Planning My Principle Approach® School Year- Part 2

In Planing My Principle Approach® School Year- Part 1, I shared an evaluation of our last school year. This post reflects how things are coming along for our 2015-2016 school year, Yahweh willing.

Sorry about the typo! It should say 5th-8th!!!

I've decided to base the school year studies off of The Noah Plan® Curriculum's sixth grade overviews. Why? The following reasons are what I based my decision from:

1. Sixth grade is when the curriculum changes up a bit,
2. I see it as a "middle ground,"
3. Several readers have e-mailed asking for help with lessons and they have kids ranging from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. 

I'd like to have polished lessons from each of the overviews to share with you all, however, that isn't within my abilities at this time. What I can do though is offer what we are using this year as a streamlined approach. 

How does this work? If we remember that the Hebraic mindset is to teach the whole person, that it's a mentoring and discipleship approach to life and learning, and that learning to ask questions and reason Biblically is how believers are to approach life, it works just fine in layers. Kind of like cake layers, I guess one might say. Since there are layers of learning, it works to teach younger children basic concepts and then increasingly build upon that according to each child's age/ability of understanding.

Some need milk. Some are ready for solids. Yes? If you have multiple children you are teaching, serve up the milk (the basic concepts) to everyone at the table. The milk nourishes everyone! While they work on their notebook page, add solids to the portion of milk which your other children are able to digest.

Pictured below, there is a schedule beginning each week. Notice that the days are categorized as Days 1-5 vs. Monday, Tuesday, etc. This way you can easily adjust it to your preferred days. Since we personally use the Spell to Write and Read curriculum, the Orthography days reference to its use. However, you have liberty to use whichever spelling curriculum you find suits your family best. :-) The math curriculum and physical education is the same- left open to your personal preference.

Sorry about the typo! It should say 5th-8th in the legend!!!

How 'bout a sneak peek at the curriculum I'm writing for my family? It helps me to organize by color, which you'll see in the images below:

Sorry about the typo! It should say 5th-8th in the legend!!!

For parents who prefer to teach their children all at once, the color coded sentences of notes for them to copy from the board will be helpful. In the legend, you see "building blocks" of various colors. K-1st grade kids copy the green sentences. The 2nd-4th grade kids copy the green and the blue. The 5th-7th grade kids copy the green, blue, and purple sentences. Lastly, high school copies green, blue, purple, and orange sentences. All of the sentence colors can be found in dry erase markers!

Of course, parents who prefer to teach their children individually are able to do so. In this instance, there isn't a need to copy notes in multiple colors above K-1st grade. They  just need to write the notes on the board in one color for the child they are teaching.

Reason and Relate questions are offered for further discussion. If the parent's preference is for the older kids to journal from the Reason and Relate questions aside from or in addition to the notes, that's totally doable.

Suggested assignments aside from note taking are offered for the various grades. 

More than likely, you've noticed that I use the names Yahweh and Yahshua. I prefer to use the Sacred names. In Isaiah 42:8 He says, "I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols." And in 43:11 He says, "I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Savior but Me." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is personal. I have a personal relationship with Him through His Son Yahshua HaMashiach (in English He is known as Jesus Christ the Messiah) and He tells me His name in the above passages of Scripture. :-)

The curriculum is still a work in progress. I'm plugging away at it this summer with every chance I get. In the style of Charlotte Mason, the lessons are short and concise. There's no need for parents to prep any lesson content. However, some suggested resources are mentioned for further study if the parent desires more and would like to be told where to specifically go for more information.

I'll be sharing about our journey with the Open My Eyes curriculum this school year. I hope that you'll follow it and find it a blessing.

What do you think of it so far? Are you interested in it? Drop me a comment or e-mail me via the Contact Us tab and let me know. :-)

Blessings!

Walking the Word (Guest Post)

Hi Everyone! I'm slowly getting ready to get back into blogging. Now that our baby is here, we're trying to get a routine down again (and you know how that is the first few months with a newborn). It looks like I'll begin blogging in February, but in the meantime my homeschooling friend, Theresa, is guest blogging on here today. Won't you welcome her as she shares about the perspective she has gained over the years with how Yahweh (God) has created His Instructions to suit all learning styles? I pray you are encouraged in your school year as she shares her heart and personal testimony.

