There was a man among the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, who came to Yeshua by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know it is from G-d that you have come as a teacher; for no one can do these miracles you perform unless G-d is with him." "Yes, indeed," Yeshua answered him, "I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of G-d."......"I tell you that unless a person is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of G-d. What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:1-3, 5 Jewish New Testament translated by David H. Stern).
The above conversation between Yeshua and Nicodemus about the mystery of being born again is alluded to in the first verse of Genesis: Beresheit Bara Elohim et Hashamiyim ve-et ha-aretz.
Our physical birth is our first beginning born from the water of our mother's womb and our spiritual birth, the moment we become aware that G-d is and seek for and accept His Truth, is our second beginning born again in Spirit.
Yeshua is the Gate and it is His sheep who hear His Voice and enter through the Gate of Truth and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. The unbeliever can only observe the mystery of rebirth through the actions of those who are "born again" indicated by the last letters of "Bara Elohim Et" which is revealed Truth.
There are multiple layers of meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures. In order to Worship G-d in Spirit and in Truth we must learn to observe His Statutes and walk in His Ways and it is through observance of Torah that we are led to the land flowing with milk and honey.
I love Hebrew. I think I could write forever about the well of Living Water contained within the Hebrew Scriptures. It is said that our end is enwedged in our beginning and to know the heart of G-d is to know His Torah frontwards and backwards.
The Torah Scrolls are written without vowels because the Word of G-d is alive and speaks to each person on their level of understanding. It is amazing how many times I have read a verse and then suddenly I see it in a new light. Why? Because my understanding has changed through study, prayer and application. The Scriptures contain amazing life giving waters that never run dry.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Mystical Messiah
So far the Torah Club studies have been very insightful and productive spawning further study based on those insights. There are so many passages in the Gospels that clearly indicate a deeper mystical meaning that cannot be grasped from just the literal translation. So much of Yeshua's teachings and actions defy natural laws because G-d is beyond the realm of the natural. Though He created the universe, G-d is not limited by it nor can the universe contain all that He is. So it stands to reason that His Son, Yeshua, would have the power to function outside the realm of the natural as well.
There is so much controversy within the religious community over certain types of mystical beliefs and practices, but since Yeshua did not oppose or support the mystical traditions and beliefs of his time indicates to me that those beliefs were not harmful to the soul and did not merit or need explanation or arguments to disprove the validity of such beliefs. Yeshua worked within the framework of peoples beliefs. He used those beliefs as an opportunity to further the Kingdom of G-d by showing through his works that miracles are not dependent upon traditions or supernatural beliefs. See for example John 5 when Yeshua healed the paralytic near the pools of Bethesda.
There are many mysteries in the Gospels generating questions like, "Why did the disciples of Yeshua not recognize Him after He had risen until Yeshua revealed himself to them?" This indicates that Messiah is more than a human personality/body which housed Him without undermining the work and person of Yeshua as the Son of Man.
Thoughtful insight: Yeshua is called the Son of Man and the Son of G-d coinciding with the two births of water and spirit that we each must undergo if we are to be born again and see the Kingdom of G-d. Every person begins life in the water of his/her mother's womb and spiritual birth begins the moment we become aware that G-d exists.
There is so much controversy within the religious community over certain types of mystical beliefs and practices, but since Yeshua did not oppose or support the mystical traditions and beliefs of his time indicates to me that those beliefs were not harmful to the soul and did not merit or need explanation or arguments to disprove the validity of such beliefs. Yeshua worked within the framework of peoples beliefs. He used those beliefs as an opportunity to further the Kingdom of G-d by showing through his works that miracles are not dependent upon traditions or supernatural beliefs. See for example John 5 when Yeshua healed the paralytic near the pools of Bethesda.
There are many mysteries in the Gospels generating questions like, "Why did the disciples of Yeshua not recognize Him after He had risen until Yeshua revealed himself to them?" This indicates that Messiah is more than a human personality/body which housed Him without undermining the work and person of Yeshua as the Son of Man.
Thoughtful insight: Yeshua is called the Son of Man and the Son of G-d coinciding with the two births of water and spirit that we each must undergo if we are to be born again and see the Kingdom of G-d. Every person begins life in the water of his/her mother's womb and spiritual birth begins the moment we become aware that G-d exists.
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