Fourth Serving: Settin’ the Table

Then I said, Lo, I have come:
It is written about Me in the volume of the book.
I delight to do Your will, O My God.
Yes, Your Torah (Teaching) is within my heart.
(Psalm 40:8-9)

Jesus/Yeshua is The Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd lays down His life on behalf of His sheep.
(StT John 10:11)

My Grandpa Herman was a hard working farmer but also a man of few words or expressed emotions which was the reason his card to grandma one year was a bit of a surprise. The card’s prose made grandma plum giddy as she shared with the rest of the family the written proof of her husband’s affection for her. An embarrassed grandpa came to where I stood across the room and quietly confided, “I saw a card that said, ‘To My Wife,’ so I bought it.”
Grandpa’s certainty that a greeting card company only sold cards with warm fuzzy feelings “to a wife” did not disappoint and I never revealed his secret that he had not opened to read the card’s sentiment inside before purchasing… well at least not to grandma.
Many have bought our Father’s Card without bothering to read His heart towards those He chose for His Son’s Bride. They will not be given the covenant term friends reserved for those who treasure His Card then obey its Prose.
It is the glory of our Father to veil the true meaning of His Heart, but the honor of kings to lift the veil so to examine intimately His sentiments of covenant; loyalty, truth, and his merciful forgiveness of confessed sin. (StT Proverbs 25:2; Exodus 34:6-7.)
Jesus, mimicking His Father, gave the hidden meanings regarding the inner workings of the Kingdom to His friends but the crowd got parables. (StT Exodus 19:6; Revelation 1:6; Mark 4:11.)
In one of those parables, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who had cards sent out telling everyone his best bull and the fattest cows had been slaughtered, and the table was set waiting for their arrival in order to start his son’s wedding celebration. But the bunch of ingrates refused the king’s request by giving one excuse after another. Many receive the invitation, but few are eklektós, the yielded believers who our Father certifies that the revelation He birthed within them will come to pass.
I’ve known from an early age that Jesus paid the price for our citizenship giving us the right to be reborn as natural citizens of His Kingdom. We don’t earn this freeborn citizenship by adhering to His constitution but it is the way we show our gratitude by living it every day of our lives.
Still, it was surprising to me to find out Jesus wasn’t just winging it until the time for Him to go to the cross. He never lost sight of where He was headed because He lived His Father’s Word. “I AM Yahweh” established the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. He declared His counsel will stand and He will do all His purpose. (StT Micah 5:2; Isaiah 46:10)
So everything concerning the True Messiah was written from the gitgo which includes the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms. If anyone claimed to be the promised deliverer, their identity was to be verified by the Torah; the only trusted source for recognizing the real One.
Turns out that those who were very knowledgeable of the Hebrew Scriptures didn’t fare too well when Jesus showed up. They misread the Word made flesh standing in front of them and refused to embrace Him as “…The LORD Whom you seek will suddenly come to His Temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in Whom you delight…” (Malachi 3:1, emphasis mine)
In the same vein as the time God used Gideon to get rid of the burdensome yoke of their ancestor’s oppressor, the Midianites, the religious leaders wanted their Messiah to free them from Roman rule by overthrowing the political good news that Caesar was the world’s savior. (StT Isaiah 9:4)
I was a step ahead of these Jewish men seeing that I recognized Jesus as their Messiah as well as mine even though they could also read how Micah put His birth location on record: “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.” (5:2)
From His birth in Bethlehem to His Exit outta here from the Mount of Olives summit, Jesus never deviated off His Messianic path. Where I missed it was in my speculatin’ Jesus was the message, and not the messenger of the covenant.
As the messenger, did Jesus come to start a new Gentile religion or to rev up the original Covenant Kingdom of the Garden? Does the “gospel of Paul” supersede or differ from the basic message Jesus taught which was for people to turn around, accept His Father’s rule and reign so all the kingdom citizen benefits would be theirs to enjoy?