I'll be in touch soon!

 

Thank you Principled Academy readers for allowing me to join you today. For more than forty years I have been following Yeshua (Jesus) and the longer I know Him, the more I realize how much I don't know and that there is so much out there to learn. One of the greatest joys in my journey has been to learn in new ways - no longer just reading, thinking, discussing - but literally and physically walking out my faith.

Yahweh (God) does speak to us in His Word. Many people learn through reading and hearing His Word spoken, but we forget that it has not always been available to us personally. Personal Bibles are a relatively new concept. For millennia, the faithful have learned primarily by hearing the Word spoken. Parables, analogies and word pictures are used throughout the Scriptures as visual aids and teaching tools and for hundreds of years, cathedral windows served as visual reminders of Scriptural accounts.

As a creative, artistic person, I enjoy and relate to "seeing" Scripture concepts this way and it has long been a part of my faith journey. Then, when I began walking in all of the Father's instructions, remembering the Sabbath and keeping the feasts, I discovered that in all His wisdom He designed our walk of faith to appeal to all of our senses and helps us to learn and remember in many ways. As a homeschooling Mom, I have researched learning styles in order to help my children. It strikes me that our Creator designed us all unique and that like our children, we all do our best learning in different ways. He desires His instructions and commandments to be approachable and available to all of us. After all His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)  He has designed His instructions to teach us in ways that we can understand. 

Yahweh (God) calls us to be set apart and Holy just as He is holy. People should be able to see a difference between those who follow Him and those who do not.

But how does that happen? What does that mean? Isn't that being "legalistic" to follow rules? How do we walk in His way? Are we left on our own to figure it out? No! Just as He led the Israelites through the desert, He leads us by the hand and teaches us. He sets us apart. He makes us holy and washes us by the blood of Yeshua (Jesus) and He expects us to grow in our faith and in our obedience to Him. Most of us have been trained to think that grace and obedience to His instructions are mutually exclusive. But what loving parent would throw out expectations without teaching their child how to meet them? Our loving Father not only teaches us but qualifies us. In the New Testament we often think that we are saved by Yeshua and then that is it, because if we followed "laws" that would negate the mercy and grace of Yeshua. And we think the Israelites were saved by laws. In fact, Yahweh's grace is all through the Old Testament. In His mercy He saved the Israelites through the Passover blood on the doorposts in Egypt and carried them through the Red Sea. He sanctified them and dedicated them as His own and then He gave them instructions on how to walk in that holiness. Today it is the same for you and me.  We are saved by grace, by the blood, believing in Him. We repent and begin the process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We enter our Father's House and then we begin learning the house rules.

When I first began keeping Sabbath on the 7th day (Saturday) and researching His commands, it was overwhelming. I attempted to cram every article, book and audio teaching I could find into my brain. I was leaning on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), which gets me nowhere, fast!  About the time I felt my head would explode, I slowed down, took a deep breath and tried to focus simply on the Word of Yahweh and not on all the other voices around me. Doing this revealed such treasures. I discovered the above mentioned different ways He teaches and realized that He has created physical rhythms and patterns to life that resonate with our bodies as well as our minds. Not only is there wisdom for readers and audio learners and "pictures" for visual learners, but there is whole body and life involvement for the kinesthetic learner.

Even in the natural world there is a school of thought that believes that what we do physically creates patterns in our brain and can change how we respond and think. For example, some believe that missing the step of crawling as an infant prevents certain things from developing in the brain. Also, studies have shown that doing something physical in combination with thinking, such as knitting or crochet, actually aids the brain in warding off symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Knowing this I cannot help but wonder if our Creator designed us to do some things in physical obedience so that they would be ingrained in our minds and hearts.

Many teachers say "Hebrew is an action language", but I didn't fully understand that until I was blessed by putting my faith and belief into action. The best example of that is the "Shema", a Hebrew prayer taken from Deuteronomy 6, that affirms our faith and desire to obey Him.

