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Once again we are entering the wonderful season of Pesach/Passover. The remembrance of the Exodus from Egyptian bondage when the children of Israel left slavery behind; and the blood of an innocent lamb was smeared on the lintel and dalet/door posts, so the angel of death would see it and Pass-over that home. The firstborn of every household that had no blood applied died that night. The first Passover was a prophetic picture of the Messiah Yeshua haMashiach/Jesus Christ, Who came and was Himself the Passover Lamb and became the firstborn from the dead. He called Himself the Door/Dalet and His blood was shed so that when we apply it to our lives we have passed over from spiritual death to life.
There is so much prophetic symbolism and deep meaning in these events, much of which has been covered over the years in previous posts. However there are always pearls hidden for us to discover and as we often call the weekend prior to Passover Palm Sunday, let’s take a look at some things we may have missed.
Why do we call it Palm Sunday?
No doubt it is in reference to John 12:13: “Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed [is] the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Some call this day the Triumphal Entry.
The people cried Hosanna which is really a Greek transliteration of the
Aramaic word Hoshanna,
which means:
to save, rescue or help
and in this form it can be easily translated as
Salvation has come.
So when we read in the gospels that Messiah Yeshua/Jesus entered Yerushalayim/Jerusalem a week before His crucifixion, He was greeted with a crowd who were joyfully shouting:
Salvation has come.
Picture this, that they were shouting salvation has come, as the road to Yerushalayim /Jerusalem was lined with thousands of the pilgrims who were commanded to present themselves every year at one of the 3 Shalosh Regalim, required Appointed Times/moedim. This moed was rehearsed annually by the Israelites believing that one day Messiah would come and this year He did!
In order to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, He purposely entered riding a donkey, and not only that but also to show that He was coming in peace/shalom. In those days when someone rode into a city on a horse it was usually to announce the presence of royalty and it could also indicate an intention to make war; so when the people saw Yeshua/Jesus ride in on a donkey everyone immediately understood that He was not there to set Himself up as a king nor to declare His intention to overthrow the existing government. Again we miss so much when we are unaware of cultural symbolism and their significance, often misinterpreting the picture presented to us in scripture. Most of us have probably heard sermons which criticize the Jews of that time, saying that one week they were cheering Yeshua/Jesus and then the next week they were shouting demanding for his death; claiming that this change in attitude by the Jews is due to their disappointment when He didn’t lead the overthrow of the Roman government.
Here we should look at the situation where the crowd called for Barabbas to be set free and for Messiah to be crucified. There is no evidence, other than church tradition, that supports that all the people were wanting Messiah dead. In fact the court that Jesus/Yeshua was tried in when people cried out for His crucifixion could only hold 30-50 people. In the film The Passion of the Christ we are shown the most accurate scene where only a select few were allowed to be in the inner court and there was a small crowd of supporters pushing to gain access but were forced out. In Matthew 27:25 the scene before Pilate is known as the Pavement of Judgment and was part of the famous Antonio Fortress complex which served as a military barracks for the Roman soldiers guarding the Temple Mount and was large enough for only 300 people.
These were individuals gathered by and stirred up by the Cohen haGadol/High Priest, Sanhedrin and religious hierarchy. The Role Of The Sanhedrin Mark 15:11 notes, “the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas instead.” The Sanhedrin had already convicted Yeshua/Jesus of blasphemy (Luke 22:67-71) but lacked authority to enforce capital punishment (John 18:31).So it was not the thousands who had lined the road to Yerushalayim/Jerusalem but approx. between 50 – 300 people who demanded His death and declared his blood be upon us and our children, accepting guilt for His death. This means that it was confined only to those present and not to all of Israel; and further, Messiah Himself forgave them from the cross in Luke 23:34 and therefore it should not be viewed or used as a reason to fuel flames of anti-Semitism.
Sadly in some cases the church has portrayed the Jews as blood thirsty killers of the Messiah who demanded that He be put to death. It should be remembered that the average Israelite had no desire for anyones execution, they had lived through wars and captivity and with the government of Rome using crucifixion the last thing they wanted was to see an execution of a holy man, a prophet and miracle worker. The sages had so many rules and regulations and appeals that had to be made recorded in their Oral Tradition, that it was almost impossible to execute someone because execution was hated so much. Even today Israel has outlawed capital punishment and apparently the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichman was the only person ever executed in Israel.