It might be a jolt to some to find out the Gentiles were not Jesus’ top priority but the missing Hebrews. He gave clear instructions in Matthew 10:5-6 to His Hebrew men not to go to any non-Jewish towns or even enter the Samaritan towns inhabited by people whose Jewish ancestors married Gentiles. They were to find and heal the lost sheep of Israel and tell them “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
In Romans 11:1-2, Paul makes it clear that Israel has not and will not be replaced by a Gentile nation. He referenced himself along with the other first century believers as “we Jews” who were the first ones to have hope because of Jesus. Even though the Ephesians were Jewish, they were at one time in the world without Messiah which made them alienated from the citizenship of Israel and aliens of the promise of the covenant. (StT Ephesians 1:11-12; 2:12)
We are natural Jewish people and not sinners from the heathens: but, since we know that man is not justified because of works of tradition, but only through faith in Y’shua Messiah, we too have believed in Messiah Y’shua, so that we would be made righteous by faith in Messiah and not by works of legalism, because no one will be made righteous by works of legalism. (Galatians 2:15-16)
“Jewish” is used here by Paul for the converts from Judaism that follow man made traditions tacked on to what is written in the Teachings. Greek intellectualism would have us interpret this verse that all we need to do is give a mental acceptance of Jesus and we are good for the long haul.
Repentance in Hebrew has the practical mindset of returning to God since sin is the going astray off the path of righteousness. God’s mercy and bountiful pardon will be upon the wicked who abandon their own way and redirect their thoughts toward God’s purpose for their lives. (StT Isaiah 55:7)
Anyhoo, Jesus must have shocked His men when later He announced that He had other sheep He wanted gathered into the original Hebrew Covenant people pen. He didn’t say it was time for the Jews to enter into a “Christian” pen; it was the other way around. Or as Paul worded it in Romans 11:24, “heathens” were cut off from the wild olive tree and grafted into the cultivated olive tree (believing Israel).
The Gentile sheep were going to get in on the “Hebrews Only” covenant deal making all one flock following the Voice of One Shepherd. No longer would they be called “Gentile-God-fearers” not even “Gentile-Hebrews” but “Hebrews” with equal Kingdom Citizenship where no hyphenated names are allowed. This unity only happens for those who walk through the Covenant Gate we all know as Yeshua/Jesus. Can’t get to His Father any other way no matter how many people of different religions think they can save their own lives by singing “We are the World.”
The status quo of this forbidden to associate with group was about to change big time after Peter heard a Voice saying that he wasn’t to declare unclean what God had cleansed. (StT John 10:16, 14:6; Acts 10:15-16)
Notice Peter was not given cleaning detail. We get into trouble when we interpret this verse as permission to make something God considers unclean by saying it has been “redeemed” or “it’s under the blood.” The blood of Jesus covers repented sin and should never be asked to cover a God forbidden practice.
Fresh off his triple rerun vision, Peter hears there are three Gentile men seeking to find him. The Spirit told him to get up, and not to raise any objections about going with them. (I hate to admit I’m still working on the “immediately she did what she was told without making a fuss.”)
The Jewish Peter extended hospitality to the Gentile men. The next morning after arriving at Cornelius’ house he states the obvious; it is contrary to law and justice for him, a Jew, to share hospitality with outsiders. But God had explained to Peter that he was not to call these men common or unclean. Still, Peter wants to know the reason Cornelius sent for him.
Cornelius explained that while he was praying four days ago to the very hour of afternoon they are now, a man dressed in shining clothing appeared with a message that God had heard his prayers and had seen his acts of lovingkindness so he was to immediately send for Peter.
Peter suddenly had a grasp on his vision. God does not show partiality, but in every shade of humankind the one who believes the message sent to the children of Israel (which all the prophets testify) takes the forgiveness of sins through Yeshua’s Name. (StT Acts 10:34-43; Deuteronomy 10:17: 2 Chronicles 19:7; Mark 12:14)
In the midst of Peter’s report on the things that happened throughout Judea and in Jerusalem, he says that Cornelius already knew the message about Jesus.
