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

One (ECHAD) is Coming (part 2), Salvation Came

Link to Part 1 One (ECHAD) is Coming.

Mark 1:4-11 Part 2

In Part 1 we were introduced to the man, John the Baptist. Part 2 is about John's ministry and the introduction to "The One - ECHAD - our Salvation.

John's ministry

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Mark 1:4-5 nasu

• The miracle baby had become a man: 
• Luke 1:66  All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, "What then will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. 
• Luke 1:76-77  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;  To give to His people the knowledge of salvation (from the Hebrew word Y'shua)  By the forgiveness of their sins, 
• Luke 1:80  And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

...and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River.

How do you preach baptism? If it were me, I would preach repentance but John preached baptism. He also baptized. The baptism we are familiar with means, to immerse, to put under water. It communicates the Hebrew idea of washing. But to "preach" baptism is to overwhelm emotionally instead of physically immersing. He could preach baptism because baptism has more then one facet of meaning, depending on how it is spelled in Greek.  To overwhelm and to immerse are similar ideas but communicate different actions.

The question I have is, Why did the people of Judah and Jerusalem leave the comfort of their homes to go to the wilderness to be overwhelmed by their sin? Why did they submit to being immersed in the Jordan for the remission of that sin? According to Michael Rood's "The Chronological Gospels" this baptism of John took place in winter. There were no hotels or comfortable conference centers in the wilderness. No restaurants or campgrounds with showers and toilets; so why did they go? Surly there were plenty of adequate preachers and teacher in the big city of Jerusalem. The Jordan river ran close to the city where they could be comfortable on their pilgrimage. 

Was it curiosity about who Zechariah's son had become? If that was what they wanted to know then they could just ask around. How children turn out is something we like to talk about. I believe that they were not curious, but that they were supernaturally compelled to go. John was filled with the Spirit from his conception. The prophet Samson is the only other baby that was said to be special even from the womb. Everyone I've ever met who is filled with the Spirit had to repent of sin and invite the Holy Spirit into their heart before it could happen. There was something very special about John.

The Hebrew word ECHAD-One The people were supernaturally compelled to come and hear what John had to say; "After me, One-ECHAD is coming." Not "someone is coming" but One is coming. To our English speaking culture, "One" does not have much meaning beyond counting, but to people who had said the SHAMA all of their lives (Hear O Israel... ), One-ECHED, had a very specific meaning.

"Hear (SHAMA), O Israel! The LORD (YHVH) is our God, the LORD (YHVH) is One (ECHAD)!" Deuteronomy 6:4

YHVH is ECHAD (One)! Hebrews are very careful with the name of YHVH. They NEVER want to profane (take in vain) the name of YHVH. By saying "ECHAD-One is coming after me, Judah understood who John meant. They also knew that they needed to be sanctified and washed before they could be in the presence of ECHAD, just as YHVH instructed Moses in Exodus 19:10.

The LORD (YHVH) also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate (baptize) them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; Exodus 19:10

Confess your sins, repent and be washed. The people came to John to prepare to meet their God. They came from their comfortable homes and beds to be overwhelmed by the burden of their sin, confessing and repenting of it, being immersed in the Jordan for the remission of sin.

Remission of Sin When we talk about cancer being in remission we are saying that the horrible radiation treatment has done its job and the doctor can no longer find evidence of cancer in the body or blood of the victim. It does not mean the person is cured, but that for this season there is no evidence of cancer (which may last to the end of a person's normal life or it may be only a matter of years), the treatment can be stopped. Remission of sin is similar. When there is not evidence of sin, the treatment (confession to repentance) can be stopped... until there is again evidence. Mark tells us that all of Judea wanted to be set free and went to great lengths to find freedom from the cancer that is sin. THIS is how John was to "prepare the people for 'the One' coming after him"

 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9

Y'shua-Jesus came from Galilee. Judah is south of Galilee with Samaria in between them. It is almost like saying that John was baptizing in the Snake River in the wild country between Oregon and Idaho. The people came from California and Los Angeles to be baptized by John in the Snake. In those days Y'shua came from Lake Chelan in Washington to be baptized by John in the Snake River.... except that the western states cover a lot more acreage then Galilee, Samaria and Judah. The point being that Y'shua did not come from the religious center of the Promise Land, where the city and throne of his father David was located, where most Jewish people lived, but from the North. Few people even know who he was. He had not attended Yeshiva (Jewish school) or attended synagogue with any of the Judeans who came for John's baptism. John was one of the few people who had any idea who He was.

He came to be baptized, but He had no sin to repent of. He went into the water, just like everyone else, but without sin. Coming out of the water is where the difference was obvious. He did not come out of the water "immediately" (that is a bad translation), instead, He came out "YASHAR" (upright in his relationship to the Almighty). Not since the creation of the first man, Adam, had a man been YASHAR, and then only for a short time.

Immediately coming up out of the water YASHAR (in an upright relationship with God), He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; Mark 1:10 corrected

Not one other person, baptized and in remission of sin, came out of the water in a right relationship with the Almighty. Sin in remission is not free from sin. They were still carriers of the sickness of sin, still susceptible of being struck down with sin at any moment. Not so for Jesus. He did not have any sin, it was not even in his nature to sin, a concept that I have a difficult time understanding, but that I believe by faith. Being YASHAR - in right relationship with God, he went where His Father directed Him, submitting fully to Him. He came out of the water just as as He went in, YASHAR - upright in His relationship to God. He stayed the course. Philippians 2: 14-15

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, Philippians 2 14-15 

...He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him...

Nothing is ever written "by chance" in Scripture, nor is it written poetically simply for poetry's sake. What I have learned about "like a dove" is too wonderful for me, I can only scratch at the surface. 

