It’s My Birthday…But Which One?

And …

which one will we celebrate?

Two of the most asked questions are:

how old are you

and when is your birthday?

we are usually very quick to tell everyone when… 

It’s My Birthday!!!

BUT which one are we referring to?

Every person on earth has some kind of record of birth,  a birth certificate – certificate of live birth. Documentation that they are legitimately, physically, a person alive and separate from their mother’s womb.

Taken literally we should add 9 months to the child’s life, as life begins at conception; and the baby is alive in the mother’s womb here on the earth. So in actual fact, an individual is not 0 years at birth but 9 months more or less, depending on the exact time of exiting the womb. Doesn’t it seem strange to count 0 at birth??

The certificate or documentation or record usually details the time in hours and minutes, recording the weight, the place/location, country; the day, month and year as well as the names of the parents. It’s very precise because the birth was precise and evident to any one present. The leaving of one environment – the womb, into another – the world, is undeniable. We celebrate the date of the birth and every year after on that same day.

The baby has no clue until told at an age they can understand, why the date is remembered and so it is for everyone else. Every year for the rest of our lives. Why do we do this? It’s a strange custom.

Did Messiah Jesus, His disciples and followers do this? Is it scriptural/biblical? Is there a reaction in heaven?

The only noted reaction in heaven is the angels rejoicing over one soul that is saved one sinner who repents.

I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10 & Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Not when they are born in the natural, but born again from above by the Holy Spirit. Messiah Jesus/Yeshua was born from above from heaven by the Fathers Holy Spirit – He was already born again so to speak.

There is no one who has gone up to Heaven, except One who has come down from Heaven, the Son of Man whose home is in Heaven. No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. John 3:13

Jesus/Yeshuas’ natural birth was the only one celebrated by angels! Luke 2:8-20

This is a mystery revealed to Nicodemus and Messiah states clearly that in verse 3, unless you are born again from above you cannot see the Kingdom of God. So it is of critical importance and essential for being a citizen of Gods’ Kingdom; just as in whatever location we are born physically, it’s automatically determined that you are a citizen of that country, and have a legal right to all that entire nation offers.

The point is, if we are so certain of our physical birthdate and yet were obviously too young to remember it or know it, and yet we hold it so dear; and we not only know our own birthdate, (which is tied to everything we do in the worlds system); we also know those of our siblings, parents, spouse, families and friends.

The critical question is:

When exactly was your born again from above spiritual birth day? We should ask ourselves, isn’t that more important and significant than the one that entitles us to the worlds’ resources and benefits? The world and riches/benefits that Messiah refused when it was offered to Him? Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:7.

Isn’t the fact that being born again from above essential to seeing the kingdom of heaven; and knowing not only we are forgiven, but eligible for all the future privileges and gifts of the infinite, eternal Kingdom of the living God and His Messiah?

And furthermore, that our sins are removed and we have become His child, born into a new realm by His Spirit.

Which is the most important birthday?

And why don’t we celebrate this one – the one that promises eternal life with the Father who has provided this future for us.

We are written in His book of Life our names are recorded spiritually.

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lambs book of life.” Revelation 3:5.

We don’t need a paper certificate because our life should spiritually reflect our new birth and new allegiance, new ownership – new parent as we emerge from the womb of the earth/world. The world which offers only eternal death. We are born into eternal life, not death, death is separation from our Heavenly Father.

The challenge is, if we can’t pinpoint our spiritual birthdate to the same accuracy as the information and details on our physical birth certificate, why cant we??

Wasn’t it as important and as wonderful, as the natural birth? The re-birth that we should not only be cognizant of, but consciously consenting to – repenting, understanding what we were doing and what was happening to us?

The writer remembers exactly, to the minute, when this spiritual, born from above by His Spirit of Holiness experience occurred, and thanks be to our Heavenly Father and His Son, life/chaim was changed for ever. The knowing of its’ significance and consequences are so important that it will never ever be forgotten or diminished. Family, friends, do you remember your born from above moment too? If you can’t, we must ask ourselves the critical question – why not? Why can’t we remember? It’s a more sure and eternal event than our natural birth.

Ask our Father to show you, to remind you and if there is any tiny shadow of doubt as to the date maybe we should take the opportunity to ensure we are truly born again by His Spirit. Today is the day of salvation seek Him while He may be found. There is still time and it’s not too late….what have you got to lose?… Everything if you are not born again from above!

Don’t just think you are saved – KNOW that you are for a certainty.

And if you are wavering, then recommit yourself right now…record the date, the moment for yourself, then you can remind the enemy when he challenges us.

If you know your earthly, worldly, physical birthday, shouldn’t we know our spiritual birthday even more, and shouldn’t we be celebrating our spiritual birthday every year too? The natural ones will end eventually; the spiritual ones will never cease.

Let’s help each other celebrate eternal life, counting every year on our spiritual birthdates as well. The natural ones focus on the person, the spiritual focuses on the person of Messiah – the One through Whom we are alive to our Heavenly Father.

Nakdimon – Nicodemus had some questions too.

Why was he seemingly ignorant?

In John 3:34 Yeshua says to him:

unless a man be born again from above

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

He cannot see the kingdom unless his spiritual eyes are opened. Nicodemus responds with

can a man be born when he is old?

He was speaking of himself. He had come to Yeshua/Jesus seeking understanding; he had questions like we all do. He seemed like he didn’t know anything, but is that really the case?

He seemed confused as to how a man could be born again when he had reached the age of a senior citizen and had already met the Pharisee requirements to be born again!

He wasn’t saying that it wasn’t possible

he simply wanted to know HOW!

Here we must look at the background to his position. Being born again was NOT a new concept in Yeshua/Jesus’ day! There were 6 ways that one could be born again in Pharisaic Judaism. Nicodemus was already qualified in 4 of these ways and the other 2 would have been impossible for him to fulfill. (the one was that a gentile was said to be born again if he converted to Judaism or was born again if he crowned as a king.

The 4 ways in which Nicodemus did meet the criteria were

One, when a Jewish/Israelite boy becomes bar mitzvah at age 13 he is said to be born again. He had obviously already experienced his bar mitzvah and was therefore born again in that manner.

A second way was by marriage. When a Jewish/Israelite man married he was said to be born again. A member of the Sanhedrin must be married, so Nicodemus could not be born again – again, in this way, since he was already a member of the Sanhedrin.

Thirdly, a Jew/Israelite could be born again when ordained as a Rabbi, (Rabbi means teacher), so Nicodemus could not be re-ordained.