It’s no surprise that Cornelius had knowledge of Jesus’ crucifixion and rumored resurrection since it had probably been the top news story for quite some time. But with some figurin’ of my own, I came up with the possibility he is the Gentile-centurion at the cross and should be included in the “we” in “we are witnesses” Peter referred to in Acts 10:39.
Before I go through how I got to that conclusion, I’m almost certain there very likely will be a few folks who might consider it a waste of time searching the rows of verses looking for answers to my many questions when I might not ever spot the sure nuff conclusive biblical one. Besides, there have been many martyrs who never thought to question some of the traditionally held beliefs as I have been doing. So does any of this matter if it doesn’t change the faith we have in Jesus? I think it does in the aspect of protecting Truth for future generations so they can know and praise God for all He has done. Not to mention, sacred cows can persist if they are never called into question.

The Spirit of Knowledge

Redemption for all mankind was planned before Creation. The disciple John said the Word was in the the beginning with God. Keep this in mind while reading John the Immerser as he spoke of a more important One coming Who lived long before he was born. Of course John was talking about his younger cousin, Jesus.
God chose Abram to get the ball rolling on His Son’s impending arrival. On Abram’s part, he believed Yahweh’s promise that his children would be as numerous as the stars and it was chalked up to him as righteousness. Believing in those days wasn’t simply a mental assent but required a change in behavior; a perfect walk with God. Don’t forget, perfect is walking with wholesome integrity in your all out commitment to put God’s Way into action and doesn’t mean you are entirely without sin.
When time came for the cutting of the covenant, the sacrificial animals were cut down the middle (except the bird) and each piece was lain opposite of each other.
Normally, the two parties making the covenant walked through the pieces in a figure eight, which is the infinity symbol. This bloody walk meant the covenant being made had no limits or end for either party; it was to last to infinity and beyond!
It wasn’t unheard of for a substitute, a beloved son or servant, to make the infinity walk between the pieces. In any case, each person was in essence saying, “Just as this animal gave its life, so I will give my life if I do not fulfill my promise to you.” Whichever side broke the covenant, their substitute would have to die just as the sacrificed animal had.
On the same day the LORD cut a covenant with Abram, “a deep sleep fell upon Abram, … And it was that when the sun went down and it was dark, there was a smoking furnace and a burning flame that passed between those pieces.” (Genesis 15:17)
The Hebrew for deliverance in Isaiah 62:1 is Yeshuwah. “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until its acts of lovingkindness go forth as brightness, and its deliverance as a burning lamp.”
Figured this gives credence to my thought that Yeshua is the flaming Word of Psalm 119:105.
Don’t forget that Abraham was asleep so the smoking furnace and flaming torch emblem of the Divine Presence, made the infinity walk around the cut up sacrifice as the dual representative for both God and Abraham. This is why Jesus/Yeshua is the messenger of the covenant and would need to fulfill His priestly role at the exact same time as becoming like the cut sacrifice pieces and dying for us; the covenant breakers.
Because God seems to use certain places for historic events more than once, could Jesus have fulfilled His destiny on the very place Abraham took Isaac and the LORD provided a substitute? Jewish tradition has it all taking place on the Mount of Olives and it is said to this day, “The LORD Will Show Himself on the mountain.”
No wonder the Mount of Olives was the main stage of Jesus’ earthly walk. Its summit wasn’t just a great place to view the temple, but this mountain’s peak could definitely be seen from a distance and if I’m right that the Mount of Olives was considered “outside the camp” for the location of the red heifer sin sacrifice, then wow oh wow did the LORD see to it to show Himself and provide for us there. (StT Acts 1:9; Mark 13:1-3; Genesis 22:14; Numbers 19:1-10)
“For while the blood of these animals is brought into the Holies by the High Priest to atone for sin, the bodies of these are burned outside the camp. For this reason then Y’shua, so that He would sanctify the people wrought His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So we should come out to Him outside the camp where He bore His reproach.” (Hebrews 13:11-13)
There had to have been two altars since one is to be “outside the camp” and the other “at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD.” (Leviticus 1:3, emphasis mine)
Two locations would certainly clear up the discrepancy of King David’s purchase price of fifty shekels of silver in 2 Samuel 24:24 and six hundred shekels of gold in 1 Chronicles 21:25. Not to mention the two different names of the land sellers.
