept and pondered in her heart.

The Mother of Yeshua/Jesus did not need a miracle to strengthen her faith. From her Son’s word in Cana which was the first of His miracles, she showed her faith. when in a way, she was part of the beginning of the signs which revealed His messianic power to perform miracles.

The meaning of Mary at Cana is fully revealed when His Mother stands near the cross and hears Him say:

Woman, there is your Son. Jn 19:26.

This means more than the simple fact that the dying Yesua/Jesus was providing for His Mother’s care. … 

Mary on Calvary could be said to symbolize …

the new Israel,

the new People of God,

the mother of all men both Jew and Gentile.

and it also included her deep sorrow of the Mother who through faith shared in the amazing mystery of her Son

who emptied Himself…

this is perhaps the most profound example of faith in human history.

Both times, at the beginning and at the end of His public life and ministry, Yeshua/Jesus addresses her as woman.

The words of Yeshua/Jesus to His Mother, 

Woman, how does this concern of yours involve me? My hour has not yet come,

Spoken at Cana, they were an invitation to deepen her faith, to look beyond the need of wine at a wedding and towards His messianic destiny … no sign was ever done to help Mary believe that we know of. Truly the Mother of Yeshua/Jesus, did not require a miracle to strengthen her faith.

Although Miryam was the last of the 5 in the line she merits a first mention for without her there would be no gospel to share and no salvation for anyone!

She showed her faith by simply saying

Whatever He tells you do it..

She had faith in Her Son and His Word…

and so must we! 

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:7-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

The Almah Miriams and A Place At The Table

Some intriguing facts about people and places connected with this season of His appointed times:

The very first time Almah – עַלְמָה – almāh, is seen is in the Torah

Hebrew: תּוֹרָה, Direction, Instruction, Teaching or Law. (Pronounced:to-raw‘).

Strongs 8451: Acquired knowledge or skills that mark the direction one is to take in life.

A straight direction.

Knowledge passed from one person to another.

It is found in The Book of Exodus

(i.e., Sefer Shemot [סֵפֶר שְׁמוֹת])

שְׁמוֹת   Shemot, Shemoth, or Shemos (שְׁמוֹת — Hebrew for Names, in the Old Testament in the Tenakh.

The Tanakh (Hebrew: תַּנַ”ךְ‎, pronounced [taˈnaχ] or [təˈnax]; TaNaKh also Tenakh, Tenak, Tanach) ) is the canonical collection of Jewish texts, it is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible, which is also the textual source for the Christian Old Testament.

The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra.

The Greek translation of the Hebrew (the Septuagint) (Kitvei HaKodesh

Some Jews refer to the entire Hebrew Bible (Kitvei HaKodesh) simply as the Torah without making the distinction of the divisions shown above.

Though the Christian Old Testament is the result of the canonization of the Jewish scriptures, the order of the books in the Tanakh is not identical to the Christian Old Testament (though the content is the same, the chapter and verse references are not).

כתבי הקדשׁ  – Kitvei HaKadosh – The Hebrew Scriptures

Almah is a Hebrew word – עַלְמָה – for virgin.

Almah (עַלְמָה ‘almāh, plural: עֲלָמוֹת ‘ălāmōṯ), from a root implying the vigour of adolescence and puberty.

It is a Hebrew word for a young woman of childbearing age. … Etymologically, the meaning of the word almah is derived from the verb almah, to hide, or to conceal which helps to support the virgin interpretation.  Being careful here in connecting the concept of being hidden with that of being a virgin, especially since some of the almah’s in the bible went about freely in public and were anything but hidden (Gen 24:43 and Psalm 68:25 -26).

Almah definition, (in Egypt) a woman or girl who dances or sings professionally.

In the second book of Torah in Exodus. Shemot – שְׁמוֹת ….

is the story of a young maiden, Miriam/Mary who was the one who watched over the baby Moses in his box/ark as he floated down the Nile River towards his destiny as a Redeemer of Israel; their mother having set him afloat so he would not be killed by Pharaoh’s servants and soldiers.

This occurred not long after Pharaoh decreed that all newborn Hebrew boys were to be drowned in the Nile river. Previous to this, Miriam’s mother, Yocheved, had hidden Miriam’s infant brother, Moses, for three months.

Miryam watches as Pharaoh’s daughter finds the basket.

Ex. 2:5 And the girl went and got the baby Moses’ birth mother, Jochebed, Pharaoh’s daughter Batya said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took and the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

Almah is also found in Isaiah 7 where the prophetic word states that an Almah will conceive and bring forth a child.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin (almah) will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

This Messianic prophecy is further complemented by a description of this same child found in Isaiah 9:6 which reconfirms the name Immanuel. The Septuagint (Greek copy of the Old Testament) chose the specific Greek word for virgin in this same Isaiah 7:14 prophecy many years before Yeshua/Jesus was born. In the New Testament, Matthew 1:18-23 confirms that Yeshua/Jesus, The Messiah, was the one foretold about in Isaiah 7:14.

Gen 24:43, here “almah” refers to Rebekah, a virgin.

Exodus 2:8, here almah is used to describe Moses’ s young sister, a young girl who is likely a virgin.

Song of Solomon 6:8, classifies Solomon’s women into three categories: wives, concubines and virgins. If they were not virgins, they would be concubines, suggesting almah means virgin.(4)

Scriptures of interest include:

Psalm 68:25, Song of Solomon 1:3, Proverbs 30:19 and Isaiah 9:6.

The Hebrew word almah is not used to describe a virgin 100 percent of the time however, it may have been the best choice in Hebrew and Greek wording.

 All believers understand that this prophecy tells of the virgin (almah) birth of our Messiah Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach. Complemented with Isaiah 9:6 which is a further description of this child, including His divine attributes, it fits perfectly with the child’s name/title here, Immanuel (God is with us).

https://www.minimannamoments.com/is-el-eem-anu/

True biblical prophecy works together with other areas of scripture, meaning words in scripture support scripture.

This child’s birthplace can be found in Micah 5:2

A ruler out of Bethlehem, this child’s name/title can be found here in Isaiah 7:14 (Immanuel).

His divine attributes are found in Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 43:11.

The time of his death is found in Daniel 9:24 – 27.

His resurrection is found in psalm 16. 

His return to earth (second coming) is found in 12:10 where Israel will look upon the one that is pierced which is further supported in Zechariah 14: 1-7 which brings Daniel’s 70th week (see Daniel 9:24-27) prophecy to an end.

All of these prophecies work together and no one prophecy needs to stand alone.

Some other Marys Almahs and Miryams

John tells us that early on the first day of the week, (Feast of Firstfruits) while it was still dark,

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

” Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.”

John: 20:1

The first people to the tomb were women and 2 out of the 3 of them were called Mary. However all 3 may have been called Mary according to Mark 16:1 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and {Mary} Salome went to the tomb.

