7
Apr

The Spring Holidays (Feasts) in the Time of Jesus

   Posted by: tcbeaton   in Uncategorized

Today we celebrate Easter. This is the day that we, as Christians, commemorate the Risen Lord. A few days ago, the Jewish people commemorated the Passover as they were commanded in Exodus:

God said, “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”
Exodus 12:14

So, perhaps you’re asking, “Why should we, as Christians, care about the Passover… Isn’t it all about the Resurrection?” I would like to propose that all of the Jewish Feasts are very important to Christians, after all they are also part of our history (heritage). We need to sometimes be reminded that Christ was a practicing Jew when he participated in the Passover in the upper room, he was still a practicing Jew when he prayed in the Garden, and he was still a practicing Jew when he was crucified. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same God Christians bow down to.

Today, many Christians believe that Jesus (and therefore God) was not in control on the evening of Jesus’ last Passover prior to his arrest, unjust sentence, and death. Many believe he was unlawfully arrested by the authorities, tried unjustly by the Jewish and Roman rulers, and unmercifully crucified; but, this could be no further from the truth.

Many times, in the days just prior to Passover, Jesus spoke of the upcoming events:

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Matthew 20:17-19

After the mother of James and John asked if they could sit on the left and right of Jesus, the other disciples found out and were upset. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord [their power] over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25-28

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to the disciples, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
Matthew 26:1-2

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
John 10:17-18

Long ago, in the Garden, the perfect man had a perfect relationship with a perfect God. The perfect man “fell from grace” when he chose to disobey the perfect God. Hundreds of years passed by, God’s single command was replaced by the Ten Commandments; when one couldn’t work, many more were needed. Finally, after a four hundred year period of silence where God didn’t speak to his people, Jesus descended from heaven in the form of a baby. Thirty-three years later, he fulfilled his mission to secure a way for “fallen man” to have a way back to God.

One gruesome day a little over 2,000 years ago, Jesus became the perfect priest to offer the perfect sacrifice to a perfect God. On this day years ago, as Marv Rosenthal (Zion’s Hope Ministries) put it well, “Jesus became both the agent and the object, the offerer and the offering. He was the infinite and eternal sacrifice to appease the infinite and eternal God.”

Let’s step back in time, about 1,500 years before Christ was born… Leviticus speaks of seven Feasts of the Lord given by God through Moses to the people of Israel 1,500 years before Christ would come to Earth, and they all play into the depiction of His redemptive story. In the Bible, the number seven is the number of completion or perfection. The four Spring Feasts will be the focus of our attention in this article; the three Fall Feasts are all spoken of in the Book of Revelation, and have not occurred yet.

The Passover

These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover.
Leviticus 23:4-5

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:6-8

The Feast of Firstfruits

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say unto them, ‘When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’ ”
Leviticus 23:9-14

The Feast of Weeks

You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:15-22

Jesus, personally fulfilled all of the four Spring Feasts from the night of Passover until Pentecost occurred. Let’s look back now to this time, just over 2,000 years ago…

Thursday Night - Because of the number of people flooding into Jerusalem for the Passover, it was customary for the “non-residents” to celebrate the Passover on Thursday. Jesus and his disciples would celebrate the Passover on this night.

Passover - Jesus was arrested, brought before the high priests and scribes and then Pilate, sentenced to death and hung on the Cross. On this day, Jesus BECAME the Passover Lamb to forever take away the sins of the world.

Unleavened Bread - In preparation for Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, all of the houses of the Jews would be scoured and cleaned completely to remove any leavening. Bread for these feasts would be made without leavening (Matzah). The “leavening” represented the sin in the lives of the Jews. Jesus, perfect and sinless (with no leavening), was placed into the tomb on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

First Fruits - Once delivered into the promised land, the Jews were to bring the fruits of their first harvest as an offering to God. On the day after the Sabbath, Jesus the first-born of humanity was resurrected.

(40 days) - After his resurrection, Jesus ministered to his disciples and others until he was taken up into Heaven.

(10 days) - For ten more days, the disciples waited for the promised “helper” to arrive.

Weeks - Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, the disciples experienced the descent of the Holy Spirit (the awaited helper promised by Jesus). “Pentecost” (meaning the fiftieth day) is the offering of new grain.

 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
Luke 22:14-15

Jesus earnestly (importantly, purposefully, seriously) desired to eat the Passover with his closest friends, before he became the Passover himself – and in doing so began the fulfillment of the Spring Feasts of the LORD instituted 1,500 years before his birth.

 

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17
Mar

The Three-leafed Old White Clover

   Posted by: tcbeaton   in Uncategorized

St.PatrickSo… This is the week of St. Patrick, the only day of the year dedicated to commemorate a person who has been canonized as a saint. If you’ve found yourself wondering at this time of year, why is it that only one saint has a day of his own, you won’t find the answer here. But, let’s look at who St. Patrick was and what he did with his life.

