12 VA-YECHI (and he lived); Gen 47:28-50:26, Mat 26-28

[Bruce Bertram]

The time for Jacob, or Israel, to pass on to be with his fathers draws near, so he makes Joseph swear to bury him in the same place as they are buried after he dies. Joseph swears to do so. Israel becomes sick, so Joseph takes his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to visit. Israel gathers enough strength to see them, and 'adopts' Joseph's sons to be as his own, and asks Joseph to bring them near so he can bless them too. Israel can't see very well, so Joseph arranges the kids so that Ephraim (the youngest) is on the left and Manasseh is on the right. But Israel reverses Joseph's order, saying that the younger will be greater. He also says that Joseph is to have a double portion of inheritance.

In chapter 48 it is recorded that Israel blesses his sons in various ways, then breathes his last. Then in the next chapters, Joseph and all Egypt mourns Israel's passing and gives him a big sendoff with a procession to his burial cave. Joseph's brothers get worried that Joseph will clean house on them because dad is dead, so they try to finagle it so he won't be mad at them. Joseph reminds them that although they meant evil by their actions, God made it work out good for the whole family. Joseph gets to see the third generation of Ephraim's children, then he too passes on, making his brothers promise to take his bones with them when God takes them out of Egypt.

Jesus in Matthew 26 tells us the parable of the ten virgins, continuing His admonition to watch and be ready from the previous chapter. He also relates the parable of the servants given various amounts of money to handle (the talents) where two have fruit and one doesn't. Jesus concludes this teaching by saying:

29"For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away." (Matthew 25:29 NASB95)

He goes on to speak of the sheep and the goats, which also points to servants who are given a trust and are expected to be fruitful with it.

Again Jesus speaks of His death, and pegs it for happening at the approaching Passover. The religious leaders are plotting to kill Him, but decide not to do anything during the festival or they could get in trouble by the people. A woman in the house of Simon prepares Jesus for burial by pouring expensive oil on Him, and the disciples protest, but Jesus tells them to calm down. In another account we find out that it was Judas Iscariot who made the most noise here. In between this event and the Passover meal, Judas makes a deal with the religious leaders to betray Jesus into their hands for thirty pieces of silver.

During the Passover meal, Jesus identifies Judas Iscariot as His betrayer, but the disciples don't seem to notice. In this account Jesus breaks the bread saying it is His body, and passes the cup of wine around saying it is His "blood of the covenant." They sing a hymn then go for a walk on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus tells them they will be scattered and will not acknowledge what is happening to Him, particularly Peter. He prays mightily that if it be possible for this cup to pass from Him He would prefer it, but ultimately submits to the will of God. Judas eventually brings the group of people from the chief priest and elders of the people to identify Jesus for arrest. It is not mentioned in this account who is the person who draws a sword and strikes the slave of the high priest and cuts off his ear, but we find out in another place that it was Peter. Jesus admonishes the sword wielder, and goes on to His date with Caiaphas the high priest at the time, so He can get a 'fair' trial before His execution. The court that Caiaphas presides over accuses Jesus of blasphemy.

Meanwhile, out in the courtyard, Peter denies that he knows Jesus, just as Jesus predicted. Jesus is beaten by the religious leaders, then sent to Pilate. Judas experiences remorse and repents of his deed, but instead of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance goes and hangs himself. The priests decide to buy a field with the money Judas rejected, so fulfilling even another prophecy. Pilate can't find anything wrong with Jesus, and his wife even sends him a message not to have anything to do with this, but the crowd outside, stirred up by the chief priests and elders, demands for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate releases the criminal Barabbas instead of Jesus, and hands Jesus over to be executed. Jesus is beaten again, and mocked, and carries His cross (probably the cross beam) out to Golgotha and is nailed to it to die an excruciating death between two robbers.

Jesus is mocked by various groups of people, but it seems as though He doesn't last very long on the cross (from the sixth hour to the ninth hour) before giving up His Spirit. The temple veil is torn in two, there is a great earthquake, and a resurrection. Joseph of Arimathea gets the body and lays it in his own new tomb wrapped in simple linen. The chief priests and Pharisees take steps to secure the tomb so people can't steal the body and claim that Jesus resurrected. But it's hard to fight against a shining, powerful angel that comes to roll away the stone and sit on it, as if daring anyone to put it back. The angel announces that Jesus has risen and will meet the disciples in Galilee, and Jesus confirms this moments later. Meanwhile, the religious leaders concoct a story that they stand by even today that the disciples stole the body of Jesus.

Jesus meets the disciples on a mountain in Galilee, where He is said to give them their final instructions.

19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Shalom
Bruce

[Cindy in Wisconsin]

Here's another commentary from Mike Clayton at Joined To Hashem.org...

[quote]Vayechi
“And he livedâ€

[Bruce Bertram]

In Matthew 27:50 we are told that Jesus “yielded up His spirit.” It appears that He gave up the spirit when His task was finished, and not a minute before or after. So apparently He could’ve given up His spirit at any time. We also know that He could’ve called down legions of angels to stop the proceedings if He had wanted to (Matthew 26:53). Jesus wasn’t looking forward to the cruel death He was about to experience; nevertheless, it was “not my will but yours” (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44). Despite having the legions of angels at His command, and having the power to lay down or take up His life at any time (John 10:18), Jesus submitted to the will of God in all things. He certainly did not die at a whim, or accidentally. It was deliberate; yet Jesus didn’t kill Himself, He was killed by people acting completely according to their own wills. God knew exactly how things would go if He sent a lamb down among the wolves.