Another explanation of their rejection of Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah is that they turned on Him when he failed to set Himself up as King and yet, culturally and historically, the very fact that He rode in on a donkey and not a horse was clearly a signal of His true intentions. As Mary’s firstborn child He would be redeemed according to Torah requirements, Luke 2:22-24 (Numbers 3:47-48, 18:15-16.) and it is interesting that the Torah Exodus 13:13 further states that in firstborn livestock, a lamb would be sacrificed in place of the male donkey. A firstborn donkey may be purchased back from the Lord in exchange for a lamb or baby goat;
The Lamb rode a donkey,
the significance of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus riding on a firstborn donkey colt highlights Him as being the firstborn for humanity.
It is important to see that the people still cheered Him even though they realized He was coming in peace/shalom, and it was very likely that this display of love and adoration was what panicked the power held by the religious order of Orthodox Judaism and made them decide on a course of action resulting in their determination to put Yeshua/Jesus to death.
But why specifically branches of the Palm tree?
In Hebrew the word for Palm Branches is
Lulav – לוּלָב
spelled: Lamed Vav Lamed Vav
In Europe and the Middle East, palm branches symbolize many things, for example in ancient Greece, a palm branch was awarded to the victorious athlete because the palm leaf or even the tree itself was the most common symbol in Rome for Victory.
To many it symbolized peace.
To the Assyrians it represented a connection between earth and heaven and it was associated with the goddess Ishtar (Easter) and the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna.
To the ancient Egyptians it symbolizes eternal life. It was the sacred symbol for Apollo.
So why were the crowds cheering?
Is it possible that the people were not looking for a king or someone to overthrow the Roman Empire? They were well versed in the scripture of the TaNaKH and of the prophecy of a Messiah who would save them from their sins; One Who would bring them eternal salvation and they recognized Jesus/Yeshua as their Messiah.
The words they cried out: Hoshanna “Salvation has come” is exactly the same cry we have today as we declare our love and devotion to our Savior, Lord and King.
As for the palm branches? They mean a lot of things to different people in the Middle East, but to the Jews, the Hebrew word itself explains what it meant to them, Lulav. (Also used in the celebrations of the moed Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles.)
The Hebrew word Lulav:
Lu means: to or unto, and
Lav means: heart.
What they were showing by waving the palms was in other words…
We give you our hearts.
By the crowds greeting Him with Palm leaves was a clear sign that they accepted Him as their Messiah.
This year, when we celebrate during Passover/Pesach week, we may not have a palm branch to wave, but we can cry out with great joy and thanksgiving… Hoshanna/ Hosanna – to you we give our hearts, Yeshua/Jesus our Messiah.
The Day of the Lulav – the Day of our heart cry!
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 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
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Redemption of the Firstborn –
Pidyon HaBen
פדיון הבן
The blessing for this ceremony is also distinct –
al pidyon habechor =
for the redemption of the firstborn.
Some say
bechor
instead of
al pidyon haben – for the redemption of the son or
pidyon ha-ben – redemption of the son,
plural: Pidyon Ha-bonin, or Pidyon Ha-bens.
In Hebrew the word for redemption is
Pidyon פדיון
Ha Ben הבן
means: of the son.
What is redemption and why would it be needed?
Is there a cost, a price for redemption?
If there is a price – who is responsible to pay for it?
Pidyon- redemption, goes back to the days of Moses during the time the nation of Israel was in the wilderness on route from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Korah, who was a tribal leader in Israel, led a rebellion against Moses. As a member of the Levites, Korah was permitted to minister in the mishkan/tabernacle. However Korah was jealous of Aaron, the brother of Moses, who had been appointed High Priest, and he demanded that he be the one to serve as High Priest instead of Aaron.
The outcome of this rebellion is recorded in the Numbers as He, his followers, and their families and possessions were swallowed up by the ground in a judgment of God.
However in a wonderful picture of grace shown by our Heavenly Father, almost 400 years later, a few of his surviving descendants wrote some of the Psalms.
Psalm 49 is one of those credited to the sons of Korah; who, were fully aware of the consequences of sin and they wrote of redemption and its’ price in Psalm 49:6-9:
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
In the above passage, it is clearly stated that while many choose to trust in their riches and even boast in them, there is at least one thing that all their riches are unable to pay for. No amount of earthly riches can secure redemption and rescue from sin and corruption.
The word corruption used here is the word
pit
and refers to
the final destination of those who have rejected Our Heavenly Father and His Messiah.
As noted the word redemption in Hebrew is
Pidyon – פדיון
and in traditional Hebrew it refers to:
a price that must be paid: to redeem, to rescue, or to deliver someone.
Its’ root is a legal term that concerns:
the substitution required for a person to be delivered from bondage.
Pidyon HaBen is usually referred to as the
redemption of the firstborn.
It is a mitzvah/commandment in Hebraic life because the first and best of all things belong to our Heavenly Father and this includes the firstborn of all children. We see evidence of this in the lives of the early patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and even Jacob who received the blessing of the firstborn through transfer from Esau.