Mary, (Hebrew Miryam), was one of the most common women’s names in New Testament times, and so it is not surprising that the crucifixion and resurrection narratives seem to speak of as many as five separate Marys.

As we all know the mother of Jesus/Yeshua was also called Mary (Hebrew Miryam); who, John tells us in 19:25, was at the cross with Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  ‘standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.’

Mary is pronounced MARE-ee. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Mary is “star of the sea”.

Other possible meanings from the Hebrew are:

wished-for child;

rebellion;

sea of bitterness.

Another meaning of Miriam is “Mistress of the Sea”. Keeping in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages.

Transliteration: Miryam

Original Word: מִרְיָם

The name Maria (or Mary) is the Greek transliteration of an older version of the name Mary from the Hebrew name Miriam, the name Mareike means: Bitter or Sea, the same as Maria in Dutch.

The young woman in the exodus story was Mary/Miriam. רְיָםמִ strongs 4813 Miryam a sister of Aaron and Moses pronounced MEER-ee-em.

Most scholars derive the name Miriam from the verb מרה (mara) meaning to be bitter, rebellious or disobedient.

Strongs 4755 Mara מָרָא (pronounced MAHR-ah – maw-raw’) Mara: “bitter,” symbolic name of Naomi MARA. ma’-ra, mar’-a (marah, “bitter”): The term which Naomi applies to herself on her return from Moab to her native country.

Phonetic Spelling: (meer-yawm’)

Word Origin rom the same as Merayah

Original Word: מְרָיָה

Transliteration: Merayah

Phonetic Spelling: (mer-aw-yaw’)

Waters of bitterness or sorrow

Exodus 15:20. Miriam the prophetess — ΄αριαμ in the Greek, in the Latin Maria, from the Hebrew word מרה marah, bitterness. She was so called, say some, from the times of affliction and bitterness, (Exodus 1:14.) in which she was born.

There are several meanings behind the name Miriam, spelled ‘mem’, ‘reish/resh’, ‘yud/yod’, ‘mem’ in Hebrew (מִרְיָם),

Various Jewish sources relate to either bitter, water, rebellion or elevation.

One meaning is based on the letters ‘mem’, ‘reish’ of her name spelling “mar” (מר) which means “bitter”. This connotes the fact that Miriam was born during the beginning of Pharaoh’s bitter decrees as in the verse, “And the [Egyptians] embittered [the Jews’] lives with hard labor.

However, another meaning of mar (מר) is water as in the verse, “The nations are as a drop of water (c’mar) from a bucket”.

Miriam’s strong association with water includes her involvement in saving Moses at the Nile, singing praise to God after crossing the Sea of Reeds or Red Sea and the special well or spring of water called the “Well of Miriam”. In her merit, this well miraculously provided water for the Jews by accompanying them throughout their wanderings in the wilderness.

There is a Hebrew teaching that says, “Three great leaders led Israel: Moses, Aaron and Miriam.

In their merit they received three great gifts: the Well [Miriam],

the Clouds of Glory [Aaron]

and the Manna [Moses].”

When Miriam died, the well was removed as is evidenced by the fact that immediately after the verse And Miriam died, the Torah states, The People had no water.

After Miriam’s death, this is the significance of the verses where Moses is searching for and eventually strikes the rock, in order to restore its’ waters, which had dried up with Miriam’s death.

Concerning the death of Miriam, the Torah (First 5 books of Old Testament) states:

The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Tzin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there”.

By identifying Miriam’s death as occurring in the 1st month the Torah reveals that she died in the Hebrew month of Nisan and indicate that the day of her passing, (yahrtzeit), was the 10th of Nisan.

The Sages taught that the Torah’s account of Miriam’s death follows immediately after the laws of purification through the red heifer. This may have been to in order to emphasize and teach that, just as sacrifices bring atonement, so the death of the righteous secures atonement.

Miriam’s great level of purity and righteousness is indicated by the fact that God chose her as the holy (set-apart) person through which to express this teaching. Also noted is that as did Aaron and Moses, Miriam also died through the painless kiss of death, whereby the Divine Presence is revealed to the departing soul as God lovingly draws it back within Himself.

The Sages also explains that this well was the same rock from which Moses brought forth water after Miriam’s death, but adds that it was round as a sieve; such that it would miraculously roll along with the Israelites on their journeys through the desert.

It further states that when they encamped, the leader of each Tribe took his staff to the well and drew a line in the sand toward his Tribe’s encampment. The waters of the well were drawn after the mark and thus supplied water for each of the Tribes. In this way, Miriam was a source of sustenance for all of Israel.

According to one opinion of the Sages, Miriam’s Well is now in the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret). Based on verses which suggest the travelling and coming to rest of the well, they note: “One who ascends to the top of Mount Yeshimon on the Golan Heights, which overlooks wastelands (yeshimon) to the east one can see [looking west] a kind of small sieve in the Sea of Tiberius [the Sea of Galilee]. This is the Well of Miriam.”

According to another opinion of the Sages, the Well of Miriam came to rest in the Mediterranean Sea and can be seen from the heights of Mount Carmel on the coast of Haifa.

In addition, since water is associated with chesedcompassionkindliness – this meaning behind Miriam indicates her special acts of kindness in serving as a midwife,

devoting herself to the needs of her suffering people and sparing Israelite infants from Pharaoh’s evil decree.

Another meaning behind Miriam is related to the letters ‘mem’, ‘reish’, ‘yud’ of her name spelling: meri, (מרי) which means “rebellion”.

This makes reference to the way she rebelled against Pharaoh’s orders that the Jewish midwives kill all male infants. She even rebelled against her father who, in the name of sparing Hebrew infants from death, caused couples to separate so they wouldn’t have children. Once she convinced her father of his mistake, Amram remarried Yocheved, followed by the other Israelite men, after which time Moses was born.

A last meaning is based on all of the letters of the name Miriam, ‘mem’, ‘reish’, ‘yud’, ‘mem’ spelling the word: merim – (מרים) which means elevate. In the merit of saving the new-born Israelites, thereby building the House of Israel, God blessed Yocheved that He would make from her houses of cohanim and leviim and from Miriam, houses of kingship. Merim here indicates the fact that Miriam, from whom King David came (through her husband Calev of Judah), was elevated to house the Davidic Dynasty which is destined to elevate the Hebrew nation and the perfected community of humanity to Redemption and the World to Come. This might be consistent with an idea which, although not found in Jewish sources, is based on the suggestion that mri in ancient Egyptian means beloved.

The song of Miriam, Exodus 15:20-21 Miriam became the leader of the Hebrew women when they and their families escaped from Egypt. On one occasion she and the women sang the Song of Miriam; it is one of the few poems that survive from the ancient world.

Exodus 15:20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.

