Please pray for the recent victims of a terrorist attack at the checkpoint east of Jerusalem in Maale Adumim on Hwy 1.
Rachel and I have spent some time with an assembly of Israeli followers in Maale Adumim. They meet in the basement of a home. It’s the closest we’ve seen to how things must have been in the first century. Perhaps more on that another time.
One thing quickly for here. After spending a wonderful Sabbath with our Israeli brethren, they drove us back to our apartment in downtown Jerusalem that we had for the month. To get there we of course had the pass through the checkpoint that suffered the attack last week.
The car in front of us at the checkpoint looked like it had a few young Palestinians in it. Sure enough, as our car got very close to the checkpoint, all of a sudden three young men bolted out of the car with the Palestinians in it. They ran up a very steep hill on our right.
When our car went out to the checkpoint our Israeli brother told the soldiers about the three Palestinian youths who had raced up the hill. Our brother told us that the soldiers told him that soldiers were waiting for them at the top of the hill…. We craned our necks and could see an Army jeep at the top of the hill.
Our brother told us they will of course detain the three Palestinian youths. Israeli soldiers fluent in Arabic will question them. Not because the Palestinians don’t necessarily speak Hebrew; many if not most of them do. The soldiers will want to listen to the Arabic accent of these three young Arabs, our Israeli brother told us.
If the Palestinians are speaking Arabic with a West Bank Palestinian accent that’s one thing. They probably bolted the car because they don’t have the document that would allow them to go into West (Israeli) Jerusalem. (Palestinians who get a thorough security clearance get a coveted blue card which allows them to go anywhere in Jerusalem).
If the Palestinians speak Arabic, say with an Egyptian accent, then security would very particularly question them. If they’re west of Jerusalem and speaking Arabic with an Egyptian accent it means they’re coming from an area they’re not supposed to be in.
When I heard that from our brother I was instantly reminded of Peter after Yeshua was arrested. Someone accused Peter of being with Yeshua, because Peter spoke Hebrew or Aramaic with a Galilean accent; not a Judean accent.
Rachel and I have been through that checkpoint where the shooting took place any number of times. We also over the various trips we took have probably slept in, eaten in, visited, or driven by easily 20 or 25 places in various parts of Israel that suffered some type of terrorist attack.
Israel incidentally is though, thank God, really very safe for tourists!
The media calls it part of the “occupied West Bank”, which is ludicrous. For those familiar with Boston, it would be like calling Revere part of the West Bank! For those not familiar with Boston on Boston’s eastern side there’s East Boston, then Revere – which is all of 5 mi from downtown Boston.
Continued prayer needs to be offered for the hostages held in Azza (“Gaza”, “Stronghold”)
As our Master Yeshua instructs cf. Mt. 5:43-48, we need to pray for our enemies, in Azza as well. Also to pray for the Palestinians in Azza. As a quick note: here’s what an Israeli told me about how and why Hamas wound up in power in Azza. Fatah, the Palestinian Authority, is widely known to be corrupt. If you don’t have a connection with them, you don’t get help. So, a Palestinian in Azza goes to Hamas for help. You tell them you’re 90 days behind in your rent and you need money for groceries.
Hamas says they’ll speak to your landlord, they give you the equivalent of $100 for groceries, and throw in some money for schoolbooks for your kids. The Israeli went on to say if you’re a Palestinian in Azza, who do you vote for? The problem is: it’s a separate discussion but unfortunately the Palestinians seem frankly pathologically incapable of taking any responsibility for anything whatsoever that is their fault!
What did Palestinians think they were getting when they voted for Hamas? Peace, love, and brotherhood? Of course not! They knew exactly what they were getting, and they knew exactly what Hamas’s platform is. Palestinians in Azza certainly knew that at some point the IDF Israeli Defense Forces would have to do something! Hamas doesn’t care what happens to their own it’s all about their Cause – which of course is from the Enemy!
Bin Laden knew what would happen on 9/11 would also include the murder of fellow Muslims. That obviously didn’t deter him; anyone and anything can be sacrificed for the Cause!