So how did Jesus know the will of God? Well, we know that He is eternally existent with God and was in deep association and intimacy with Him even before the time of the incarnation. Jesus is also The Word, which carries deep meaning including being the visible ‘breathing out’ of God’s character and attributes. If God were to look in the mirror, He would see Jesus staring back at Him. But in Jesus’ own words, things were happening “just as it was written” or “as it is written” or “how then will the Scriptures be fulfilled?” (Mat. 26:24, 31 54, 56). He knew intimately exactly what the Father’s will was because He knew “what was written.” Of course, we know He is the author of all that is written, so we would expect Him to know what was written very well indeed. It makes sense for us to know what is written just as well as our Lord and Master does.

In order to know what to do next, Jesus needed to know what was written. In our own lives, we can know also exactly what to do, as long as we too are intimately acquainted or immersed in everything that God has said, all the Words that are written. It needs to be more than a passing fancy to read a couple of verses every once in a while.

16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. (Matthew 10:16-20 NASB95)

We also need to do what is written. “It is written” doesn’t mean very much if we are not going to do what is written. If the only thing the Word means to us is a bunch of cute stories or sad situations such as the crucifixion, then we will not know God’s will for our lives. However, if we “hear His words” and “act on them” (Mat. 7:24 among other places) we “abide in His love,” (John 15:9,10) we will “know what is the will of God,” and we will be His “brothers and sisters” (Mark 3:35).

16So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. 18“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (John 7:16-18 NASB95)

Was Jesus a wuss? Was He just a pacifist who didn’t want to defend Himself? Is He teaching us through meekly submitting to death on a cross never to utter a word or make an action to avoid the same or a similar fate? Hardly. At that place and time, Jesus was submitting to the will of God for that moment. He tells us in Matthew 24 that when He comes back He will not come like He did the first time in swaddling clothes with uncertain origin. He will return in power and great glory (24:30), separate the sheep from the goats, and send the goats into the second death (24:51). This will also be submitting to the will of God.

Sometimes God wants us to be gentle and "turn the other cheek." Other times we must speak out (like Jesus in Matthew 23). Maybe now is not the time to "call down fire from heaven" as James and John wanted to do at one time (Luke 9:54) or swing a sword and cut people's ears off (Mat. 26:51) but there will be times when we are brought before "kings and rulers" (Mat. 10:16-20) and will be given what to say. When this happens, it's not the cute stories or sad situations that people are going to need to hear. What will be needed is the Word of God in all its power and glory. To help us determine what God’s will is for a given set of circumstances, we have to be ready. This means immersing ourselves in the Word, doing everything we can to obey (John 3:36), and learning more and more what our Father expects in all situations.

36“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36 NASB95)

9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:9-10 NASB95)

Shalom

[Bruce Bertram]

Vayechi; Gen 47:28 – 50:26; Matthew 26 through 28; Acts 7:9-16; Hebrews 11:21-22; 1 Peter 1:3-9

In our Bible reading section this week, Jacob passes on, Joseph passes on, and Jesus is forced to pass on. Jacob is buried with much ceremony in the same place as his dad and grand dad. This place was purchased by Abraham in the middle of the land promised to him and his descendants by God. Except by Jacob’s time it isn’t theirs yet. Joseph makes plans for his family to take his bones to the same place. I’m not sure why they just didn’t go and bury him at Machpelah, but they did follow through 430 years later as requested. Jesus was also buried, or laid in a tomb, but He just wouldn’t stay put.

All this is to lay the background for a resurrection hope. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were counting on God to follow through on His promises. God promised them a home, and they did not doubt that He was going to provide one. So they made sure to save a spot in the kingdom they knew was coming.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10 ESV)

Jesus knew His Father would not leave Him in the ground, and for the joy He saw in front of Him submitted to God’s will in the matter of the crucifixion.

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

These are examples for us. They made plans for the far future, one way past the physical life they lived. This should give us perspective concerning the sufferings and trials we endure here. We know too that we will be resurrected, and will enter the holy city with God our Savior at its center.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:3-8 ESV)

This is the promise we have. We look forward to it just like Jacob and Joseph, Isaac and Abraham and all the others who came before. The one who conquers will have this heritage, but the cowardly will not. Actions matter. Following God’s Word matters. Cleanliness according to God matters. The sexually immoral (yes, that includes homosexuals, adulterers, and various other perverse behaviors) liars (especially those who lie about God’s Word, saying that ‘old laws’ don’t matter) idolaters, murderers, the faithless (those who forsake God’s Word in any part) and the detestable (another word for abominable or those who practice abominations) all matter. They just matter in the sense of being excluded. One cannot practice abominations and expect a seat at the kingdom banquet. Those whose actions show that they believe in the promise of God are the ones who will inherit. We keep His Word and teach our children the promises of God’s Law; so that the hope of succeeding generations will also be in our heavenly Father and Savior.

5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; (Psalm 78:5-7 ESV)

Yeah, I know. This will be criticized as mean, or harsh, or misinterpreting the Word. I will be told that God is a God of love, and therefore He’s going to wink and look the other way when we sin. True love, however, tells you the truth, and this truth is straight from His Word. The liars will tell you not to make plans for a resurrection. They will tell you that everyone gets into the Kingdom by default. Our forefathers in the faith did not believe the lies, and conformed their actions to the will of their Father and ours. If we want the heritage, we make our plans now by acting as if His Word means something. As if it’s something straight and true and can be relied upon. As if He will deliver as He promised, and not leave us in the grave but deliver us from the second death.

Shalom
Bruce