First, let’s go back in history to sometime around the year 500 AD. Britain was a Romanized colony and was fighting with the Celtic clans of Ireland. The leaders of these clans were druid priests, and their religion was animistic polytheism; they worshiped the sun and moon and other objects in nature, using magic and human sacrifice to appease their gods.

Patrick was born into a Christian family and at sixteen was captured by a band of Celtic pirates, kidnapped and taken to Ireland where he was sold into service tending the flocks of one of their tribal leaders. For six years he tended the flocks in captivity, spending his days and nights in constant prayer. Finally, he heard the voice of God instructing him to run for a ship heading back to his homeland.

Once back home, he began having visions and dreams of the land where he was captive as a youth. Patrick responded to the dreams and visions by training in the priesthood and studying the scriptures, following in the footsteps of his father (a deacon) and his grandfather (a priest), preparing for the day he would return to Ireland.

He shared his desire to return to Ireland with others and probably got lots of encouragement to “reject” the calling. His friends and family were probably saying things like, “Really! Why do you want to return to that God-forsaken, pagan, evil country? Remember, they were the people who kidnapped you and made you tend flocks through some pretty tough conditions, and you were a long way away from those who loved you.” But Patrick had the upper hand, he had a lot of things going for him, but two stood out in particular: first, God gave him the vision and was going with him, and secondly, he already understood the people. Perhaps his capture and tenure in Ireland wasn’t just a coincidence. Perhaps God has intentionally placed him there when he was young enough to learn the language and culture. Think of Patrick as the first missionary to the land of the Celts.

When Patrick and his small party of missionaries arrived in Ireland, this time not of his own will either, but that of God’s calling; they were greeted by one of the druid chiefs who recognized him. This chief offered his group the use of a barn which would become their first church. There he began the process of strengthening the small but growing Christians already living in Ireland, as well as beginning the process of converting the natives to Christianity.

This is where his understanding of their culture shined. He used fire to celebrate the first Christian Easter in Ireland, the bonfire was well received and understood since the Irish were already used to using fire to honor their gods. The “Celtic cross” was also his creation, he superimposed the sun, a powerful religious symbol to the Irish, onto the Christian cross making it more acceptable to the locals. And finally, perhaps the most well-known symbol of St. Patrick’s day, the shamrock – Patrick, while trying to describe the Trinity, reached down and picked up a three-leafed old white clover and using the three leaves in one leaf to explain three persons in one God. Ironically, the last of these is probably just a legend, but a pretty good explanation none-the-less. And the snakes being driven into the sea, rumor has it they’re just legend as well.

What can we learn from Patrick? There are lots of things, so we will just touch on a few:

♣ Look for opportunities, no matter what the circumstances. Patrick was kidnapped, taken to an unfamiliar land. Instead of sulking, he took the opportunity to get closer to God and the people and culture around him.
♣ Always be listening for the voice of God. Patrick first heard the voice telling him to escape, then to return. He was close enough to God, not only to hear, but to understand that God wasn’t in conflict with the opposing instructions.
♣ Learn the culture around you. Patrick had the opportunity to use the local customs and culture to introduce Christianity to them by incorporating what the Irish were already familiar with.

Two words of advice come to mind, the first from Peter:

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which was against your soul.
1 Peter 2:11

And, the second from Paul:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. … I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 9:19, 22, 23

Are we acting like the world belongs to us? Perhaps this is all we deserve and heaven is not for us.

Are we busy trying to teach our Christian traditions and culture to the world, or are we trying to bring Christ to the world? They are not the same thing.

Maybe now is a great time to tell people about the Trinity using a three-leafed old white clover … there are enough of them around this weekend. ;-)

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4
Mar

The Faith of a Dog

   Posted by: tcbeaton   in Uncategorized

BeckySeven years ago this month Becky went to hang out with God. She was a faithful friend to me for about eleven years, coming into my life as a “runaway” right about the same time my mom passed away.

I had often been told with Becky, and now with Miles (my Border Collie, currently sleeping at my feet while I type), that whenever I left the house there is howling. It appears that both dogs really have a problem with separation anxiety, even though I often let them know that I’ll only be gone for a short while.

But, this is not the real reason for this story. More importantly than how they howl when I left is their attitude when I return. It doesn’t matter whether I was gone for a minute, an hour, a day, or a week, if you look at their excitement you would think that I had been gone for a year! Both dogs have this little ritual of looking though the cat door to see if the noise in the garage was me returning, then as soon as I walked through the door they would do the “I’m so excited to see you dance.”

