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Seeing Christ in the Jewish FeastsTABLE OF CONTENTS

Click on the study title you’d like to see:

Study 1: PASSOVER (PESAKH):EXALTING GOD OUR DELIVERER

Leader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide

Study 2: PENTECOST (SHAVU’OT): THE FEAST OF WEEKS


Study 3: ROSH HASHANAH:THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS


Study 4: YOM KIPPUR: THE DAY OF ATONEMENT


Study 5: THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES (SUKKOT): THE LATTER HARVEST


Study 6: HANUKKAH: CELEBRATING THE ETERNAL LIGHTLeader’s Guide — Participant’s Guide

LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 1Passover (Pesakh):

Exalting God our DelivererThe Passover is significant to us all.

Passover brings to mind Sunday school stories of the Exodus, complete with flannel-graph images of a smiling Moses and stern Pharaoh, plagues of frogs and locusts, and the parting of the Red Sea. Dramatic as these events are, the story is told almost as a distant fable that occurred a long time ago in a faraway land to a quaint group of strangers.

This could not be farther from the traditional Jewish commemoration of the Passover. Jews are exhorted to consider themselves as a part of the very generation which was set free from bondage: “On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’” (Ex. 13:8). Not “my ancestors when they came up,” but me personally.

Lesson #1

Scripture:Leviticus 23:4–8

LEADER’S GUIDE

Passover (Pesakh): Exalting God our DelivererPage 2

PART 1Identify the Current Issue

Note to leader: At the beginning of the class, provide each person with the “Participant’s Guide” included at the end of this study.

We should be aware that although there are many biblical feast and fast days, three of them were set apart by God as having special significance. These are Passover, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles. On these three occasions, the people of God were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where they would perform specific rituals and sacrifices at the temple.

To truly understand God’s stated purpose for establishing the Passover Holy Day, we must look through the eyes of those who have faithfully observed this day for over 4,000 years: the People of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Passover is more than a feast, more than a remembrance, and more than a religious service; it is at the very core of Jewish identity.

Passover commemorates far more than the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. It is the archetype of all liberations of oppressed and enslaved peoples. It contains the very essence of God’s relationship to mankind, distilled into one of the most powerful stories in the entire Bible. God’s covenant with Abraham is here, and the fulfillment of that covenant, and all that comes in between. The sacrifice of the firstborn; the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai; the building of the tabernacle, with the Holy of Holies and the ark of the covenant; the establishment of offerings and sacrifices; the divine intervention of God on behalf of his people; the corollary discipline of God for the disobedience of his people—all of these and more comprise the Passover holiday. And those of us who celebrate it are commanded to consider all these things as if they had happened to us, personally.

Discussion Questions:Read Exodus 12 for the Passover account.

Optional Activity: To put yourself in the place of the Hebrew slaves, write a journal entry as if you were there. When finished, those who would like to should share it with the group. After everyone has shared, ask: How did imagining yourself among the Hebrew slaves freed by God change your perception of the Book of Exodus?

[Q] How might this “we were there” perspective be applied to other biblical passages, such as Romans 6:4–14?

[Q] Jesus celebrated the Passover not just once, on the occasion we call the Last Supper, but as a yearly holiday from the time he was born, much as Christians are raised celebrating Christmas and Easter. What significance might that give to the Last Supper?

[Q] How does the biblical theme of liberating the oppressed and setting captives free apply today? Is it to be seen as a political rallying cry? As a spiritual theme? As a mixture of the two? Explain.

© 2008 • CHRIST IANIT Y TOD AY INTE RNA TI ONAL

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LEADER’S GUIDE


PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: God keeps his promises.

Read Genesis 15:1–21 and Exodus 6:1–9.

The Lord determined to free the Hebrew slaves in Egypt because of his covenant with Abraham. There is no indication that the Hebrew slaves were particularly pious or obedient, or even that they acknowledged the Lord in any way. In fact, as the Exodus story later reveals, they appear to be stubborn, ungrateful, selfish, disobedient, and dishonest. Yet the Lord frees them in spite of this, because he made a promise to Abraham.

What exactly is that promise, and how does it relate to the Exodus? God’s promise to give the land to Abraham’s descendants is reiterated a number of times (Gen. 12:1–3, 7; 13:14–17; 15:7; 17:8) and later reaffirmed to Jacob (28:13; 35:12, and more). In some places the promise is simply repeated; in others it is expanded and embellished. Perhaps the most important of these, however, is found in Genesis 15.

So far God has led Abram out of Ur and into the land of Canaan. Once there, God promises the land to Abram and tells him to “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” (Gen. 13:17). In both cases Abram does as he is commanded and more, ending by building an altar to the Lord and consecrating a tithe of all he owns to Melchizedek, the “priest of God Most High” (Gen. 14:18). But now Abram has a bone to pick with God. God tells him “I am … your great reward” (Gen. 15:1b), and Abram responds with a challenge: what reward can you give me that has any value at all, since you have not given me the most valuable gift of all, an heir?

This seems like a shockingly familiar and impudent way for Abram to address God. But it also seems to point to a level of intimacy and trust: Abram dares to challenge God because he sees God as worthy of obedience and worship, yet also approachable and, perhaps most importantly, fair. And God’s response indicates that this view is accurate: he promises not only to give Abram a son, but to give him innumerable descendants (Gen. 15:4–5).

Abram believes God, but he still wants a token of some sort, a guarantee that God will indeed give him the land. He’s asking God to seal the deal. And God does exactly that in one of the most astonishing concessions to our humanity recorded in the entire Bible. He voluntarily enters into a continuing covenant with Abram, to be sealed with the sacrifice of five animals.

The covenant ritual described here would have been quite familiar to Abram. The Chaldeans are known to have performed a similar ritual, and it is alluded to in Egyptian writings as well. At its core, the ritual involved cutting an animal in half and laying the halves on the ground. The two parties to the covenant would then walk between the pieces, symbolically sealing the agreement for all time. The implication appears to be that if either party broke the covenant, their punishment would be to be split asunder in the same way that the animal had been cut in two.



LEADER’S GUIDE


What happens next is a complete departure from the standard covenant. Abram cuts up the animals as he is told, keeps the vultures away from the sacrifice, and settles down to wait for the other party to the covenant—God—to show up. The sun goes down, and Abram falls asleep and has a vision; the Lord speaks a very difficult prophecy, detailing the coming slavery of the Hebrew people and their eventual release and return to the Land.

After this somewhat dark prophecy, God breaks the rules. Instead of asking Abram to walk between the pieces of the sacrifice with him, God appears to pass between the pieces by himself (Gen. 15:17). The implication here is immense: God is binding himself to the terms of the covenant without demanding the same level of commitment from Abram. God’s promise to give the land to the heirs of Abram is one-sided and unconditional. Thus, when after 400 years of slavery God sends Moses to free his people, it has nothing to do with the obedience of Moses or of the Hebrew slaves, and everything to do with God keeping his promises.

[Q] Read Genesis 17:1–14. Does this change God’s covenant to a two-sided agreement, or is the circumcision merely a sign of God’s covenanted people? Explain.

Compare God’s command to circumcise the males in Abram’s household with Christ’s command to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Is this a fair comparison? Does John 13:35—”By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”—logically complete the analogy? Why or why not?

[Q] How does Jesus’ promise of salvation through grace mirror this covenant God made with Abraham?

Teaching Point Two: We are the Exodus generation.The Passover Seder (literally “order”—the festive ritual and meal celebrated on the first night of Passover) encompasses the entire Book of Exodus, from Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh through the giving of the commandments on Mt. Sinai, all the way to the Promised Land. And as each part of the story is recounted, the participants are encouraged to think of themselves as part of the Exodus generation. We were set free from bondage; we were led through the sea on dry land; we were led through the desert by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of smoke by night. God delivered the commandments, the tabernacle, and the Promised Land to us.

By personalizing the story in this way, the Seder helps us to see the ways that these things really are a part of our individual lives. Have we not been truly set free from captivity? Aren’t we the people who, rescued from bondage by a series of miracles, nonetheless began to complain about the hardships of our new life and to wax nostalgic about the “good old days” of slavery?

By reading the Book of Exodus as an account of our own lives, we are confronted with a different picture of ourselves and of God’s longsuffering goodness towards us. When Moses took too long on Mt. Sinai, the people grew tired of waiting for their prophet to return and decided to set up an altar according to their own



LEADER’S GUIDE


understanding. When Moses finally returned with the commandments, the sight of the Hebrews worshiping an idol infuriated him so much that he broke the stone tablets. How many times do we grow tired of waiting on God and decide to do things our own way? How many idols have we set up? How many leaders have smashed God’s Word in frustration?

