As a Christian raised in a conservative Jewish household I personally find some of Paul’s teachings to be not only out of character but also in some ways ludicrous. Let us take for example Paul’s argument with Peter about Gentiles being circumcised. Paul preaches here that although he personally follows the Laws of Torah, gentiles are not required to, as they are not Jews, but rather adopted. Let us examine this with simple logic, if one adopts a child born of a voodoo priestess and her lover, do we not require them to follow our household rules in raising them to be adults, or due we allow them to run around sacrificing chickens in the living room. I say no my friend when one is adopted into a religion he would be most certainly required to follow the tenants of that religion.
Over the past several weeks I have read some interesting articles covering Jewish culture and Faith. It is and has been my goals in writing about Jesus’ life as a Jew to help Christians to get to know the Jesus I know and Love. The Jewish Messiah who died on the Cross in order to complete God’s divine plan for the destruction of the Temple and removal of the Physical requirements for a Blood sacrifice.
Let’s take a look at the Tabernacle (Tent of Meeting) prior to the Temple and how it was used. During their travels in the desert, and up until King Solomon built the Temple, the Jewish people used the Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant and the altar to perform their sin offerings to the Lord. These Blood offerings to the Lord were to be done in great detail. The details can be found within Chapter 16 of Leviticus.
Within the details of this Chapter we find that Aaron and his descendants are to perform these Sacrifices. Only a direct descendant of Aaron was able to go behind the curtain in the Tabernacle or the Temple whichever was in effect at the time. Jesus’ death on the Cross was God’s way to cancel the need for Aaron’s family to perform this Blood offering for the Sin’s of their family and the Community of Israel. Once and for all the need to do blood sacrifice would no longer be needed to release us from our sins.
It is the requirement once a year to repent for the sins we commit against God or against others. All this is to be performed in the Seventh month on the Tenth Day. This day is known today as Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement. Jesus’ crucifixion (Blood Sacrifice) took place on the Passover the time when God gave the Israeli people the requirements in the first place to sacrifice an unblemished Lamb to signify that the angel of death was to pass over their house. What better time to remove the Blood Sacrifice then when it began in order to symbolize eternal life to where the angle of death will pass over our spiritual body forever.
There is still one thing that is important to understand in this chapter, besides the Blood Sacrifice is the requirement for the observance of The Day of Atonement. Although many Christian Pastors understand and have knowledge of this and some preach at this time of repentance, it would be considered political suicide if they came out and truly explained where the requirements originate from, and that the sermon they chose was based on the observance of Yom Kippur.
Never mind that any of them will tell you that Jesus died on the cross as the atonement for the sins of man. The exact sacrifice required at the Temple on Yom Kippur. In this instance the Yom Kippur sacrifice was a Bullock and two Goats, the first Goat had all the sins of Israel symbolically cast upon it and it was taken into the wilderness, this was called the scapegoat and is where the term originated. The bullock and second goat were to be sacrificed as a Blood offering for our sin. In this instance we see that Christ has become not only the Passover sacrifice, but also the Yom Kippur sacrifice including the scapegoat upon whom all the sins of man were case. This fulfills all of the Blood Sacrifice requirements of Torah, and there for the statement of Jesus’ “I did not come to take away the Law, but to fulfill it”.
Over the next several weeks we will exam Paul’s thought process concerning the Gentiles as to the requirements of Torah and whether or not his beliefs were actually based in his own Judaic elitism.
The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX. We are a Teaching Ministry whose goals are to teach Christians about the Daily prayer life of Jesus. Please consider if you are able, make a contribution to our ministry by contacting Brian Brody at 903-436-1876 or bbrody1306@aol.com.
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I wish to know why Jesus die outside temple if it wos forbiden to make sacrifice outside temple ..???thank you Nadia
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ReplyDeleteNadia:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting question.
First it is important for you to understand that not all of the Sacrifice was performed inside of the Temple, but the ones that were performed in the Temple were for Repentance and Forgiveness of our Sins. The Sin itself had already been cast out into the wilderness through the Scapegoat. This portion of the Sacrifice was performed long before any of the Blood was shed inside of the Temple.
One thing to keep in mind is, there is no evidence that the Scapegoat remained alive or for how long. So in all reality there was also blood shed outside of the Temple for the Sacrifice.
So Jesus being the Sin Sacrifice, his blood would have never been shed in the Temple. This is why Jesus would not have been sacrificed in the Temple. He carried all the Sins of the People far from the Temple.
I hope this answers your question.
God Bless
Brian