If we all agree Jesus gave His life as a sin offering, then He could only have bore His reproach at the place ordained by His Father for the red heifer sacrifice outside the camp; the Mount of Olives. Any other location would nullify His sacrifice.
Centuries of traditions have placed the crucifixion and tomb at one place but where does the Bible place the two? I’m not sure.
Not being an expert in all the first century Temple happenings, I’ve tried to double and triple check to verify truth of the things I learned outside of the biblical narrative. Even though I have prayed for our Father’s guidance to share His wonderful plan of redemption with nothing but the Truth, I am not infallible.
One fascinating Jewish folklore has the Mount of Olives as where God gathered the dust to form Adam and the place his skull is buried. That puts a different spin on the meaning that I always heard of Golgotha as the “Place of the Skull.”
The Temple’s threshold was built facing the Mount of Olives as was the tent’s opening in the wilderness. This orientation for the altar afforded the large amount of water needed to clean the blood from the sacrifices to flow down into the Kidron Valley then to the Dead Sea.
The temple sacrifices are one reason I believe the Mount has to be the location of Jesus’ Sin Offering Sacrifice. Like those, His ‘blood and water’ flowed down from His side to the Kidron Valley then into the Dead Sea. Which makes me think the Dead Sea is the sea our repented sins are cast into. (StT Micah 7:19)
If we truly believe the only way to the Father is through His Son’s sacrifice, then we should NOT be blaming anyone for Jesus’ death. No one could kill Jesus without His consent; He laid down His life voluntarily. (StT John 10:18)
Every year, a few days before the time of Passover, the flocks of Passover lambs would arrive from Bethlehem to be paraded down the streets of Jerusalem. This is when the crowds would do a sort of rehearsal for the coming Messiah by throwing down palm branches and coats before the Passover lambs while singing “Blessed be the One Who comes in the name of the Lord” from the Hallel (Psalms 113–118). It was during this Passover lamb parade that Jesus had His donkey ride in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. Matthew records that some of the crowd had no idea who the man riding a donkey among the lambs could be and were asking “Who is this?” (21:10)
Before Passover begins, the Israelites were instructed by Torah to clean out all leaven from their homes. This command of cleansing was rigorously followed leaving nothing unturned to find even the smallest crumb that might contain leaven. Jesus cleansed the leaven (doctrine) of the Pharisees by overturning tables and running out the moneychangers of His Father’s house. Possibly Jesus was purging out the old leaven by dipping the last leaven containing morsel to give to Judas. (StT Exodus 12:19-20; John 13:26; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
During the four days leading up to Passover in which time the sacrificial lambs are inspected for blemishes, Jesus was being tried and pronounced innocent (without spot) by Pontius Pilate.
The crucifixion of Jesus on the Mount of Olives happening concurrently with the passover sacrifices at the Temple, would give undeniable proof that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and the broken covenant sacrifice.
I cannot find out who the priest was that actually oversaw the Passover lambs the day Jesus died on the cross. If it was the High Priest who stood watch during the long hours of the lambs being offered, then according to Leviticus 21:10, Caiaphas would have disqualified himself since a High Priest is never to rend his garment. Since there could only be one High Priest residing at a time, Caiaphas’ act allowed Jesus to step into the role without breaking any of His Father’s commandments. (StT Luke 23:14; Matthew 26:65; Mark 14:63)
At some point during the sacrifice of thousands of lambs, the High Priest would cry out, “I thirst.” Then as the last lamb was offered, the High Priest would exclaim, “It is finished.” Yeshua, our High Priest, would have called out at these same times. (StT John 19:28-30)
The scriptures about the sin sacrifice and how only a certain priest could handle the animal, finally make sense as to why the disciples didn’t ask for Jesus’ body. If anyone outside of the designated order of priests had touched Jesus then His sacrifice would have been made null and void. Joseph of Arimathea had to have been of the order of priests who could handle the sacrifice and Nicodemus would have been also of this order or at least considered the clean helper.