The fourth way to be born again was to become the head of a Rabbinical school. In John 3:10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Yeshua/Jesus was commenting that Nicodemus held the office of Rabbi/Teacher of Israel, which meant he was already head of a Rabbinical school.

Nicodemus had gone through every process available in Judaism to being born again as he understood it.

The only other option that he could be born again at his age and qualifications, was in his mind to re-enter his mothers womb and start the process all over again; which was both absurd and confusing to Nicodemus, so was he asking the question in the form of a completely ridiculous suggestion? Or, was He asking if Jesus/Yeshua was indeed the Messiah and if so, then was there some way that this was a miraculous possibility??  Whatever his thinking was, the discussion gave Messiah the opportunity to explain some spiritual truths to this already born again teacher of Israel, primarily that he still needed to be spiritually born again.

John introduces Nicodemus as one of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, but one who recognizes power when he sees it and also one who comes to Yeshua/Jesus under cover of the night, so as not to be seen by his colleagues John 3:1.

As already noted, Nicodemus held the office of a teacher in Israel. He is called a ruler and is thus a rabbi, a member of the

Sanhedrin – סנהדרין

the Jewish religious court and he is mentioned in other Jewish literature e.g. Talmud.

Eventually Nicodemus was born again from above v. 3-8 coming to trust in Yeshua.

The Greek: gennethe anothen,

is sometimes rendered:

born again or born from above,

which reflects that both aspects are relevant. The concept itself is Jewish! Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish states: A proselyte is like a newborn infant. Likewise Rabbi Yosi reminds us that in born again the idea resembles that of a new creation as also seen in 2Corinthians 5:17 and Genesis 39:11.

2Corinthians 3:5. Born from water/natural and the spirit/supernatural. In Judaism, immersion in water is directly linked to ritual cleansing of the body; while the spirit enables people to repent/turn from sin and live a holy life/separated unto the Lord. Born from water in its grammatical construction refers to the Spirit of Holiness /Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit. Ezekiel 36:25-7. There is no necessary reference to the Mikveh (ritual cleansing bath) here. Rather the grammatical construction (hendiadys) indicates that water is a reference to the Spirit as in Ezekiel 36:25-7.

In John 3:10 you hold the office of teacher in Israel.

Literally you are The Teacher of Israel.

The definite article implies that Nicodemus’s position was uniquely important although it is difficult to reconstruct precisely what it was.

Strong’s Greek: 3530. Νικόδημος (Nikodémos) — Nicodemus…

Transliteration: Nikodémos Phonetic Spelling: (nik-od’-ay-mos) Definition: Nicodemus, an Israelite Usage: Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin.

The name Nicodemus might mean Victory Of The People From (1) the noun νικα (nike), victory, and (2) the noun δημος (demos), [common] people.

Nicodemus was not an ignorant man and his question was very valid in light of his position. He was

seeking truth and he

found Messiah and the key to eternal life!

As we continue to seek truth let’s make certain once and for all, without any shadow of a doubt whatsoever, that we are born again by the Holy Spirit of the One True Living God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob; and that we know

both our birthdates!

This year let’s make a resolution to celebrate both of them,

rejoicing that we are our Fathers’ child forever.

So how old are you.. spiritually? And when was your spiritual birthday?

Have you been

????

With all our knowledge and understanding,

with all our studies ….

Nothing is more important than this message so,

please don’t leave here without that absolute knowledge and assurance…. 

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

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 came in the flesh, 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 from above by Your Holy Spirit and I am believing by faith that 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.

Mystery of Rechem – The Secret of Living Like Royalty

If we are to live like Royalty… first the

God of compassion – El Rachum – (Deut. 4:31)Tells us we must be born-again. John 3: 3– 8This is probably one of the most familiar verses along with John 3:16.

Messiah was talking with Nicodemus who was a leader of the Jewish people and would have known Torah/Tenach, the Old Testament.

(obviously, there was no new testament written at the time.)

Everything Messiah Jesus/Yeshua referred to was in Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures, which is what we call the Old Testament.

He told Nicodemus that to enter heaven, (the kingdom of the heavens)

malkut shamayim” שָׁמַיִם (shamayim)

mal•choot ha•sha•má•yim

One must be born again.

His response was probably what anyone would say, how is that possible??

Can a man enter his mother’s womb to be born when he is old? Obviously not!

However in Hebrew, the word for ‘womb’ gives us a fresh and beautifully significant picture that we may have missed.

(An earlier post referenced the Hebrew Letter Mem.) The word for WOMB, is Rechem, and it comes from the word Racham.Racham speaks of mercy, tender love and compassion.So, Racham also means womb as well as mercy and is used in the Word of God to speak of His mercy and love as in EL Rachum.

Here is a mystery revealed:

The love/ahav and mercy/racham of God/Adonai, is like a womb/rechem –

and this is the connection.

When a new life is being formed, the only real protection is in the womb.Each one of us have been here for around 9 months. It’s a place of nurturing, tenderness and development of the physical body, in preparation to exist and live within the Earth’s environment.

Every individual needs that or we would never have been born the first time. However Jesus/Yeshua told us…Similarly, the womb of the morning,  can also represent a new day/a new beginning; the day has a new birth wherein His Mercies are new every morning.It’s the Racham of Adonai. EL Rachum.

The deep compassion and tender love of EL Rachum.

This is the ‘secret womb’ that we can enter,

the hidden place, the Mem,

abiding in the womb/Rechem of His tender MERCY/RACHAM.

This is one of the secret places of the Most High.

It is this mercy, this rechem, the womb of His love that also tenderly keeps us all through our lives.Nurtures us, holds us and protects us from harm.

It’s an intriguing observation that during times of great stress, we instinctively curl up into the same fetal posture that we were, when in the womb!

It is by living/Abiding within that place/womb of mercy and love, that we grow; and are formed first into the child and then into the mature believer we were called to become.“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5

Strongs’s #7358: rechem – Greek/Hebrew Definitions – Bible Tools .  https://www.bibletools.org

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:

rechem. 1) womb. 1a) womb … Numbers 18:15: “Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring … Jeremiah 1:5: “I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified …

From the Latin word for womb (in turn from mater or mother), a matrix is either the intercellular substance of a tissue, the material in which a fossil is embedded, or a mold from which a relief surface is made in printing or phonograph manufacturing. It’s mostly translated as “womb.”

The Latin word for mother is “mater” (or matr). A woman who was having a baby, became “matrix”. The word was then was used for “womb”. So Moses is telling the people to dedicate their firstborn to God.