In English we see the word "hear" and we think of the physical ability to hear sound or listening. In Hebrew the word for hear is shema or shama  which carries with it the sense of listening with the intent to obey. We can hear the Word and never respond. Or we can "shema" - listen and carry it out.  So there is a physicality involved; there is a need to get up out of our chairs, so to speak, and do something about it. In other words, you love Him, you hear His instructions and because you love Him, you choose to obey Him. ("If you love me you will keep my commandments." John 14:15 NASB and "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." 1 John 5:3 NASB) Our faith needs feet and hands.

For me this physicality of obedience begins in the small things. For example, every day we make a choice to eat what Yahweh considers food. This has involved eliminating some favorites in our kitchen. But it is not a burden. To the contrary it becomes a delight. Right away we have made a choice and a change to do something for Someone we love. The physicality continues in the rhythm of the week.

We have six days of the week to do our work and focus on ourselves, our business and personal pursuits. The seventh day is a dedicated day of rest. Soon after we began observing Sabbath we started seeing a pattern in our lives and in our bodies. We looked forward to Friday in a new way! Friday is our date night with Yahweh and Saturday we rest and we study to grow closer to Him and spend time with each other strengthening our bonds of friendship and love. Now my body even seems to know that Sabbath is coming and it is time to rest. My body seemed to learn and understand the pattern before my mind.

The day, the week and then the month comes in a cycle. We watch the sky for the signs He has given. With the first tiny sliver of light, we know that the beginning of the Biblical lunar month has arrived. And by these months we count out the seasons and the feast cycles of the year. We watch. We learn. We obey. We rejoice. Each time we go through the cycle we are establishing a physical pattern that affects our spiritual lives.

The cycle of the feasts is amazing. This year will mark our 4th cycle through observing the feasts as a family. Each year we look forward to them with joy. One might think doing the "same old thing" each year would get boring. Never! Each year the Father reveals more of Himself and more of His Son to me and to my family through the feasts.  We began simple and each year as we learn, we add more. I realize that most of us were taught that the feasts are the "feasts of the Jews" but Leviticus 23 begins by telling us that the feasts are HIS: The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times... Leviticus 23:1 The chapter goes on from there to describe His feasts.

Each feast tells us something about the history and lives of the Israelites that came before us, but also about Yeshua and His life and how the Messiah delivers us.  I would also say that each feast reveals something to me about myself.  There are some specific instructions for the feasts, found in Exodus, Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy. Not everything can be completed without the presence of a Temple in Jerusalem, so, much of what we do is a memorial. One might understandably ask why we need to do this after the death and resurrection of Messiah. One reason would be that they were given to be "perpetual" or "forever". Another reason is that keeping the feasts is like walking out the Gospel. They tell the story of Messiah. The spring feasts have been mostly fulfilled by Messiah's first coming. The fall feasts prophecy of what is to come with His return. Once we are "saved" do we no longer need to know His plan of salvation? On the contrary - we should rejoice in that plan and share that plan. What better way to be a light and salt than to walk out the Gospel in obedience to the Gospel Giver? So each time we celebrate we are a living object lesson for our children, each other and anyone else who is interested to learn. We are setting an example of obedience and we are making physical patterns of obedience which train us up in righteousness and give an example for others on how to be His set apart people. When we walk in His ways we are living, breathing stained glass windows sharing His ways with those around us.

In the feasts we weep and we rejoice. We feast and we fast. We dance and we fellowship. We learn and we grow. We teach and we spread light.

If you have made it this far in the post, thank you for joining me. I wish we could sit over a cup of tea and discuss this further and pray together, but I appreciate the time you have given me today in reading this. I encourage you to "put on your sandals and start walking". Our Father has good plans for His children and He has given us times and seasons and instructions to meet with Him and learn from Him. When we walk this out we begin forming patterns and habits. We discover the joy of obedience.  Please, do not take my word for it.  Pick up your Bible and read it, searching for buried treasures as you go.  Remember:

Enjoy the learning journey. May Yahweh bless you and keep you. May He shine His face upon you and be gracious unto you!  

Theresa

On to the Omer! And Then... Pentecost!

We had such a meaningful time during the Lord's Spring Feasts which have just passed. But we are not finished yet!