Then over 1000 years later another baby was born. She was named after this Almah. Moses sister Miriam.

In our translations we know her as Mary.

Meaning of Mary: Usual English form of Maria, which was the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) and Μαρια (Maria) – the spellings are interchangeable – which were from the Hebrew name מִרְיָם (Miryam).

 Usual English form of Maria, which was the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) and Μαρια (Maria) Like other typical Levite names, the name Miriam is probably Egyptian of origin, and mentioned earlier, derived from a word that means Beloved.

To a Hebrew audience, particularly one that didn’t speak ancient Egyptian, the name Miriam/Mary would have seemed obviously akin the verb מרה (mara) meaning to be rebellious or disobedient, or the related verb מרר (marar), meaning to be bitter or strong.

The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including, (as previously mentioned): sea of bitterness, rebelliousness, and wished for child. However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry – beloved, or mr – love.

This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Messiah.

Matthew 1:18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

There is the general belief that the name Mary in the Hebrew is Miriam. The problem with this is that Miriam as we have seen, means rebellious or bitter.

However she was always called Miriam and she was the true Almah, the one chosen as the vessel (womb/racham) to bring the Messiah, the Redeemer, into our world as a baby. Isaiah 9:6

This word Almah, also means, One who is hidden; as in Hidden from the world, (the place of hiding in the womb/racham) separate, pure and untouched.

The Hebrew verb: רָחַםrâcham (Strong’s #7355, x47) – to have mercy, and its corresponding noun: רַחַם – racham (Strong’s #7356, x44) mercy, compassion, womb, bowels.

רחמ

This word can also be applied to those who desire and then choose to become pure, untouched, separate from sin cleansed and holy/set apart. These will be the ones who will bear God’s presence and be a channel, a vessel for bearing God’s blessings into the world.

It is there, for whosoever will, to become a spiritual Almah.

To separate ourselves from whatever is pulling us in another direction and to join ourselves all the more securely to the Father.

There is no better time than right now at this season of new beginnings, of new life; to renew our covenant with the Lord, to rededicate our lives.

As we follow the days of Omer to Pentecost, we can prepare our hearts with some spiritual spring cleaning in readiness for the outpouring of His spirit, 50 days from Resurrection Day.

It was no coincidence that on Nisan 17 daytime – That among the women bringing spices to the tomb early in the morning were two called Mary/Miriam. Who had separated themselves (the ecclesia) to the service of their Lord and had been made clean, holy, set apart, in His sight.

Mark 16:1 – Three women visit Jesus’ tomb: Mary Magdalene, a second Mary the mother of James, and (Mary) Salome.

Having been given new life for old, they sought Him out from where He was Hidden from the world,

(the place of hiding in the womb/racham) in the tomb and resurrected raised as the seed,

Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah of new beginnings – Yeshua the Resheet on Reishit Katzir, the beginning of the Harvest; Chag Ha-Bikkurim –the first fruits festival.

(Weymouth New Testament):

In most solemn truth I tell you that unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains what it was–a single grain; but that if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies”

All food has to die first.

The grain is plucked from the ground, dies, is crushed, mixed and baked to make bread. The fresh fruit and vegetables we eat, were all cut off and removed from their life support and are in the process of dying when we eat them.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-season-of-our-hiding/

Then after Mary saw Jesus; the disciples encounter the risen Messiah and on Nisan 17 evening – Yeshua/Jesus raised from the dead at/after Havdalah, (at least before sunrise).

Interesting notes to questions that we have misinterpreted because of mis-translation, Hebraic meaning and culture.

What was the seating arrangement at the last supper, (Passover) and how did Judas get to sit at the place designated for the gathering’s most honored guest? Who prompted the Lord to reveal the name of His betrayer?

The upper room as it is today.

Most of us think of the Last Supper in terms that are familiar to us. In our imagination Jesus/Yeshua and His disciples sit around a square table on chairs. Jesus/Yeshua is at the center and His disciples are around him.

The famous painting of Leonardo Da Vinci may also be uppermost in our thinking.

The seating of guests in chairs, implied in Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, were not used for this most solemn occasion.

Some scholars say the layout of tables may have taken a horseshoe shape.

At the Pesach/Passover supper, everyone reclined on one elbow and yet still faced the table. (As in the diagram above.)

This meant that they lay head towards table and feet away from it.

The person who reclined in front of another was referred to as reclining or leaning on the bosom or chest; or more commonly spoken of as the lap of that individual. Not literally leaning on the persons chest.

This was the meaning in John 13:23, 25; at the last Seder, Pesach supper meal. To be in Abraham’s bosom meant to have the place of honor at a banquet, in Luke 16:23 where it refers to Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. This was in reference to him being a partaker of the same state of peace and joy as Abraham had in paradise awaiting Messiah. Here may be where we have misinterpreted that reference in John 13:25: Now there was leaning on Jesus‘ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. 

In the seating diagram above, Judas is sitting to the left of Jesus/Yeshua, in the place designated for the most honored guest. Although the host would normally select who sat next to him, (see Luke 14:7 – 11), no record exists of Yeshua/Jesus asking Judas to sit next to Him. Judas likely felt he deserved to be the honored guest at the supper and quickly claimed the choice position as his right.

Apparently at a Jewish meal, the top place was at the head end of the table or the middle of the middle couch, however the guests, were not really free to sit where they desired. The host could seat and reseat guests as needs arose. Jesus gives an example of the host asking a presumptuous guest to give up his place of honor to another guest.

Luke 14:1 – 14 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. [9] If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’

 Based on Jewish law and tradition, Passover (and most meals) was partaken of while people reclined around a low, long oval table.

Each person would be lying on their left side and leaning on their left arm, with their feet behind them and their heads facing the table. This means those seated on the left side would have their bodies somewhat facing the end of the table. This position, during a meal like the last supper, frees up the right arm for eating.

Jesus/Yeshua was the host of this seder meal – (the leader). Although the Bible does not directly state the seating for this last meeting, we can postulate where Judas, Jesus, Peter, and John would have had to sit.

It should also be noted that Peter, in the seating diagram below, is located across from John at the end of the table. This was, (especially during this most solemn seder,) the lowest and most humble place at the table.

Is there evidence from the Scripture to show that the above seating arrangement for Yeshua/Jesus’s last gathering with His disciples is correct?

In the gospels it tells us that Peter had to get John’s attention in order for him to ask Yeshua/Jesus who was going to betray Him. (John 13:21, 24).

This would have been unnecessary if Peter was seated next to John. Peter, however, had to be close enough to John so that his request wouldn’t be heard by the others. John then leans backwards against Yeshua/Jesus’ chest to ask Him. (John 13:23-25).