The womb. To “open the matrix,” Exodus 13:12,15, means, to be the firstborn.

Jeremiah 1:5: “I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet”

Exodus 13:12: “unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast”
Exodus 13:15: “I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all”
Exodus 34:19: “All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep,”
Numbers 3:12: “instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel:”

Numbers 18:15: “Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD,”

Here, He not only formed us, but within are also the plans He has for us to fulfill during our sojourn, passing through this life, in our temporary home, en route to the true life with Him.

Every birth requires a womb; that womb/our new birth. In His love/Ahava for the Racham of El Rachum, is the Rechem of our new birth.One of the 13 attributes of God’s is His Mercy, which was revealed after the sin of the Golden calf. Shelosh esret middot .

Click link for full list of 13

https://www.minimannamoments.com/13-attributes-of-gods-mercy/

 

Desiring the sincere milk of the word.

Psalm 119:103 then as we partake of salvation through the new birth, we need nourishment to grow.

And what matters now is not what we once were but who we have become in Messiah.

We’ve heard it said you are what you eat, and while a baby is within the womb, the food/nourishment is provided through the mother.If we are to grow then we need to feed on him who birthed us the second time. And partake of Messiah as the heavenly bread of our new life as a baby newly born into His Kingdom.

We see a secret in the larvae of bees. What a larvae becomes depends on what it eats. If the larvae eats royal jelly, it becomes a Queen. This is the only way to become a Queen.

No royal jelly = no Queen!Amazingly, queen bees are genetically exactly identical to worker bees. But they’re fed a different diet from worker bees their whole lives, from the time they are tiny larvae, until the day they die.This different meal plan causes their physiology and behavior to develop completely differently from worker bees, despite the same genetic foundation. this transforming food with the aptly named substance, royal jelly.

Royal jelly is a protein-rich excretion from the glands of worker bees –think of it as a honey bee’s version of mother’s milk.While all larvae are fed royal jelly for the first three days, of life, larvae chosen by the worker bees to become queens are bathed in royal jelly in special,elongated ‘queen cells’ throughout their development.

(larvae drone worker bees)

After the larval stage is complete and the queen bee emerges,she is fed royal jelly throughout her life.

Nurse bees feed larvae destined to be workers not only royal jelly, which queen-destined larvae are fed, but also beebread, or processed pollen (seen here).Beebread contains p-coumaric acid, which alters gene expression and contributes to the honey bees’ developmental fate.

Beebread and honey contain p-coumaric acid, but royal jelly does not. Queens feed exclusively on royal jelly. Worker bees known as nurses feed the larvae according to the needs of the hive.

Worker bees tending to larvae

When female larvae are fed royal jelly, which is secreted by other bees, they develop into large-bodied, fertile queens. But most larvae eat beebread, a mixture of pollen and nectar. These larvae develop into smaller, sterile worker bees.

The shape of Bees bodies are not aerodynamically efficient  –  so every flight is a flight of faith! 

Strong’s Hebrew: 4438. מַלְכוּת (malkuth) — royalty, royal power…

מַלְכוּת noun feminine royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom

מַלְכוּת Phonetic Spelling: (mal-kooth’)

ROYAL. roi’-al: Either belonging to a king (kingdom) or having kingly power, dignity, authority,

Either belonging to a king (kingdom) or having kingly power, dignity, authority, etc. In Hebrew, the word is expressed by using different nouns in the gen. case (the “construct state”).

They are:

(1) melekh, “king”: “Asher …. shall yield royal dainties,” literally, choice morsels of the king, meaning fit for a king (Genesis 49:20); “besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty,” literally, which he gave her according to the hand (the wealth) of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:13; compare the Revised Version margin); “a royal statute,” literally, statute of a malka’, which is the emphatic Aramaic term for melekh, “king” (Daniel 6:7);(2) mamlakhah, “the power and dignity of a king,” “Gibeon …. one of the royal cities,” i.e. a capital city with a king of her own (Joshua 10:2; compare 1 Samuel 27:5); “all the seed royal,” literally, the seed of the kingdom (2 Kings 11:1; compare 2 Chronicles 22:10);(3) malkhuth, “kinghood,” “kingdom”:

“royal majesty,” literally, majesty of kinghood (1 Chronicles 29:25); quite frequently in the Book of Esther; royal wine (1:7); crown (1:11; compare 2:17; 6:8); commandment (1:19); “her royal estate,” literally, her kinghood (1:19); house royal (2:16; compare 5:1); royal apparel (5:1; compare 6:8,15); throne (5:1);

(4) melukhah, “kingdom,” “kingly power and dignity”:

“royal city,” literally, the city of the kingdom, meaning here that part of the city (Rabbah) in which the royal palace was situated (2 Samuel 12:26); “royal diadem,” literally, turban of kinghood (Isaiah 62:3);

(5) in Jeremiah 43:10 we find the word shaphrir; its meaning is uncertain:

“royal pavilion” (the Revised Version (British and American) and the King James Version), “glittering” (Revised Version, margin), “scepter,” “a carpet covering a throne.”

The New Testament uses the word for basilikos, “belonging to king”:

“royal apparel” (Acts 12:21); “the royal law,” something like “the golden rule,” being foremost because including all others (James 2:8), and for basileios (being vested with kingly power and honor), “royal priesthood,” the Hebrew rendering would be mamlekheth kohanim, “a kingdom of priests,” i.e. a kingdom whose citizens are priests, emphasizing the two facts that the true Christians have free access to the grace of God and that they enjoy the liberties and privileges of His kingdom (1 Peter 2:9).

Here’s the secret to a believer living a Royal lifestyle – it’s dependent upon what we feed ourselves.

If we partake of the Word of holiness and righteous, then we will become that. However if we partake of the world, we will in like manner, become worldly and so it goes for everything else.

Don’t be discouraged, He has overcome the world and we are not bound to be as we are right now. If there is depression, anxiety or sin dragging us down, simply stop eating the wrong food! Messiah, the bread of (new) life, the royal nutrition, that will give you a royal lifestyle, a new life in Him. Then we will become Messiah like and emulate His life. We will not be limited by who we have been but live by who He is in us. Bees and Bee-lievers.

If we consume Royal food, we will become the royal new creation in Him and fulfill and resemble His Word; according to 1Peter 2:9, we are a Royal Priesthood a Holy nation because we are grated in by His Grace and Mercy.

Joint Heirs with Him.And I will give to him to sit on my throne  Rev. 3:21

Truly living like royalty in the rechem of the racham of El rachum!

