Post by Mark on Sept 20, 2008 6:19:10 GMT -8
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. (Matt 3:15)
The public Mikvah bath is a declaration of being clean and holy for the service of Adonai. In the Brit Hadashah (New Testament) it is translated into the word "baptism". "Baptism" (baptidzmo) means "to immerse fully or to bury." "Mikvah" is the Hebrew word for "pool".
In the Jewish context, Yeshua was performing the ritual of Mikvah as the initial step of embarking on His mission of ministry. The Mikvah bath is understood to be an act of ritual cleansing (spiritual, not physical) to restore a person to a position of serviceability to Adonai once he or she has been rendered "unclean". In the Temple court, between the alter of sacrifice and the Holy Place was the laver where the priests were commanded to wash (Exodus 30:18-21).
The idea of making oneself clean before Adonai is truly biblical. The model given in the Tabernacle is considered a type or example for all of Israel to follow. (Psalms 26:6-7)
It is upon this basis that the Jew would perform mikvah, knowing that uncleanness is part of every day life; but one must be made holy before entering the holy presence of Adonai in worship. It is for this reason that mikvah baths are an element of every synagogue. There are mikvah houses all over Israel: archaeologists have unearthed 42 mikvahs surrounding the Temple court.
The question brought to the Jewish sages of old was, "How can that which is unholy be made holy?" The answer was that it cannot. It has to be made anew. The immersion in the waters of mikvah represent new birth to the Jew. One goes into the waters and is completely enveloped by them, then comes out as re-born in holiness and innocence. The mikvah bath must contain at least 200 gallons of water. This amount will give the largest normal weight man the feeling of weightlessness. The waters of the mikvah symbolize the waters of the womb. To a Jew, the mikvah is a declaration of being re-born: born of water, in innocense and holiness before God.
Nicodemus understood the concept of being born of water. It was a common idiom for mikvah. It was also a common teaching that the mikvah was only a physical representation of what must first occur spiritually: if one does not repent of sin in their heart and reconcile their relationship with Adonai, calling upon His mercy, the mikvah was worthless. (John 3:3-8)
Yeshua was teaching Nicodemus, the superintendent of all Jewish education, basic fundamentals of Judaism. Nicodemus was confounded by the simplicity of it all. Rabbinic theology had erected a monolithic superstructure of ritualism that separated man from God. Here the Messiah confirms what
has always said, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2nd Chronicles 7:14).
The practice of mikvah varied between sects of Judaism throughout Israel during the first century. One sect, Essenes were known for daily ritual bathing and John the baptizer is often confused by modern historians as a member of this sect. The baptism of John was unique. Unlike the common practice of personal faith, John was calling for national renewal. He was preparing Israel for the coming of the Messiah. This is what brought the attention of the rabbinical authority. (John 1:25-27)
The baptism of John was a call to the prescriptive requirement of 2nd Chronicles 7:14: "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways..." He placed the responsibility of repentance upon the people of Israel as a pre-requisite for the coming of the Messiah. The baptism of John created a stir of energy because man wasn’t preparing himself to come into presence of God; but this was a preparation for God to soon come into the presence of man.
It is this call toward national preparation that distinguishes the baptism of John from the baptism into Messiah.
The baptism into Messiah is the fulfillment of the second half of 2nd Chronicles 7:14, thus opening the way for Ruakh Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) to fully inhabit and commune with man. This reveals no change in the definition nor purpose of Mikvah; but only in the perspective: one must be holy to be in the presence of the holy God. (Acts 19:1-5)
The mikvah is the final rite in ceremony for a gentile to enter fully into a Jewish community as a Jew. After undergoing intensive rabbinical training, to understand what it means to be a Jew, the gentile is circumcised. In the days of the Temple, he would proceed to go and offer sacrifice. Finally, he would return to mikvah, going into the waters as a gentile, being re-born as a Jew. The mikvah is a public rite of declaration: all that is pagan and foreign is dead, everything that has been reborn is Jew. Upon mikvah, the proselyte carries full rights, privileges and responsibilities as any Jewish citizen. It is this concept that Paul carries into the relationship between Jewish and gentile believers
(Romans 6:3-4).
