Hebrews 12:1-13; Consider Him!

Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.

If the encouragement is to look unto, to consider the Lord Jesus; the problem we have is focusing on something lesser.

Did Jesus Have Long Hair?

Did Jesus Have Long Hair?

A man under a Nazarite vow was not permitted to cut his hair; he was to let it grow long. Number 6:5 You must not cut his hair throughout the time of his vow of consecration. He must be holy until the time is completed during which he consecrates himself to the LORD; he is to let the hair of his head grow long. This requirement makes no sense unless the normal Jewish man had short hair.

This normal condition is revealed by nature, as Paul pointed out: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him.” (1 Cor. 11:14). That would seem to shut the door on long-haired Jesus portrayals. Paul was very well educated on Mosaic Law and Jewish customs.

Historians have determined that ancient Jewish men did not wear their hair long; they mocked men with long hair, which was somewhat common among Roman and Greek philosophers, emperors, and pagan gods.[1] Archeologists found, for the first time, hair from a Jewish man, in a site south a Jerusalem, in the year 2000. Hair from Jewish women was common in excavations, but not hair from men. Until recently.

One of the more fascinating finds in this tomb, one that has not received much attention, was the preservation of a sample of Jewish male hair. The hair was lice-free, and was trimmed or cut evenly, probably indicating that the family buried in this tomb practiced good hygiene and grooming. The length of the hair was medium to short, averaging 3-4 inches. The color was reddish.[2]

Why have we settled on portrayals of Jesus with long hair? The biblical record, historical records, and archeological research all agree: other than men under a Nazarite Vow, Jewish men had short hair. There is nothing in the Bible suggesting Jesus was under a Nazarite vow. He had short hair.

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[1] https://relevantmagazine.com/current/buzzworthy/if-jewish-law-says-men-had-to-have-short-hair-why-does-jesus-have-long-hair-in-every-movie/

[2] https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-only-ancient-jewish-hair-ever-found/ 

Hebrews 3 - Jesus is Better

From 1 September. 

Here's a snippet from the message:

As the faithful son over all of God's house, Jesus is superior to Moses – but not contrary to Him. As Moses is a type of Christ, so was the Exodus a type which foretells the redemption we have in Christ. In Luke 9:31 the death of Jesus is called an exodus; He is, according to 1 Cor 5:7, the true Passover; in 1 Pet 1:19 Jesus is the lamb without spot or blemish. Jesus was in Acts 7:38 the One who gave Israel living oracles in the wilderness; their baptism into Christ is the anti-type of Israel's passage through the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1); our spiritual feeding on Christ in the Lord's Supper is the anti-type of Israel's nourishment by manna and water from the rock (1 Cor 10:3). Christ, the living Rock, was their guide through the wilderness (1 Cor 10:4); the heavenly rest that awaits the saints is the counterpart of the earthly Canaan rest of Israel (Heb 4). This typology was pressed on early Christians, telling them and us that Israel's rebellion and punishment in the wilderness was preserved for our instruction (1 Cor 10:6); Jude applies this to Christians from the fact that “the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5)

 

Hebrews 2:14-18, Jesus our High Priest

Hebrews 2:14 – 18 – Jesus our High Priest

In the last message from Hebrews, we saw how Jesus came as a man, was victorious over sin and death, has been glorified and is honored in Heaven. And He calls us – announces publicly to all – that we are His brothers and sisters. This last paragraph of chapter 2 builds on this, reminding us of three things: a) Jesus' humanity, b) how He came to die, and c) now helps us as our faithful high priest. Each of these three points is meant to comfort and strengthen His people. Now as then – some 2,000 years ago – God's people live in a world that is designed and run to draw us aside, to weigh us down. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world are persecuted and killed. Whether we are threatened with the sword or by countless enticements to compromise, our refuge is the same – flee to Christ! Our flesh is weak, we need a strong tower – but we also need an advocate who will plead our case. We who have faith in Christ Jesus have more than we need. Let's get into the text!  

Hebrews 1 - The Supreme Son

 Was blessed to teach the main service this past Sunday at Community Baptist. The sermon was from Hebrews 1 - The Supreme Son. My desire was to help the saints see with eyes of faith the Lord Jesus a little bit better.