By Faith – BEELIEVE…  and we can!

Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE.. You can have His love – His Forgiveness – His Grace and His Compassion and live like Royalty in the Womb of His Mercy..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus 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 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 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. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHAT DID JOHN SEE THAT WE MISSED?

WHAT DID JOHN SEE THAT WE MISSED?

As this week began with Resurrection Day, let’s say, (or sing) with Job, ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth’ and echo the statement in 2Timothy 2:12 ‘For I know whom I have believed.’

Turn up the volume and take a moment to immerse your soul in His presence…. 

The 16th Nisan was the 2nd day of the week of Passover/ Pesach/Unleavened Bread Chag HaMazot and continues for 7 days (vs.18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.)

16 Nisan was also 1st day of the Omer: (click link https://www.minimannamoments.com/counting-our-blessings-with-omer/or see the very bottom of the Homepage for more).

Here is the extra study as mentioned in the post ‘In His Deaths’, as this whole Passover week we are celebrating the fact that He is Risen;

He is Alive forevermore and…

An important note concerning the content of this post.

Readers who have been following mmm over the previous 15 months are aware that we are concerned not to pass on information just for the wow effect alone. This site is for scriptural informational subject matter and not sensational and because of this MMM takes extra time to ensure the accuracy of the material shared plus the reliability of each source.

For some years a very meaningful and poignant story has been ‘doing the rounds’ with some slight variations at each retelling; and the intention was to add it as a paragraph at the end of last weeks post. Even though initially some stories may sound wonderful, in the long term they do not aid in the maturing of our faith. It is the truth that will make us free. MMM heart is to share those truths and not to mislead or misdirect in anyway and it is not our intention to perpetuate any inaccuracies if at all possible. MMM decided to do due diligence before publishing.

Interestingly in the process of confirming the material included, some surprising information was revealed. The findings are presented below in a post of its own for your consideration and all readers are encouraged to be like Bereans recorded in Acts 17:11 check it out for yourselves.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

While many today might say they were being critical or judgmental, Luke commended the Bereans for wanting to make sure that what they were being taught was biblical. Many of the details in focus are not critical to our salvation but rather enhance our understanding of scripture content.

As Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, it is only new to us because we haven’t heard it before.

…because He is alive.. we live.

This week highlights that this is, THE message, of hope, freedom and eternal life. If we live as He taught us, ‘His deaths’, have made us resurrection recipients. He completed the work He came to do. We live because He is Risen and the cross and the tomb were and are empty…except for what did John see that we missed….it may not be what we thought!

The tomb… the shroud…. A folded cloth.. Was it Jesus’s Prayer Shawl/Yeshua’s tallit?

First we need to set the scene:

The preparation for the burial was initiated by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

It was risky to ask for the body as a crucified criminal was denied a proper burial and unceremoniously tossed into a mass grave which was little more than a trench or ditch.

Joseph of Arimathea already had a brand new tomb cut in preparation for himself as he was a wealthy man.

He was a secret disciple who did not consent to the Sanhedrin condemning Yeshua. Nicodemus was a Pharisee a member of the ruling council and also a secret follower of Yeshua.

 He offered his tomb and they brought a burial shroud

and linensLinen strips

and about 75lbs (100 lbs in KJV) of myrrh and aloes in which to wrap Messiahs body.

This was a huge amount this much was usually only used for burying Royalty.

To understand where we are headed… first some pictures are included of the wrapping of a body according to Jewish custom old and modern.

This will aid in visualizing what John saw. Before the Diaspora they did not use coffins so the body shape is very obvious.

There are some pictures showing the way we thought it was. The way we assumed it was, and the way it more than likely was.

ציצת

Prayer Shawl and Bible Manners and Customs

The Prayer Shawl, (aka. tallis, tallit, talis) is a religious symbol, a garment, shroud, canopy, cloak which envelops the Jew both physically and spiritually, in prayer and celebration, in joy and sorrow.

While some other Jewish garments or objects might be treated more casually, the tallit is a special personal effect, generally used for many years or a lifetime and never discarded. Most Jewish men (and some women) own very few tallitot in their lifetimes.

Knotted Tachrichim

A threadbare tallit is treated with great respect, as if it had a mantle of holiness, acquired from years of use. Although there is no mandatory tradition, in Conservative, reform, and otherwise non- religious families a tallit, as well as tefillin, is likely to be given as a special gift, from father to son, from father-in-law to son-in-law, or from teacher to student. It might be purchased to mark a special occasion, such as a wedding, a bar/bat mitzvah, or a trip to Israel. When a man dies, it is traditional that he be buried dressed only in his kittel, with his tallit is draped over him.

Anyone attending an orthodox synagogue today will see that the men are all wearing prayer shawls. It is a very important part of Jewish life and would have been in the life of Jesus /Yeshua too..

It is used at all major Jewish occasions: circumcisions, bar mitsvahs, weddings and burials. It protects the scrolls of the Torah when they are moved.

They are wrapped in it when they are buried.After a ritual washing of the body, called taharah it is dressed in a kittel (shroud) tachrichim and then a tallit.

Before the tallit is placed on a body for burial, one of the sets of fringes, the tzitzit, is cut off to demonstrate that the person is no longer bound by the religious obligations of the living.

In the Land of Israel, burial is without a casket, and the kittel and tallith are the only coverings for the corpse. In addition to tahrihim, the shroud, some Jews are wrapped in the prayer shawl (tallit) in which they prayed.

Every tallit is tied with four sets of knotted fringes (tzizit), which symbolize the commandment (mitzvot) incumbent upon Jews.

Meaning of the knots and zitzit.

Back to Jesus’s/Yeshua’s burial.

He was laid in Josephs tomb

 The stone was rolled in front of the entrance

often needing 4 or more men to move it

The tomb was sealed

close up of wax seals

and Roman soldiers guarded the entrance until there was an earthquake and the soldiers were in fear for what they saw.

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.

Matthew 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

Matthew 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

 John 20:1 and Mark 16:3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” think they should’ve remembered the words of our Lord and simply trusted Him.

Meanwhile, the women who stayed at the Tomb, went into the Tomb to investigate it, and they met the angel sitting inside the Tomb!