{Original Photo Creative Commons by fredwlangjr.)

We are counting the Omer. This is our first year really learning about the Omer. We have been learning in stages, you see. Kind of like... taking baby steps. Yahweh is gently leading us and He has provided lovely friends in our lives to help us learn along the way. He has also provided our pastor and his wife to lead us in learning and understanding so many things. We are thankful for them all!

Now, we are aware that people have different understandings about when to begin counting the Omer. And quite frankly, we are only beginning our studies on this whole event so we don't have enough information from studying yet to be able to see what we understand from Scripture ourselves. Nevertheless, beginning to count the Omer at one time or another is not a salvation issue. We are all doing the best we can to learn and apply as we understand. The Lord's Feasts are like rehearsals for us- appointed times which we worship Him in Spirit and in Truth according to how He instructs His people to (John 4:24).

What is the Omer?

In short, an omer is a measurement of barley (a half gallon of barley to be exact). Why barley? Well, the cereal harvest began on the first day of the week following Passover (Pesach). The grain was sown in winter and barley was the first to ripen.

You remember that there was a Temple? Well, on the Feast of Firstfruits the sheaf was reverently cut. Then the barley was removed and filled a bowl. After this, it was taken to the Temple. It's a symbolic way of presenting to the Lord of the harvest- expressing thankfulness. And this is the day the counting of the Omer began.

So, counting the Omer is a verbal counting each of the 50 days between the Lord's Feasts of Pesach (Passover) and Shavu'ot (Pentacost). We do this because, well, God/Yahweh tells His people to do this (Leviticus 23:10-11,16). 

If you are new to my blog, you may not know that we are not Jews. Our family is Christian. But we are learning our Bible Roots and wanting to follow the teachings of Scripture vs. man-made traditions for worshiping God/Yahweh.

We are, after all, no longer Gentiles (another word for pagans). As such, having come to the faith through Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah, we are now grafted onto that Cultivated Olive Tree that the Apostle Paul teaches us about in Romans 11:17. Therefore, we have come to the understanding that we, too, are a part of Israel- this is the Cultivated Olive Tree we are grafted on to.

Why do We Count the Omer? 

First, we are told by God/Yahweh to do so. 

It leads up to Pentecost. 

And amazingly, Shavu'ot coincides with Pentecost. I recently learned about this! 

You'll remember that God/Yahweh led the Israelites out of Egypt through the wilderness to Mount Sinai- directly after Passover. It was seven weeks later that He gave them a set of laws (instructions) to live by. The instructions are good for us, too. They help to govern our relationship with Him and with each other- juts like it was meant to for the Israelites back then.

Now, skipping ahead a bit to the Apostolic books of the Bible,  we learn that Jesus/Yeshua was the Passover Lamb of God/Yahweh. He was the Firstfruits- raised on the day of Firstfruits (not Easter which does not have its origins from God). Jesus/Yeshua was in the garden, after He raised, gathering the wave offering because He fulfilled the role of High Priest. He is our High Priest! 

Now, counting the Omer (50 days) after Yeshua was raised on Firstfruits, the followers of Jesus/Yeshua were celebrating the Feast of Shavu'ot (the last of the Lord's Spring Feasts). And this, known in the Apostolic Scriptures as Pentecost, is when God/Yahweh gave the gift of His Holy Spirit to them! 

So What's the Big Deal About These 50 Days?

Well, they lead us up to The Lord's Feast of Pentecost. And as such, they are a time for us to prepare spiritually for the dual celebration: 1. When God/Yahweh gave the 10 Commandments (10 Instructions) to the Israelites and 2. When He poured out His Holy Spirit on the followers of Jesus/Yeshua.

As we count the Omer, we mark off each day that passes. Just like we tend to do as we lead up to other events we are excited about and looking forward to. :-)

We like to read passages in Psalm as we lead up to Pentecost.

Do You See the Connections?

I find this so exciting! 

What we learn in the Old Testament is not just random historical information for us to read through. It's not just a bunch of interesting events and facts. It's deeper than all of that.

