Post by Mark on Sept 20, 2008 6:11:18 GMT -8
And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
(Luke 2:49)
The phrasing of Messiah Yeshua’s statement tends to be interpreted as an acknowledgment of His peculiarity: "Where else would you suppose I would be, knowing who I am." The assumption is that Yeshua would be considered peculiar in that He would choose to go to the Temple when there must be so many other fascinating sights, sounds and smells of the big city. This assumption does not recognize what the Temple held as a natural attraction. It is designed to draw the curiosity of children and invites their questions (Exodus 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:20).
Messiah Yeshua was dismayed with His guardians because it was their own teaching that suggested where He must be. Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, each Jewish father would recite with his children the Shema.
Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.
Baruckh shem kavod mal-khootoh leh-owlam vah-ed.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Blessed be His name who’s kingdom is forever and ever.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9)
The Shema represents the foundation of all Jewish practice: that the Law given through Moses is to be in your heart, that you are to teach these commandments diligently to your children; that your love for
will be such that it becomes the subject of your conversation when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you arise. is to be bound to your hand (so as to guard everything that you do) and bound before your eyes (the filter through which you interpret everything that you see). It is the guard at the door for everything that you allow into your home: symbolically, everything that is drawn into your heart. becomes the default setting: where your mind comes to rest when it is not engaged in things of this life as well as context in which all circumstances are evaluated. It becomes the up-springing of all that is in your heart.
The Mitzvot (or 613 rabbinic mandates and prohibitions of) commands that we are to "walk in the ways of Adonai." (Deuteronomy 28:9). The idea of halakhah, translated into most English Bibles "walk", represents one’s normal habit of life: the way in which one tends to behave or can be expected to behave. To "walk in the ways of Adonai" is to be expected to conduct oneself as Adonai would, if presented with the same situation and circumstances. (WWJD?) Where would Adonai likely be if He came into Jerusalem and had some time to spare? No doubt, He would be in the Temple, listening to and answering the questions of His people.
To the Jewish mind, is not a compartment of one’s identity: it is the box in which the identity resides. It is not an element of our life; but rather the substance of our life.
And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
(Deuteronomy 32:45-47)
Obedience to (living within the borders of the commandments) cannot be understood to be a burden of restraint; but an identification of who we are. The peculiarity of represents a people who is set apart for and by Adonai as His own. The king’s household does not live in a way such as to fit in with the commoners of the land. Children of the king are trained in such a way that their natural habits will identify them as altogether different. In fact, everything that has become natural to them is representative of the behavior found in the king’s court, as opposed to the behavior of the common square. Such behavior is not considered burdensome or restraining because it is a representation of the person’s position and relationship to the king.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
(Psalms 84:10)
To the Jewish mind, the is representative of one’s relationship with Adonai. In the kingdom of Adonai, when Messiah shall come, all will walk in the ways of . All will walk according to Adonai’s standard of righteousness (Isaiah 2:3). This is not anticipated as a day of strict regulation and enforcement; but an age of utopia and tranquility.
The Temple in Jerusalem was an amazing place. It was the life-center of the city. Yeshua, our young Messiah, was amazed that his parents would not have immediately assumed where he would have been. "Why would you have to go looking for me, knowing where I would naturally be inclined to go?"
A twelve year old boy is the guest of honor in the Temple. Everyone knows that within a year, he must decide between being a son of: committing himself to follow in the ways of Adonai or if he is to reject his covenant heritage and go his own way. It is presumed that, if raised in a godly Jewish home, he will want to follow in obedience and commitment to (or why else would he be at the Temple); but the choice is completely and freely his own. The priests and rabbis in Jerusalem understand this more acutely than any other. The decision to become a son of is not taken lightly or nor presumed upon. They treat the youth with tremendous honor and dignity- not as a child but as one who is making the decision to become a man.
The perplexity and consternation from Messiah Yeshua’s earthly parents was a surprise to Him. Their frustration with him was a testament to their own disbelief in the teachings they had given Him. Where else would He be, if is to become the guiding principle for His life? If the Shema were truly the standard for daily conduct, His draw to the Temple and to fellowship in the discussion of things of Adonai should be natural: His default setting.
If we are to imitate Messiah we must evaluate our default setting. Where does our mind wonder when it has no place to go? What is our inclination toward when we have a choice in direction. Yeshua came to the Temple to discuss the things of Adonai. When engaged in conversation, what is the inevitable path that the conversation will eventually lead: politics, weather, football, or our relationship with our Father and King? Paul said, "If you are risen with Messiah, seek those things which are from above, where Messiah sits at the right hand of Eloheem. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2).
We’re not used to thinking that way. We’re accustomed to fitting our faith into the confines our cultural understanding and compartments of our circumstantial settings. That’s because we’re not accustomed to thinking Jewish: to setting our cultural understanding and circumstances into the confines of our faith.