Matthew 28:5-8: But the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

HE IS NOT HERE; for HE IS RISEN, as He said. Come, SEE the PLACE WHERE the LORD LAY. 
And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you. So they WENT OUT quickly FROM the TOMB with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word

 Mark 16:5-8 records the same event: ENTERING the TOMB, they SAW a young man clothed in a long white robe SITTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. HE is RISEN! He is NOT HERE. SEE the PLACE WHERE they LAID Him. But go, tell His disciples, and Peter, that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. So they WENT OUT quickly and fled FROM the TOMB, for they trembled and were amazed. And they (initially) said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.

These passages give us some very specific information about the Tomb, which shows that it was not entirely typical for its time. Mark 16:5 says that as they entered they saw the angel (who looked like a young man) SITTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE. This is a very significant statement, for it reveals the layout of the Tomb, a layout that is unusual for a First Century Tomb. Normally, you would walk through the entrance into the Weeping Chamber,and then you would go down further into the Grave area, which would straight ahead, just as with Lazarus’s tomb in Bethany,  but in this case, the angel, who was sitting by the Place where Jesus was laid, was on the right hand side, as they entered through the Doorway into the Weeping Chamber. It was only because of this arrangement that later on from the door, John could see the grave-clothes where He lay. 

The Arrival of the Second Group of women led by Joanna: It is Luke, (who tells the story from Joanna’s viewpoint), who describes the arrival of the 2nd Group of women at the Tomb. They had come from Herod’s Palace, and arrived just after the others had left in a hurry, after their encounter with the angel.

Luke 24:1,2: Now on the 1st day of the week (Sunday), very early in the morning, they (the women described in Luke 23:55,56), and certain other women with them (under Joanna).

 Looking at the Garden Tomb above, (and also next picture), there’s a small window in the upper right-hand face of the Tomb, above the modern block-stone. It was cut into the Rock-Face as an original feature of the Tomb, when it was first built. It is too narrow to be another entrance.This was a nephesh (lit. “soul” hole), through which, by Jewish tradition, the spirit of the dead departed after 3 days in the Tomb. The morning sunlight shining through this window illuminated the Tomb, so that Peter and John could see into what otherwise would have been a dark Tomb interior.

So, because of the light shining through the window, as they stood at the door and looked to the right, they would have clearly seen where Christ had been laid. They saw His grave cloths lying by themselves where His body had been, but there was no body. They could see the Tomb was empty. 

When Peter and John (who, most scholars agree, was “the other disciple”) heard the excited report of Mary Magdalene, they rushed to the tomb. John “outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but did not go in” (John 20:4-5).

John looked into the tomb, but did not enter. The Greek word used here for “look” is blepo, “which denotes simple sight” [Dr. Alvah Hovey, An American Commentary on the NT, p. 396], as distinguished from a deeper perception of that which is seen by the eyes.

In other words, John’s eyes saw what was before him, but he didn’t yet fully grasp “how to interpret the phenomenon” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 189].

Peter, on the other hand, when he got to the scene, went immediately into the tomb, and “he saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (John 20:6-7, NIV).

Peter “saw” — this is the Greek word theoreo, meaning “to gaze upon, contemplate, consider; to view with interest and attention; to come to a knowledge of” [The Analytical Greek Lexicon of the NT, p. 194].

It was a “closer and more careful, vivid, and instructive gaze” than that of John [The Pulpit Commentary, vol. 17, pt. 2, p. 465].

John glanced at the scene; Peter gazed at it.

“The bolder Peter is rewarded with bright evidence of what had happened” [Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Practical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, p. 1076].

“The change of word seems to have been intentional. Peter’s survey of the tomb was more searching and exact than that of John” [Dr. Hovey, p. 396].The Tomb and its contents could have been for the disciples to believe because we are told in John 20:9

“Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples went back to their homes” (John 20:8-10). Like Peter, John now “saw” — which resulted in belief. This is yet a third Greek word employed in this passage: eidov (a form of horao), meaning “to perceive; to observe with understanding.”

We see a powerful progression here from seeing to scrutinizing and contemplating to understanding, which then results in belief. Peter and John were still struggling with the events of the past few days, and their faith was not yet firm, as they still had questions and doubts, but they could not deny the reality of what was before their eyes: Jesus was not just away, He was arisen!

There was something in the scene before them that convicted them of this truth: not just an empty tomb, but something to do with the burial garments, proclaimed a powerful, convincing message of resurrection.

What exactly was the message of the garments they found within the tomb of our Lord that morning of the first day of the week?

With regard to the ‘burial clothes’ of our Lord, there were two different parts. 

First, we find the “strips of linen” (NIV) that were used to wrap the body of Jesus. The practice at that time was to take a number of strips of cloth and wrap the body with these strips, binding it up much like a mummy.

“Aromatic spices were strewn between the layers of linen, and these layers, one wound over the other, were numerous, so that all those spices could be held between them” [R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, p. 1342].

This would have greatly limited the movement of the body (although few expected a dead body to actually move)!

We see this in the coming forth from the tomb of Lazarus. When he came out, “his hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen, and he had a cloth around his face.” Therefore, Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (John 11:44). 

Secondly, as noted in the account of the resurrection of Lazarus, there was, in addition to the body wrappings, a covering for the face/head. The Greek word used for this item is soudarion, and it is used in both John 11:44 and 20:7. It denoted “a headcovering for the dead” [The New Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, p. 1372].

It was a “piece of cloth, a yard or so square” [Dr. James Hastings, Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. 2, p. 226], that was used to wrap around the head of the deceased: a head shroud. A picture of just such a head cloth can be seen in the accompanying picture.When Peter, and then later John, entered the tomb they found something intriguing about these burial garments: something so utterly astounding that it erased their doubts and established their faith in our Lord’s resurrection from the dead.

They did not see the body of Jesus; but they did see the grave clothes…. And they saw the clothes in a certain order. 

John covers the exact arrangement of the clothes. It is the sole purpose of nine verses of the Gospel history. Why so great a detailed account? It was the linen strips that caused him to believe. Scripture clearly tells us that when John “saw the arrangement of the grave clothes, he believed, beyond all doubt, that Jesus was risen.”

These grave garments were arranged in a unique way. When John saw “the linen clothes lying,” he believed. The word “lying” does not merely refer to the fact that they were “remaining on the floor of the sepulcher,” but rather, the word used, means that they were 

“lying precisely as the body had lain in them.” 

The grave clothes were in exactly the position the body had occupied.

They “saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (John 20:7, NIV).   In reading this statement, we may not find much to astound us; but, most translations have not really captured, in their English rendering of the text, what Peter and John were beholding and perceiving in that tomb. Indeed, in some translations, the wording is even misleading.