Just as the mikvah waters declared equality and oneness in the Jewish community, the waters of baptism represent that same familial identity in Messiah.(Galatians 3:27-29) It is important to note that the mikvah in this context is not for cleaning from sin; but cleansing from uncleanness. Uncleanness: the exposure to dead animals, the exposure dead bodies of any kind, bodily emissions and disease are not only common and natural; but sometimes required in. Yeshua, our Messiah, was rendered unclean on at least three occasions in the gospel accounts (Mark 5:25-34, Mark 5:35-43, Matthew 8:2-4) and yet is testified as having been without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
The understanding of mikvah or baptism to be simply a declaration that one is clean and holy before Adonai gives a clearer picture of the usage of that word in Brit Hadashah or New Testament.
(Acts 2:38)
Paul declared in Acts 28:17 that he had never committed anything "against the people, or customs of our fathers...". If this is the case, Paul participated in ritual mikvahs even after his conversion (Acts 21:24).
The mikvah is a practice that is worth considering as a regular part of one’s personal worship.
It is appropriate for any servant of Yeshua to enter the waters of mikvah as a rededication of oneself to Adonai. It is a requirement of to cleanse oneself after eating an animal that has died naturally was not otherwise killed kosher (Leviticus 11:40, Leviticus 17:15), after one has been pronounced clean from leprosy (Leviticus 14:8), after any incontinence of semen (Leviticus 15:2-5), after having touched anything touched by a person with such incontinence (Leviticus 15:5-12, Deuteronomy 23:10-11), any emission of semen or sexual intercourse for both the man and the woman (Leviticus 15:16-18), any contact with a woman or contact with something touched by a woman during her monthly cycle of menstruation (Leviticus15:19-27) before entering into worship, partaking of the holy things, if having been exposed to uncleanness (Leviticus 22:4-6).
The personal mikvah as biblically mandated for uncleanness is much more simple than the rabbinical standard of requirement. It is simply this: if you have been exposed to uncleanness in any way, wash before sundown. In some cases, it simply requires washing your hands. In other cases, it requires washing your entire body, your clothing or even your bedding. The concept may be brought down to the level of making your own personal hygiene an act of worship. We wash ourselves, not just because it makes us more comfortable; but also because it is commanded by Adonai, our God.
The public Mikvah bath is a declaration of being clean and holy for the service of Adonai. In the Brit Hadashah (New Testament) it is translated into the word "baptism". "Baptism" (baptidzmo) means "to immerse fully or to bury." "Mikvah" is the Hebrew word for "pool".
In the Jewish context, Yeshua was performing the ritual of Mikvah as the initial step of embarking on His mission of ministry. The Mikvah bath is understood to be an act of ritual cleansing (spiritual, not physical) to restore a person to a position of serviceability to Adonai once he or she has been rendered "unclean". In the Temple court, between the alter of sacrifice and the Holy Place was the laver where the priests were commanded to wash (Exodus 30:18-21).
The idea of making oneself clean before Adonai is truly biblical. The model given in the Tabernacle is considered a type or example for all of Israel to follow. (Psalms 26:6-7)
It is upon this basis that the Jew would perform mikvah, knowing that uncleanness is part of every day life; but one must be made holy before entering the holy presence of Adonai in worship. It is for this reason that mikvah baths are an element of every synagogue. There are mikvah houses all over Israel: archaeologists have unearthed 42 mikvahs surrounding the Temple court.
The question brought to the Jewish sages of old was, "How can that which is unholy be made holy?" The answer was that it cannot. It has to be made anew. The immersion in the waters of mikvah represent new birth to the Jew. One goes into the waters and is completely enveloped by them, then comes out as re-born in holiness and innocence. The mikvah bath must contain at least 200 gallons of water. This amount will give the largest normal weight man the feeling of weightlessness. The waters of the mikvah symbolize the waters of the womb. To a Jew, the mikvah is a declaration of being re-born: born of water, in innocense and holiness before God.
