Leaving the Past Behind

When did you realize you believed in Jesus? Was there a moment you can look back on when you realized that it wasn't just the facts about Jesus that you believed, but that you believed in Him? For some, they can remember the day and the time when they became a follower of Jesus. For others, it was a gradual coming to faith. Over time they moved closer and closer to Jesus until one day they realized - I'm with Him!

Today I was reading Mark 10 in preparation for Sunday's sermon and I read ahead to the story of Bartimaeus.

46And so they reached Jericho. Later, as Jesus and his disciples left town, a great crowd was following. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. 47When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

48"Be quiet!" some of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

49When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, "Tell him to come here."

So they called the blind man. "Cheer up," they said. "Come on, he's calling you!" 50Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

"Teacher," the blind man said, "I want to see!"
52And Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has healed you." And instantly the blind man could see! Then he followed Jesus down the road

So when did it happen for Bartimaeus?

Well, we know he was a beggar, who sat alongside the road that was filled with pilgrims headed to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. Day after day he sat there, helplessly pleading for people to give alms as they passed. If they didn't, he didn't eat. Now Jesus is near, and he cries out, and is told to come.

That's when it happens.

Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.


That coat, or cloak as some versions call it, wasn't just clothing. Beggars wore over sized poncho like coats that they spread out before them to catch the money people gave. So when Bartimaeus decided to trust that Jesus could do what he needed, by leaping up and tossing aside his cloak... He left his past behind - the way he had made a living... trusted His Savior - and found life!.

Have you?

Grace!

David

Ivory Tower, Or Workshop Floor?

No one else knew. No one else would understand. He had everything, and it wasn't enough. Everyday as he unlatched the door to the synagogue and prepared for Torah school, he felt as if he was just going through the motions.

As hazzan of the assembly, he was involved in every aspect of worship and teaching. It was he who blew the shofar to begin shabbot when the first three stars were visible in the sky. He was the one entrusted with the Torah scrolls and it was he who danced with delight as he placed them in the ark. On the outside, it was all about God - but inside, what begin as a sliver of dissatisfaction had become a cold and lifeless life.

Looking at the young boys as they eagerly listened to him explain about the majesty and wonder of Yahweh, as He led His people from slavery, he was gripped with envy "If I only wanted to know God like they do", he thought.

He walked over to one pupil who was seated next to the window opening to the courtyard. Laughing and smiling, he explained yet again to Simon's son that placing the yot over the aleph in that position would change the whole Law. Simon stomp his feet in frustration and tipped the bench over.

As he picked it up, he glanced outside and saw... Jesus and his talmidim. They looked to be leaving town. He might never get another chance.

"Continue practicing your aleph and bet boys, class dismissed." He raced out the door and caught Jesus just as he was rounding the corner.

He dropped to the ground in front of him while looking intently in Jesus' face "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"

Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother."

He said, "Teacher, I have--from my youth--kept them all!"

Jesus looked him hard in the eye--and loved him! He said, "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me."

The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Maybe it happened much like I've written (and Eugene Peterson's Message relates). I'm just making a best guess based on what I know about the passage, the culture, and the work of a typical synagogue ruler or "hazzan".

But here's the thing.....

Bunny, Sean and I were talking last night about how learning more about the Jewish context and culture of the Bible has been a big help for us in understanding the Scriptures better. Bunny had just shared some insight she had found about one of the Psalms that stood the way she had always looked at it on it's head.

"See, that sort of stuff needs to be in the notes or something," Sean said. "It really helps you understand, but you have to be a scholar to know it."

That's been bugging me ever since.

At first, I thought about a classic American quick fix - everyone just needs study Bibles. But then I remembered that the contextual studies are not really done in most of those. Then I thought, "well, you just need to teach more on that." But that just means the problem that Sean identified continues.

The answer is for each follower of Jesus to learn more about Him and His culture. We're not just separated by language. There's time too. But with today's resources available for free via the Internet, we can know Jesus and His culture better.

And that puts us right where God wants us - able to understand His Word, discern His will, and do the things He's planned for us that will glorify His name.

So friends, get to work. Here are some links to get you started.

http://www.menorahministries.com/Scriptorium/JesusThruJewishEyes.htm
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/
http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=1458
http://www.itanakh.org/

Shalom,

David