For example, there are a few versions where the face/head wrap is referred to as a “napkin”, the sort used to wipe the mouth while eating a meal. (King James VersionAmerican Standard VersionRevised Standard VersionYoung’s Literal TranslationNew English Bible).

These are major translations that have greatly influenced our religious language. Another unfortunate rendering of the Greek term is “handkerchief” (New King James VersionDarby Translation, the modern translation by J. B. Phillips, and even the version by Hugo McCord).

Most versions, however, simply render the Greek term as “the wrapping” or “the cloth.” The words “napkin” and “handkerchief” leave the wrong impression in our minds, and can lead to some strange interpretations (such as the alternate story/account/eRumor, making the rounds on the Internet in which a “folded napkin at the dinner table” is supposed to convey to a servant that the master is coming back –

As mmm heart is for truth and no evidence was found to coroborate the reference to the napkin at the dinner table; only that (“2000 yrs ago as there was no such Jewish custom in that day; such “dinner napkins” were not even used by rough fishermen, and a number of Orthodox Jewish rabbis and scholars in Jerusalem, when questioned about this, stated they had never even heard of such a thing”).   It may have been a custom of the Roman Elites and of Royals. The way of life, lack of internal plumbing and European/western etiquette are things we take for granted but it was not as we are today; and many countries are still struggling for the basic necessities of life. Our Greek mind set and mistranslations may have helped to paint a not so accurate picture. 

Presented below are some referenced studies from original texts, which reveal a truly amazing possibility!

This was not a napkin or handkerchief, but as already stated it was probably either rather a large linen cloth that was wrapped around the head of the deceased and/or His tallit.

Some translators also did not serve their readers well by translating the Greek word entulisso as “folded” (New International VersionDarby TranslationEnglish Standard VersionHolman Christian Standard BibleNew Century VersionNew King James VersionNew Living Translation, and a few others).

Most translations have “wrapped up” or “rolled up.” The Greek word entulisso only appears three times in the NT (Matt. 27:59; Luke 23:53; John 20:7). The word itself means “to roll up; to wrap together” [Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, p. 219].

The picture above may not be exactly what they saw… the one below maybe nearer the reality..

So it was Not This…

But this is what they saw!!!!

“It implies that the cloth had been wound around the head into the shape of a sphere and not folded flat like a table napkin. In the NT this word is used only in the description of Jesus’ entombment” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 189].

Thus, the text is actually suggesting that what Peter and John saw was NOT a “folded napkin,” but rather the head shroud still in its “wrapped up” condition, only with no head in it.

The same was the case with the burial linens. 

They were there, still “lying in place” as they had been, with the head wrap separate from the body wrap, but the body was gone.

“Unfortunately, neither the Authorized Version nor the Revised Version gives the exact translation of the Greek text. The literal rendering of the passage makes it clear that the cloth which had been placed about Christ’s head before burial was discovered by the two disciples lying where His head had been, in the undisturbed form of a coiled or twisted head-wrapper …

just as if His head had somehow slipped out of it.

This rendering of the passage is confirmed by the impression made upon the two disciples by what they witnessed on entering the tomb. It is said that they ‘saw and believed’ — saw something, that is, which persuaded them so completely that their Master was risen from the dead that their doubts were immediately resolved” [Dr. James Hastings, Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. 2, p. 227].

Dr. H. A. Ironside concurs: “They saw the linen cloths just as they had been wrapped around the body, like the shell of the chrysalis after the butterfly has emerged. The cloths were there, but the body had gone!” [Addresses on the Gospel of John, p. 861].

“This means the headcloth still retained the shape that the contour of Jesus’ head had given it, and that it was still separated from the other wrappings by a space that suggested the distance between the neck of the deceased and the upper chest, where the wrappings of the body would have begun” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 188].

Esteemed Jewish scholar Simon Greenleaf, founder of Harvard Law School, meant to use his “laws of evidence” to challenge the theory of the resurrection, and became a believer.

LINEN THAT COULDN’T LIE

Linen clothes, refer to the manner in which they prepared the body for burial in that day. They would wrap the body with a wide long cloth, somewhat like a bandage is applied to an injured leg or arm; the wrappings continued until they reached the neck. This was the method they used to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Like a giant bondage, these wrappings were wound around the body of our Lord, beginning at the feet, and ending at the head. John saw these ‘linen clothes lying’ undisturbed, just as they had been when the body of Jesus lay within them, but now there was no body, the linen clothes were empty!

John 19:39-40 tells us that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea brought about a 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes spices and wound the body of Jesus in the cloth wrappings with the spices. As they wrapped the cloth strip around and around Jesus’ body, they poured in 100 pounds of spices into the wrappings and upon the body. 

LIQUID SPICES SETTLED AND SOLIDIFIED AROUND THE BODY SHAPE!

All these liquid spices would soon harden and would cause the cloth wrappings to become an encrusted cocoon around the body of Jesus.

All the wrappings followed the contours of the body; it would be a tight solid covering that would protect the body, and from which the body could not be pulled by any human means. 

The only way, humanly speaking, a body could be removed from such encrusted wrappings, would be by cutting the cloth from end to end and laying back each side so the body could be pulled from its wrappings.

PROOF – THE BODY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN STOLEN

It is inconceivable that the body had been stolen, and that enemies would have spent the time to abstract the body from the clothes and so arrange them as to look like a body was still there. Who would do that and why?

When the disciples saw the “linen clothes lying” –- uncut, undisturbed, lying just as they had been, yet they were empty –- it convinced them that the body had been miraculously, supernaturally removed. Had some human hand stolen the body, he would have been forced to slit open the bindings in order to remove the body. 

Likewise, Greenleaf concluded, HAD JESUS REVIVED AND EXITED THE TOMB HE COULD NOT HAVE LEFT THE WRAPPING UNDISTURBED.

The Greek words translated, “wrapped together” in John 20:7, actually mean, “twisted together” or “rolled up” –- it speaks of a fixed position – much like a cocoon. The linen cloths were “wrapped” or “rolled together,” however the body was missing.

The “linen clothes” had not been unfolded, loosed or disturbed in any way!

They just lay there!

An empty shell of the linen clothes that had been wrapped around and around the body of Jesus. 

The primary point of this physical testimony was to thwart the lie that was going to be spread abroad that the body of Jesus had been stolen (either by His disciples or unnamed others). Because guards were posted at the tomb, and the entrance was sealed, even if robbers managed to distract the guards, they would still have to snatch the body in haste and make off with it, which would not allow them time to leave the burial wrappings in such a condition.