Passover, First Fruits and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were foreshadows of Yeshua our Messiah! Even the Omer and the handing down of Yahweh's instructions were shadows of Yahweh pouring out His Holy Spirit on His people- His followers. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern His instructions.

Everything down to the finest details about these feasts apply to the foreshadows (pictures) of what was to come.
 

Are You Excited, too?

It excites me because I see the unfolding of God/Yahweh's plan that He had there in place all along. It's all so Providential and beautiful! It excites me because it solidifies everything about Jesus/Yeshuah being the Messiah! I have not lacked faith though it has increased my faith! It builds our confidence in Him more.

And these are shadows (pictures) of things to come. It's exciting to think about His return and to understand that we will be celebrating these Feasts with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Well, there is probably so much more that I don't even know about. Every year as we celebrate the Lord's Feasts, I learn more. 

Are you looking for a resource to learn from? I recommend, "Celebrating Biblical Feasts in Your Home or Church" by Martha Zimmerman as a starting point.

Blessings to you!

Happy Passover/First Fruits/Feast of Unleavened Bread!

I'm on a blogging break until the Feasts are over. Our family is enjoying learning our Bible roots; is your family, too? :-)

I pray you enjoy celebrating the Lord's Spring Feasts!

Blessings! 

 

Mary or Martha Passover Preparations?

Is it possible to overuse Mary and Martha as examples? They've made trips around from housecleaning, to how one approaches their own time with the Lord, to hospitality, to relationships in general (and probably a plethora of other topics). And now.... Passover?

Well...

Yes.

As we tarry on our journey to learning about celebrating Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we are trying to discern what packages to leave behind and what ones are Scriptural packages to take with us. We still consider ourselves newbies at this with lots to learn. But one thing we do know for certain is that God's/Yahweh's ways are not burdensome to His people (Matthew 11:29, 30).

Are Yahweh's/Yeshua's Ways a Burden?

Sometimes people talk about preparing for the Lord's Spring Feasts as if the preparation was burdensome. For example, National No Housekeeping Day! took place on April 7th and some people were carrying on about how they couldn't possibly take one day off from housework with all they have to do in preparation. 

I've seen little cartoon graphics people make of themselves, loaded with cleaning supplies and staring up at towering piles of items that need to be cleaned off and put in their proper homes. Okaaaaaaaay........

I don't know about you, but this makes me think of Martha. It just makes preparations sound and become burdensome! And I suppose they can be if any of us add to what God's/Yahweh's instruction are. If, however, we take this approach to doing more than necessary, we'll miss resting in the peacefulness of these special appointed times.

How Much and What Needs to Be Removed?

Well, in our family, we limit food to the kitchen and dining room (for the most part). Once in a blue moon, we'll eat in the living room. So, we technically have only three rooms to *clean*. Do so many people really eat all throughout their homes? It's the impression I'm starting to get. I can see how that can put a damper on anticipating the Lord's Feasts with excitement.

So, I've been trying to figure out how people can clean leaven out of their homes and off of their property. At least... I'm trying to figure out when it's termed as *yeast*. I mean, yeast is in the air! It's impossible to clear it out.

Hmmmm.

What Did the Israelites/Hebrews/Early Church Do?

Well, it all seems to come back around to our limited understanding of the ancient Hebrew culture. They would basically do sourdough starter. In Hebrew it's called, chametz. So, all we are to do, as I understand it, is to toss out the old lump of chametz (sourdough starter is just a little bit of leaven) which symbolizes false/incorrect teachings and false doctrines according to what the Scriptures teach. 

Toss the old lump. Toss bread made from the old lump. Done.

But I Don't Make Sourdough Starter!

(Neither do I. Yet. And When I do, it'll be for nutritional reasons.)

Which means that I purchase breads.

In Spirit and in Truth, these are the things we remove from our home because they come from some other source of leaven (chametz).

What About All That Cleaning? Is It Necessary?

To a degree. Naturally where we eat, we ought to vacuum up crumbs from the old chametz. Including our vehicles (because we eat on the go sometimes). Again, since we limit where we eat, not too much to do. And it's not burdensome. It's what God/Yahweh wants and it's something that needs to be done anyway.