“Then they took the body of Y’shua and they bound it in linen cloth with the spices, as is a custom of the Jewish people to prepare for burial. And there was a garden in the place where He was crucified, and a new tomb in the garden, a tomb in which no one had yet been placed.” (John 19:40-41, emphasis mine)
Guess what? The Garden of Gethsemane is at the foot of the Mount of Olives. So it seems to have to be the garden in the place where Jesus was crucified if I’m right about the crucifixion tree being on the Mount of Olives.
Might need to mention there seems to be some significance about being buried with your ancestors. Jacob made Joseph swear not to bury him in Egypt but in his fathers burying-place. Joseph left instructions for the Israelites to take his bones with them when God took them out of Egypt. (StT Genesis 47:30, 50:25) Could be Jesus needed to be buried where Adam had been?
Matthew’s written testimony of the crucifixion has an important clue to the timeline of the resurrection. It became dark upon all the Earth from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, around noon to 3:00 PM. And about the ninth hour Yeshua cried out in a loud voice asking God why had He utterly forsaken Him. (27:45-46)
But wait! Before we rush to buy into Jesus was asking God “Where did You go?” there are too many verses that offer us the promise God will NEVER quit on us. Jesus came to show us His Father and since He can’t do anything but what He sees His Father doing, Jesus doubles the offer that under no circumstances will He leave us without His support either. (StT Hebrews 13:5)
At the time of His arrest, Jesus told Peter to sheath his sword because of His covenant with His Father Jesus could call at once and His Father would send more than twelve legions of angels to defend Him. If we figure 5500 men =1 legion then 12 X 5500 =… a lot of warring angels. But an angel rescue would not allow the story of God’s kingdom to unfold in fulfillment of what was told by the prophets. (StT Matthew 26:53-54)
That’s why I have a hard time accepting that Jesus loudly questioned His Father’s presence in His hour of need. What exactly could He have possibly want everyone to hear since He said it so emphatically? Obviously those who stood there didn’t understand what He was saying since some of them said he was calling for Elijah.
In our present day, some say Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1 and a few others say David was just wrongly thinking God had abandoned him. Varied opinions on whether Jesus was speaking Hebrew or Arabic have come up with differing meanings. If Hebrew, then “forsake” wins the translation war. But if Arabic, then “was kept” is the winner. For all we know Jesus was confirming for all to hear that from the foundation of the world He was kept for this purpose.
“And after Y’shua again cried out in a loud voice His spirit left Him. Then behold the veil of the Sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom and the earth quaked and stones were split, …And after the centurion, and those who were keeping watch over Y’shua with him saw the earthquake and the things that happened, they became very greatly fearful, saying, “Truly He was the Son of God.” And many women, who followed Y’shua from Galilee to minister to Him, were there to see from afar…” (Matthew 27:50-55, emphasis mine)
Interestingly, I’ve found a few websites stating an earthquake fault line is found under the Mount of Olives, whereas there’s not one under the other place popularly known as Golgotha.
Exactly what were the other things that the centurion and the crowds saw causing them to believe Jesus was the Son of God?
Not having the Jewish mindset or if we place the crucifixion in the wrong location we might miss the meaning behind the split curtain. Some contend the symbolism of the rent curtain is we now have direct communication with God and do not need a priest (Jewish or otherwise) as a go between. But Jesus had already taught His disciples how to pray in His Name straight to “Our Father.” (StT Matthew 6:9-13)
Others think the rent curtain signified the abolishment of all things Hebraic, which would include the Hebrew Bible. But that meaning would negate the infinity and beyond meaning to God’s Promises.
