Hello Grafted In Readers,
Today is Monday in my corner of Blog Land. A taste of winter has returned to my corner or region of blog land, and some parts are anticipated to receive major amounts of snow over the next couple of days. Our previous month had several days of above normal temperatures and now we are being reminded that the season of Spring is yet to arrive.
Meantime, we continue looking at faith practice in the light of Jewish heritage. Today our thoughts are courtesy of an article by Messianic Rabbi, Russ Resnik, from The Messianic Times. It is titled,
Purim, Passover and the Hidden Messiah
"Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Isaiah 53:1
Citing Rabbi Resnik, "The phrase, the arm of the Lord, normally describes the mighty and undeniable acts of God. It reminds us of Passover, when God revealed himself openly to Israel and Egypt by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Isaiah says that "He is one from whom people hide their faces," (53:3) which reminds us of Purim not Passover.
Purim is the festival of exile, a time when God seems hidden. Passover is a festival of redemption, when God is undeniably present! The Good News of Mark 1:1-11 may well answer where we are today. Verse 24 even points out the demons believe Yeshua to be the hidden Messiah.
Purim reminds us: Things are not always as they appear. Outsiders and even God will ultimately put in place those who seem powerful and in control.
Note: One common practice during the festival of Purim, is public reading of the book of Esther that clearly shows how God did act on behalf of His people. Most main-line churches ignore this occasion and prefer instead, to paint the Jewish people as unfortunate, incapable, misinformed, persons who "didn't get it." Thank you for joining us in our look at our faith heritage.
Kevod Yeheveh, His Presence is full of shalom!
Mellow Rock.
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