This approach to Passover/Pesach preparations sound very much like Mary to me. Doing only what is necessary, with joy, peace, and *sitting* at the feet of Jesus/Yeshua. Let us do this as we learn and understand how, by God/Yahweh's design, He is our Passover Lamb- for the remission of our sins.

And this is not downplaying the significance of why we clean out the chametz. Nor is it downplaying the lessons God/Yahweh has for us through them. But it's not adding to what He said. And it's not creating burdens for us... because remember... His ways are not burdensome.

Following what He instructs us to do, is a delight. And it enhances our experience. Being *so.busy* for the sake of being busy to prepare robs us of relaxing and taking joy in His presence and Feast Days. But doing only what He instructs us to do, frees us up! It frees us up from feeling burdened or weary from getting ready for His appointed times. Our hearts are light and prepared to sit at His feet.

Let's not do it to ourselves. Let's not add to what God/Yahweh instructs. And let's not set that example to others. It's misleading.

Blessings,

The Fallacy of Art: Jesus' (Yeshua's) Resurrection

Art. It's powerful. It has been used to help illiterate people learn the historical accounts found in the Bible. And I have become increasingly aware of the responsibility that we artists have. Because... well, because art has the ability to teach correctly or... incorrectly. It has the power to influence us in such a way that we are quick to embrace its message. Seeing is believing??

I can't recall who, but someone once made an excellent point about the responsibility of art and how it impacts kids. Seeds of doubt can be planted in their minds about a world-wide flood and an ark containing many species of animals when they see a little tubby boat having over-sized giraffes and other critters sticking out of windows. 

Art, however, affects adults as well as children. We tend to gravitate toward what we have seen vs. investigating to see if what we have seen is a true depiction of what the Scriptures teach us.

What do you think of when you see the picture below? What do you recall from Scripture? What do you recall from things you have learnend over the years?

{Shared free image from st-takla.org}

This is a common depiction of Yeshua after His resurrection. Notice that it's bright daylight. A flower garden is suggested. Soft colors are used. He doesn't look Middle-Eastern (grant it skin tones range from light to dark in the middle-east. Mostly I'm referring to features and hair color.)

The main thing I'm referring to is the time of day. How many days was Yeshua in the tomb? Three days. How many hours is that? It's 72 hours.

When we were studying about The Passion Week in our Bible lessons, we got to thinking that some things weren't making sense. Needless to say, we dove in deeper to research and gain understanding.

It is commonly taught that Yeshua was buried on a Friday and resurrected on Sunday morning. If we count the days this way: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. One. Two. Three days. We say He was in the tomb since a Friday and sunrise services are attended. But is this accurate according to Scripture? What can understanding the Hebrew culture teach us of the Scriptures which are written with a Hebrew mindset?

The Bible tells us that He was crucified at 3 pm. When understanding the Hebrew culture, the Jews were getting ready for Passover preparations, so they would have buried Him in the tomb prior to sunset (annual, monthly and weekly Sabbaths begin at sunset and end at sunset the next day). Let's see if what is commonly taught through art about a sunrise resurrection adds up. 

What's the big deal? Is it a salvation issue? No. It is not a salvation issue. But, I think it's important to know what the Bible teaches as best as we are able to. I think it's important to know what the truth is. In addition, it could cause some people to question the validity of the Bible. Therefor, I think it's important for apologetic purposes. All of these are serious enough reasons for me.

However, we need to think with a Hebraic mindset. What does God call a day? Open up your Bible, please, to Genesis 1:5, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." He calls the evening and the morning the first day. So, for some reason we think of the design of a day in a backwards fashion from what our Creator designed it as. When and where and how that happened, I know not.

Nevertheless, let's try it from the Hebraic teachings:

 

We can reason that, most likely, Yeshua was crucified on a Wednesday at 3 pm (not a Friday). As I understand it at this time, He would have been buried by sunset on Wednesday because the Jews were making preparations for the annual Sabbath of Passover. Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset is one day. Thursday sunset to Friday sunset is two days. And Friday sunset to Saturday (Sabbath Day) sunset is three days. 

So, once the full 72 hours were complete, He rose on Sunday (the First Day) just as Sabbath ended at sunset. 