We complain about the bland diet of manna, and then complain that God has sent us too many quail to eat. We witness whole strings of miracles, but turn back in fear from the challenges of the Promised Land, unwilling to believe that God will make a way. We are stubborn, stiff-necked, grumbling, and ungrateful. And God loves us anyway.

We are the generation who glorify God through his faithfulness to an unfaithful people. We are the generation who give generously to establish a tabernacle, and then force God to spell out in painstaking detail how and why we should take care of widows and orphans. We are the Chosen Generation; not because of our own righteousness but simply because of God’s loving kindness. He keeps his promises even as we break ours.

[Q] Read Romans 5:20–6:3. How does this affect your idea of a “chosen people”? What merit do we have to be such?

[Q] God is concerned with our hearts, not our rituals. Yet he gave the Exodus generation ritual, law, and tradition. Can keeping rituals and laws change our hearts? Why or why not?

If not, what does change them?

[Q] What do you grumble about in the face of God’s provision?

Teaching Point Three: The Passover of Christ was unique from all other Passovers.

The Last Supper was a celebration of Passover. Jesus, in his role as rabbi, led the Seder. We can assume that he followed tradition for the most part, since what is recorded in the Gospels are some very specific departures from tradition: the authors would have assumed that their readers knew the Passover Seder from childhood and did not need it spelled out. This makes Jesus’ deliberate departures from tradition significant.

At one point during the Seder, a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) is held up by the leader and broken. There is a specific prayer at this point in the ritual: “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in Egypt. Let anyone who is hungry come and eat; let anyone who is needy come and celebrate the Passover.” But Jesus broke the formula, saying instead, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matt. 26:26).

At another point, a cup of wine is shared among the participants. In fact, during the feast there are a total of four cups shared, each with its own tradition and ritual. From the Gospel account, it would seem that it was the third cup, called the Cup of Redemption, which Jesus chose to make his next break with tradition.



LEADER’S GUIDE


Instead of the prescribed blessing, “Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine,” Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).

In the years since Jesus instituted the tradition of the Eucharist or Communion, there has been a tendency in the church to forget the Passover roots of this tradition. It is vital to our understanding to see these elements in their original context. “Whenever you eat this bread” and “whenever you drink this cup” refer specifically to the Bread of Affliction and the Cup of Redemption. This is not to say that we should discontinue our current Communion practice, but rather that we should expand it, taking Jesus’ new traditions outside the walls of our sanctuaries. Whenever we encounter affliction or redemption in life, we can apply Jesus’ words and “do this in remembrance of” Christ.

[Q] How might understanding the Passover change your perspective on Communion?

[Q] How can it change our perspective on difficulty to remember that this is the same affliction shared by our ancestors and by all people everywhere? Give an example of when this might help you.

[Q] Applying the same principle to the experience of redemption, what does it mean to you to know that God redeemed people throughout the generations and in different cultures?

[Q] What does it mean to go through these things in remembrance of Christ?

Optional Activity

Purpose: To help us understand the centuries-old Passover ritual in a deeper way.

Celebrate your own version of the Passover Seder as a group, using the links in the “Additional Resources” section at the end of this study. It can be as long or as short as you like, including as many or as few of the traditional elements as you choose. Look for ways that this ritual can deepen your love for Christ and for one another. Discuss the Messianic symbolism in the Seder.

PART 3Apply Your Findings

The sacrifice of the perfect lamb, the miraculous salvation of the chosen people, and the hands-on giving of the Law are all familiar elements of the Passover story. When we stop to put ourselves in the story, however, the emphasis changes. Rather than thinking about what God did for those people long ago, we begin to realize what God has done for us, personally.

An important element of the Seder comes when the Cup of Plagues is presented. This, the second cup of wine served, represents the 10 plagues visited on the



LEADER’S GUIDE


Egyptians by the Lord. Significantly, 10 drops of wine are removed from this cup to represent the fact that not only are we not permitted to rejoice over our enemies’ suffering, but that our rejoicing should actually be diminished by the measure of our enemies’ suffering. Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43–46).

The Passover Seder thus brings home a core truth about Bible study. These are not just stories; they are stories about us. In every book, we can choose to identify not only with the heroes but also with those who are chastened by God. By honestly recognizing the representation of ourselves not only in Moses but also in Pharaoh, we come to see God’s over-arching goodness as the Savior of the downtrodden and the giver of second chances to the hard-hearted.

Action Point: Put yourself in the story.

1. As you read the Bible, recognize that anything that is said there about any human being can truthfully be said of you to some degree. Allow this understanding to increase your gratitude to God for his one-sided covenant with each of us. His sacrificial redemption is based on his goodness and on his love for us, his wayward children. Take the time to thank him for the little things.

2. When others wrong you, whether by sniping in the office, cutting you off in traffic, or simply through thoughtless indifference, remember that they are no different from you. Pray for your enemies.

3. When you take Communion, recall that Christ has determined to share both the Bread of Affliction and the Cup of Redemption with us. He is broken and poured out for us, and we can both ease our affliction and increase our joy at redemption by doing all these things in remembrance of him.

—Study by S. Aaron Osborne, who lived in Jerusalem for 7 years with his Jewish wife and kids, learning basic Hebrew and the art of

shrugging eloquently.

Additional Resources: To the Ends of the Earth (a PDF file that tells you how to prepare a

Passover meal).

Passover Seder CD (Caspari Center, 2008). This unique resource includes the full text of the traditional Jewish Haggadah (Passover liturgy), background information, explanations, recipes, and everything you need to hold your own Seder.

Walking with Jesus Through the Jewish Calendar Bible study; Leader’s Guide also available (Caspari Center, 2004).

Christ in the Passover , Ceil and Moishe Rosen (Moody, 2006; ISBN 9780802413895)



http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=413897&netp_id=433951&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

http://caspari.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=Bible_Studies&pid=48




http://www.totheends.com/PassPrep.pdf

LEADER’S GUIDE


Celebrating Biblical Feasts: In Your Home or Church , Martha Zimmerman (Bethany House, 2004; ISBN 0764228978)

God’s Appointed Times , Barney Kasdan (Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2007; ISBN 1880226359)





PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 1Passover (Pesakh): Exalting God our

DelivererThe Passover is significant to us all.

Passover brings to mind Sunday school stories of the Exodus, complete with flannel-graph images of a smiling Moses and stern Pharaoh, plagues of frogs and locusts, and the parting of the Red Sea. Dramatic as these events are, the story is told almost as a distant fable that occurred a long time ago in a faraway land to a quaint group of strangers.

Lesson #1 Scripture: Leviticus 23:4–8

PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE



We should be aware that although there are many biblical feast and fast days, three of them were set apart by God as having special significance. These are Passover, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles. On these three occasions, the people of God were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where they would perform specific rituals and sacrifices at the temple.

To truly understand God’s stated purpose for establishing the Passover Holy Day, we must look through the eyes of those who have faithfully observed this day for over 4,000 years: the People of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Passover is more than a feast, more than a remembrance, and more than a religious service; it is at the very core of Jewish identity.

Passover commemorates far more than the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. It is the archetype of all liberations of oppressed and enslaved peoples. It contains the very essence of God’s relationship to mankind, distilled into one of the most powerful stories in the entire Bible. God’s covenant with Abraham is here, and the fulfillment of that covenant, and all that comes in between. The sacrifice of the firstborn; the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai; the building of the tabernacle, with the Holy of Holies and the ark of the covenant; the establishment of offerings and sacrifices; the divine intervention of God on behalf of his people; the corollary discipline of God for the disobedience of his people—all of these and more comprise the Passover holiday. And those of us who celebrate it are commanded to consider all these things as if they had happened to us, personally.

Discussion Questions:

[Q] How might this “we were there” perspective be applied to other biblical passages, such as Romans 6:4–14?

[Q] Jesus celebrated the Passover not just once, on the occasion we call the Last Supper, but as a yearly holiday from the time he was born, much as Christians are raised celebrating Christmas and Easter. What significance might that give to the Last Supper?

[Q] How does the biblical theme of liberating the oppressed and setting captives free apply today? Is it to be seen as a political rallying cry? As a spiritual theme? As a mixture of the two? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: God keeps his promises.

Read Genesis 15:1–21 and Exodus 6:1–9.





The Lord determined to free the Hebrew slaves in Egypt because of his covenant with Abraham. There is no indication that the Hebrew slaves were particularly pious or obedient, or even that they acknowledged the Lord in any way. In fact, as the Exodus story later reveals, they appear to be stubborn, ungrateful, selfish, disobedient, and dishonest. Yet the Lord frees them in spite of this, because he made a promise to Abraham.

What exactly is that promise, and how does it relate to the Exodus? God’s promise to give the land to Abraham’s descendants is reiterated a number of times (Gen. 12:1–3, 7; 13:14–17; 15:7; 17:8) and later reaffirmed to Jacob (28:13; 35:12, and more). In some places the promise is simply repeated; in others it is expanded and embellished. Perhaps the most important of these, however, is found in Genesis 15.

