Skip to main content

Posts

Latest Post

Did Yeshua (Jesus) Keep Shabbat (the Sabbath)? Part 1 - Examining Matthew 12:1-8

The first mention of Shabbat in the B'rit Chadashah is in Matthew 12 :  "At that time [Yeshua] went on the [Shabbat] day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the [Shabbat] day ." Yeshua answers:  "Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of [Elohim], and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat , neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the [Shabbat] the priests in the temple profane the [Shabbat] , and are blameless?  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of
Recent posts

The Bible's View on Divorce

A ketubah , a Jewish marriage contract. By Unattributed (Sotheby's) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons There are often many questions concerning divorce in today's churches and congregations.  But what does the Bible  have to say on this subject?  I have tried to gather most of the passages in the Bible that speak on divorce, reading and explaining them in context . From the Tanach Let's look a passage from the Tanach first.  Then we'll move to the B'rit Chadashah. Malachi 2:16  says, " For [HaShem] , the [Elohim] of Israel, saith that He hateth putting away : for one covereth violence with his garment, saith [HaShem tz'vaot (of hosts)] : therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. " (emphasis added) It is very clear in the above passage that HaShem says He hates divorce .  Yet why did He allow divorce ?  The answer to this question is seen in Matthew 19:1-9.    In this passage, after Yeshua says marr

A Quick Overview of Shabbat (a.k.a. the Sabbath)

Challah  bread for Shabbat. What exactly  is Shabbat, and why do we need to keep it?  What is it all about? When is Shabbat? The first time we read about Shabbat (also known as the Sabbath) is in Genesis 2:2-3 , when HaShem blesses and sanctifies the seventh day as a day of rest.  This seventh day is Saturday, since Yeshua rose from the grave on the first day of the week ( Mark 16:9 ), which we acknowledge as Sunday. Days in the Bible are counted from sunset to sunset ( Genesis 1:5 ), so Shabbat, the seventh day, would be from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. What do we do on Shabbat? The Shabbat was meant to be a rest for all living things, human beings and animals alike ( Exodus 20:10 ).  On it we should do no work. But what is work?  There are many different interpretations of this word.  Some say that "no work" means "no creative  work", since HaShem rested from creating the world .  We do know, however, that kindling fire and g