Who would have thought a story problem would be found in the Bible? I wouldn't have!

Now, if you will please open up your Bible to John 20:11-18 and read. Do you see that Miriam  (Mary is her name in English) is at the tomb, weeping? Who does she mistake Yeshua to be? 

The gardener.

What?! Why?! The gardener?! Seriously?!

Let's evaluate the common depiction of Yeshua after His resurrection again. Recall, if you will, that we often see that it's broad daylight. 

Let us reason that if it was broad daylight, how could she have mistaken Him to be a gardener? I'm learning by and by to pay closer to each word in the Scriptures. It's something I'm putting into practice. Are you, too? If you read John 20:1, you'll see that it is still dark out when Miriam (Mary) arrives at the tomb. 

We must ask, why did she go when it was still dark out? Because she knew that Yeshua was to be in the tomb for a full 72 hours. She went to see if He was still there after 72 hours. Three.full.days. And three.full.nights. Just as He said in Matthew 12:38-40: "⁴⁰ For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." KJV

I reason that it must have been darker... like this... or maybe even darker out...

And do you know what I wonder? I wonder if it wasn't almost immediately after He was resurrected. Because when we read in John 20:17, Yeshua tells her not to touch Him because He had not ascended yet unto the Father. So, He sent Miriam away to go tell His brethren that He was ascending to the Father. If you keep reading in your Bible, you'll read that it was the evening of the first day when Yeshua appeared to the disciples.

We must also ask, why did she mistake Him for the gardener? Well, we have established that it was dark out so it was hard for her to see clearly. But why was He in the garden? He became the first fruits when He was risen (But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1 Corinthians 15:20).

Are your socks knocked off yet? Mine were! Why is it taught that Yeshua rose at sunrise? Why is it that many believers hold and attend sunrise services? That may be worth some time to investigate on your own, if you are interested in learning about it. 

And why? Why oh why are the Lord's Feasts ignored and replaced with something called Easter? Passover is about His Crucifixion, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is about His burial, and First Fruits is about His resurrection.

I don't want to settle for substitutes. Do you?

Blessings,

Passover: Jesus the Lamb of God

Yeshua is His name in Hebrew. Yeshua Hamashiach and He is the Lamb of Yahweh. "And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!" John 1:36.

Now, why is Yeshua referred to as a lamb? And why a Passover Lamb. Why isn't He referred to as the Easter Lamb? Passover is not translated from Easter. It is translated from the Hebrew word Pesach. Well, Easter is a whole other story. Let's learn what the Bible teaches us about Passover.

{Josefa de Ayala ca. 1670-1684}

 Let's go along the History (His Story) Timeline...

Specifically, Yahweh's Appointed Times on His Calendar.. 

What's with Passover Anyway?

 

The Exodus...

 

{Free Clip Art: Sweet Publishing}

You may already know that this Feast of the Lord's celebrates the deliverance of the Hebrews out of Egypt. Have you learned that the application of the passover lamb's blood on door posts was a foreshadow of our Savior, Yahweh's Lamb, willingly shedding His blood for the redemption of our sins?

I hadn't heard the term "foreshadow" when growing up. I also don't recall learning of this in a church we attended for over a decade. Maybe it's because we didn't focus on or learn about Passover and it's depths and richness and meanings... but rather we listened to a traditional message about what was done at the cross... but under the name of Easter. This is not said to offend, but to state a fact.

Yeshua's Birth.... 

So... Why Bethlehem? 

 

{Free clip art courtesy of: Sweet Publishing.}

Have you ever wondered why Yahweh Providentially chose Bethlehem for the town in which our Savior was to be born? It hadn't crossed my mind; I just knew that that's where He was born.

Let me take you on a brief journey. The setting is Bethlehem and it's lambing season. The Sadducees are busily selecting lambs to set aside specifically to choose from for the Passover sacrifice; a lamb without spot or blemish. It had to be a lamb out of Bethlehem. And, do you know, that this was a foreshadow of our Savior? Our Savior, the Lamb of Yahweh was born in Bethlehem... perfect without spot or blemish. Just as the prophets had prophesied. 