So far God has led Abram out of Ur and into the land of Canaan. Once there, God promises the land to Abram and tells him to “Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you” (Gen. 13:17). In both cases Abram does as he is commanded and more, ending by building an altar to the Lord and consecrating a tithe of all he owns to Melchizedek, the “priest of God Most High” (Gen. 14:18). But now Abram has a bone to pick with God. God tells him “I am … your great reward” (Gen. 15:1b), and Abram responds with a challenge: what reward can you give me that has any value at all, since you have not given me the most valuable gift of all, an heir?

This seems like a shockingly familiar and impudent way for Abram to address God. But it also seems to point to a level of intimacy and trust: Abram dares to challenge God because he sees God as worthy of obedience and worship, yet also approachable and, perhaps most importantly, fair. And God’s response indicates that this view is accurate: he promises not only to give Abram a son, but to give him innumerable descendants (Gen. 15:4–5).

Abram believes God, but he still wants a token of some sort, a guarantee that God will indeed give him the land. He’s asking God to seal the deal. And God does exactly that in one of the most astonishing concessions to our humanity recorded in the entire Bible. He voluntarily enters into a continuing covenant with Abram, to be sealed with the sacrifice of five animals.

The covenant ritual described here would have been quite familiar to Abram. The Chaldeans are known to have performed a similar ritual, and it is alluded to in Egyptian writings as well. At its core, the ritual involved cutting an animal in half and laying the halves on the ground. The two parties to the covenant would then walk between the pieces, symbolically sealing the agreement for all time. The implication appears to be that if either party broke the covenant, their punishment would be to be split asunder in the same way that the animal had been cut in two.

What happens next is a complete departure from the standard covenant. Abram cuts up the animals as he is told, keeps the vultures away from the sacrifice, and settles down to wait for the other party to the covenant—God—to show up. The sun goes down, and Abram falls asleep and has a vision; the Lord speaks a very difficult prophecy, detailing the coming slavery of the Hebrew people and their eventual release and return to the Land.





After this somewhat dark prophecy, God breaks the rules. Instead of asking Abram to walk between the pieces of the sacrifice with him, God appears to pass between the pieces by himself (Gen. 15:17). The implication here is immense: God is binding himself to the terms of the covenant without demanding the same level of commitment from Abram. God’s promise to give the land to the heirs of Abram is one-sided and unconditional. Thus, when after 400 years of slavery God sends Moses to free his people, it has nothing to do with the obedience of Moses or of the Hebrew slaves, and everything to do with God keeping his promises.

[Q] Read Genesis 17:1–14. Does this change God’s covenant to a two-sided agreement, or is the circumcision merely a sign of God’s covenanted people? Explain.

Compare God’s command to circumcise the males in Abram’s household with Christ’s command to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Is this a fair comparison? Does John 13:35—”By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”—logically complete the analogy? Why or why not?

[Q] How does Jesus’ promise of salvation through grace mirror this covenant God made with Abraham?

Teaching Point Two: We are the Exodus generation.The Passover Seder (literally “order”—the festive ritual and meal celebrated on the first night of Passover) encompasses the entire Book of Exodus, from Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh through the giving of the commandments on Mt. Sinai, all the way to the Promised Land. And as each part of the story is recounted, the participants are encouraged to think of themselves as part of the Exodus generation. We were set free from bondage; we were led through the sea on dry land; we were led through the desert by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of smoke by night. God delivered the commandments, the tabernacle, and the Promised Land to us.

By personalizing the story in this way, the Seder helps us to see the ways that these things really are a part of our individual lives. Have we not been truly set free from captivity? Aren’t we the people who, rescued from bondage by a series of miracles, nonetheless began to complain about the hardships of our new life and to wax nostalgic about the “good old days” of slavery?

By reading the Book of Exodus as an account of our own lives, we are confronted with a different picture of ourselves and of God’s longsuffering goodness towards us. When Moses took too long on Mt. Sinai, the people grew tired of waiting for their prophet to return and decided to set up an altar according to their own understanding. When Moses finally returned with the commandments, the sight of the Hebrews worshiping an idol infuriated him so much that he broke the stone tablets. How many times do we grow tired of waiting on God and decide to do things our own way? How many idols have we set up? How many leaders have smashed God’s Word in frustration?





We complain about the bland diet of manna, and then complain that God has sent us too many quail to eat. We witness whole strings of miracles, but turn back in fear from the challenges of the Promised Land, unwilling to believe that God will make a way. We are stubborn, stiff-necked, grumbling, and ungrateful. And God loves us anyway.

We are the generation who glorify God through his faithfulness to an unfaithful people. We are the generation who give generously to establish a tabernacle, and then force God to spell out in painstaking detail how and why we should take care of widows and orphans. We are the Chosen Generation; not because of our own righteousness but simply because of God’s loving kindness. He keeps his promises even as we break ours.

[Q] Read Romans 5:20–6:3. How does this affect your idea of a “chosen people”? What merit do we have to be such?

[Q] God is concerned with our hearts, not our rituals. Yet he gave the Exodus generation ritual, law, and tradition. Can keeping rituals and laws change our hearts? Why or why not?

If not, what does change them?

[Q] What do you grumble about in the face of God’s provision?

Teaching Point Three: The Passover of Christ was unique from all other Passovers.

The Last Supper was a celebration of Passover. Jesus, in his role as rabbi, led the Seder. We can assume that he followed tradition for the most part, since what is recorded in the Gospels are some very specific departures from tradition: the authors would have assumed that their readers knew the Passover Seder from childhood and did not need it spelled out. This makes Jesus’ deliberate departures from tradition significant.

At one point during the Seder, a piece of matzah (unleavened bread) is held up by the leader and broken. There is a specific prayer at this point in the ritual: “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in Egypt. Let anyone who is hungry come and eat; let anyone who is needy come and celebrate the Passover.” But Jesus broke the formula, saying instead, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matt. 26:26).

At another point, a cup of wine is shared among the participants. In fact, during the feast there are a total of four cups shared, each with its own tradition and ritual. From the Gospel account, it would seem that it was the third cup, called the Cup of Redemption, which Jesus chose to make his next break with tradition. Instead of the prescribed blessing, “Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine,” Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).





In the years since Jesus instituted the tradition of the Eucharist or Communion, there has been a tendency in the church to forget the Passover roots of this tradition. It is vital to our understanding to see these elements in their original context. “Whenever you eat this bread” and “whenever you drink this cup” refer specifically to the Bread of Affliction and the Cup of Redemption. This is not to say that we should discontinue our current Communion practice, but rather that we should expand it, taking Jesus’ new traditions outside the walls of our sanctuaries. Whenever we encounter affliction or redemption in life, we can apply Jesus’ words and “do this in remembrance of” Christ.

[Q] How might understanding the Passover change your perspective on Communion?

[Q] How can it change our perspective on difficulty to remember that this is the same affliction shared by our ancestors and by all people everywhere? Give an example of when this might help you.

[Q] Applying the same principle to the experience of redemption, what does it mean to you to know that God redeemed people throughout the generations and in different cultures?

[Q] What does it mean to go through these things in remembrance of Christ?


The sacrifice of the perfect lamb, the miraculous salvation of the chosen people, and the hands-on giving of the Law are all familiar elements of the Passover story. When we stop to put ourselves in the story, however, the emphasis changes. Rather than thinking about what God did for those people long ago, we begin to realize what God has done for us, personally.

An important element of the Seder comes when the Cup of Plagues is presented. This, the second cup of wine served, represents the 10 plagues visited on the Egyptians by the Lord. Significantly, 10 drops of wine are removed from this cup to represent the fact that not only are we not permitted to rejoice over our enemies’ suffering, but that our rejoicing should actually be diminished by the measure of our enemies’ suffering. Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43–46).

The Passover Seder thus brings home a core truth about Bible study. These are not just stories; they are stories about us. In every book, we can choose to identify not only with the heroes but also with those who are chastened by God. By honestly recognizing the representation of ourselves not only in Moses but also in Pharaoh, we come to see God’s over-arching goodness as the Savior of the downtrodden and the giver of second chances to the hard-hearted.

Action Point: Put yourself in the story.





1. As you read the Bible, recognize that anything that is said there about any human being can truthfully be said of you to some degree. Allow this understanding to increase your gratitude to God for his one-sided covenant with each of us. His sacrificial redemption is based on his goodness and on his love for us, his wayward children. Take the time to thank him for the little things.

2. When others wrong you, whether by sniping in the office, cutting you off in traffic, or simply through thoughtless indifference, remember that they are no different from you. Pray for your enemies.

3. When you take Communion, recall that Christ has determined to share both the Bread of Affliction and the Cup of Redemption with us. He is broken and poured out for us, and we can both ease our affliction and increase our joy at redemption by doing all these things in remembrance of him.



