Daily Archives: November 20, 2013

It’s All About The Tassels

Bible Study, ,

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TASSELS

“While He was still talking, someone from the leader’s house came up and told him, ‘Your daughter died. No need now to bother the Teacher.’

“Jesus overheard and said, ‘Don’t be upset. Just trust me and everything will be alright.’ Going into the house, He wouldn’t let anyone enter with Him except Peter, John, James and the child’s parents.

“Everyone was crying and carrying on over her. Jesus said, ‘Don’t cry. She didn’t die; she’s sleeping.’ They laughed at Hm. They knew she was dead. Then Jesus, gripping her hand, called, ‘My dear child, get up.’ She was up in an instant, up and breathing again! He told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were ecstatic, but Jesus warned them to keep quiet. ‘Don’t tell a soul what happened in this room.'” Luke 8:49-56 (The Message).

What is it with Jesus? One minute He’s shouting, ‘Who touched me?’ and the next He’s telling the parents not to tell anyone what happened in the room where their daughter was raised from the dead!

None of this will make sense until we understand about the tassels. In Numbers 15:37- 38, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels (Hebrew – tzitzit) on the corners (Hebrew – kanaph) of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them…'”

 

Each tassel had five knots and four spaces, representing the five books of the Torah and the four letters in the name YHWH. They were to put the tassels on their outer garment or cloak (Deuteronomy 22:2) which eventually became the prayer shawl or talit. The corners (kanaph) of the talith were called the wings.

Now Malachi’s prophecy in Malachi 4:2 (NLT) begins to take on a new meaning. “But for you who fear my name, the Sun (it can also be translated “servant”) of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings (kanaph),” This was a Messianic promise.

When the woman with the issue of blood touched the tassels of His prayer shawl, she must surely have understood Malachi’s prophecy and experienced the healing which the tassels symbolised.

Now let’s look at the phrase Jesus used when He spoke to the child. Mark recorded Jesus’ actual words: ‘Talitha koum.’ The translation into English blurs the true meaning. It should read ‘Talit ha koum’ — ‘The talit is here. Get up.’  Jesus, the Messiah was there, in the room, wearing the talit which symbolised the name, the Word, the nature and the ways of God.

This entire episode, to the man who was intimately involved with the life of the synagogue, the centre of religious activity in the town, must have had deep significance. He and his wife had actually witnessed the fulfilment of Malachi’s prophecy.

Just to be told not to tell anyone that Jesus raised his daughter from the dead made no sense because they all knew she was dead — Luke made sure of that when he said that they laughed at Jesus — and they all saw her alive again. It only makes sense when we understand that Jesus forbade them to tell anyone how it happened.

It was always Jesus’ intention that people decide for themselves, based on their interpretation of the evidence, who He was. The final proof of His identity was yet to come, in His resurrection from the dead. In the meantime, He did not want to attract followers who were either out for entertainment by watching His miracles or after him for what He could give them.

And Jesus is still looking for true disciples who follow Him because He is Lord! Are you one of those?

God’s Banquet

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GOD’S BANQUET

“The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, He healed.” Luke 9:10-11 (The Message).

Now this was a cause for irritation, if ever there was one! Jesus must have been eager to hear from His disciples how their first preaching tour had gone and they, no doubt, were just as eager to tell Him. At the first opportunity He spirited them away, perhaps even under cover of darkness, to a remote place where they could be together without the ever-present clamouring crowd.

But what happened? Someone noticed and split. They had hardly settled down for a chat when the people began to arrive. The disciples must have groaned when they saw them coming. Not again! If ever there was an opportunity for Jesus to show His true colours, this was it. But what did He do? He welcomed them, taught them and healed their sick. His nature shone through, the ever-loving, compassionate Jesus!

“As the day declined, the Twelve said, ‘Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We’re out in the middle of nowhere.’

“‘You feed them,’ Jesus said. They said, ‘We wouldn’t scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish — unless, of course, you want us to go to town ourselves and buy food for everybody.’ (There were more than five thousand in the crowd.) Luke 9: 12-13 (The Message).

 

Did the disciples really care whether the people were hungry or not? Did they really think that more than five thousand people would find accommodation and food in the area? Wasn’t it just a ploy to get rid of them so that they could be alone with Jesus again? Their attitude was heartless and faithless.

Jesus’ response was to challenge the disciples to take responsibility for the people in their need. Most of them had probably left home in too much of a hurry to make provision for the day. This was a golden opportunity for the disciples to learn to partner with God to meet the needs of other people. It was a lesson they were going to have to learn if they were to be followers and imitators of Jesus.

“But He went ahead and directed His disciples, ‘Sit them down in groups of about fifty.’ They did what He said, and soon had everyone seated.”

“He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted His face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up.'” Luke 9:14-17 (The Message).

Seeing that His disciples had not yet caught on to God’s way of bringing heaven to earth, Jesus went ahead and put His own plan into action. First, He needed some order in the crowd. He instructed the disciples to gather them into small groups to ensure that everyone had a share in the banquet.

Then He used the available resources, five loaves and two fish, to feed the people instead of doing what the devil had tempted Him to do in the wilderness, perform magic by turning stones into bread. God is not a magician although we sometimes pray as though we think He is.

Why did Jesus insist on feeding the people? To have sent them away hungry would have been a message to them that God was not interested in their physical need and that they would have to go elsewhere for help.

We must never forget that He is our Father and loves to take responsibility for us, His children. Don’t turn away from Him; turn to Him!

Glimpses of the Great God: Day Eight

Devotion, , ,

DAY EIGHT

 “To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal,” says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of His great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,

and complain, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no-one can fathom.”

Isaiah 40:25 – 28

 God is utterly dependable and He is for us.  Read this passage over and over and take it to heart as you read.  We desperately need the security of a powerful God who is faithful and dependable and who knows where we are and what we are going through right now.  Rest in His loving wisdom and strength and grasp hold of His hand.  He is always there for you.  His everlasting arms are underneath you.  You are safe no matter what happens.

 

 

DAY EIGHT

 

 

“To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal,” says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of His great power and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,

and complain, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

my cause is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no-one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:25 – 28

 

God is utterly dependable and He is for us.  Read this passage over and over and take it to heart as you read.  We desperately need the security of a powerful God who is faithful and dependable and who knows where we are and what we are going through right now.  Rest in His loving wisdom and strength and grasp hold of His hand.  He is always there for you.  His everlasting arms are underneath you.  You are safe no matter what happens.