Given how people sat to eat a meal, John had to be immediately to Yeshua/Jesus’ right while at the table. This position enabled him to slightly lean back and be against the Lord’s chest. Additionally, the interaction that involved Peter, John, Yeshua/Jesus and Judas, was quiet and close enough so that the other disciples didn’t know what was said (see John 13:28). This meant they didn’t know that, during the meal, the betrayer would be the one given a piece of bread, the sop.

The host of a formal meal or supper would give, the honored guest, at the table the first sop. The sop was a piece of bread or other small amount of choice food that is dipped in a sauce. The host, once he had the sop, would place it into the mouth of the honored guest. This guest always sat to the left of the host, in John 13:21, 25-26, the Bible clearly states was Judas Iscariot.

After receiving the sop, Judas asked if he was the betrayer, which Messiah confirmed that he was in Matthew 26:23-25. Satan then immediately enters Judas and he leaves the room.

The 9 disciples who didn’t hear what was discussed, were unaware of what was happening (John 13:28-29). After Judas left and the seder was finished, Yeshua/Jesus did something that caught the disciples off guard. He took off some of His clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist, and then began at Peter to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:3-8)! Peter was the first to receive this ceremony since he sat at the end of the table. His seating also explains his initial impulsive rejection of having his feet washed (John 13:6)

Reclining to eat in first Century Israel was symbolic of their freedom from Egyptian bondage, no longer slaves. At Passover as at every seder meal, They reclined as described in the four Gospels. It was understood that when it was written that they reclined it was because they were eating a meal. So as to not take up much space at the table the couches or pillows they reclined on were angled toward the table. They were not full the length of a couch alongside the table.

In Hebraic thinking, the Seder plate holds the place of honor at the Passover table!

https://www.minimannamoments.com/midweek-mannabite-secrets-of-the-seder-plate/

Please – Don’t leave this page without making certain of your place at His Banqueting table.

He IS RISEN and He is calling you…inviting you to Come and Dine…

Shalom to all!

Make sure Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

NOT CERTAIN?

YOU CAN BE..

Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and very precious in His sight.

He longs to give you the Shalom He paid the ultimate price for..

Simply and honestly say the following, MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute, SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nerd In The Ark?

The Hebrew word for ARK is also the same word for BOX.

There are 2 words for ark in Hebrew:

For more on Arks: Click li   

 https://www.minimannamoments.com/are-we-boxed-in/

One is ARON meaning chest, as in treasure chest/container.

Strong’s Hebrew: 727. אָרוֹן (aron) — a chest, ark

 Chest, Box, Ark In the Scriptures, the ark was originally a golden chest designed to reside in the innermost chamber of the mishkan (tabernacle) and then later in the bet hamikdash (temple).

Another word for ark is tebah/tevah תֵּבָה pronounced (tey-vaht); a noun, feminine word and is the “her” of this word. מִבַּיִת ( mee-bah-yit )

The base word is בית (bah-yit) meaning a house but in the context of this verse about Noah it means ‘inside’.

Strong’s Hebrew: 8392. תֵּבָה (tebah) — a box, chest

The literal meaning of the Hebrew word teivah is container or box and it is used for two objects Tevat Noa’h – Noah’s Ark.. (Noah’s Ark is tevat gofer; literally a box of gopher wood) ..and Moses Papyrus basket.

The meaning – literally – the container/the box of life!

Teivah also means word. Words are containers: they package ideas, feelings, sentiments and convictions.

Thus a student of the Torah is prompted to’ go into the word,’ the sacred task of discovering hidden meanings enfolded into each tevah!

This is about 2 boxes – 2 arks – one arc was in Bethany,  

(Greek name Βηθανια, Bethania, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Beth-aniah;)

the town near Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives where Yeshua/Jesus stayed.

Derived from the Hebrew Bet t’eina (possibly meaning: house of affliction/misery, or house of figs/dates) 

but what is the nerd in it?

Was it Martha’s sister Mary/Miriam/Miryam in Hebrew

or

Mary Magdalene/Miriam/Miryam of Magdala –

(מרים המגדלית) 

who washed Yeshua/Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair?

What about the Anointing of Yeshua/Jesus by Miriam and an unnamed woman?

מָשַׁח – anoint 

The episode is particularly confusing because there are four different accounts with varied details in each of the four gospels. So It takes some detective work to analyze the information about the various Miriams/Marys mentioned in the gospels.

In the events of what we call ‘Holy Week’, there are two different recorded occasions when a woman anoints either the feet or the head of Yeshua/Jesus.

Many scholars combine both events because of their similarities; however, by studying them as two separate events, we can learn of some notable symbolism.

The amazing thing about this account presented during Yeshua/Jesus’ final week, was that Mary was symbolically doing the same thing that Yeshua/Jesus would later do for all of mankind on the cross.

Mark and

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. … Mark 14:3-9

Matthew both mention an unnamed woman who anoints Yeshua/Jesus’ head with either nard or ointment.

Matt 26:6-13

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. …

Luke tells us of an unnamed woman

“who was a sinner”

who bathed Yeshua/Jesus’ feet with her tears,

anointed them with ointment,

and dried them with her hair.

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” …

Luke 7:36-50

Then, to add even more confusion,

John describes Mary of Bethany,

aka Martha’s sister, anointing his feet with nard and wiping them with her hair. Only in John’s gospel is the woman named as Mary of Bethany.

Chart comparing both anointings.

To understand the significance of these anointings, we first must understand that the word

Messiah in Hebrew, and

Christ in Greek both mean

‘the anointed one.’

In other words, Jesus Christ would actually mean Jesus the anointed. Yeshua Ha Mashiach.

In the Old Testament, there were three groups of people referred to as being anointed, that of prophets, priests, and kings.

The first anointing, as recorded by John…

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

John 12:1-8

…took place on Saturday, six days before the Passover, in an unnamed home in Bethany by Mary, the sister to Martha and Lazarus wherein she anointed only the feet of Jesus.

Following the chronology of John and placing the anointing on Saturday, it may be that John was trying to foreshadow how Yeshua/Jesus, being anointed the day before the triumphal entry, was symbolically being anointed as the king of Israel. We should remember that one of the reasons it was so significant that Yeshua/Jesus rode in to Jerusalem on a donkey was because when Solomon was recognized as the king of Israel, he likewise rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (see 1 Kings 1:32-34.)

The second anointing, as recorded by Matthew 26:6-13

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

and also by Mark 14:3-9

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.

There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. …

This instance apparently took place on Wednesday of that Week, two days before Passover,

in the home of Simon the leper in Bethany, (2 miles east of Jerusalem),

by an unnamed woman who anointed only the head of Yeshua/Jesus.

Simon the Leper in Bethany: We know almost nothing about this man, but evidently he had suffered from leprosy, and Yeshua/Jesus had healed him or no one -would have been permitted in his house.  Some scholars  say the word meant pot-maker rather than leprosy.

