Sabbath rest vs religion

OK, I'll admit it. Sometimes my morning devotional time is more duty then devotion. I arose this morning asking the Almighty, "What have you got for me today LORD?" But even that was a question based on duty more then dedication to The Way.

Le Meraviglie di Matilda

After scanning my Amy Carmichael book, Edges of His Ways" usually a sure jump start to my mornings, nothing. So I picked up my Mark Study, really not expecting much before moving on to Urban Farm plans and projects.

One Sabbath Day, as Jesus was walking through some grain-fields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, why are they breaking the Law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?

Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?He went into the house of God (During the days when Abiather was High Priest) and broke the Law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions."

Then Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people and not people to meet the requirements of Sabbath So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath.     Mark 2:23-28 nlt

I was not expecting much. Honestly my understanding of Sabbath tends to come down to the Church rejecting it because the Pope said we should (or because it is too Jewish and we are free) and all the physical religious limitations practiced by the few synagogues (even Messianic synagogues) that I have attended. I'll save you the tedium of seeing that there is a difference between following Y'shua/Jesus and practicing religion. I came to verse 28, So the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath. Mostly just glancing at my Greek Interlinear Bible which says (in Greek, I'm just giving you the English) Therefore (the) Lord is the Son of Man also of the Sabbath. Wait, What?

Sabbath was made to meet the needs of People. YHVH became one of us, Ben Adam (son of Adam) But why did he do that?

In a nutshell we were created to be what Peter calls Priests and Kings, or a royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) All of creation was put into our care (Genesis 1:26-28) but we gave it away for a pretty little bite of the forbidden. The result was the first death in all of Creation to cover sin, Grace (Genesis 3:21) For the very first time, relationship with our beloved Creator was replaced by slavery to our overlord. (Ephesians 2:2). From that time on, most of humanity could have religion or freedom from religion, but not a relationship with the Almighty... not until Y'shua came as the Son of Man.

Men have a desire to be part of something big. Religion is all about being part of something big and relevant. Pious people will generally submit to the rules of religion because we believe in God. But we only have men and their understanding of the Scripture as a guide to living. Wanting to serve the Almighty, we submit ourselves to religion. Freedom comes from submitting ourselves to relationship with Y'shua ben Adam, Jesus the Son of Man. Following him, religion became irrelevant to the disciples. When they were hungry they were fed, even on Sabbath. The religious were shocked and vocalized their shock. "Why are they breaking the law by harvesting on Sabbath?"  (vs 24)

Sabbath is a beautiful picture of rest. It is religion that makes it hard to "do right" We do not want to be bound up in the regulations for rest. Religion has made Sabbath so bad that the church has said that God eliminated this "top ten" commandment. I do not agree with that. But I do think that a born again, follower of Y'shua in The Way has a freedom that the church and Synagogue cannot understand in their pious attempts to please our God. Y'shua is the Son of Man, Lord of Sabbath! He is the creator (John 1:1-4) and never sinned. He sets us free to walk in His joy, freedom from slavery to the prince of the power of the air and our own march toward death (the natural man).

The Almighty gave you a gift. It is Sabbath, it is to be guarded. Some say that "In Jesus, every day is the Sabbath to me." If so then I do not understand most of what they do, usually it is not about resting in their Jesus. Stop a while and rest, Shabbat Shalom! He is Lord, give him his crown and he will give you peace.

Mrs. Hagerty November 22, 2016

New Wine: Mark 2:20-22

...a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness Isaiah 63:3

But the days will come when the Bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast in that day. No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from from the new from the old, and a worse tear results. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost, the skins (as well) but (one puts) new wine into fresh wineskins. Mark 2:20-22

The mystery of new wineskins has stumped me for years. How many of you know that prayer is powerful? I know that, I've prayed over this passage, crying out for understanding. (Proverbs 2:3)... nothing. At least that is what I thought. But it was another example of everything being done in YHVH's time.

A question has been posed. Why doesn't Y'shua require his own disciples to fast when the disciples of John the baptizer and the Pharisees practice religious fasting?