Here’s the deal… The dogs aren’t the real reason for the story. This is a story about you, it’s a story about me, it’s a story about God.

How often do we leave God, not for a few moments to go to the store, but instead for a period of time when we want to do things our way or when things are going really bad (the times we should be running whole-heartedly after God, not away from him)? Here’s the difference, when we leave God he doesn’t “howl” because he has a problem with separation anxiety, instead he whispers “I will never leave or forsake you.”

What if we turn the tables? Perhaps we need to look at God through the eyes of a dog … the way that they look at us. Perhaps we need to have the faith of a dog.

When was the last time you were excited to be in the presence of God? A dog is man’s best friend, and it shows when we come into their presence; if we are God’s best friend, shouldn’t it show in our lives (we’re always in His presence).

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
     my souls thirsts for you,
my flesh faints for you,
     as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
     beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
     my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
     in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 63:1-4

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26
Feb

Is the Bible the Literal Word of God, or Just a Collection of Ancient Myths?

   Posted by: tcbeaton   in Uncategorized

Not meant to be exhaustive… Here’s a little info:

First, from a historical perspective, the lives of the first century Christians stand as a compelling proof of the legitimacy of Christianity. Christians were persecuted by both the Roman and Jewish governments, for their belief in the “founder” and tenants of this new religion, Jesus Christ. These people were, in many cases, eyewitnesses of the miracles and other historical events of Jesus; if they were just propagating made up or fictitious stories to promote a new religion, under the reality of their death they would have renounced their beliefs. At least two different non-Christian historians wrote about the life of Jesus Christ. Josephus writes the following in The Antiquities of the Jews, book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3, published in A.D. 93: “Now, there was about this time Jesus, … He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, … and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.” In A.D. 109, Tacitus in Annals, book 15, chapter 44 writes: “… Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, … Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.”

Second, is an appeal to science as described in the Bible. The Bible cites statements about astronomy that have proven to be consistent with reality, such as, “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven…” (Genesis 22:17); a statement made well before the invention of the telescope. In Leviticus 17:11, the importance of blood is described, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, …” Additional scientific evidences are presented from physics, geology, hydrology, and meteorology.

Third, the Old Testament made many predictions regarding things that would happen in the future. At least four-hundred years prior to Jesus’ birth, a number of predictions (prophecies) regarding his birth, life, and death. Psalm 22 lists over ten specific prophecies regarding the crucifixion of Jesus, in a time period prior to the institution of crucifixion as a form of execution. Isaiah 7:14 describes the birth of Jesus to a virgin. Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem; which was not where his mother was living, was predicted in Micah 5:2. There are many other prophecies which are not mentioned here. As C.S. Lewis states in his famous trilemma, as a result of the prophecies, we must decide that Jesus is either a liar (speaking of the prophecies predicting where and what he would do), a lunatic (speaking of the things he specifically did or said would happen), or we have to concede that he is the Lord (since the prophecies and his claims have all come true). As such, the Bible is an accurate and reliable record of his life and message.

Finally, there is the appeal to the textual evidence available. Although no original autographs (manuscripts) exist for any part of the Bible or any other non-Biblical writings, the number of copies of the ancient texts far surpasses any other document of antiquity. For example, we only have ten copies of Caesar’s, The Gallic Wars, with the oldest remaining copy being written approximately 1,000 years after the original; the oldest copy of the works of Plato date 1,200 years after the original, and there are seven copies in existence; Aristotle’s writing exist in copies written 1,400 years after the original and we have 37 manuscripts. In contrast, the oldest copies of the New Testament date about 80 years after the original, and there are over 24,000 copies in existence today.

As you can see from the four briefly discussed disciplines, there is proof on many fronts that the Bible not only has a basis in history (as demonstrated on the historical, prophetic, and textual examples), but also from the scientific perspective.

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19
Feb

Do You Scatter or Gather?

   Posted by: tcbeaton   in Uncategorized

Here’s my thought… We spend a lot of time these days “doing” church, at the expense of “being” the church. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the Great Commission is recorded, ”Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

The discples had a dilema on their hands as they tried to figure out what had just happened, the guy that they thought was the coming messiah just got crucified. The plan was not going well, even though they had been sufficiently prepared for the task in front of them. Then, He showed up! How freaked out they must have been, and when the freaking was over He commanded them to “go.” Unfortunately, the English translations don’t really do this word justice; in Greek, the word is used in a tense that would more closely resemble “while you go” or “when you go.”

They had spent the last few days “gathered” in a panic, now they’d been given the command to “scatter” by the One who’d died and came back to life. They now not only had the preparation, but they also had the “authority” and promise, ”And behold, I am (think God’s name to Moses at the bush) with you always, to the end of the age.”

How about you, do you scatter or gather?

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