Additional Resources: To the Ends of the Earth (a PDF file that tells you how to prepare a

Passover meal).

Passover Seder CD (Caspari Center, 2008). This unique resource includes the full text of the traditional Jewish Haggadah (Passover liturgy), background information, explanations, recipes, and everything you need to hold your own Seder.

Walking with Jesus Through the Jewish Calendar Bible study; Leader’s Guide also available (Caspari Center, 2004).

Christ in the Passover , Ceil and Moishe Rosen (Moody, 2006; ISBN 9780802413895)












http://www.totheends.com/PassPrep.pdf

LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 2Pentecost (Shavu’ot):The Feast of WeeksThis feast is a harvest thanksgiving.

Traditional Judaism holds that the Torah (the first five books of Moses) was given on the day of Pentecost. In Orthodox Jewish practice today, however, Pentecost is unquestioningly celebrated as the day of “the giving of the Law.” There is no clear indication of when this tradition began,1 but the belief is now central to the celebration of the holiday.

Lesson #2


1 http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=177&letter=P; http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holidayc.html

LEADER’S GUIDE

Pentecost (Shavu’ot): The Feast of WeeksPage 2



The second of the sacred assemblies set forth in Leviticus 23 is Shavu’ot, the Feast of Weeks. It is also the second of the pilgrimage holidays and is closely tied to the Passover celebration.

Leviticus 23:10–11 commands that the first sheaf of grain harvested in the Promised Land be taken to the temple priests as a wave offering. This is the festival of Firstfruits, celebrated on the second day of Passover. It begins a 50-day period known as the “counting of the omer (sheaf),” which culminates with the Feast of Weeks.

In Israel, the grain harvest begins with the barley harvest in early spring. This barley harvest begins the counting of the omer, which continues through to the wheat harvest, approximately seven weeks later. The firstfruits of the wheat harvest coincide with the end of the counting, 50 days after Passover, on the day of Pentecost. In Hebrew, the holiday is called Shavu’ot, which means “weeks.” The celebration is named for the 7 weeks (or “week of weeks”) between the festival of Firstfruits and the end of the harvest period.

The whole concept of harvest as a blessing is one which combines works and grace in a clear and succinct way. Without the work of plowing, sowing the seed, and working the fields, no harvest can be expected. Yet without the blessing of fine weather, sufficient rain, and the creative spark of life itself, there will also be no harvest. The harvest blessing depends on God and man working together in harmony.

The Feast of Weeks is the culmination of the first harvest season of the year, as well as the first harvest reaped in the Promised Land. Just as the Hebrews were told to present a wave offering from the harvest of the land, the harvest of the Law is of great significance in Judaism. The Law is followed not for the sake of the Law itself, but in order to reap the blessings (and avoid the curses) associated with the Law.

These blessings and curses are specific to this lifetime. Judaism does not focus on eternity or the afterlife, but on the blessings to be had by the righteous in this life. Health, a good harvest, a large family, an increase in your flocks—these are the rewards of obedience to the Law. This viewpoint is reinforced by the commandment to “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex. 20:12).

Reaping the blessings of the harvest is contingent on doing the work of sowing the seed and tending the fields. Reaping the blessings of the Law is contingent on keeping the Law, both in word and in deed.



LEADER’S GUIDE



[Q] Do the blessings and curses associated with the Law still apply today? Why or why not?

[Q] Jewish tradition tends to focus on the rewards to be had in this life, while Christian tradition tends to focus on rewards in the next life. What are the possible positive and negative consequences of each perspective?

[Q] Are your own motives for obeying God spiritual in nature? Material? Emotional? Or some combination of these? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Harvest the fruit, not the tree.

Judaism rejoices in the giving of the Law. There is great affection and love for the Law, as evidenced in numerous rituals surrounding the place and use of the Torah scrolls in the life of the synagogue. The keeping, studying, and interpreting of the Law is central to post-Temple Judaism.

Yet the harvest is a result of receiving the Law, not of the giving of the Law. Only by applying the Law to everyday life can one hope to reap the blessings promised to the righteous. The Feast of Weeks celebrates this harvest alongside the harvest of the land.

In Christian tradition, the Feast of Weeks is associated with the giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) and the subsequent “harvest” of new believers in Christ (Acts 2:14–47). There is another way to look at this harvest of first fruits, however: that of harvesting the fruit of the Spirit. Read Galatians 5:22–23.

Judaism celebrates Pentecost as the day on which the Law was given; Christianity celebrates it as the day the Holy Spirit was given. Just as Judaism reveres and loves the Law, so should Christians revere and love the Spirit. And just as Judaism celebrates and gives thanks for the fruits of obeying the Law, so should we rejoice in the fruits of life in the Spirit.

The lesson, then, is to harvest the fruit of the Spirit. The goal of the harvest in this sense is that we might live lives of blessed abundance—abundant in peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, love (and all the rest of that wonderful list from Galatians 5, and even more!) rather than in material blessings. And as we begin to bear these fruit in our lives, we become more and more attractive to the parched and fruitless souls in this world. This will lead inevitably to the harvest of souls associated with the traditional Christian understanding of the day of Pentecost.

[Q] What is the work of plowing, sowing, and tending which we must perform in order to reap the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?



LEADER’S GUIDE


[Q] We often feel guilty when talking about evangelism. How does viewing it from the perspective of bearing attractive fruit change your feelings in any way?

[Q] A tree does not strive to bear fruit; it is the natural consequence of good husbandry. How does this apply to the fruit of the Spirit? If we are struggling to be “better Christians,” will it help us to bear fruit more effectively? Why or why not?

[Q] Recognizing that each fruit comes in its own season, what comfort do you find if you are not yet bearing certain fruit?

Teaching Point Two: Harvest the fruit in season.Anyone who has ever had a vegetable garden knows that harvest season is a cyclical time. A few crops at a time come in, starting with the early spring harvest and ending with the final autumn harvest. The fruit of our labor come deliberately, each in its own season.

So it is with the fruits of the Spirit. We are often led to believe that all of these fruits are the immediate evidence of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. But rather than a wholesale harvest of every single fruit at once, we need to take a lesson from nature and wait for each fruit in its season. While some fruits may “ripen” quickly, others can take far longer to come to fruition. As we take care to work the “soil” of our lives, and to rely on God’s blessings, we can expect to see these fruits maturing and growing in us, each in its own season.

Seen from this perspective, the entirety of our lives in Christ can be viewed as one long harvest season. How often have you encountered a gentle, mature soul in the autumn of his or her life who exhibits the sweet fruit of longsuffering or self-control, and wished that you could be like them? Have you ever compared yourself unfavorably with such persons, and despaired of ever bearing such fruit yourself? Yet if you are not also in the autumn of your life in Christ, such wishes are akin to wanting sweet corn to be ripe in spring, or pumpkins to be ready for harvest in the middle of July.

We need to take stock of where we are in our walk with Christ, not in comparison to others, but in comparison to who we were before Christ started his work in us. Are we bearing the fruits which come early in the harvest? Can we do anything to increase the harvest of this season? Are we looking forward to the blessings of the seasons to come?

[Q] Take a look at your walk with Christ in terms of the harvest time. What season are you in? Which fruits are just now beginning to grow in you?

[Q] In agricultural terms, a good harvest is often associated with pruning or weeding. What things in your life need to be pruned or uprooted in order to increase your fruitfulness?



LEADER’S GUIDE


[Q] There is only so much the farmer can do to ensure a good harvest. For the rest, he is dependant on God’s grace. How does this works/grace combination apply to the fruit of the Spirit in your own life?

[Q] Read Galatians 5:24–25. What insight do these verses give to our fruit bearing?

What does it mean to “keep in step with the Spirit”?

Teaching Point Three: Enjoy the fruits, share the fruits.The idea of salvation as Christianity understands it—an absolutely crucial saving of the soul from an otherwise assured and deserved damnation—does not exist in Judaism. For the Jew, simply being born a Jew is enough. If you are one of the chosen people, it is damnation which must be “earned,” not salvation: you are born saved and can lose your salvation only through gross disobedience to the Law (see Lev. 7:19–27, for example). The Jewish tradition is one of living righteously so as to reap the blessings of righteousness. The goal is a blessed life, not a blessed afterlife.

Leviticus 26 makes it clear that the rewards for keeping the Law are temporal and material rather than eternal. Peace in the land, victory over enemies, a good harvest—all these and more can be anticipated by those who faithfully obey the Law. Similarly, the consequences of disobedience are temporal and material: poor crops, wild beasts attacking your family, cities laid waste, and defeat at the hand of your enemy. Blessings and curses alike apply to this world, this life, this land.