Indeed, they would most likely steal the body fully wrapped, rather than carefully unwrap it, remove the body, then rewrap the linen pieces to its previous shape, making off with a corpse. It wouldn’t make any sense, nor would they have the time. If they did choose to remove the burial wrappings, it would have been done in haste, and the cloths would be strewn about the tomb.

This was not the case. Clearly the hand of God was involved for the body to be gone and the wrappings to be preserved in this condition, and given the fact that the tomb was sealed and guarded. Peter and John took in the whole scene … and believed! He was risen!

“The grave clothes were left as if Jesus had passed right through them. The headpiece was still rolled up in the shape of a head, and it was at about the right distance from the wrappings that had enveloped Jesus’ body.

A grave robber couldn’t possibly have made off with Jesus’ body and left the linens as if they were still shaped around it” [footnote in the Life Application Bible, p. 1926]. As Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll rightly observes, in The Expositor’s Greek Testament, “Had the authorities or anyone else taken the body, they would have taken it as it was” [vol. 1, p. 862]. Matthew Henry’s point is well-taken: “Anyone would rather choose to carry a dead body in its clothes than naked” [Commentary on the Whole Bible, e-Sword].

(Naked in the Hebrew means except for a loincloth.)

Thus, the condition of burial garments “became the fullest proofs against the lie of the chief priests: that the body had been stolen away by the disciples. If the body had been stolen away, those who took it would not have stopped to strip the clothes from it, and to wrap them up” again [Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 5, p. 656].

“Peter must have been wondering why the grave clothes were left in this position if the body had been stolen. A robber would not have left them in good order. He would have stripped the body completely, leaving the clothing in a disorderly heap; or he would have taken the body, grave clothes and all” [The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 9, p. 188].

These linen wrappings, and the condition in which they found them, convinced Peter and John “that this was no violent grave robbery or the grave clothes would have been tossed in a heap or carried off with the body. The careful arrangement impressed the sensitive apostles with the marvelous truth that their Lord had risen from the dead” [The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 4, p. 373].

THE ‘COCOON’ WAS EMPTY…

The tomb was empty…

What do you think? A Mmmm moment!

(Makes the analogy of the butterfly’s lifecycle even more interesting as ‘the worm’ exits the cocoon in a brand new body and flies away.) 

Dr. Lenski sums up what we find in this passage, and the marvelous truth it proclaimed to Peter and John … and us: “They lay just as they had been wound about the limbs and the body, only the body was no longer in them. … No human being wrapped round and round with bands like this could possibly slip out of them without greatly disturbing them.”

“They would have to be unwound, or cut through, or cut and stripped off. They would thus, if removed, lie strewn around in disorder or heaped in a pile. … If the body had been desecrated in the tomb by hostile hands, this kind of evidence would appear. But hostile hands would have carried off the body as it was, wrappings and all, to get it away as soon as possible and to abuse it later and elsewhere.”

“But here the linen bands were. Both their presence and their undisturbed condition spoke volumes. Here, indeed, was a sign to behold. It corroborated what the women had told Peter and John on the way out to the tomb: Jesus was risen from the dead!” [The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, p. 1342].

Final thoughts…

Is this Proof of Resurrection that Jesus folded his Tallit when he arose from the dead?

Yeshua, the Messiah, also was put in the tomb with His prayer shawl about His head/covering His Body as was the custom of burial. The TALLIT, (which the KJV calls the napkin), is one of the many great infallible proofs, as Jesus showed Himself ALIVE after his death on the cross.

As Peter and then John entered the empty tomb, they saw something that immediately convinced them that the resurrection of Jesus/Yeshua was irrefutable fact.

This is just a single small example of the richness of the proof of the resurrection. It also shows why Gentiles should rejoice that the Jewish Roots of the Gospel are being restored by the modern Messianic movement.

Jesus/Yeshua knew that when Simon Peter burst into the tomb and found it empty, Peter would think the Romans had somehow disposed of the body.

Is that why Jesus/Yeshua, at the time of His resurrection, on Saturday, the Sabbath, Nissan 17, three days and nights after His death on the cross on Wednesday, Nissan 14, 30AD, took the time to precisely fold His prayer shawl, His Tallit, and lay it apart from the other grave wrappings?

When Peter saw the tallit, as only Jesus/Yeshua would fold it, he knew that the Romans did not take the body; because, if they had, it is not at all likely would they have folded, or even known how Jesus/Yeshua folded His tallit. Jesus/Yeshua MUST be alive to have folded His tallit, in the precise way that Peter and John were familiar with.

So in perfect conclusion for Passover week let the music minister to us… Shalom as He raises us up! We are each and every one precious in His sight and greatly loved.

How appropriate..Yeshua began and ended His earthly life in swaddling clothes! WOW!As today is key to understanding the faith of believers… Please don’t leave this page without assurance that your resurrection day is set. In days of uncertainty, here, there is complete confidence that we can trust the words of His promises and be encouraged in the hope and future of life eternal in the presence of a loving Heavenly Father…

Who gave His life for us.

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

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 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 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 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. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Even More Can Happen In And Around The Same Week

We know that..but before He was, here are some more pictures concluding the events surrounding that week…

John 18:10 Peter’s sword severed Malchus’ right ear, he was servant of a high priest.Jesus heals his ear.  vs. 56 The disciples all fled

vs.57 Then arrested and bound Jesus was taken to Annas, the father in law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. He was the one who said, it was profitable for one to die. 

John 11:49–51 All the high priests, scribes and elders were assembled and ready. This was all done at night.

59-68 They accused Him of blasphemy, spit in His face and hit Him.

69-75 Peter denies Him three times

chp. 27:1 Jesus was kept overnight in an underground dungeon

vs.2 They bound Him lead Him away to the Govenor Pontius Pilate .

vs.3 Judas repented and took 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and the elders

5 then he hanged himself.

6-10 They used the 30 pieces of silver to buy the Potters Field in which to bury strangers. Fulfilling Zechariah vs.11:13

v11. Jesus before the governor- v18 who tells them to choose between Jesus and Barabbas

19 – Pilate’s wife has a dream and tells her husband to have nothing to do with condemning Jesus.

The realm of darkness was watching while Pilate sent him to Herod and Herod sent Him back to Pilate.

John 18:28 From Caiaphas to the Praetorium, the governor’s headquarters.v. 29 back again to Pilate who would not condemn him and offers v.30 customary release of one prisoner on Passover and gives them the choice. V.40 they choose Barabbas.