 

Mark doesn’t mention the name of the woman, but John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John says that Martha was serving at this gathering and that Lazarus was sitting with Yeshua/Jesus.

If we follow the chronology of Mark and Matthew and place the anointing by the unnamed woman on Wednesday, the day before his Last Supper, it may be that Mark and Matthew were trying to show that Yeshua/Jesus was being anointed as the great High Priest, who would intercede on our behalf as He entered the garden of Gethsemane?

The high priest wore a breastplate with 12 stones, and two shoulder stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel representing that Israel was always to be near his heart, and that he was to carry the burdens of Israel upon his shoulders at all times (see Ex.28:29 & 28:12).

What a perfect description of Messiah because in Gethsemane He took our sins and sorrows upon Himself.

Some believe in this one of the 2 incidents, that this perfume which Mary of Bethany, brought in her alabaster box may have been her dowry.

If that is true, it was probably all that she really possessed.

אָלָבַּסְטֶר, בַּהַט   alabaster noun

דומה או עשוי מאלבסטר, מבהט alabaster adj.

The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron,

which can also mean “perfume vase.”

Strong’s Hebrew: 7893. שַׁ֫יִשׁ shayish alabaster

Phonetic Spelling:  (shah’-yish)

Strong’s Hebrew: 3537. כַּד    kad – a jar

Strong’s Hebrew: 7184. קְשָׂוֹת (qasah or qasvah)

jug, jar

alabaster box   תיבת בהט  

Similar to Tear Bottles click link below for more

https://www.minimannamoments.com/keeping-it-all-bottled-up-part-1/

What is an alabaster box?

The Bible speaks of an alabaster box in the two incidents involving women, one of whom was Mary of Bethany, who brought ointment in the box to anoint Jesus. The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron, which can also mean “perfume vase.”

Alabaster historically was a symbol of

purity and great honor.

It is also thought to have been associated with the Egyptian Goddess Bast (hence alaBASTer).

Alabaster boxes were originally Egyptian vessels made of a peculiar stone, a kind of soft white marble, it is a translucent carbonate of lime formed on the floors of limestone caves by the percolation of water. It is of the same material as our marbles, but differently formed.

It is usually clouded or banded like agate, hence sometimes called onyx marble which was supposed to be specially adapted to preserve the odor of perfumed ointments. The Greeks named the vessels from the town of Alabastron the place in Egypt where it is found. It occurs only in (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37).

The ancients considered alabaster to be the best material in which to preserve their ointments.

This white mineral was easy to carve and polish, so Israelites used it to make beautiful jars, vases and very easily wrought into boxes.

The alabastra were of various shapes and sizes bored with a drill by the Egyptians and hollowed out with a chisel by the Palestinians. Ancient traders often sealed costly perfume in an alabaster jar, allowing the scent to escape only gradually through the jar’s porous shell over many years.

The fragrance of some ointments is said to have remained in the alabastra for hundreds of years.

At the time Yeshua/Jesus was on earth there was a custom among the Israelite women.

When a woman reached the age of availability for marriage the family would purchase an alabaster box for her and fill it with precious ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment would parallel her families wealth.

This alabaster box would be part of her dowry.

When a suitor came to ask for her in marriage she would respond by taking the alabaster box and break it at his feet.

This gesture of anointing his feet showed him honor.

We must take our alabaster box to Jesus/Yeshuas feet

and

break it in His presence

for He is worthy of such honor

and as our bridegroom

we show Him we are indeed the bride

for whom He paid the ultimate price.

The woman had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.

Mark 14:5 says that this box of ointment contained a pound/ = approx. 0.45 Kg. /or 12 ounces of pure nard, was worth more than 300 denarii, equal to a year’s salary (300 pence, in Mark 14:5). A pence is considered to have been a day’s wages. It would be around 40.000 U.S.Dollars/30,500 GBP of today’s money. No wonder the disciples (Mt. 26:8), Judas in particular was the most vocal, responded with dismay at what they deemed such a waste.

They claim that Mary has wasted this precious perfume, and that she should have sold it and given the money to the poor instead.

Imagine how Mary must have felt, after pouring out everything she had as an act of worship, she gets criticized and ridiculed by the disciples of Yeshua/Jesus. Surely her heart must have been broken just like the alabaster box that had contained her perfume.

Nard (Spikenard) was most likely the content of the jar because alabaster itself was such a pricey item, not like a clay jar that stored more common items like olive oil.

Ointment, oils and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster, which kept them pure and unspoiled. Alabaster was a strong enough substance to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use. allowing the scent to escape only gradually through the jar’s porous shell over many years.

The boxes were often sealed or made fast with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping.

The woman “broke” the vessel; i.e.,

she broke off, as was usually done,

the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents.

When Mary broke open her alabaster box,

“the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” John 12:3

Quite suddenly, Mary moved towards the Lord. She was holding in her hands a beautiful alabaster box which contained very precious delicately perfumed ointment, and to the surprise of everyone there, she broke the box and poured its contents over the head (Mark 14:3) and the feet (John 12:3) of our Lord and anointed Him.

When Mary of Bethany broke her alabaster box/jar of spikenard John 12:3 and bathed the feet of Jesus with the oil, she, too, wanted only the best to define her love for Him.

It has been speculated that this jar may have been Mary’s dowry or her inheritance. In other words, this jar of spikenard ointment may have been all she had of value, and she poured it out on Him.

Her extravagant gift is a picture of the kind of offering expected of each of us. Only the best was worthy of her Lord, and she was willing to give everything as an act of worship.

The same should be true of us (Num.18:29).

The fact that both women carried an alabaster box of ointment with which to anoint Jesus as He was eating a meal has given rise to a certain amount of confusion about these two separate incidents involving two different women. Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8 all speak of the same event involving Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, at the home of Simon the leper, probably a leper who had been healed by Jesus and had become one of His followers.

This event occurred in Bethany just days before the crucifixion, which is why Mary came to anoint Jesus for the event to come. “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial” Mark 14:8. Mary is never referred to as a sinner in any of the accounts of her. Nor does it say she was weeping.

On the other hand, Luke 7:36-50 speaks of the house of Simon the Pharisee rather than the house of Simon the leper. This event occurred about a year before the crucifixion in the area around Galilee Luke 7:1,11.

Is this a third event?

Luke 7:37 When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.

Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him–for she is a sinner!”

Luke 7:38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

The woman here was forgiven of many sins, but her name is not given.

While Mary of Bethany may have possessed insight as to the upcoming death of Christ, the woman of Luke had no such insight; she exhibited just loving worship of the One who forgave her of her sins and her many tears were witness to her repentant heart knowing from what she had been forgiven and redeemed.

Standing behind at His feet weeping.

She came to our Lord, as He reclined at table; standing by Him, leaning over His feet, her tears of penitence began to flow, and thus she began to wet His feet with her tears.

