September | 2022 | Missing Pieces

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the second article in the series, Yeshua is the perfect Lamb.

In Exodus, we learn about the Passover Lamb.

Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,“This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; in proportion to what each one should eat, you are to divide the lamb.Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall completely burn with fire (Ex 12:1-10).

Many of us, at one time or another in our lives, think that we can improve ourselves if we try hard enough. That may be true to some extent, but the kind of improvement that is most essential to us is not attainable by our efforts. No matter how well we clean up our act, we still owe an enormous debt, one that we cannot repay on our own. If all humanity could come into agreement and try to pay the debt collectively for all of us, it would still be impossible. The kind of debt we owe cannot be paid back with money or good deeds. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22). It takes the blood of an innocent person willing to sacrifice himself for us. None of us fits the bill of “innocent person” no matter how good we think we are. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

It is the blood of the lamb that saved the first born in Egypt from death. It is the blood of our Passover Lamb that saves us from the second death. The life is in the blood. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life (Lev 17:11).

How do we know for sure that the Passover Lamb in Exodus is a representative of Yeshua? There are many other Scriptures that explain this to us. For example, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, we read, “Get rid of the old hametz [leaven], so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach [Passover] lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed.

In John 1:29, John the Baptist identifies Yeshua as the Lamb of God. The next day, Yochanan saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, “Look! God’s lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world! There are many other passages that identify Yeshua as the ultimate Passover Lamb, such as Isaiah 53:7; 1 Pet 1:19, Matt 26:2, and Matt. 26:26.

According to the instructions given in Exodus, the lamb was to be selected from the flock on the 10^th day of the first month, Aviv. The lamb was to be taken into the household much as a family pet becomes part of the household today. The lamb was being inspected to make sure there were no flaws or imperfections, but the lamb was now a dear part of the family. This is a foreshadowing of Yeshua being born among and living with His chosen people. Many embraced Him and loved Him, especially during His ministry.

When He took upon Himself the sins of the world, He opened Himself up to the rejection and condemnation of His people. They put Him to death as one reviled. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not (Is 53:3). They did not realize that He was dying in their place, just as the Passover lamb died in their place each year, so that they would be covered. Only this time, they would be more than covered for a year; their sin debt would be permanently removed. Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him (Is 53:4-5) and by his wounds we are healed.

Furthermore, the yearly Passover lamb was put to death and remained dead. Our true Passover Lamb, Yeshua, was raised from the dead after three days and three nights in the grave! The Author of life took on a new life, a new body, so that we could do the same! Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Not only are our sins forgiven, but our debt is paid and we are given new life, eternal life. We no longer have to fear when our mortal bodies die, for we will have new bodies that will live forever and have no defects, no blemishes. Yeshua not only pays a debt we could never pay and removes our condemnation, but He gives us immortality and glory! A new life forever with Him! We can now take on immortality because we wear His robe of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Rom 8:11)

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life. When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own. It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part. This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered. Don’t miss out. After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the first article in the series, Yeshua is the Seed.

In Genesis, we learn that Yeshua is the Seed of the Woman. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen 3:15). (See also 1 John 3:8 and Gal 4:4) Why is this important? It is because we are humans and we have sinned. It is humankind that owes a tremendous debt, a debt that we cannot pay collectively, let alone individually. Only a human who is totally righteous, takes on the sin and weakness of everyone and who willingly gives up His life can pay the price. Among all of humankind, there is no one else besides Yeshua who fits the requirements. “Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord God (Jer 2:22).

What would it take to pay this enormous debt and reconcile with Yehovah? It would take the sacrifice of a human who is totally free from blemish, from any hint of sin. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22). The animals who were sacrificed in the place of the guilty humans were innocent and were supposed to be without blemish. Do not present an animal with defects, because the LORD will not accept it on your behalf (Lev 22:20).

A woman was the first to sin, but Yehovah in His infinite mercy and provision, had already provided a way for the woman and all her descendants to be saved. It would be through the seed of a woman, that Yeshua (salvation) would come and sacrifice Himself so that we could be reunited to Yehovah and so that we could share in all that had been planned for us from the beginning. What was planned for us? Each one of us is designed to be an integral part of His kingdom. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jer 29:11). We are part of something much greater than any of us individually, yet as individuals each one of us is loved and valued.

Yeshua came to establish the Kingdom of Yehovah on earth. [Yeshua] was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people (Matt 4:23).

How do each of us participate in the Kingdom? Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And truly I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20) We are called to spread the word of His glorious plan. When we share this message with others, we are scattering seed, the seed that comes from the Seed. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives (John 12:24)

In the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-9), Yeshua tells us that when we spread the word (sow the seed) that some of the seed will fall onto poor soil or wither under challenging conditions. This is not necessarily failure on our part. After all, Yeshua died for all of us, yet not all of us will accept His precious gift of salvation. When a farmer sows seeds, only some of the seeds will germinate. Of the seed that germinates, only some will produce a good crop. Plants can get too much rain, not enough rain, not enough sun, or pests can come and weaken or kill the plant. And yet, the farmer continues to sow seed year after year. It is the same with us. We must continue to sow seed (the word of Yehovah) even though we cannot control the outcome of each seed. It will require sacrifice on our part, perhaps even our very lives, to carry out our assignment.

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Matt 13:3-9)

“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matt 13:18-23) Yeshua is the original Seed as explained in Genesis. When Yeshua is put to death, new life springs from Him and many seeds are now available. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:24). The seeds produced by Yeshua’s death were first planted in His followers. They then produced fruit that bore more seeds which they then sowed in others. It is that seed which was planted in each of us who are led to accept Him as our Lord and Redeemer. We are then to bear fruit which produces seed (the good news of the Kingdom) and it is that seed that we are to sow in others in order to increase the Kingdom.