Seen in this context, Paul’s enumeration of the fruit of the Spirit takes on a new shade of meaning. The goal of bearing the fruit of the Spirit is not to get to heaven and hear “well done, my good and faithful servant,” but rather to be blessed and to bless others here on Earth. When we love God and love others, we reap an immediate harvest in the here and now. Such fruits as patience or self-control are themselves the rewards for obedience to the Spirit. When we bear much fruit, we are blessed ourselves, just as we bless those around us.

This frees us from the trap of trying to be “good” in order to reap an eternal reward. Our salvation was guaranteed when we began our life in Christ; it is not a consequence of bearing fruit or failing to bear fruit. We follow the Spirit that we may bear fruit in this life, and we bear fruit that we may enjoy and share that fruit.

[Q] Which fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) are you currently enjoying in your life?

[Q] Which fruit do you want most to enjoy that you are not currently bearing? What steps can you take to work toward bearing that fruit?

[Q] What fruit in your life is in danger of being overgrown by weeds or languishing through neglect?



Roxanne Wieman, 01/03/-1,

I think it needs to be clear here, though, that being “good” in this life (bearing the fruits of the spirit) don’t guarantee a “good” life on earth either – not at least in the ways mentioned above: good harvest, wealth, avoidance of war, etc.

LEADER’S GUIDE


[Q] When you see that the point of bearing fruit is so that you might be blessed in this life, how does that affect your motivation to be more diligent in obedience to the Spirit? Why or why not?

Optional Activity

Shavu’ot is traditionally celebrated by decorating with greenery and eating the new fruit of the season. It is also customary to eat a dairy meal. Bring some fresh fruit and cheeses to share, and plan to read the story of Ruth, which includes the theme of harvest as well as the inclusion of a Gentile into God’s people, foreshadowing the “one new man” we are in Christ.

Since Shavu’ot is also considered “The Festival of the Giving of Torah,” Orthodox Jews stay up the whole first night of the holiday studying the Torah, then attend prayer services in the morning. If anyone in your group is able to do so, plan a night—or portion thereof—of group Bible study and prayer.


While not taking away from salvation through Christ, the melding of works and grace—the “harvest blessing” mentality—adds to the richness of our life here on Earth. In order to reap the fruit of the Spirit, we need to work the soil of our souls, to plow the stubborn earth of our human nature, and to plant the seed of the Word of God. When God’s blessings are poured out on soil that is prepared in this way, then and only then can we expect to reap a harvest.

As we begin to see the fruit of the Spirit expressed in our lives, it is essential not to become impatient. Each fruit will come in its own season. Be content with the fruits of today, even as you look forward to coming seasons. Weed, prune, tend the garden of your soul with diligence and thanksgiving, knowing that the Lord will bring the increase in his time.

And finally, don’t neglect the enjoyment of the fruits that are even now being revealed in you. If all that is ripe in you is love, love extravagantly! If peace, share your peace with others that it may grow even greater. The joy of the harvest blessing is to be found most richly and abundantly right now, right here, in this specific season of your life in Christ.

Action Point: Identify your personal harvest season and rejoice in it.

1. Ask others for their perspective. While we may think that we know where we are in our walk with Christ, it’s all too easy to deceive ourselves through wishful thinking or projection. I want to bear the fruit of loving kindness, and therefore might tend to see it in myself when it is not actually there. The best way to really get a reading on where I am is to ask those who know me best. Which fruits do others see most strongly in me? Which are just beginning to emerge? Seek the answers to these questions.




Good summary—lots of good insights here!

LEADER’S GUIDE


2. Offer your fruits to the Lord. Whatever season you are currently in, it is thanks to God’s grace that you are bearing any fruit at all. Deliberately seek ways to share the fruit of the Spirit with others. Do this in the knowledge that you are sharing a gift from God. Give thanks to the Lord for the fruits you have, even as you look forward to the coming seasons.

3. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take the time to be thankful for the rewards of obeying the Spirit, and remember that these gifts are meant for you. God intends for us to be filled with all good fruits, blessed to overflowing with the abundance of his Spirit. If he has given you peace or patience, rejoice in it! Embrace the blessings of Christ in your life.

4. Tend, prune, weed. Continue to look for ways to increase your fruitfulness, in the sure knowledge that these blessings are meant for you to share and enjoy in this life. If the cares of this world are crowding out your love, look for ways to simplify your life. If bitterness or anger are taking energy that could be producing fruit, cut them out of your life. If guilt over your own imperfection is keeping you from reaching your potential, take the time to focus deliberately on the fruit you are bearing now, and let God take care of the seasons yet to come.



Additional Resources: Walking with Jesus Through the Jewish Calendar Bible study; Leader’s

Guide also available (Caspari Center, 2004).

Christ in the Feast of Pentecost , David Brickner and Rich Robinson (Moody, 2008; ISBN 9780802414021)











PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 2Pentecost (Shavu’ot): The Feast of

WeeksThis feast is a harvest thanksgiving.

Traditional Judaism holds that the Torah (the first five books of Moses) was given on the day of Pentecost. In Orthodox Jewish practice today, however, Pentecost is unquestioningly celebrated as the day of “the giving of the Law.” There is no clear indication of when this tradition began,0 but the belief is now central to the celebration of the holiday.


0 http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=177&letter=P; http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holidayc.html




The second of the sacred assemblies set forth in Leviticus 23 is Shavu’ot, the Feast of Weeks. It is also the second of the pilgrimage holidays and is closely tied to the Passover celebration.

Leviticus 23:10–11 commands that the first sheaf of grain harvested in the Promised Land be taken to the temple priests as a wave offering. This is the festival of Firstfruits, celebrated on the second day of Passover. It begins a 50-day period known as the “counting of the omer (sheaf),” which culminates with the Feast of Weeks.

In Israel, the grain harvest begins with the barley harvest in early spring. This barley harvest begins the counting of the omer, which continues through to the wheat harvest, approximately seven weeks later. The firstfruits of the wheat harvest coincide with the end of the counting, 50 days after Passover, on the day of Pentecost. In Hebrew, the holiday is called Shavu’ot, which means “weeks.” The celebration is named for the 7 weeks (or “week of weeks”) between the festival of Firstfruits and the end of the harvest period.

The whole concept of harvest as a blessing is one which combines works and grace in a clear and succinct way. Without the work of plowing, sowing the seed, and working the fields, no harvest can be expected. Yet without the blessing of fine weather, sufficient rain, and the creative spark of life itself, there will also be no harvest. The harvest blessing depends on God and man working together in harmony.

The Feast of Weeks is the culmination of the first harvest season of the year, as well as the first harvest reaped in the Promised Land. Just as the Hebrews were told to present a wave offering from the harvest of the land, the harvest of the Law is of great significance in Judaism. The Law is followed not for the sake of the Law itself, but in order to reap the blessings (and avoid the curses) associated with the Law.

These blessings and curses are specific to this lifetime. Judaism does not focus on eternity or the afterlife, but on the blessings to be had by the righteous in this life. Health, a good harvest, a large family, an increase in your flocks—these are the rewards of obedience to the Law. This viewpoint is reinforced by the commandment to “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex. 20:12).

Reaping the blessings of the harvest is contingent on doing the work of sowing the seed and tending the fields. Reaping the blessings of the Law is contingent on keeping the Law, both in word and in deed.


[Q] Do the blessings and curses associated with the Law still apply today? Why or why not?





[Q] Jewish tradition tends to focus on the rewards to be had in this life, while Christian tradition tends to focus on rewards in the next life. What are the possible positive and negative consequences of each perspective?

[Q] Are your own motives for obeying God spiritual in nature? Material? Emotional? Or some combination of these? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Harvest the fruit, not the tree.

Judaism rejoices in the giving of the Law. There is great affection and love for the Law, as evidenced in numerous rituals surrounding the place and use of the Torah scrolls in the life of the synagogue. The keeping, studying, and interpreting of the Law is central to post-Temple Judaism.

Yet the harvest is a result of receiving the Law, not of the giving of the Law. Only by applying the Law to everyday life can one hope to reap the blessings promised to the righteous. The Feast of Weeks celebrates this harvest alongside the harvest of the land.

In Christian tradition, the Feast of Weeks is associated with the giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) and the subsequent “harvest” of new believers in Christ (Acts 2:14–47). There is another way to look at this harvest of firstfruits, however: that of harvesting the fruit of the Spirit. Read Galatians 5:22–23.

Judaism celebrates Pentecost as the day on which the Law was given; Christianity celebrates it as the day the Holy Spirit was given. Just as Judaism reveres and loves the Law, so should Christians revere and love the Spirit. And just as Judaism celebrates and gives thanks for the fruits of obeying the Law, so should we rejoice in the fruits of life in the Spirit.