And stood at His feet behind Him

…Messiah lay upon a bed, or couch, as was the custom of the ancients, both Jews and others, at meals, with His feet extended out behind; and between the couches and the walls of the room, there was a space for servants to wait and serve, and such are therefore said to

“stand at the feet”;

and the phrase is used, as descriptive of servants in waiting;

in such a situation this woman put herself, as being also ashamed and afraid to come before Him, and look Him in the face; and here she stood weeping for her sins, and melted down with the love of Yeshua/Jesus to her soul, and at His discourse:

and began to wash his feet with tearswhich fell from her eyes in such abundance upon his feet, as she stood by Him that they were like a shower of rain, as the word signifies, with which His feet were as it were bathed and washed; His shoes or sandals being off, as was the custom at eating so to do, lest they should daub the couch or bed, on which they lay.  

Her tears she used instead of water; for it was the custom first to wash the feet before they were anointed with oil, which she intended to do; and for which purpose she had brought with her an alabaster box of ointment:

it is said of one, and did wipe them with the hairs of her headwhich were long, and hung loose about her shoulders, (here it says), it being usual and comely for women to wear long hair? (1Cor. 11:15). That which was her adornment and beauty, and which she took great care of to nourish and put in proper form, to, render her desirable, she uses instead of a towel to wipe her tears off her Lord’s feet.

 “and kissed his feet”, ywlgr qvnw.

This was not an unusual practice with the Jews; 

and anointed them with the ointment;
which she brought with her.

This same custom was also used by the Greeks and Romans among their civilities, and in their salutations.

THE PRECIOUS OINTMENT

The ointment mentioned in the text by Mark is called 

ointment of spikenard,

probably because that costly aromatic plant was one of the principal ingredients.

Spikenard is one of the most precious spices of the Bible.

The Hebrew for it is NERD;

the Greeks called it nardos.

Spikenard in the Bible (3 verses). Hebrew: נֵרְדְּ, nērĕd, H5373

Strong’s Hebrew: 5373. נֵרְדְּ (nerd) — nard nard plants perfume

Transliteration: NERD

Phonetic Spelling: (nayrd)

It grew extensively in northern India, and has been found high in the Himalaya Mountains.

It grows small with many, spikes on one root, bearing pink blossoms; thus it is sometimes called the Indian spike. Perfumed oil is extracted from these spikes..

Taken from the root of the Species Nardostachys jatamansi From the botanical family Valerianaceae. The plant grows to about 1 meter (3 ft) in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers.

The word spikenard is found in the King James Version; other translations simply say “pure nard.”

Spikenard had a strong, distinctive aroma, similar to an essential oil, that clings to skin and hair and continues to give off its heady perfume.

It was also thought to have medicinal properties.

Spikenard had a unique fragrance, and

the presence of its aroma was an indication that

the very best had been offered.

One of the early aromatics mentioned in the bible In the Song of Solomon 1:12, 4:13-14, spikenard is mentioned in reference to the love between bride and groom. In song of sol 1:12 the bride says, “While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.”

Those words imply that, despite all other fragrances in the room, only his bride’s would matter to the groom.

The presence of spikenard represented their passion for each other and their desire to have only the best define their love.

THIS IS

THE NERD IN THE ARK

and it was very precious!

The receptacles for this expensive perfume have been found by archaeologists under the debris of walls, among the ruins of patrician houses, and in royal palaces.

Both women used ointments valuing 300 or more pence, both took place during a dinner; and both women were criticized by a disciple for their acts of service towards Yeshua/Jesus.

If a person bought an alabaster box, it was only used for very important purposes. So the Pharisees considered it a waste when a woman poured perfume from an alabaster box on Messiah’s head in Matthew 26:7-9.

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. …

Just imagine the look on the disciples’ faces? Their mouths open in shock as they watched a crazy scene unfold. A woman, unreservedly, empty over a years wages, (tens of thousands of dollars today,) all over Him for apparently no reason.

In their minds she should have given that to the poor and they complained that she was wasting a precious scent which could have been enjoyed for years.

No doubt they were waiting to take delight in Him rebuking the woman, which did not happen. 

Yeshua/Jesus puts a stop to their criticism. He tells the disciples to leave her alone, because she has done a good work for Him. He says that they can help the poor anytime they want, but that they will not have very many more opportunities to show their love for Him in person.

He had told His disciples on several occasions that He was going to Jerusalem to be put to death, and now He claims that Mary’s act of devotion will serve as the anointing for His death. Although Mary probably didn’t intend for her actions to be interpreted this way, the custom was to first bathe and then anoint the body of a dead person.

After the body was anointed, the flask that contained the ointment was to be broken and laid with the body in the tomb.

Yeshua/Jesus knew that He would be put to death as a criminal, and that He would be buried without the proper anointing.

When Judas rebuked Mary for wasting such a precious ointment John 12:4-5, Jesus silenced him: “Leave her alone. . . . It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial”John 12:7.

Only He truly understood what He was saying; knowing that in a few days He would be arrested, tried, and crucified.

Could it have been that, as He felt the whip lacerate His flesh, as He felt the nails pierce His hands and feet, He could also inhale the fragrance of that gift of spikenard and remember why He was doing this?

Mary’s gift may have strengthened and encouraged Him, even throughout His horrific ordeal, as its strong scent still clung to His skin.

Mary had not known it at the time she offered her valuable gift, but she was the first to anoint the Son of God as He became no longer simply their teacher but the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. (John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:12).

Yeshua/Jesus rebuked the disciples, praised the woman, and the house where they were was filled with the fragrance of the precious ointment (John 12.3)

We are the vessels now sealed by Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh. and in our brokenness we release a sweet smelling fragrance to those being saved and the fragrance is also filling our house, our bodies/being. 

Each of us is specially made to be a vessel of honor. We are all different shapes and sizes, all precious in His sight, we are to give forth the fragrance of Messiah from our lives.

Sometimes that fragrance just escapes gradually; other times, it comes gushing forth!

The woman who brought her alabaster jar of perfume had to crack it as an act of worship in order to spill out its contents.

The only way the perfume can been released to anoint Messiah is if the jar is broken.

FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH BROKENNESS

The perfume is a symbol of the spirit or the inner man.

The alabaster jar is a symbol of the outer man or the soul.

As David The Psalmist says, The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves those of a contrite spirit (Psa. 34:18).

How vitally necessary it is that we are truly sorry for our sin, a sorrow that works repentance and turns us totally around.

It causes us to stop doing the things that grieve Jesus and begin to live in a way that pleases Him.

Such was the contrite spirit of the woman–

John calls her Mary–

who broke the alabaster box of precious ointment on Yeshua/Jesus.

When she was broken because of her sin;

Yeshua/ Jesus forgave her,

and she experienced a gratitude

deeper than words could express.