According to Michael Rood in his brilliant work, The Chronological Gospels, this passage takes place at the feast Matthew has prepared during Rosh Khodesh (or Chodesh), the celebration of the New Moon. He has invited Y'shua and "assorted tax collectors and sinners" to his home in celebration of his own salvation. The religious were shocked! (Mark 2:18) Even more shocking, Y'shua tells them to their face that those who have the bridegroom (the Messiah) cannot fast while they cling to him instead of religion.

In today's passage, Y'shua then tells the religious that days are coming when believers cannot cling to him, the bridegroom. At that time they will fast, but not like the religious did at that time. They will live by faith. Old religion cannot be patched up with believing faith. The shadow of things to come will not be clothed in Glory. The living word is clothed in glory, but not the man-made rituals. The divide between believers and the religious will be worse then ever if we attempt to walk by faith in dead mans skin. Life will simply not be contained by rotting flesh. You must be born again! It is that simple.

In other words, the blood of animals will no longer do for us what the blood of Messiah has done. 

We have a new high priest of the order of Melchizedek, not of Aaron.
We have a new lamb of sacrifice, but he is not an animal.
We have a new temple, but it is not built by men's hands.
We still have Torah, but it is written on hearts instead of stone.
We are still circumcised, but not in the flesh by men.

The old way will no longer suffice. This new life can no longer be contained in the rags of religion. It does not matter if the old way was Orthodox or Paganism. The fast of Rosh Chodesh has no more meaning then the Christmas Tree of paganism. You must be born again (John chapter 3). It does no good to patch up your old way. We must each fully commit to the new. The old guard in not like the new man. The new man will burst out of the old way on the journey of life, clinging to Y'shua.

So, what do we cling to while the bridegroom is taken from us, while he prepares a place for us?

As you receive Messiah, so walk in Him
Colossians 2:6

Did you receive him by Believing Faith or by a ceremony preformed by religious people? By Faith. That is how we are to walk in Him, Believing Faith. It is like nothing you ever experienced before!

Mrs. Hagerty, November 13, 2016 

Mark 2:19 and Beauty for Ashes

Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can't fast while the groom is with them."

Mark 2:19 nlt

The question has been asked, Is fasting required to be a disciple? (Mark 2:18) It is a good question. All the people that are admired for their religious piety, the Pharisees and the disciples of John, fast for Yom Kippor, But Y'shua's disciples stand out because they do not fast.

Isn't that what religious people do? Y'shua answered them, "They absolutely can not fast (something done when your mourn) when they cling to Himself. Mark 2:19.... in deb world.

A little bit of Greek word study. This verse contains multiple words that are either left out or translated differently then I would like to see... a presumptuous statement from a woman who does not speak Greek, so take it with the grain of salt of your own study.

G3361 MEE is a negative adverb connected to the verb translated "can" The kj says, ...can ___ the children of the bridechamber fast,... In English we put the subject before the verb. "the children of the bridechamber cannot fast..."

G2192 ECHO a verb meaning to hold, to have (continual possession) It is the idea behind our marriage vows when we say, "To have and to hold from this day forth." It indicates a continual possession. The ability to recognize something for what it truly is.

Y'shua said, 'No way can the son of the bridal bed possibly fast when he clings to Myself'

There is a time to recognize the hopelessness of your sinful state. It is right to fast and mourn about the sin you deeply regret and the wall it puts between you and life you long to live. Life with your loved ones whom you have crushed, life with your family that you have not developed a relationship with, eternal-life with the One (ECHAD) who loves you unconditionally and whom you would love to spend your eternity with. But the God who created you cannot be in the presence of sin. You have been spoiled and are good only for the flames of a different eternity.

But Jesus... The Son of God, is the only just One (ECHAD) in all the world and history Who is willing to be your justifier (Romans 3:26)... He alone can pay the penalty for the sin that separates you (2 Corinthians 5:21) from eternity with the Almighty and those who love Him. Y'shua-Jesus died your death so that you can live His life! (2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 2 Peter 2:24) That kind of love was described by Isaiah.