The firstborn child of every Israelite parent received the birthright, which made him the head of the entire family clan.
A pidyon haben,
or
redemption of the firstborn son,
is a ceremony where the father of a firstborn son/bechor, born to Israelite parents redeems his son/bechor by giving a Kohen or Levi (a priestly descendent of Aaron) five silver coins, thirty days after the baby’s birth and only if male and not by caesarean.
Interpretations differ in what the firstborn son is to be redeemed from, ranging from being redeemed from their firstborn status, which brought negative associations following the Ten Plagues. In Exodus the 10th plague was death to all first born in Egypt but the Israelites were spared because they followed God’s instructions. As a result God declared that every first born son and every firstborn of their animals belonged to Him. Because the Israelites had been saved by God’s hand, they were now to be servants and priests before Him.
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Exodus 9:1
You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong 1Peter 2:16
We are set free to serve Him, not ourselves.
Originally, the Israelites firstborn were the priestly class and would serve as the priests and ministers to the Lord. He was to be the priest (kohen) of the family. As the bechor, he was responsible to offer avodah /sacrifice.
Ever since the golden calf incident when they forfeited their status, the priesthood was transferred to the children of Aaron. Of all the tribes, only the tribe of Levi was not guilty of participating; because of this the Lord decreed that the Levites were to take the place of the firstborn sons of Israel. Numbers 3:11–12.
Luke 2:25 – 33
Several years after the Israelites departure from Egypt these firstborn sons became the priesthood of the Israelite nation.
However as The Lord began to reveal more of His plan for His people, He designated an entire tribe for this holy purpose. The sons of Levi were chosen as recorded in Numbers 8:14–18. However this presented a problem of what to do with the previously appointed firstborn sons.
In the Torah, (first 5 books of the Old Testament), God gives a solution by specifying that the firstborn sons
be redeemed and
bought back for service other than full-time priesthood.
Since the days of Moses the custom of pidyon ha ben has been a important event in the biblical life cycle. As mentioned in Numbers 18:6 the timing of pidyon ha ben is one month after a boy’s birth. In biblical times, this would require the father to take his new born son into the Tabernacle or Temple where he would offer a specific amount of money for the baby boys’ redemption. The exact amount is stated – five shekels of Silver.
Because Joseph and Mary were obedient to the instructions given in Torah, they brought the newborn baby boy to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill their obligations.
This obligation was two fold:
1st according to Leviticus 12:8, to ceremonially cleanse the mother and make the required sacrifices.
Yeshua/Jesus’ family was not wealthy and in verse 24 we read that Joseph and Mary may have been relatively poor as they presented the less expensive offering of pigeons/doves.
The 2nd part was to redeem the firstborn son through the pidyon ha ben ceremony and Yeshua/Jesus was not exempt from this redemption; because every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.
Exodus 11:45, 12:29 – 30 and Exodus 13:2, 12, 15 record the observance of the above.
The purification of the mother is described in Leviticus 12:1-8
The firstborn of every house was required to live a dedicated life, and to think of himself as consecrated to special duties. In Hebrews 12:23 it speaks of the firstborn and of the thought referring to the whole company of those who are the firstborn, as they are also the firstfruits of humanity James 1:18.
They brought Messiah to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord. Because the law required that by the end of forty days from His birth, He should be presented in the Temple and that the usual offerings should be made; it seems that Mary and Joseph considered it more convenient to go from Bethlehem, where He was born. It would seem a better proposition as this was only six miles away, instead of after Mary’s recovery, first taking Him to Nazareth, which was a great distance from Jerusalem. We can, reasonably enough believe that they waited in Bethlehem during all the days of her purification, and that they went straight to Jerusalem from Bethlehem.
They entered the temple, and offered the sacrifices necessary for the purification of women after child-bearing, who, according to custom, waited in the Outer Court until the ceremony was performed.
As it is written, Every male that openeth the womb, And to offer a sacrifice, a pair of turtle doves.
Those who were wealthy were commanded to bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, and a turtle-dove, or a young pigeon, for a sin-offering.
It is interesting that Luke mentions the presentation of the child to the Lord before the offering of the sacrifice for the mother’s purification; but in fact this should have been before the presentation, because, until it was performed, the mother couldn’t enter the Temple; and Luke introduces both the parents as presenting the child?
The deeper meaning of:
present Him to the Lord –
meant that every first-born male child
among the Israelites was regarded as
By their being
holy unto the Lord
meant that
the office of priests belonged to them.
It was theirs
to be set apart to the service of God –
to offer sacrifice, and to perform the priestly duties.