Being a young woman in the presence of so many men, she was not allowed to vocally express herself. Such a privilege was not permitted women of that day, so she did all that she could.

She acted by arising and going after the most precious gift she could think of–a very costly bottle of perfume.

She wanted to show Him her love, but how?

By giving.

She gave it to Him in a way that He would know that at least one person truly loved Him and believed Him to be the Messiah.

When Mary (Magdalene)? washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair, she also anointed them with expensive ointment. For this token of devotion, Christ forgave her sins then proceeded to remind his host that he had not been extended the same courtesy as would be appropriate to a welcome guest.

 Foot bathing signified the status of an honored guest and put them at ease and comfort.

Foot washing, when undertaken by anyone other than the lowest servant in the household, took on significant symbolic importance.

Most authorities recognize this humble action as deliberate act of humility, a mark of respect or deliberate self-humiliation.

FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH SACRIFICE

Mary worshipped the one who had set her free by giving herself and all that she had. The Apostle Paul wrote: I beg you … by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God …(Rom.12:1).

A sacrifice is a gift of something precious, meaningful, and the best. In the Old Testament, God’s people gave the first and the best from among their flock as an offering to God. When the Lord smelled Noah’s offerings, they were a scent of satisfaction to His heart, and caused Him to have mercy on His people (Gen. 8:21).

The same thing happened when Yeshua/Jesus smelled the sacrifice that Mary gave Him that memorable day.

His heart was turned toward her.

He not only accepted her sacrifice, but her act of giving became a learning point to all those who looked on.

After Mary broke the box of precious ointment, she poured the perfume over Jesus’ head (say Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and feet (says John), and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.

“The anointing which you have received of Him abides (lives) in you” (I John 2:17). Therefore, “out of your innermost being springs and rivers of living water shall flow continuously”(John 7:38).

We are His vessels and contain His fragrance which will bubble up like fresh spring water and overflow into the lives of others.

This pouring forth brings the anointed message of Yeshua/Jesus to all those it touches. It is His fragrance, His anointing, His oil, His precious ointment that will fill the place. He said,

The spirit of the Lord is now upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).

Now if the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, what do you do? Jesus answers this question:

“Verily, I say unto you … the works that I do shall you do also, and greater works than these shall you do…” (John 14:12).

Of Mary who poured the precious ointment on Him, He said,

“Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt.26.13).

FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH LOVING

Mary knew that the anointing came from being

at His’ feet–in His Presence.

She wasn’t moved by the critics around her but continued to pour the precious ointment on Him. Yeshua/Jesus rebuked her critics and made her famous throughout the centuries right into our lives today.

Our love for Messiah, like Mary’s, is a commitment that is not swayed by what other people say or think.

It is the deep expression of gratitude that comes from a heart that has experienced His forgiveness. The fragrance of such gratitude is a sweet smelling savor in the nostrils of our Lord.

Imagine the scene:

The words from the song by CeCe Winans helps to paint the picture…

The room grew still
 As she made her way to Jesus
 She stumbled through the tears
That make her blind
 She felt such pain 
Some spoke in anger
 Heard folks whisper
There’s no place here for her kind
Still on she came
 Through the shame that flushed her face
 Until at last she knelt before his feet 
And though she spoke no words 
Everything she said was heard
 As she poured her love for the master
 From her box of Alabaster
[Chorus]
And I’ve come to pour
 My praise on Him like oil
 From Mary’s Alabaster Box 
Don’t be angry if I wash His feet with my tears
 And I dry them with my hair
 You weren’t there the night He found me 
You did not feel what I felt
 When He wrapped His loving arms around me
 And you don’t know the cost 
Of the oil in my Alabaster box
I can’t forget the way life used to be
 I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound
 And I spent my days
 Poured my life without measure
 Into a little treasure box 
I thought I found 
Until the day when Jesus came to me
 And healed my soul with the wonder of His touch
So now I’m giving back to Him
 All the praise He’s worthy of
 I’ve been forgiven and that’s why I love Him so much

WHAT FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH US?

Everyone gives off some kind of smell through our actions, our attitudes, and our words. Like it or not, we smell like the people in whose company we are. If they are smokers, then we and our clothes will smell like smoke. If we hug those who wear strong perfume or aftershave, the fragrance stays with us.

Whether we like it or not, we smell like the foods we eat.  Eating garlic, we will smell like garlic, likewise peanuts, we’ll smell like them. Attempting to cover up the odors usually makes it worse.

Whether we believe it or not, we will begin to speak like the people with whom we spend our time. Should they use slang words, we soon hear ourselves repeating them yet in a positive way, if they use praise words and scripture, we respond and echo them. It is important to know just what do others smell when they are near us?

We are not to hide behind a false aroma or use something to mask who we really are

we must be genuine,

be real with the Lord, with others and with ourselves. Nothing is hidden from Him anyway!

 

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15 For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?…2Cor.2:14-16

We are a sweet smelling fragrance – when we are broken alabaster boxes.

Mary set aside pride and embarrassment in order to demonstrate her love and faith in Messiah. How far are we willing to go in order to show our love for Him?

When we fellowship with Yeshua/Jesus in worship, in prayer, and by reading His Word. Then in our brokenness, in our sacrifices, in our pouring out into the lives of others, and in our expression of love for Him, we’ll smell like Him, talk like Him, and spread His fragrance wherever we go.

There certainly are many similarities in these incidents that have caused some confusion, one of which is the presence of the nerd in an ark, an alabaster box, in both accounts.

When the Pharisee expresses disgust that such a woman, who, it is inferred, is a prostitute, or certainly a sinner, should be allowed to do such a thing, Messiah rebukes him and points out that since the woman has entered, he has done nothing but minister to him while the Pharisee, whose name is Simon, has done nothing.

“foot” (Hebrew רֶגֶל regel)

Since the Israelites, like all other Oriental peoples, wore sandals instead of shoes, and as they usually went barefoot in the house, frequent washing of the feet was a necessity. Hence among the Israelites it was the first duty of the host to give his guest water for the washing of his feet (Gen. 18:4, 24:32; Judges 19:21);

to omit this was a sign of marked unfriendliness. It was also customary to wash the feet before meals and before going to bed; to abstain for a long time from washing them was a sign of deep mourning (2 Sam. 19:24). 

The other part of her action that may have raised eyebrows, was the wiping of his feet with her hair. Apparently, Jewish women did not let down their hair in public. This expression of devotion may have come across as quite improper and even too intimate an act in public, just as it would in most other cultures. 

He then turns to the woman and pardons her of all her sins for her great devotion.

A final thought…

Many think Mary Magdalene was a prostitute who came to the Lord.

Mary means ‘wise woman/lady’. It is a Greek form of the Hebrew Miriam or Mariamme, and was the most popular woman’s name at the time

Mary Magdalene (/ˈmæɡdələn/ Hebrew: ‫מרים המגדלית‎‎original Biblical Greek: Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή),

Literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala. 
Mary came from a now-vanished town called Magdala, on the western side of the Sea of Galilee.

