Brotherly Love is not a Suggestion

As followers of Yeshua, we keep our focus upon Him for instruction and direction. We study, we sing songs and we pray. We say “It’s all about You, Jesus,” but is that an accurate description of what it means to be His disciple?

On His last night on Earth following the Passover Meal, His Last Supper, in an intimate moment with His disciples, Yeshua shared these words with His closest friends;

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Forgive me for stepping on toes, but He did not say to “love on one another.” Love is not a task, it is the representation of the invisible God at work in people who represent Him. His disciples were appointed to the most important position in the affairs of mankind. When Jesus died, He made love possible and accessible for those who believe. We who believe are responsible to see this through in our generation. God help us if we do not take this to heart in our daily lives.

To avoid future confusion, Yeshua added this;

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

As we continue our journey from Jacob, the absence of brotherly love becomes increasingly evident. The need for divine assistance to reflect God’s image grows greater with each generation and the longing for His help begins to yearn in the hearts and lives of the broken.

Has this generation been exposed to the Brotherly Love that Jesus purchased? If Jesus commanded us, we can do it!

It is our duty and honor, not a suggestion.

In this episode, our Journey from Jacob expands into the family of Jacob, who has begun to be identified as Israel.

But it is not pretty.

One characteristic of the Hebrew Bible, mistakenly known as the Old Testament, is that God doesn’t hide the activities of His chosen, nor does he defend their poor choices. In fact, He holds them accountable, attempts to correct, rebuke, and instruct them, but they often fail to heed His lessons, even in the midst of their struggles.

Their consequences will affect everyone's future because the families of the earth are intended to become recipients of the promised Blessing. For that to happen, the descendants of Israel must be spiritually healthy.

We have much to learn concerning our own role because the Bible has not been widely taught from this perspective.

This will require humility on both of our sides--ours to teach and yours to consider.

We do NOT want to erase history, good or bad.

However there are a few holes to patch to bring clarity to an historic event.

The purpose of this episode is to clear up the confusion about why Jews celebrate Passover every spring while Christians celebrate Easter. Is this how God planned the calendar?

Or was God's intention to unite Jews and Gentiles instead of further dividing them as history has sadly recorded?

On the night of Passover, when God saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves' homes, He delivered them from the cruelty of slavery.

That night was to be remembered and celebrated for all generations in every Jewish home.

Fifteen centuries later it was celebrated by a group of Jewish disciples, led by Jesus, whom they called Yeshua. From that night on until eternity, people everywhere can celebrate with even greater intention because on that Passover, Yeshua became the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, to free all who believe in Him from the slavery of sin.

We can't change history, but we can make corrections as we move forward and follow the Lamb.

We all have missing pieces. Much of our lives are spent looking for them. Without knowing what they look like, our search can seem futile. It may sound strange, but we are created that way. God put eternity in our hearts, yet it cannot be grasped in this life without Him. We look for it in a thousand different ways as well as in people who seem to have found it.

Jesus came to fill that gap. He is the Blessing but remains invisible. He will only be seen through the actions of those who receive Him. In Genesis 12, God’s solution to mankind’s problem is revealed to Abraham, then to his descendants through Jacob. He gives them this blessing to share it with all the families of the earth. This is God’s eternal purpose. In this episode we begin to see God’s love for all people and His intention for people to share that love with others. It will require faith and cooperation, the very thing that Satan despises.

Because of his opposition, this blessing becomes contentious, and the tension of the redemption story begins to mount.

The Fragile Nature of the Blessing

Jacob is yet to be known by his new name, Israel. It will be centuries before Israel will be known as the Land God promised to Jacob and his descendants.

It seems like God is in no rush to introduce him and his son’s as we begin to read of their episodes. Sometimes it will make us cringe that these guys are supposed be the emissaries of the blessing, when they can barely get along.

We must realize that civilization was not civilized to understand God’s process of releasing them into the world as His representatives.

Before long God will use Israel using three objects symbolically.

Compass—Plumbline—Time piece. Later we will see how these connect as the path of righteousness hosts its first sojourners.

Meanwhile continue your journey with our assistance on comfortmypeople.com. Follow us on social media and YouTube and leave comments.

Shalom and Blessings

For those who have followed our podcast, this episode is partially a recap. Our focus moving forward will be centered on the promise that God made with Abraham. He adds something into Abraham’s life into that was previously missing from his identity. Unlike Jacob, there was no wrestling match. God made Abraham a “blessing” and told him His intention was for the benefit of the world. He believed God and began to follow Him as God lead him on this new journey. Abraham (whose name was then Abram), simply obeyed God and began following Him as a lifestyle.

God told Abraham that his son Isaac would also receive this blessing as would his grandson Jacob, and Jacob’s 12 sons. God added no conditions. He plotted a portion of land on which Abram and his descendants would grow into a nation and possess it forever. The conditional part of this covenant would fall upon those they encountered throughout time. The blessing would always cause an effect. Either it was received or rejected. The decision to bless or curse Abraham’s descendants would have universal consequences, which are still in effect today.

Purim, Parallels and Purpose

The Feast of Purim begins at sundown tonight. It is not a well known feast outside of the Jewish world, even though the Bible devotes one book to what was intended to take place on that day but didnt.

Haman, who was second to the KIng wrote an edict to kill all the Jews and plunder their goods in one day all over the world.

If not for the courage of one man and his adopted daughter who courageously acted upon the covenant of God, the world would never be the same…but God.

Even though He is never mentioned, nor is Satan, there is no other place in the Bible where the confrontation of good and evil in the invisible world is so evident in the affairs of man.

Esther and her uncle Mordecai are the heroes for us to model. When they acted, God responded and the devil was defeated. This took place in the land that is today called Iran, ruled by an evil regime that has attempted to destroy Israel and the Jews since its inception.

The war that has just begun is fought on two levels, just as in Esther’s day. The Haman’s of her day were eliminated as are the ones of ours. We rejoice, not because of the death of the wicked, but the triumph of good over evil.

Pray for the Jewish people worldwide, especially in Israel. Let them know you care.

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Today we are finishing our first season emphasizing the importance of our identity. As followers of Jesus we have a shared identity. When Jacob crossed the Jabbok River, he was no longer to see himself as Jacob, but by the name God gave him, Israel.

From that point on his journey was away from Jacob and into the Land God promised his father and grandfather, the Land of Israel. His journey will reflect upon all followers of Jesus.

However we are left wondering. Does that mean that Jacob no longer exists? Why then does his name appear throughout the Bible?

Remember, this is a journey, not a college course. As we travel away from our former identity, we embrace our new one. We don’t have all the answers. Jesus does. It is the path of righteousness, though difficult at times.

But, as we walk we are changed into His image. As our understanding increases so does our ability to be a blessing to others.

See you next Season!