It is probable that at first, these duties which were transferred onto the “father,” were, when he became infirm or died, transferred to the eldest son; and the duty of leading family worship should be performed by the eldest son. Afterward, God chose the tribe of Levi in the place of the eldest sons, to serve Him in the sanctuary, Numbers 8:13-18.
Yet it was still necessary to present the child to God, and it was required that it should be done with an offering.
Though most translations read their, it was only the mother who needed purifying from the uncleanness of childbearing.
It was in obedience to this law of Moses, that Mary presented her son unto the Lord, in the
East Gate of the Court called Nicanor’s Gate,
(see last post for location of this gate);
where she herself would be sprinkled by the priest with
the blood of her sacrifice!
In her case the 2 birds, two turtle doves, or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering, the other for a sin offering.
In due time, we were all to be redeemed by that firstborn son and His Blood is over us.
not with corruptible things as silver and gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ. 1Pe. 1:18, 19.
The consuming of the mother’s burnt offering, and that she was sprinkled with the blood of her sin offering, were to find their eternal transferral, in the fullness of her first born son whose blood which cleanseth from all sin.
All was done obediently, according to the law of Moses.
And here Mary appeared with her firstborn son, the true Messiah; and this was the first time of His coming into His temple, as was foretold, Malachi 3:1.
Luke 2:22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Hebrews 10:14 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (set apart).
Hebrew # H5680 One From Beyond
Chart of The Ancient Hebrew pictographs
and for the word Pidyon.
Pidyon, as used here, is spelled
Pey Dalet Yood Vav Noon.
פדיון
Pey 
is the picture of
the open mouth 
and means to speak.
Dalet 
is the picture of
the door 
and refers to a doorway, a place of decision,
or an entrance to life or death.
Yood
is the picture of
the hand or arm
and points us to a mighty work or deed.
Vav
is the picture of
the wooden peg or the iron nail
and means
to fasten or to secure two things that are separated from one another.
Noon
is the picture of the fish
and describes activity or life.
The message found in the pictographs is that:
He is declaring an entrance or a pathway that will require a mighty deed to secure life.
As we have read, NO amount of money will perform this mighty deed, something else will be needed.
Recall that Hebrew letters are also numbers, and each hold a certain meaning according to how they are used in the rest of the Bible.
They reveal a little more about this:
mighty deed that no amount of money can buy.
For more details on the Alefbet/Alphabet click link below
Pey is the number 80 and means a new beginning and a new birth.
Dalet is the number 4 and refers to creation.
Yood is the number 10 and stands for ordinal perfection.
Vav is the number 6 and reveals man’s enmity/separation from God.
Noon is the number 50 and describes deliverance followed by rest.
The Sons of Korah wrote in the Psalms that no one is able to pay the price of redemption.
Did they leave us with a question as to how anyone will ever be delivered from bondage?
Through the meaning in the numbers there is something else found in Pidyon that brings great hope and it’s that this:
redemption will bring a new birth or a new beginning for all creation. It has been ordained in heaven, and it is the answer to the enmity/separation between us and our Heavenly Father, and it will result in our deliverance followed by rest.
Hebrews 10:12 describes this person.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.
Here we read of a man who was able to pay the price necessary for mankind to be delivered from the bondage of sin.
Mark 10: 45, identifies this man more fully, and the mighty deed/work which He did is also revealed:
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In Ps 49:15 We read that the Sons of Korah knew that God would someday provide a way for us to be redeemed.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.
One other connection with the Torah requirement in the Mosaic Covenant and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, is that because He was Mary’s firstborn son, and Mary was of the kingly lineage of the tribe of Judah; He was not of the priestly tribe of Levi or the sub clan of the kohanim; so, according to the directions given in the Torah, He must be redeemed. His presentation at the Temple was to have the Kohanim/Levites represent His avodah/His service then, was ironically fulfilled at the end of His life when He was killed by their counsel!
John 11:49–52
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Avodah. עֲבוֹדָה;
in Hebrew is literally “service”
the word jointly means work, worship, and sacred service.
Avodah, is the same word used for prayer and also the word for slavery, which is involuntary service.
There is irony here in that those appointed to redeem Him as His kohanim, according to the terms of the Mosaic covenant, were the very ones who made Him our Redeemer. In other words those who were appointed to represent Messiah Yeshua/Jesus before His Father God, were the very ones who later offered Him up as a sacrifice for our sins. Our Heavenly Father is truly God of all gods and King of all kings because His ways are so far beyond our ways!
In 1Tim 2:5,6 the mystery is completed and Paul reveals the name of the One who was able to pay the Pidyon:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for..
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are 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 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
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