Pope Gregory the Great was the first to link her to the prostitute who wept at his feet. All we really know is that the scripture records that Mary Magdalene had demons and was delivered by Messiah. We don’t know whether she was a prostitute or sexually immoral.

But no one questions it. She’s become the world’s most famous prostitute.

Imagine that you come to the Lord and for generations you’re known as the world’s most famous prostitute which may not even be true!

However it doesn’t matter what people think of you. (Most of the time they’re wrong anyway.) It only matters what Messiah thinks of you and that you’re with Him now.

Since Pope Gregory the Great, this woman has been identified with Mary Magdelene and so she is often portrayed as carrying an alabaster jar. In fact she is referred to as Mary of Bethany in another Gospel. But then Gregory also identified Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdelene! More confusion!

Throughout the centuries, Mary Magdalene has been erroneously portrayed as a reformed prostitute: was she confused with the woman with the alabaster jar who was nameless described in Luke 7:36-50?

The woman with the alabaster jar is called a ‘sinner’, but she was not called a prostitute either; Luke uses a different word when he describes an actual prostitute in 15:30 .

Mary Magdalene had a serious illness, but the nature of the illness is unspecified; later celibate male writers linked Mary’s illness, her ‘demons’, with her sexuality. The seven demons were more likely to have been connected to her physical ailments.

What we are seeing is how, in fact, the Woman with the Jar is much closer in her spiritual attitude to Jesus… Further, the Alabaster Jar is linked to the image of the Ark.

It is the receiving vessel, into which the Holy Spirit pours and the individual can be transformed.

Here it is filled with ointment. The woman is not just washing Messiah but ANOINTING Him. And remember that the word Christ means ‘Anointed One’. So the Jar and the woman who carries it are VERY significant in terms of understanding the inner meaning of Messiah.

Mary Magdelene was a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, and probably one who shared her substance financially! It is  unlikely, that she was a reformed prostitute, but medieval painters seemed to like to to show her as such.

She was the first witness to the Resurrection, and is called ‘Apostle to the Apostles’, since the risen Messiah told her to ‘go and tell’, apostellein in Greek.

The idea of women as primary witnesses does not seem unusual to people in the 21st century, but it was a revolutionary concept at the time. The testimony of women was not given the same weight as men’s, either personally or in a court of law. Mary’s witness to the Resurrection reversed this idea. When the Christian stories described Mary Magdalene and the other women as the first witnesses of the Resurrection, they were saying something important about the nature of women: that they were capable of being as fully Christian as men.

That said, none of the accounts suggest specifically by name any involvement by Mary Magdalene.

So, was there only one woman that anointed Jesus during Holy Week?

The gospels record there was an event of a woman anointing Messiah in a particularly extravagant way, it seems we will simply never know for sure who it was that enacted such a loving gesture for Jesus. Perhaps it was Mary, Martha’s sister, or perhaps it was done by another woman whose name has been lost to us forever.

What we do know is that Mary, and perhaps this unnamed woman, will always be remembered for the incredible service they gave to their Lord and Master. A service, that perhaps, pointed to the Savior’s most often used title, that of Christ/Messiah, the anointed one.

“I tell the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she had done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matt. 26:8-13.

We are part of fulfilling that prophecy as we read these scriptures.

The scripture doesn’t tell us how long she had been holding on to her jar. We are not told what she was saving it for.

She could have hoarded it or saved it for a rainy day. She could have been selfish and kept it to herself.

None of her family objected when she gave everything she had quietly away to the one that she adored.

Mary loved Jesus so much that she wanted to give all that she had to Him.

Forgetting what people thought, how she would look or the practical needs she would forgo. Her sole desire was to give everything she had to Him and she did it cheerfully not knowing what her future would be. Her love and dedication to Messiah made her life truly fragrant.  

How do we become “fragrant for the Lord?”

When we do all that we do with the idea of presenting our very best to the Lord, we become fragrant.

What is Yeshua/Jesus worth to us? For Mary, He was worth everything that she possessed. For Judas He was worth 30 pieces of silver.

Mark includes this story here to contrast it with the story of Judas. Judas was so incensed after witnessing this act of incredible waste was it then that he conspired to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? The tipping point?

Verses 1 and 2 tell us that the religious leaders were plotting to execute Jesus and were looking for a way to do it that wouldn’t cause the crowds to riot. Some believe that Mary’s act of devotion was the thing that caused Judas to decide to switch teams. John says that Judas was the most vocal of the disciples in criticizing Mary for what she had done, but it wasn’t because he was concerned for the poor, it was because he was the treasurer of the group and had taken some of their money for himself. Judas wanted to get his hands on that money. So when Jesus condemns the disciples for criticizing Mary, Judas decides to get his money another way…by betraying him. Verse 10 says that Judas went to the religious leaders and promised to hand over Jesus for a price.

As we read we can learn several things.

First of all, the alabaster box of ointment contained something that was very precious, it represented the life of the owner, TEVAH it was like a small house with the sum total of her future hopes inside it;

but as long as it stayed in the container, it didn’t benefit anyone.

When she released it did all the unspoken Teivah, words, ideas, feelings, sentiments and convictions, pour out also?

Yeshua/Jesus called the act a good work, and the original Greek actually means “a beautiful thing.”

God has given each one of us a spiritual gift. It may be great faith, acts of service, hospitality, teaching, or some other gift.

But if we keep that gift to ourself, it benefits no one.

It is our responsibility as a Christian to identify what our gift is, and then to use it for the glory of God and the benefit of those around us.

When Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, she walked away smelling like Jesus did!! When we have been close to Him we will smell like Him too!

When we use what we have for Jesus, others can sense that we have been with Him. If your gift is compassion or mercy, you display the same that Jesus showed to us when He died in our place. If our gift is evangelism, then we display the love that Jesus has for sinners.

The use of our spiritual gifts causes others to sense Yeshua/Jesus’ presence in our lives.

Mary couldn’t keep the Jewish leaders from falsely accusing Him. She couldn’t keep the soldiers from crucifying Him, or the crowds from mocking Him.

But she could show her love and devotion by sacrificing the most precious thing that she possessed.

When Messiah is the object of our affections, those who have received His pardoning love

will not stop to calculate the value

of the alabaster box of precious ointment.

and the remaining ?’s are…

what’s in your alabaster box?

and

What’s the cost of the nerd in your ark?

It can only be used once!

We only have one life, so lets make them ones that are poured out for His glory; we are broken only to be made whole again, just as Messiah Yeshua was broken for us.

Restored – a new creation – far better and stronger than before!

Shalom!

Don’t leave this page before breaking your ark and releasing the nerd within

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.