The lesson, then, is to harvest the fruit of the Spirit. The goal of the harvest in this sense is that we might live lives of blessed abundance—abundant in peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, love (and all the rest of that wonderful list from Galatians 5, and even more!) rather than in material blessings. And as we begin to bear these fruit in our lives, we become more and more attractive to the parched and fruitless souls in this world. This will lead inevitably to the harvest of souls associated with the traditional Christian understanding of the day of Pentecost.

[Q] What is the work of plowing, sowing, and tending which we must perform in order to reap the fruit of the Spirit in our lives?

[Q] We often feel guilty when talking about evangelism. Does seeing the harvest in the sense of bearing attractive fruit change your feelings in any way? Why or why not?





[Q] A tree does not strive to bear fruit; it is the natural consequence of good husbandry. How does this apply to the fruit of the Spirit? If we are struggling to be “better Christians,” will it help us to bear fruit more effectively? Why or why not?

[Q] Recognizing that each fruit comes in its own season, what comfort do you find if you are not yet bearing certain fruit?

Teaching Point Two: Harvest the fruit in season.Anyone who has ever had a vegetable garden knows that harvest season is a cyclical time. A few crops at a time come in, starting with the early spring harvest and ending with the final autumn harvest. The fruit of our labor come deliberately, each in its own season.

So it is with the fruits of the Spirit. We are often led to believe that all of these fruits are the immediate evidence of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. But rather than a wholesale harvest of every single fruit at once, we need to take a lesson from nature and wait for each fruit in its season. While some fruits may “ripen” quickly, others can take far longer to come to fruition. As we take care to work the “soil” of our lives, and to rely on God’s blessings, we can expect to see these fruits maturing and growing in us, each in its own season.

Seen from this perspective, the entirety of our lives in Christ can be viewed as one long harvest season. How often have you encountered a gentle, mature soul in the autumn of his or her life who exhibits the sweet fruit of longsuffering or self-control, and wished that you could be like them? Have you ever compared yourself unfavorably with such persons, and despaired of ever bearing such fruit yourself? Yet if you are not also in the autumn of your life in Christ, such wishes are akin to wanting sweet corn to be ripe in spring, or pumpkins to be ready for harvest in the middle of July.

We need to take stock of where we are in our walk with Christ, not in comparison to others, but in comparison to who we were before Christ started his work in us. Are we bearing the fruits which come early in the harvest? Can we do anything to increase the harvest of this season? Are we looking forward to the blessings of the seasons to come?

[Q] Take a look at your walk with Christ in terms of the harvest time. What season are you in? Which fruits are just now beginning to grow in you?

[Q] In agricultural terms, a good harvest is often associated with pruning or weeding. Are there things in your life which need to be pruned or uprooted in order to increase your fruitfulness?

[Q] There is only so much the farmer can do to ensure a good harvest. For the rest, he is dependant on God’s grace. How does this works/grace combination apply to the fruit of the Spirit in your own life?

[Q] Read Galatians 5:24–25. What insight do these verses give to our fruit bearing?





What does it mean to “keep in step with the Spirit”?

Teaching Point Three: Enjoy the fruits, share the fruits.The idea of salvation as Christianity understands it—an absolutely crucial saving of the soul from an otherwise assured and deserved damnation—does not exist in Judaism. For the Jew, simply being born a Jew is enough. If you are one of the chosen people, it is damnation which must be “earned,” not salvation: you are born saved and can lose your salvation only through gross disobedience to the Law (see Lev. 7:19–27, for example). The Jewish tradition is one of living righteously so as to reap the blessings of righteousness. The goal is a blessed life, not a blessed afterlife.

Leviticus 26 makes it clear that the rewards for keeping the Law are temporal and material rather than eternal. Peace in the land, victory over enemies, a good harvest—all these and more can be anticipated by those who faithfully obey the Law. Similarly, the consequences of disobedience are temporal and material: poor crops, wild beasts attacking your family, cities laid waste, and defeat at the hand of your enemy. Blessings and curses alike apply to this world, this life, this land.

Seen in this context, Paul’s enumeration of the fruit of the Spirit takes on a new shade of meaning. The goal of bearing the fruit of the Spirit is not to get to heaven and hear “well done, my good and faithful servant,” but rather to be blessed and to bless others here on Earth. When we love God and love others, we reap an immediate harvest in the here and now. Such fruits as patience or self-control are themselves the rewards for obedience to the Spirit. When we bear much fruit, we are blessed ourselves, just as we bless those around us.

This frees us from the trap of trying to be “good” in order to reap an eternal reward. Our salvation was guaranteed when we began our life in Christ; it is not a consequence of bearing fruit or failing to bear fruit. We follow the Spirit that we may bear fruit in this life, and we bear fruit that we may enjoy and share that fruit.

[Q] Which fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) are you currently enjoying in your life?

[Q] Which fruit do you want most to enjoy that you are not currently bearing? What steps can you take to work toward bearing that fruit?

[Q] Is there any fruit in your life which is in danger of being overgrown by weeds or languishing through neglect?

[Q] When you see that the point of bearing fruit is so that you might be blessed in this life, does it help your motivation to be more diligent in obedience to the Spirit? Why or why not?






While not taking away from salvation through Christ, the melding of works and grace—the “harvest blessing” mentality—adds to the richness of our life here on Earth. In order to reap the fruit of the Spirit, we need to work the soil of our souls, to plow the stubborn earth of our human nature, and to plant the seed of the Word of God. When God’s blessings are poured out on soil that is prepared in this way, then and only then can we expect to reap a harvest.

As we begin to see the fruit of the Spirit expressed in our lives, it is essential not to become impatient. Each fruit will come in its own season. Be content with the fruits of today, even as you look forward to coming seasons. Weed, prune, tend the garden of your soul with diligence and thanksgiving, knowing that the Lord will bring the increase in his time.

And finally, don’t neglect the enjoyment of the fruits that are even now being revealed in you. If all that is ripe in you is love, love extravagantly! If peace, share your peace with others that it may grow even greater. The joy of the harvest blessing is to be found most richly and abundantly right now, right here, in this specific season of your life in Christ.

Action Point: Identify your personal harvest season and rejoice in it.

1. Ask others for their perspective. While we may think that we know where we are in our walk with Christ, it’s all too easy to deceive ourselves through wishful thinking or projection. I want to bear the fruit of lovingkindness, and therefore might tend to see it in myself when it is not actually there. The best way to really get a reading on where I am is to ask those who know me best. Which fruits do others see most strongly in me? Which are just beginning to emerge? Seek the answers to these questions.

2. Offer your fruits to the Lord. Whatever season you are currently in, it is thanks to God’s grace that you are bearing any fruit at all. Deliberately seek ways to share the fruit of the Spirit with others. Do this in the knowledge that you are sharing a gift from God. Give thanks to the Lord for the fruits you have, even as you look forward to the coming seasons.

3. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take the time to be thankful for the rewards of obeying the Spirit, and remember that these gifts are meant for you. God intends for us to be filled with all good fruits, blessed to overflowing with the abundance of his Spirit. If he has given you peace or patience, rejoice in it! Embrace the blessings of Christ in your life.

4. Tend, prune, weed. Continue to look for ways to increase your fruitfulness, in the sure knowledge that these blessings are meant for you to share and enjoy in this life. If the cares of this world are crowding out your love, look for ways to simplify your life. If bitterness or anger are taking energy that could be producing fruit, cut them out of your life. If guilt over your own imperfection is keeping you from reaching your potential, take the time to focus deliberately on the fruit you are bearing now, and let God take care of the seasons yet to come.









Christ in the Feast of Pentecost , David Brickner and Rich Robinson (Moody, 2008; ISBN 9780802414021)











LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 3Rosh HaShanah:

The Feast of Trumpets This feast is a memorial and a blessing.

The Feast of Trumpets is a bit paradoxical in nature: although the Bible says very little about this particular feast day, it is now among the most significant holy days in Judaism. At some point in history, the Feast of Trumpets became the day on which the Jewish New Year is celebrated. Rabbinic sources tell us that there have always been two different “years” in Judaism, the secular harvest year (analogous to today’s “business year”) beginning in the spring, and the religious year, beginning on the first day of the seventh month. Some historians point to the fact that Ancient Babylon observed two separate New Year celebrations, and suggest Israel brought this custom back when they returned.

Regardless of how and when it came about, today the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated as Rosh HaShanah (literally “head of the year”), the Jewish New Year. While Rosh HaShanah itself is a day of celebration, blessing, and joyful anticipation, it also begins a time of earnest reflection and repentance culminating on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar. The ten-day period that begins with Rosh HaShanah and ends with Yom Kippur is called the “High Holy Days.”

Lesson #3


LEADER’S GUIDE

Rosh HaShanah: The Feast of Trumpets Page 2



Read Psalm 121 and Psalm 103.