The curtain/veil is another thing that may have gotten lost in translation. Was it the Holy of Holies’ veil that tore? Or the outer tall curtain? After going through a lot of different Greek and Hebrew words to decipher which curtain got ripped, I opt for the Sanctuary one. Especially since this outer curtain in Herod’s Temple at the time of Jesus was 60 feet tall compared to 45 feet tall in Solomon’s Temple.
Anyone else asking, “Why the 15 feet difference?”
When God is involved, nothing is happenstance.
If Jesus was impaled on the tree near the summit of the Mount of Olives, directly east of the Temple, seems to me that extra 15 feet of fabric would come in handy for the crowd to see a curtain, 80 feet by 24 feet, maybe a couple thousand feet away. Especially if the only light that shown during the total darkness hours was the menorah behind that tall curtain. Possibly the fiery altar helped light it up too. Still, even the smallest of lights can illuminate something near it when it’s pitch black.
No one would miss feeling an earthquake taking place beneath them in order to possibly make the connection between Jesus and His Father. But what relevance would it have been to them if the other “things” they saw was God tearing the curtain at the exact moment Jesus died?
A common Hebrew custom, Kriah/keriah (meaning “to rip or rend”), requires mourners to tear an item of clothing at the moment of hearing of the death of their loved one. A cut is made on the left side of the clothing for parents–over the heart–and on the right side for all other relatives. The external tear is a symbol of the broken/torn heart within. Kriah/keriah, thus, also symbolizes the rending of the parent-child relationship, and confronts the mourner with the stabbing finality of this separation, expressed on his own clothes and on his own person for all to see. Not to mention the rending gives an opportunity to vent the pent-up anguish in a controlled, religiously sanctioned act.
Kriah/keriah is required to be performed while standing. The posture of accepting grief in Jewish life is always erect, symbolizing both strength in the face of crisis, and respect for the deceased. Job practiced this custom when he stood and tore his clothing the moment he heard the news of his children’s death. (StT Job 1:2)
Through the stones being thrown at him, Stephen saw Jesus standing. Did Jesus rise from His seated position at the right hand of the Father to welcome Stephen home or was He practicing Kriah/keriah? (StT Acts 7:54)
When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a very high and exalted throne and His long robe filling the Temple, was he describing the Sanctuary Curtain as God’s robe? (6:1) If so, would God tearing this curtain from the top at the exact moment of Jesus’ death, be interpreted by all observers as this custom of the Father rending His clothes upon the death of His Son? Could the centurion possibly have seen the torn curtain when he declared that Jesus had to be the Son of God?
This explains how I deduced that Cornelius was the unnamed centurion and how he already knew something of Jesus but still needed Peter to tell him more.
A few first century details can get us pretty close to figuring out the rest of the story of when God raised Jesus. Jews numbered the days instead of giving them names except for the Sabbath. Some Jewish calendars number the months, and some have the names of the Babylonian gods which is similar to the Roman calendars with weekdays named after the Roman gods. Sunday is named after the sun-god, Monday after the moon-god, etc…
By using our present day Roman calendar to count from Good Friday to Sunday morning there is no truth in Matthew 12:40 that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so Jesus would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Anyone surprised that I have concluded the “heart of the earth” is the Mount of Olives?
After sifting through a lot of information, I found the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted seven days, but Passover was a 24-hour period. All the signs I could find have Jesus dying on the afternoon of Passover on the 14th of Nisan of the Hebrew calendar. The last Passover lamb sacrifice would have been killed, at three o’clock, or, in case the eve of the Passover fell on the sixth day (Friday), at two. Jesus’ death at three o’clock disproves the theory that He was crucified on a Friday before a regular Sabbath.
At sundown, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread began which was considered one of the annual High Sabbaths, but not the seventh day of the week Sabbath. The High Sabbath started at sunset on the fourth day of Passover week which explains why there were two Sabbaths during the crucifixion week.