(Luke 2:49)
The phrasing of Messiah Yeshua’s statement tends to be interpreted as an acknowledgment of His peculiarity: "Where else would you suppose I would be, knowing who I am." The assumption is that Yeshua would be considered peculiar in that He would choose to go to the Temple when there must be so many other fascinating sights, sounds and smells of the big city. This assumption does not recognize what the Temple held as a natural attraction. It is designed to draw the curiosity of children and invites their questions (Exodus 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:20).
Messiah Yeshua was dismayed with His guardians because it was their own teaching that suggested where He must be. Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, each Jewish father would recite with his children the Shema.
Shema, Israel, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.
Baruckh shem kavod mal-khootoh leh-owlam vah-ed.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Blessed be His name who’s kingdom is forever and ever.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9)
The Shema represents the foundation of all Jewish practice: that the Law given through Moses is to be in your heart, that you are to teach these commandments diligently to your children; that your love for
will be such that it becomes the subject of your conversation when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you arise. is to be bound to your hand (so as to guard everything that you do) and bound before your eyes (the filter through which you interpret everything that you see). It is the guard at the door for everything that you allow into your home: symbolically, everything that is drawn into your heart. becomes the default setting: where your mind comes to rest when it is not engaged in things of this life as well as context in which all circumstances are evaluated. It becomes the up-springing of all that is in your heart.The Mitzvot (or 613 rabbinic mandates and prohibitions of
) commands that we are to "walk in the ways of Adonai." (Deuteronomy 28:9). The idea of halakhah, translated into most English Bibles "walk", represents one’s normal habit of life: the way in which one tends to behave or can be expected to behave. To "walk in the ways of Adonai" is to be expected to conduct oneself as Adonai would, if presented with the same situation and circumstances. (WWJD?) Where would Adonai likely be if He came into Jerusalem and had some time to spare? No doubt, He would be in the Temple, listening to and answering the questions of His people.To the Jewish mind,
is not a compartment of one’s identity: it is the box in which the identity resides. It is not an element of our life; but rather the substance of our life.And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
(Deuteronomy 32:45-47)
Obedience to
(living within the borders of the commandments) cannot be understood to be a burden of restraint; but an identification of who we are. The peculiarity of represents a people who is set apart for and by Adonai as His own. The king’s household does not live in a way such as to fit in with the commoners of the land. Children of the king are trained in such a way that their natural habits will identify them as altogether different. In fact, everything that has become natural to them is representative of the behavior found in the king’s court, as opposed to the behavior of the common square. Such behavior is not considered burdensome or restraining because it is a representation of the person’s position and relationship to the king. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
(Psalms 84:10)
To the Jewish mind, the
is representative of one’s relationship with Adonai. In the kingdom of Adonai, when Messiah shall come, all will walk in the ways of . All will walk according to Adonai’s standard of righteousness (Isaiah 2:3). This is not anticipated as a day of strict regulation and enforcement; but an age of utopia and tranquility. The Temple in Jerusalem was an amazing place. It was the life-center of the city. Yeshua, our young Messiah, was amazed that his parents would not have immediately assumed where he would have been. "Why would you have to go looking for me, knowing where I would naturally be inclined to go?"
A twelve year old boy is the guest of honor in the Temple. Everyone knows that within a year, he must decide between being a son of
: committing himself to follow in the ways of Adonai or if he is to reject his covenant heritage and go his own way. It is presumed that, if raised in a godly Jewish home, he will want to follow in obedience and commitment to (or why else would he be at the Temple); but the choice is completely and freely his own. The priests and rabbis in Jerusalem understand this more acutely than any other. The decision to become a son of is not taken lightly or nor presumed upon. They treat the youth with tremendous honor and dignity- not as a child but as one who is making the decision to become a man. The perplexity and consternation from Messiah Yeshua’s earthly parents was a surprise to Him. Their frustration with him was a testament to their own disbelief in the teachings they had given Him. Where else would He be, if
is to become the guiding principle for His life? If the Shema were truly the standard for daily conduct, His draw to the Temple and to fellowship in the discussion of things of Adonai should be natural: His default setting.If we are to imitate Messiah we must evaluate our default setting. Where does our mind wonder when it has no place to go? What is our inclination toward when we have a choice in direction. Yeshua came to the Temple to discuss the things of Adonai. When engaged in conversation, what is the inevitable path that the conversation will eventually lead: politics, weather, football, or our relationship with our Father and King? Paul said, "If you are risen with Messiah, seek those things which are from above, where Messiah sits at the right hand of Eloheem. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2).
We’re not used to thinking that way. We’re accustomed to fitting our faith into the confines our cultural understanding and compartments of our circumstantial settings. That’s because we’re not accustomed to thinking Jewish: to setting our cultural understanding and circumstances into the confines of our faith.