Now had you ever learned this before? I hadn't. Our pastor was talking on this not too long ago and it just amazed me. Everything in Scripture is there for a reason. How many times have I read about Him being born in Bethlehem without a clue as to why?

So, it is possible that this infers that He was born around the time of the lambing season vs. The Feast of Tabernacles. Either way, the lambing season or the Feast of Tabernacles, the important matter is that He was born and fulfilled the prophecy at the cross.

The Timing of Yeshua's Crucifixion... 

 

What Was Happening Months Before Yeshua was Crucified?

 

{Free clip art courtesy: Sweet Publishing}

Our pastor has also been teaching us about the Hebrew culture and why things were happening the way they were as events lead up to Yeshua's crucifixion.

As our pastor walked us through passages of Scripture in John 7, the events came to life (so to speak). Understanding was finally taking place for us. 

John 7 opens up with people heading to the Feast of Tabernacles- so we're six months prior to Passover. So, it's fallish out. Usually the Feast of Tabernacles falls in September/October.

Take a moment to open up your Bible so you can better join me. You'll see that Yeshuah would not walk with the Jewry because Jews sought to kill him. But you know, despite people wanting to kill Him, He was obedient to Yahweh in going to the Feast of Tabernacles (which is one of Yahweh's Feasts). 

See, the people at this feast recognized that the Sanhedrin wanted to kill Yeshua. And when Yeshua calls the Sanhedrin on it, they told Him He had a demon. It went like this:

"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
²⁰ The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?" KJV

What?! Boy they sure didn't like when Yeshua pointed out to them that they weren't keeping Yahweh's Law/Instructions. Why, they had a lot of clout and their man-made traditions/laws were more important to them than keeping Yahweh's Instructions (it's maybe something to question about ourselves, too....). But, um, yeah... they didn't like being challenged or corrected. These leaders decided they would be out to get Him.

At the very same time, the Sanhedrin admire Him. They are amazed at His teaching and His knowledge when He teaches in the Temple. Do you know why they were marveled? It's because He wasn't trained.

Even the crowd picks up on this....

"Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?
²⁶ But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?" KJV

Can you just see this scene mounting? What would it have been like to see the Sanhedrin in such conflict? Here they have been calling Yeshua a deceiver while at the same time they are admiring him for his understanding of what the Scriptures say.

Then the people started to wonder if He could be the Messiah because they were taught that no one would know where He came from; yet they knew where Yeshua was from. Some of the people in the crowd were beginning to pause and ponder just a bit.

v 27. "Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." KJV

Well now, isn't that interesting? Why were the leaders teaching the people that no one would know where the Messiah would come from? The prophets prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:3-5), of the tribe of Judah, of the House of David (I have come to appreciate those long lineages listed in Scripture!).

How frustrating this must have been for Yeshua! He wants them to see and they just won't do it!

"²⁸ Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
²⁹ But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me." KJV

I wonder, if I were in the crowd at this time, would I have *gotten it*? I am so thankful that when I don't *get things* right away that He teaches in Scripture, He is soooooo patient with me and gently leads me. And I'm continually thankful for the opportunity to learn! 


Our pastor does word studies (imagine how our family loves this!) and he shared that the word "from" comes from the Greek word para which means, "side by side" and it can mean "out of". However, in John 7:28 it means "out of the side of the One who sent Me."

So, with tension rising and the crowd stirring with questions, one would think that this would be the time for Yeshua to be captured. But Scripture tells us...

"³⁰ Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come." KJV

His hour was not yet come. Another reminder that Yahweh Has a calendar of appointed times. Yeshua's birth, Yeshua's crucifixion, Yeshua's burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread), Yeshua's resurrection (First Fruits), the celebrations of His Feasts. 

It's rich! It's rich! It's rich!

Are you learning a lot, too? Isn't it exciting to understand what's going on? I didn't used to understand the whole issue that the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Sanhedrin had. And I didn't used to know that Passover was the Lord's Feast and how and why it's something for followers of Yeshua the Messiah to keep. 

This is our family's third year keeping Passover and each year we learn something(s) that we had not previously learned. 

I can't wait to share more!

Blessings!