To get to my resurrection time inference, I have drawn from when God told Abram his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. (StT Genesis 15:13) What looks like a discrepancy and proof to some the inaccuracy of the Bible, is the verse in Exodus stating four hundred thirty years. I think God didn’t count the honorable years the Hebrews lived under Joseph in Egypt before they were enslaved.
“And it was at the end of the four hundred thirty years, even the selfsame day, it was that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:40, emphasis mine)
No matter how you figure the math, the Hebrews weren’t in bondage one day longer than God had said they would be. Jesus was in the tomb no longer than three days and nights. Neither was He entombed any less.
Keeping in mind the Biblical day is from sunset to sunset, then from His death at 3 pm on Wednesday, Jesus would have arose no later than 3 pm on the regular seventh day Sabbath. (Roman Calendar Saturday) Mary had to wait till Sabbath ended to go to the tomb on the “First Day of the Week” which started at sundown.
Jesus wouldn’t have needed the stone to be rolled away to get out. Shut doors didn’t stop Him from appearing in the midst of the disciples after His resurrection, which I assumed scared the daylight out of them since Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” (StT John 20:26)
It was dark (Just after sundown?) when Mary arrived, saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb then takes off running until she saw Peter and John. After hearing her report that someone one had stolen Jesus’ body, Peter and John raced to the tomb. John saw the linen cloths lying, nevertheless he did not enter. Peter enters the tomb “and saw the cloths lying, and the face cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the cloths but being folded up separately in one place.” Then John joins Peter in the tomb, “he saw and believed…” (John 20:1-8)
What was the big deal about the burial clothes that made him believe Jesus had risen from the dead? If Mary was correct and there had been an invasion of a body snatcher, couldn’t they have removed the burial clothes and taken the time to refold them?
Lazarus’ feet and hands were still bound with strips of cloth along with a separate head cloth for the dead, soudarion, when he was trying to obey the command of Jesus for him to come forth from his grave. Jesus had to say to whomever ‘them’ are to take off the grave clothes and let him go. (StT John 11:44)
If Lazarus and Jesus’ burial clothes were strips of cloth then it was not a sheet of material that could be easily refolded. Most translations mention the face cloth being folded separately but I have my doubts it has anything to do with a supposedly ancient dining tradition of folding a napkin telling the servant he’ll be back. The father is the Host of any meal served at his house and even though everything was eaten by hand in those days, I’m not convinced napkins (as we know them) were in use in ancient times.
The original word for folded in John 20:7 is entulisso or entetyligmenon. Both have a meaning to entwine or to roll around. The undisturbed windings of the facecloth could be the body of evidence that Jesus had risen right through its wrappings unlike the risen Lazarus who needed help getting out of his.
Filling in some of the details left out of Peter’s report, it isn’t hard to imagine why “The Word of God was spreading and the number of disciples was multiplying greatly in Jerusalem, and a great crowd of priests was submitting in the faith.” (Acts 6:7, emphasis mine)
Was Caiaphas, the High priest who tore his clothes and accused Jesus of blasphemy, in this priestly crowd submitting to the faith after Jesus’ Resurrection?
Again, many of my questions might need a few of those books that the world doesn’t have room for. (StT John 21:25) When going outside the Bible for answers, I discard anything that contradicts Who the prophets say Jesus is. Their description that Jesus is the cornerstone is rock solid so I have no idea why the thought came to look up the meaning of cornerstone. Boy was I surprised to read “threshold” because the two didn’t seem compatible since my front door is located in the middle of my house. Then I “accidentally” discovered front doors on some ancient houses were not centered, but located on the corner making the stone threshold part of the cornerstone.
The most famous verse about the threshold doesn’t mention it by name.
“And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts…the LORD will pass over the door…” (Exodus 12:22-23)
In the eastern world, the threshold was the most sacred part of the entire house. It was where covenants were made with one another and also with the household’s gods.
The stone threshold also served as the home’s altar where the father priest would have cut the sacrifice. We are used to seeing a basin as a bowl we hold in our hands. However in ancient times, the basin was built into the threshold of the door so the sacrificed animal’s blood would flow across the stone and drain into the bowl carved into the stone for this purpose. It was this basin in which the father dipped the hyssop to cover the other three sides of the door’s opening in the blood.