The Hebrew word for Dove is YWN (Hebrew letters yod-vav-nun sofit). When the Hebrew letter"hey" is added as a suffix to the  Hebrew word for "dove" it becomes Jonah. Jonah was one of the rare prophets who came from Galilee. Equally rare, Jonah's ministry was to gentiles. The Hebrew word for dove is also related to the Hebrew word for "wine". Wine is the "drink offering" that is poured out on the sacrifice and the service of the child of the Almighty. (Philippians 2:7). Being controlled by the Spirit of God is comparable to being controlled by wine (Ephesians 5:18). In a very simplistic way, Mark 1:10 tells us that the Spirit of the Almighty God was poured out like the drink offering on Y'shua the sacrifice, in the book of Mark, the servant. It descend as a dove... on the Son of God, who like Jonah, would bring Salvation to the Gentiles.

and a voice came out of the heavens: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased." Mark 1:11

Link to the next study questions: Mark 1:12-20

One (Echad) is Coming (Part 1) Mark 1:4-11

Hear, O Israel! YHVH is our God. YHVH is ECHAD (One)  Deuteronomy 6:4

The Study of the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1: 4-11 Part 1

John appeared in the wilderness     Mark 1:4a

The strange discovery from The Introduction to the book of Mark is that the gospel began a long time before Y'shua-Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It began with the ancient prophets Micah and Isaiah.

Then, skipping many details that Matthew and Luke share with us, Mark starts his story with,

"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness.

Nearly two thousand years have passed since Mark wrote his gospel. He seems to have made an assumption that there were some commonly known facts his readers would know that have been lost in the years that followed. The information we are able to find about John the Baptist comes to us like puzzle pieces that we have to put together.

 Luke uses a lot of ink explaining John the Baptist. John's mother Elisabeth and the mother of Jesus are cousins but one is from the tribe of Judah and one is from the tribe of Levi. My guess is that their grandmother had two children, who would become the parents of Mary and Elisabeth. Elisabeth's mother would have been married to a Levite and their child would, like his Father, also be a Levite (of the branch-tribe of Levi). Mary, of the tribe of Judah, would be a descendant of King David while her cousin Elisabeth, of the tribe of Levi, would be a descendant of the High priest, Aaron.

If not for circumstances, both girls married very well. Mary to Joseph, who should have been the legal king of Israel. While Elisabeth was married to Zechariah who should have been the High priest of Israel.

Both cousins became widows who were forced to raise their sons as single mothers. There is no hard evidence about when or how Joseph, Mary's husband, died. All we know is that he seems to be gone before Y'shua's ministry begins. When and how Elisabeth's husband died is another puzzle piece.

I believe that Luke 11:51b is talking about Elisabeth's husband, Zechariah.

...Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God.

But if this is Elisabeth's husband, then why was he killed? I think we have to go to the Gospel of Matthew 2:16b for that part of the puzzle.

...Herod became enraged, and sent and slew all the male children two years old and under...

But wait Mrs. Hagerty, isn't that verse about Jesus? Mathew 2:16 was about all the little boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem who were two years old and younger. We know that cousin Mary escaped to Egypt with her husband and child. But remember, Elisabeth's son John was only six months older then Mary's son. He was exactly the right age for Herod's murderous rage. The miracle of cousin Elisabeth's son was well known. Everyone knew that her husband, Zechariah, saw a vision (an event that had not happened for about 300 years before that time) in the temple while he was burning incense (a picture of prayer). He was unable to tell the congregation what the message was until after he named his son John (more about the name later) at his bris (a ceremony and party when a son is circumcised at eight days old). At that moment, YHVH broke his own silence to Israel and spoke through Zechariah (who was mute before then) to those present, a message which included information about who John would become.

Herod wanted to murder any child who might become king in his place (or in the place of his own heirs), John the Baptist would have been thought of as a good candidate for Messiah.

Tradition says that Zechariah sent his wife into the wilderness to hide their only child from the sword of Herod's rage. Zechariah was killed instead of John while serving at the temple, because he refused to give up their hiding place. Cousin Elisabeth became an elderly, single mother hiding from the government in the desert wilderness.

Mark 1:6John was clothed with camel's hair and wore  a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.

Too hot for raising sheep for their wool or flax for linen, John was clothed in rough camel's hair. The least expensive of food was the locusts the boy could catch and wild honey (which I imagine came with stings). But even in poverty, cousin Elisabeth prepared her son to be the man Zechariah prophesied that he would be.

What is in a name?

A priest named Zachariah (Luke 1:5)

The Hebrew name Zekaryah (H2148) is a compound word in Hebrew, from the words ZAKAR (H2142) which means "remember" and YHVH (H3050), the name of the Creator. Zachariah's name means YHVH (the LORD) remembers.

His wife Elisabeth (Luke 1:5)

In Hebrew her name is Eliysheba' (H472), another compound word that is from 'El (H410) meaning "God" and sheba' which is the number seven but also means "oath" (like a promise). So her name was God's-promise. Another interesting puzzle piece is that Aaron's (the orginal high priest) wife was also named Eliysheba' (Exodus 6:3)

Finally, their son, whom we know as John, also had a Hebrew name, Yowchanan. It is also a compound word. (H3068) YHVH -the name of the eternal God, and (H2603) chanan -to bend or stoop in kindness.

What does it all mean? Though he was silent for so long, YHVH remembered (Zekaryah) His Promise (Eliysheba') and The eternal God, YHVH -stooped down in lovingkindness (Yowchanan). This message, by the way, was delivered by Gabriy'el (God's valiant warrior)

And this is where the Gospel of the Son of the Almighty picks up... at just the right time, YHVH stooped down from glory, in lovingkindness (the meaning of John) and appeared in the wilderness.

You will get the rest of the story in Part 2

Mrs. Hagerty
July 3, 2016