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty (a garland) for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness they will be like great oaks that YHVH has planted for his own glory.    Isaiah 63:3

The despair becomes the power of Joy. We need not practice religious mourning when we have Y'shua, the Son of God, to cling to!

Mrs. Hagerty November 7, 2016

Mark 2:18

Jenny e il Piccolo

Once when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why don't your disciples fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees do?"

Mark 2:18 nlt

Words have meaning. Years ago, after being introduced to Word Studies in Precept Bible Studies, I developed a hunger for knowing what the Bible said in the original language. It is what sent me on my quest to learn Hebrew, something I know only in part. In the study of Mark's Gospel, I keep coming across Greek words that mean something a little different then the English word they are translated into. If you have been following my Mark study, you know that my intrest was lit with the English word "Immediately" which comes from a Greek word that has been translated from Hebrew. The Hebrew gives a whole new feel to the English translation. It isn't about doing something quickly so much as it is about being upright before the Almighty. Did the translators make a mistake? I do not think they did. The Greek word can carry the idea of a straight edge (like a ruler) or the shortest distance between "here and there". In America we would say, "as the crow flies" meaning the shortest distance from where we are to where we are going. If you do not go all the way back to the Hebrew word YASHAR, then "immediately" is correct. Translation is tricky.

Mark 2:18 starts with G1510 EIMI (in Textus Receptus, not in Nestle) which is a preposition meaning "to be". We would say, "To be a disciple of John and of the Pharisees...."

It seems to say that there are requirements for membership. John the Baptizer and the Pharisees require fasting. It does not seem to be a requirement for the disciples of Y'shua-Jesus. Why, the people wonder, is that?

...YHVH doesn't see things The Way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but YHVH looks at the heart.     1Samuel 16:7b

Mark is going to answer the question of "why" but for now it is enough for me to know that the Almighty does not look at what men see. He looks at my heart, the shepherds house. Men can only judge by what their eyes see. A person who fasts looks like a person who is more committed to the Kingdom of Heaven then they are to the flesh. If you have ever fasted you know that it is not simple. It takes commitment and knowing secrets like, "feasting on the Word feeds the hunger of the spirit in the same way eating food feeds the flesh." Fasting is an important religious practice. But is it required for membership in religious groups? I think that is the question being asked.

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father     Colossians 3:17 

There is only one requirement to become a disciple of Messiah. You must be born again! John 3:7 After you are born again, where he directs you is where you must go. If it is to fast, then you must fast. That does not make it a requirement for membership. How will you know his will?

...the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.     Micah 6:8

Who are you living to please? Who is your audience? Turn your eyes to Y'shua-Jesus and live for Him!

Mrs. Hagerty, November 6, 2016

Edges of His Ways; November 3

Now dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered together to meet Him. 2 Thessalonians 2:1

Photo Credit: Jenny e il Piccolo  

Our gathering together unto Him.                2 Thess. 2:1


These words have been a continual comfort to me of late. We may be separated now,we may see little of some whom we want to see often. There are many partings in life; never once are we promised the joy of long continuance together here, but "our gathering together unto Him" is a certain joy. Every day as it passes brings us nearer that day when we shall gather together unto Him. If it can be such joy to be together here (and I at least have drunk deep of that joy), what will it be to be gathered There?

Amy Carmichael Edges of His Ways

Ray and I had the privilege of attending the funeral of a man who devoted his life to bringing people to Salvation in Jesus Christ. I have been to a handful of funerals of men whose life was a celebration of The Joy of the Lord rather then the heart break of loss. My own father in law, Ray Hagerty Sr had that kind of funeral. So did Fred Dibble. Pastor Ed Perry was celebrated too. The lives he affected, and I am one of them, amaze me. Our King Y'shua-Jesus is coming soon, and we will be gathered together with them in Glory.

Make sure you are there!
Mrs. Hagerty; November 3, 2016