What if it was not a death angel crossing over the roof of the Hebrew’ houses, but God crossing over the bloody threshold to enter into covenant with His people? Similar to the custom used for the marriage covenant where the husband carries the bride over the threshold or jumps the broom to symbolize his promise to take care of her, this could be what God was talking about when He carried Israel on eagle’s wings and promised to supply “her” every need. (StT Exodus 19:4)
The stronger covenant partner provides the protection and supplies the needs of the weaker covenant partner. In all the forty years of wandering, not one of the 3 million people got sick or had swelling feet. Nor did their clothes and shoes wear out. Food and water were provided and their enemies destroyed. (StT Deuteronomy 8)
The Threshold Covenant is hospitality on steroids!
Rolling out the red carpet began from this custom of the blood of a slaughtered animal being shed upon the threshold at the arrival of a guest. Whether it was a bird, goat, lamb or calf to be sacrificed depended on the value the host placed on his guest. If the newcomer chooses to step over the sacrifice on the threshold then he is adopted into that family. To cross over a threshold and not hold to the highest laws of hospitality is to subject yourself to God’s wrath. Stepping on the threshold rather than over it is more than extremely bad etiquette; it exhibits contempt for the host.
God showed how much He valued us by offering His only begotten Son so if we cross over the Threshold of His Son’s shed blood, we are welcomed as part of His family. Jesus even told us He was the Door: if we accept His invitation to enter through Him we will be saved. Reconciled to be part of His family gives us the right to go out and find pasture but if we show contempt by disobeying the hospitality protocol and step on His Threshold, the wrath of God hangs on us continually. (StT John 3:36; 10:9)
A witness is needed for a covenant between two people so if one side doesn’t carry out their required duties and wants to argue about their agreement then the witness can testify to the original terms.
Moses asked heaven and earth to be witnesses to God’s offer of life or death, blessings or curses. Thankfully life is an open Book test. In case anyone was having a problem with choosing, Moses gives the answer with an explanation; choose life so both the people and their descendants may live on the fertile soil God promised to give their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (StT Deuteronomy 30:19-20)
Choosing life is to love the LORD by staying close enough to listen to His Voice then walk out what He said. Mostly we are taught that if we confess with our mouth Jesus/Yeshua and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. But not so much that confession unto salvation is the Greek word, homologeo, meaning to assent by making covenant. (StT Romans 10:9-10)
The Greek word for confess in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:11 stating “every tongue shall confess” is exomologeo. This ‘confession’ is not accompanied by the making of a covenant. That’s another one of those ‘It looks the same, but it’s not the same’ Bible verses.
Every tongue might acknowledge God, but everyone won’t have cut covenant with Him. Mere talk without a covenant commitment does not save anyone. Paul gave scriptural evidence to prove it is hazardous to our health to stay in ignorance to what it means to walk out our covenant. Anyone saying they have faith and act in a way that denies that faith won’t get them anywhere except possibly sick, dying, or already dead if they take the covenant meal unworthily. (StT James 2:14; 1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
Yet great blessings belong to those who accept the invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb! (StT Revelation 19:9)

Stirring the Golden Prayer Pot

You are our Father, our Redeemer. Your Name is from everlasting.
May others know that Your Son started out like You in every way, yet He chose to empty Himself of His own equality with You and the forever existence He had with You by taking the form of a humble servant, becoming obedient until death then triumphed over the grave.
I am determined to progressively become more intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, that I may know the power of His resurrection, share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in the hope of being lifted out from among the dead.
If I do nothing about the sin in my heart, You will not hear me when I call.
A lot of true understanding has gotten blurred through heresies so help me to know how to keep Your Sabbaths and follow the terms of Your covenant just as You taught so I can be under Your protection and grace.
Now protect and watch over all of us, Your Kingdom ‘free born’ citizens, who have set our love upon You!