Nicodemus understood the concept of being born of water. It was a common idiom for mikvah. It was also a common teaching that the mikvah was only a physical representation of what must first occur spiritually: if one does not repent of sin in their heart and reconcile their relationship with Adonai, calling upon His mercy, the mikvah was worthless. (John 3:3-8)
Yeshua was teaching Nicodemus, the superintendent of all Jewish education, basic fundamentals of Judaism. Nicodemus was confounded by the simplicity of it all. Rabbinic theology had erected a monolithic superstructure of ritualism that separated man from God. Here the Messiah confirms what
has always said, "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2nd Chronicles 7:14). The practice of mikvah varied between sects of Judaism throughout Israel during the first century. One sect, Essenes were known for daily ritual bathing and John the baptizer is often confused by modern historians as a member of this sect. The baptism of John was unique. Unlike the common practice of personal faith, John was calling for national renewal. He was preparing Israel for the coming of the Messiah. This is what brought the attention of the rabbinical authority. (John 1:25-27)
The baptism of John was a call to the prescriptive requirement of 2nd Chronicles 7:14: "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways..." He placed the responsibility of repentance upon the people of Israel as a pre-requisite for the coming of the Messiah. The baptism of John created a stir of energy because man wasn’t preparing himself to come into presence of God; but this was a preparation for God to soon come into the presence of man.
It is this call toward national preparation that distinguishes the baptism of John from the baptism into Messiah.
The baptism into Messiah is the fulfillment of the second half of 2nd Chronicles 7:14, thus opening the way for Ruakh Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) to fully inhabit and commune with man. This reveals no change in the definition nor purpose of Mikvah; but only in the perspective: one must be holy to be in the presence of the holy God. (Acts 19:1-5)
The mikvah is the final rite in ceremony for a gentile to enter fully into a Jewish community as a Jew. After undergoing intensive rabbinical training, to understand what it means to be a Jew, the gentile is circumcised. In the days of the Temple, he would proceed to go and offer sacrifice. Finally, he would return to mikvah, going into the waters as a gentile, being re-born as a Jew. The mikvah is a public rite of declaration: all that is pagan and foreign is dead, everything that has been reborn is Jew. Upon mikvah, the proselyte carries full rights, privileges and responsibilities as any Jewish citizen. It is this concept that Paul carries into the relationship between Jewish and gentile believers
(Romans 6:3-4).
Just as the mikvah waters declared equality and oneness in the Jewish community, the waters of baptism represent that same familial identity in Messiah.(Galatians 3:27-29) It is important to note that the mikvah in this context is not for cleaning from sin; but cleansing from uncleanness. Uncleanness: the exposure to dead animals, the exposure dead bodies of any kind, bodily emissions and disease are not only common and natural; but sometimes required in
. Yeshua, our Messiah, was rendered unclean on at least three occasions in the gospel accounts (Mark 5:25-34, Mark 5:35-43, Matthew 8:2-4) and yet is testified as having been without sin (Hebrews 4:15).The understanding of mikvah or baptism to be simply a declaration that one is clean and holy before Adonai gives a clearer picture of the usage of that word in Brit Hadashah or New Testament.
(Acts 2:38)
Paul declared in Acts 28:17 that he had never committed anything "against the people, or customs of our fathers...". If this is the case, Paul participated in ritual mikvahs even after his conversion (Acts 21:24).
The mikvah is a practice that is worth considering as a regular part of one’s personal worship.
It is appropriate for any servant of Yeshua to enter the waters of mikvah as a rededication of oneself to Adonai. It is a requirement of
to cleanse oneself after eating an animal that has died naturally was not otherwise killed kosher (Leviticus 11:40, Leviticus 17:15), after one has been pronounced clean from leprosy (Leviticus 14:8), after any incontinence of semen (Leviticus 15:2-5), after having touched anything touched by a person with such incontinence (Leviticus 15:5-12, Deuteronomy 23:10-11), any emission of semen or sexual intercourse for both the man and the woman (Leviticus 15:16-18), any contact with a woman or contact with something touched by a woman during her monthly cycle of menstruation (Leviticus15:19-27) before entering into worship, partaking of the holy things, if having been exposed to uncleanness (Leviticus 22:4-6). The personal mikvah as biblically mandated for uncleanness is much more simple than the rabbinical standard of requirement. It is simply this: if you have been exposed to uncleanness in any way, wash before sundown. In some cases, it simply requires washing your hands. In other cases, it requires washing your entire body, your clothing or even your bedding. The concept may be brought down to the level of making your own personal hygiene an act of worship. We wash ourselves, not just because it makes us more comfortable; but also because it is commanded by Adonai, our God.