Rosh HaShanah is a time of hope and prayers for a blessed year, but also a time for remembrance and awe. These three elements are bound together not only in this holiday, but throughout the Bible: expressions of hope in the Lord are accompanied by acknowledgements of his power and might; praises and petitions are mingled with remembrances of his mighty deeds and followed by promises to remember his commandments and precepts.

The Psalms show us this pattern clearly: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”—a message of hope—is followed directly by “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1–2), an acknowledgement of God’s power. The rest of the psalm is a remembrance and declaration of the faithfulness of God. Similarly, Psalm 103 opens with the injunction to “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (v. 1–2), and later reminds us that “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel “ (v. 7), and “… the LORD’s love is with those who fear him … with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts “ (v.17b–18).

Our hope is linked to remembrance: recall the ways in which he has blessed us in the past; remember his awesome might and power; and acknowledge his ability to accomplish that for which we hope. And remember also his precepts and commandments, keeping them in our own lives and passing them on to our children. Hope and remembrance are therefore both individual and communal: we hope for ourselves and our loved ones; we remember what God has done for us and for our people.


[Q] Is your hope in the Lord always linked to remembrance? Explain.

[Q] Does a sense of awe regarding God’s power and majesty tend to increase or decrease your sense of hope? Why?

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Rosh HaShanah is first and foremost a celebration of hope.

Rosh HaShanah is a celebration of hope for the future, hope of promised blessings, even hope for an eternal reward. The traditions associated with the



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holiday are all designed to illustrate and enrich this hope. An examination of these traditions can enrich our understanding of the holiday itself.

There is a special liturgical prayer book called the Machzor (cycle or revolution) which contains both the Rosh HaShanah service and the prayers for Yom Kippur and the High Holy Days.0 The main themes of the Rosh HaShanah service are repentance by man and judgment by God. Since Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days,0 there are two sets of Scripture readings associated with the holiday: on day one the story of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) is read, along with the story of Hannah’s prayer for a son and God’s answer to that prayer (1 Sam. 1:1–2:10). On the second day, the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac is followed by the reading of Jeremiah 31:1–19, which recounts God’s love of and promises to Israel.

After the prayer service, a festive meal is a central part of the Rosh HaShanah holiday. There are a number of traditional foods involved; most universal of these is probably apple slices dipped in honey, to signify the hope of a fruitful and sweet year ahead. New fruit—fruit which has not yet been eaten this season—is another widespread tradition. The eating of this fruit is accompanied by a specific blessing (the shehechiyanu), which is translated, “Blessed art thou, Lord God King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.”

Along with the apples and honey, the Sabbath bread (challah) served on Rosh HaShanah is made somewhat differently. On most Sabbaths, the challah is a simple braided loaf, but on Rosh HaShanah it is braided in a circle, with no apparent beginning or end to the braids. This is said to represent the circle of the seasons coming back to their beginning.

There is also a traditional greeting for Rosh HaShanah: “L’Shanah Tova tikatev v’tichatem,” which means “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” The unspoken understanding is that the inscription is your name in the Book of Life, which will then be “sealed” on Yom Kippur.

[Q] How is the concept of hoping in God expressed in your worship tradition? Can you find parallels to the machzor prayer service and Scripture reading?

[Q] If your church uses traditional liturgy, does this help your personal ability to place your hope in the Lord? If not, what aspects of your worship tradition do you find helpful?

[Q] What is your personal hope? How do you express your hope in the Lord?

Teaching Point Two: Rosh HaShanah is a day of remembrance.Rosh HaShanah is referred to in the Bible as Shabbatton zikkaron teru’ah, a “Sabbath memorial of trumpet blasts” (Lev. 23:24b). The word zikkaron here can be variously translated as “remembrance” or “commemoration.” It carries the

0 http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/liturgical_texts/TO_Machzor_3530.htm 0 http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm#Extra



http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm#Extra

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/liturgical_texts/TO_Machzor_3530.htm

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idea of looking back as well as that of remembering to observe a sacred day; in Israel today the yearly memorial day for fallen soldiers is called Yom HaZikkaron.

The true meaning of the word teru’ah is not merely “trumpet blast,” but is specific to the sounding of a shofar, the ram’s-horn trumpet used to signal military maneuvers on the battlefield. The significance of the shofar should not be underestimated. The voice of the shofar was heard by all the people when Moses encountered God on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:16–19). It was blown by Joshua’s army when the walls of Jericho fell (Josh. 6:20), and by Gideon’s army when God gave them victory over the Midianites (Judges 7:15–21). The shofar was blown to announce the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:15). And the shofar will be blown when Messiah returns (Isa. 27:13; 1 Thess. 4:13–18).

The blowing of the shofar as a remembrance, therefore, has a multi-faceted meaning. It is a remembrance of what God has done, of who God is, and of what God has promised he will do. It is a remembrance of wars fought, victories won, and soldiers lost. It is a symbol of compliance with God’s commandments, since the very act of blowing the shofar is itself commanded on the Day of Trumpets. The shofar is the instrument of sacred commemoration.

The importance of remembering is stressed throughout the Bible, especially in the giving of the feast and fast days. We are to remember the words of God as well as the deeds of God, and to tell these things to our children. We are to remember when we rise up, when we go to sleep, when we leave our homes, and when we return. The Psalms speak of remembrance in the morning, in the daytime, and at night. Paul’s exhortation to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances …” (1 Thess. 5:16–18a) echoes this theme as well. Remembrance is to be an ongoing part of our lives in Christ.

[Q] The Jews put scriptures in boxes on their doorposts (mezuzas) and tie them in leather boxes to their foreheads and arms (tefillin) as a way of remembering God’s Word. What use are such memory aids?

What sort of memory aids can we use to help us be aware of God’s presence at all times?

[Q] Why is it helpful to remember our sinful, fallen nature as well as God’s holiness?

[Q] How does remembering the things God has done for us affect our ability to hope in the Lord?

[Q] Is it more helpful to remember the things God has done for you personally, or his deeds as recounted in the Bible? Why?

Teaching Point Three: Rosh HaShanah is a day of awe.The ten days beginning with Rosh HaShanah and culminating with Yom Kippur are called both the High Holy Days and the Days of Awe. The awe referred to here is not the “wow is that ever cool” kind of awe, but rather the fall-on-your-face-and-pray-for-mercy kind of awe. It is awe in the sense of awful or terrible, as in “the




It seems like in general up to this point, the questions have been directed to “you” and now it’s “us.” I’ll let you decide whether to change them to “you” or not; but it feels kind of inconsistent now…though probably not a really big deal.


Should this be capitalized? I don’t have a CMS here at home, or our style guide…so I can’t tell.

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great and terrible Day of the Lord.” This is the awe expressed by Isaiah when he said, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5), or by any number of biblical personages who fell on their faces and trembled at the sight of heavenly messengers. It is the awe inspired by the sure knowledge of a coming day of reckoning.

During the High Holy Days, the Jewish tradition is to try to remember every sin committed during the past year and to repent. If possible, restitution should be made to anyone you may have wronged. Apologies should be made to those whom you may have offended. Money should be paid to those you may have cheated. It is an opportunity to “clear the slate” with God before his judgment is finalized on the Day of Atonement. The idea is that no sin should remain un-atoned for by the end of that day.

As the beginning of the Days of Awe, Rosh HaShanah is a time to begin the process of remembering sins. This is a time of quite literally working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). Yet woven into this time is also a sense of great hope in the Lord: hope brought on by our remembrance of what the Lord has done, as well as the awareness that we are ourselves commemorating this day, just as God commanded us.

[Q] How does the binding together of hope and remembrance with awe affect your understanding of the phrase “the fear of the Lord”?

[Q] Put yourself in the place of anyone in the Bible—Moses, Isaiah, Mary—who had a direct encounter with God or one of his messengers. How do remembrance and hope help to temper the stark terror brought on by such a powerful presence?

[Q] Often, the first words spoken by God’s messengers to human beings are “don’t be afraid.” Do you think this helped? If so, how and why?

Optional Activity:

Celebrate new beginnings – at any time of year – with traditional Rosh HaShanah symbols. Provide apple slices and honey as a special snack, and if you’re feeling adventurous, use the following recipe to make a round loaf of hallah.

Hallah (2 regular loaves or one large one)

2 lbs. Flour

4 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. salt

4 tbs. oil

2 cups warm water

1 package yeast




This question seems unnecessary. I think it would be good to replace it with one that is a little more personal and applicable. How have you experienced awe in the face of God? Or, Even though you’re forgive for all your sins, why do think it be good to go through an exercise of repenting for the year’s sins? How might that affect your understanding of salvation?...


I think it would be good to reference Christ here in some way; to help people understand we’re not saying they need to do these things in order to be saved; but that it can still be a good thing to do…and then help people understand how this is quite literally working out our salvation…b/c I’m not sure people will understand that without a little unpacking.