Prayer For Restoration of Relationships Within the Body
This – very much so – was of course a great emphasis of Yeshua – cf. esp. Mt. 7:21-24. Paul virtually completely knocked himself out to try to connect Jew and Gentile! Though my dear Christian brethren unfortunately are not traditionally taught this – because it interferes with Western Religious System narrative, this was a very very major focus of Paul’s ministry.
We have opened this up we hope, in our teaching on the Collection from Gentiles to Jews Paul spends 5 years on, as well as our teaching on Eph. 2:14-17 and New Man. (Please see our teaching on the Collection under G Giving in our 3rd of 8 Teaching Windows. On New Man Eph. 2:14-17, please say our section on the Homepage Introduction – Experience for Yourself The Treasure of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek).
The following is my strengthening back, I hope, to our dear brother who texts me with some encouragement and always cites a Bible verse.
A Little Learning Together
Thank you so much my dear brother continued prayer for restoration of your family in Yeshua’s name, may it be for God’s glory!
One quick thing if I might please.
It’s really not so much sharing our words with the world but rather following Yeshua’s instruction to his beloved Taught Ones in Yochanon (Hebrew “God is gracious”, “John”) 13:34-35. We of course need to keep in mind the larger context of this being part of his last extended recorded teaching, which follows immediately after the last Passover Seder Yochanon 13-16 (” God is gracious”, ” John’s” original Hebrew name; please see or Glossary in the Home page section What Does Scripture Actually Emphasize, above our Home page teaching windows).
Yeshua knew that the Twelve were not at what would be called in Hebrew the spiritual level they needed to be. Was the problem that they had great love for one another; but, not enough love for the Father?
We see in Yochanon 13-16 Yeshua’s repeated use of ‘love’ when it comes to their need to love each other! That, the Twelve did not have enough of! Yeshua knows his time is short, so he emphasizes for them what apparently they needed the most.
As a quick but very key note: Yochanon is the last writer of the Word. He writes under inspiration of the Ruach (Spirit). Yochanon – far and away – uses love the most!
Thus, what is the Ruach trying to be sure we see, understand, and act with? Love!
In Ychn. 13:34-35 Yeshua gives reciprocating love as a commandment. As we repeatedly repeat in our teaching commandment more deeply in Hebrew means fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life, delegation of authority while the LORD retains control; like being assigned to a (military) post.
In Hebrew the word units/army is related to command. A great rabbinic Torah commentator points out what does the Supreme Commander do? He brings together His units. That, is how the Israelites succeeded against their enemies!
Can an army with each unit fighting wherever and however it wants, succeed? No! What made the ancient Romans successful was they fought more as a unit than their opponents.
Love more deeply in Hebrew means a desire for the best for the other, a willingness to give in, a desire for the best for the other, to breathe after someone. It also more deeply includes the meaning give, and devote completely to another, to seek another’s extreme closeness, to press the other to oneself.
With love there is no Self. Very significantly Yeshua did not say in Yochanon 13:34-35 that the World would know that he sent the Twelve; rather that they were his Taught Ones (simply translated disciples).
Why is this significant? Because in first century Israel a taught one was someone who gave up everything up, to follow the life, the words the teaching, of the teacher.
As we’ve repeatedly pointed out in our teaching know in Hebrew means by experience, intimacy, personal relationship.
Yeshua had absolutely no intention of having the world know who he be (Hebrew has no ‘is’) in the sense of making intellectually compelling arguments for him. That’s Greek-based thinking, based on Aristotle’s reason & logic, which while it heavily influenced Gentile leadership for centuries, is not – at all -Yeshua’s thinking!
When the world sees that the Taught Ones had a reciprocating complete devotion to the other and a desire for the best for the other and that they breathed after one another, then the world would know – by experience – they were taught by Yeshua!
Imagine If we followed that fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life and we saw as the post we’ve been assigned to, to act and demonstrate with reciprocating love to one another!
No words would be needed!
One of the great Torah commentators of the Middle Ages says take truth where you find it.
St Francis of Assisi said, “Witness at all times – and when necessary, use words”.
Imagine the tremendous potential positive possibilities! Thanks so much brother love you too!