As in the Days of Noah, Genesis 18:16-33

People will scoff at the idea that there is a God, deny that He is returning as the Bible declares. No matter what trouble comes, including the end of the world, God will not allow any of His children to perish. Knowing this, we should be known by our holy conduct and godliness as we live at peace with Him and one another; in our families and in our local assembly. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matt 24:37)

 

John 17 - Jesus prays for His disciples

In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, those disciples who walked with Him in His days of the flesh, and for all who would follow the teaching. We should learn how to pray by learning from the Lord.

Here's a short message giving the context of John 17 and describing how Christ Jesus prayed.

Not Under Law!

Not Under Law

Reading Zanchius' Absolute Predestination, he observes that Abram didn't think ill of God's command to slay his son (Gen 22), though mankind knew such an act was evil (Gen 4). Abram knew the expressed will of God was better than the prohibition against taking a life without cause. Similar to the order to plunder Egypt (Ex 3) contrasted with the word to not steal (Ex 20). Is God of two minds? Perish the thought. His purpose and plan are often hidden from us, but ever being worked out to bring Him glory and do good for His own.

We read time and again how Jesus came to do the Father's will - echoing Abram! In John 4:34 Jesus said His food was to do the Father's will; in John 6:38 He said He came from heaven to do His Father's will. And in Matt 7:21 we read that those who do the Father's will are the ones who inherit heaven; For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  (John 6:38-40). God desires mercy, not the sacrifices demanded by the law. The One Who made a pleasing sacrifice on our account gives us His righteousness and provides mercy, day-by-day.  As our call to worship reminds us, Moses was faithful as a servant in the house but Jesus is a Son over His own house. When Peter asked Him about paying the temple tax (Matt 17:24-27), Jesus said strangers pay the tax but the sons are free. God the Father was not subject to the Mosaic Law; the Son is Lord over His house and is free. All the sons and daughters are free! When Jesus began His public ministry, He was showing people a better way, revealing a covenant built on better promises. He did not lead people to the Old Covenant, He led people away from it as it was being brought to its end. He left the Old Covenant to show us the way to the New.

We also read of God violating laws of nature that He established, making the sun stand still (Joshua 10:13) and giving life to that which was dead (John 11). He cured leprosy with dirty water (2 Kings 5).

God is not bound the laws He gives man!

It was against the Mosaic Law for a healthy person to touch one with leprosy (Lev 5:3 - page 127).  Some lepers were healed in the Old Covenant era, but the lepers were not touched. They were not touched when declared clean by the Levitical priests. Jesus was sending a message by touching this man. When Jesus began His kingdom ministry, He was no longer under the Mosaic Law as He was as a minor child, else He would not have touched the man. He was working to show the Jews that their Messiah was greater than Moses, even God in the flesh, bringing a new and better covenant founded on better promises to His spiritual people. In Luke 8:19-56 Jesus touched a dead child and raised her to life; touching the dead was prohibited by the law (Num 19:11). The Mosaic Law forbade spitting on a person: Num 12:14 declares one unclean who has been spit-on; Deut 25:9 refers to spitting in in another's face as a curse on the person. Jesus spit on the ground, made clay to apply to a blind man's eyes to bring healing (John 9:6); He spit on a mute man's tongue to heal him (Mark 7:33); and He spit in a blind man's eyes to heal him (Mark 8:22-25), contrary to Mosaic Law. Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:15, 19), contrary to the Levitical law; He healed a paralytic on the Sabbath (John 5:7-10), for which they wanted to kill Him (John 5:18), for He not only violated their Sabbath, He made Himself equal with God. In Matt 12, Jesus defended His disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath, positioning Himself as greater than David (who had eaten bread meant only for priests) and greater than (Lord of/over) the Sabbath. In this instance, He cites Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice." While the law was not full of mercy, it provided no specific exceptions to the weekly Sabbath for acts of mercy. Healing was required in the law but no provision for doing so on the Sabbath was given. Circumcision was required on the 8th day, which sometimes happened on a Sabbath. Jesus pointed out the priests broke the Sabbath to keep the law of circumcision. I think these points of tension were there to lead the Jews to seek guidance from YHWH, but they built up a system of rules that they thought they keep and be pleasing to God. Of old He told them, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."

God is not bound the laws He gives man - He is Lord over both man and law!