19:1 Pilate instructs the scourging to take place. This was a Roman scourging of many strokes not limited to the Jewish restriction of 39 strokes. Which is why Isaiah prophesied that He was marred and disfigured, He was unrecognizable.‘Behold the man’

19:7 The reasoning for crucifixion according to the Jews was that in the Torah, Leviticus 24:16 says the person who blasphemed the name of the Lord is to be put to death.

Pilate wanted to release Him.  Vs. 13

Pilate moved Jesus outside and sat upon a judicial bench in a place called Lithostrato and in Hebrew is called Gab’ta and it was the sixth hour.

He was given over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified 19:16 and taken to Golgotha the place of the skull called in Hebrew ‘gulgolet’ 19:17

20-23 They choose Barabbas Angkor and to have Jesus crucified.

Vs. 24 Pilate washes his hands before the people saying that he is innocent of the blood of this just person..

Vs. 25 The people curse themselves by saying His blood be on us and on our children.

Matthew 27:28 the scarlet cloak was from the Roman soldiers, this was not His prayer shawl. They had removed that to scourge him.

Mark 15:17 says it was a purple cloak signifying royalty. They also placed a crown of thorns that they had purposely woven and a reed in his right hand.

26  Jesus was scourged and delivered to be crucified

27-31 With the crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand and mocked him spit on Him and hit Him on the head.

verse 30 They spit on Him (which even in today’s society spitting is considered an act of mocking and disrespect  towards the person or thing) as a sign of underlying rebellion, prideful and haughty, it showed a disdainful attitude and reflected poorly on those who did it.

In verse 31 and in Mark 15:20 the red cloak was removed and they dressed Him with His own garments giving Him back His prayer shawl.

The other gospels give further details on events.

Luke 23:26 Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help carry His cross. Mark 15:21 tells us he was the father of Alexander and Rufus.

they went to Golgotha the place of the skull

34 and offered Him vinegar to drink to take away the pain but He would not drink it.

35 They cast lots for His garments fulfilling Psalm 22:18 This was not the Scarlet Robe of Matthew 27:28, this tunic that was seamless woven from top throughout vs23 the tunic was possibly His prayer shawl, which in those days was a large poncho like garment. With a hole for the head and fringes on the corners as prophesied in Psalm 22:19

37 A sign was placed over His head on the cross the inscription read: Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jewish people. It was written in Hebrew, Roman and Greek. Roman (the language later became known as Latin now we know it as Italian.) 19:19–22 Jesus gives His mother to John as his own vs 26

38-44 Two thieves with Him, tells one of them, ‘today you will be with Me in Paradise.’

23:32-43 Two evildoers verse 33 one on the right hand is a symbol of God’s salvation from Psalm 20:6 the left hand is a symbol of calamity and judgement … one for each. 

vs. 45 from the 6-9th hour there was darkness all over the land.

Mark 15:34 tells us that after three hours of darkness He cried out in Hebrew, azavtani is the correct spelling of the Hebrew word used in Psalm 22. The Greek text uses the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word which in English is s’bakhthani

Matthew 27:46 eli eli l’mah azavtani   eli eli l’mah sh’vaktani

My God my God why have you utterly forsaken me? He was quoting Psalm 27:2 and some thought He was calling for Elijah.

His side is pierced by a spear of a Roman soldier. 

50 Jesus yields up His spirit. He was suspended between Heaven and earth – symbolically the bridge – restoring the Way back to the Father. 

51 The veil in the middle of the Temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom and the earth did quake and the rocks split open.

The veil was torn which was impossible without some divine intervention. It could not have been done with human hands as it was so thick. It was significant because the Veil/curtain was placed between all the people and the presence of God. When Jesus died and became the high priest once for all, the relationship was restored between God and humanity the wall between us was broken down as symbolized by the curtain being torn. God’s presence was no longer contained and limited to the Ark of the covenant now once again His spirit and presence was able to go everywhere.

52 -53 and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and then came out of the graves after His resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.  

57 Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate and asks for Jesus body

59-60 and John 19:39, Nicodemus comes to help and they wrap Him in a clean linen cloth, he brings 100lbs weight of myrrh and aloes which was only usually reserved for royalty

and place Him in the new tomb. Then roll the great stone over the door and left.

62 – 66 Chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked them to put soldiers by the sepulcher to make sure the disciples didn’t steal away Jesus body and try to deceive the people that He was resurrected.

At some point before the women returned, the Power of the Father raised Him from the dead and quickened His mortal body.

28:1-8 when they return to the sepulcher and there was another great earthquake

the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.

The angel tells them He is not there He is risen as He said He would.

Vs 9. As they were going to tell the disciples, they meet Jesus and He tells them to go to galilee where He will be waiting for them.

He appeared to Mary Magdalene, in His resurrected human form, just after His resurrection and shortly after the two Marys entered the sepulcher (John 20:14-17).‘sir do you know where they have taken Him?’

At 9:00 a.m. At the exact time of the Morning Sacrifice in the Temple the Messiah  “waved” the omer before His Father in the Jerusalem Temple for the acceptance of the FIRST FRUITS.

 John 20:24–31 Thomas examines the nail prints in Jesus hands. 

Mark 16:12 Luke 24:13-35  He appeared to two of them as they walked to Emmaus.

Vs.14  & Luke 24:36 He appeared to the 11 as they sat eating.

Later that day (the First Day of the Week) He appeared to the eleven disciples while they were gathered together and “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:19, 22). (This was before Pentecost!)

15 says to Peter 3 times to ‘feed My sheep’.

He also told them to “go into ALL the world [of Israel] and preach the gospel to the whole creation” giving them the great commission (Mark 16:15). Going to the gentiles came later.

Jesus eats with them in John 21:1–13 and we are told of the miracle catch of 153 fish.

Jesus is on the seashore with a fire vs.9 cooking breakfast for them vs. 12 ‘come and dine’

Vs. 19 and Luke 24:50 He was received up into heaven.

Acts 1:2-11 He was seen by the apostles for over 40 days and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the father.

 vs. 4  While waiting, they were counting the Omer until Pentecost/Shavuot 50 days after Passover/Pesach.

Next post will include some mysteries and miracles we don’t always hear about, which, without this post the next one would not make sense.

We are on a journey and everything is connected and has deeper meaning than just the surface events.

If this is your first time on MMM simply refer to earlier posts for the whole story https://www.minimannamoments.com/palm-sunday-nisan-the-appointed-time-of-the-lamb/ and please don’t leave this site without the certainty that you are forgiven.

You are greatly loved!

Remember…