Should we just say “people” here to be simpler? This seems like a strange and unfamiliar word to use.

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Dissolve yeast in warm water, then mix in other ingredients, reserving 1–2 cups flour. Continue adding flour until the dough is too thick to stir, then turn onto a floured surface and knead well, adding flour until no longer sticky. Shape into ball and allow to rise until double. Punch down, and if making 2 loaves divide dough in half. For each loaf separate dough into 3 equal pieces and roll into long, thin strips, then braid these together. Tightly coil braid into a circle, tucking outside end under, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Allow to rise until double. Preheat oven to 400 o. When bread is ready to bake, brush the top with egg yolk (and if desired, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds), reduce the oven temperature to 350 o, and bake 30 minutes or until golden-brown. Enjoy! (For regular, rather than round, loaves, simply put the braided dough in a regular bread pan to rise and bake.)


Awe without hope is terror, pure and simple. Hope without remembrance is wishful thinking, empty and without substance. Remembrance without awe is mere nostalgia. Yet these three strands combined weave an unbreakable cord, binding us to the sure and dependable love of the Lord and causing us to desire to follow him in all that we do—not from a sense of tradition or fear, but out of reciprocal love.

The combination of hope, remembrance, and awe create something else entirely: mindfulness. The full and present awareness of God in each waking moment of our lives is a goal we all should share, elusive though it may be. Meditating on God’s Word—and on its application to our lives—is one way of describing this mindfulness. Praying constantly is another. Simply being aware that God is here, with all that that implies, can help us to transcend the mundane day-to-day rituals of our lives.

Action Point: Practicing Mindfulness

1. See inside the ritual. Whenever you partake of any commemorative ceremony, whether it be the Lord’s Supper or a liturgical service or an Easter Mass, deliberately take the time to look for God in the details. Which elements of the ceremony provoke hope? Which provoke remembrance? Which awe?

2. Go beyond the ritual. Deliberately bring to mind an awareness that God is right here, right now, in the midst of whatever you are doing. Whether it is a sacred ritual or a mundane one (such as brushing your teeth or drinking morning coffee), allow it to remind you of the presence of the Lord.

3. Embrace awe. We have watered down the fear of the Lord in too many of our modern services. While we do not need to be terrified of our loving Father, it would serve us well to tremble in his presence, even as our remembrance of his goodness gives us great hope. Awe can open the door to a greater and fuller sense of God’s presence in our lives.




What is the action step here? This all true, absolutely, but there’s not really an action point.

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4. Share your remembrance with others. The point of telling others about God’s great deeds is not only that they may know, but also that our own faith and mindfulness might be strengthened. This is the true meaning of communal remembrance: that through fellowship and re-telling the stories of our God, we might all grow closer to him and increase our mindfulness of his presence.





The Fall Feasts of Israel , Mitch and Zhava Glaser (Moody, 1987; ISBN 0802425399)






these are all written so well and make great points, but this one again doesn’t really have much of an action point. What practical thing can people do (like in the first two) to share their remembrance with others.







PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 3Rosh HaShanah: The Feast of

Trumpets This feast is a memorial and a blessing.

The Feast of Trumpets is a bit paradoxical in nature: although the Bible says very little about this particular feast day, it is now amongthe most significant holy days in Judaism. At some point in history, the Feast of Trumpets became the day on which the Jewish New Year is celebrated. Rabbinic sources tell us that there have always been two different “years” in Judaism, the secular harvest year (analogous to today’s “business year”) beginning in the spring, and the religious year, beginning on the first day of the seventh month. Some historians point to the fact that Ancient Babylon observed two separate New Year celebrations, and suggest Israel brought this custom back when they returned.





Read Psalm 121 and Psalm 103.

Rosh HaShanah is a time of hope and prayers for a blessed year, but also a time for remembrance and awe. These three elements are bound together not only in this holiday, but throughout the Bible: expressions of hope in the Lord are accompanied by acknowledgements of his power and might; praises and petitions are mingled with remembrances of his mighty deeds and followed by promises to remember his commandments and precepts.

The Psalms show us this pattern clearly: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”—a message of hope—is followed directly by “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1–2), an acknowledgement of God’s power. The rest of the psalm is a remembrance and declaration of the faithfulness of God. Similarly, Psalm 103 opens with the injunction to “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (v. 1–2), and later reminds us that “He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel “ (v. 7), and “… the LORD’s love is with those who fear him … with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts “ (v.17b–18).

Our hope is linked to remembrance: recall the ways in which he has blessed us in the past; remember his awesome might and power; and acknowledge his ability to accomplish that for which we hope. And remember also his precepts and commandments, keeping them in our own lives and passing them on to our children. Hope and remembrance are therefore both individual and communal: we hope for ourselves and our loved ones; we remember what God has done for us and for our people.


[Q] Is your hope in the Lord always linked to remembrance? Explain.

[Q] Does a sense of awe regarding God’s power and majesty tend to increase or decrease your sense of hope? Why?

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Rosh HaShanah is first and foremost a celebration of hope.

Rosh HaShanah is a celebration of hope for the future, hope of promised blessings, even hope for an eternal reward. The traditions associated with the holiday are all designed to illustrate and enrich this hope. An examination of these traditions can enrich our understanding of the holiday itself.





There is a special liturgical prayer book called the Machzor (cycle or revolution) which contains both the Rosh HaShanah service and the prayers for Yom Kippur and the High Holy Days.0 The main themes of the Rosh HaShanah service are repentance by man and judgment by God. Since Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days,0 there are two sets of Scripture readings associated with the holiday: on day one the story of the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21) is read, along with the story of Hannah’s prayer for a son and God’s answer to that prayer (1 Sam. 1:1–2:10). On the second day, the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac is followed by the reading of Jeremiah 31:1–19, which recounts God’s love of and promises to Israel.

After the prayer service, a festive meal is a central part of the Rosh HaShanah holiday. There are a number of traditional foods involved; most universal of these is probably apple slices dipped in honey, to signify the hope of a fruitful and sweet year ahead. New fruit—fruit which has not yet been eaten this season—is another widespread tradition. The eating of this fruit is accompanied by a specific blessing (the shehechiyanu), which is translated, “Blessed art thou, Lord God King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.”

Along with the apples and honey, the Sabbath bread (challah) served on Rosh HaShanah is made somewhat differently. On most Sabbaths, the challah is a simple braided loaf, but on Rosh HaShanah it is braided in a circle, with no apparent beginning or end to the braids. This is said to represent the circle of the seasons coming back to their beginning.

There is also a traditional greeting for Rosh HaShanah: “L’Shanah Tova tikatev v’tichatem,” which means “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” The unspoken understanding is that the inscription is your name in the Book of Life, which will then be “sealed” on Yom Kippur.

[Q] How is the concept of hoping in God expressed in your worship tradition? Can you find parallels to the machzor prayer service and Scripture reading?

[Q] If your church uses traditional liturgy, does this help your personal ability to place your hope in the Lord? If not, what aspects of your worship tradition do you find helpful?

[Q] What is your personal hope? How do you express your hope in the Lord?

Teaching Point Two: Rosh HaShanah is a day of remembrance.Rosh HaShanah is referred to in the Bible as Shabbatton zikkaron teru’ah, a “Sabbath memorial of trumpet blasts” (Lev. 23:24b). The word zikkaron here can be variously translated as “remembrance” or “commemoration.” It carries the idea of looking back as well as that of remembering to observe a sacred day; in Israel today the yearly memorial day for fallen soldiers is called Yom HaZikkaron.

0 http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/liturgical_texts/TO_Machzor_3530.htm 0 http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm#Extra







The true meaning of the word teru’ah is not merely “trumpet blast,” but is specific to the sounding of a shofar, the ram’s-horn trumpet used to signal military maneuvers on the battlefield. The significance of the shofar should not be underestimated. The voice of the shofar was heard by all the people when Moses encountered God on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:16–19). It was blown by Joshua’s army when the walls of Jericho fell (Josh. 6:20), and by Gideon’s army when God gave then victory over the Midianites (Judges 7:15–21). The shofar was blown to announce the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:15). And the shofar will be blown when Messiah returns (Isa. 27:13; 1 Thess. 4:13–18).

The blowing of the shofar as a remembrance, therefore, has a multi-faceted meaning. It is a remembrance of what God has done, of who God is, and of what God has promised he will do. It is a remembrance of wars fought, victories won, and soldiers lost. It is a symbol of compliance with God’s commandments, since the very act of blowing the shofar is itself commanded on the Day of Trumpets. The shofar is the instrument of sacred commemoration.

The importance of remembering is stressed throughout the Bible, especially in the giving of the feast and fast days. We are to remember the words of God as well as the deeds of God, and to tell these things to our children. We are to remember when we rise up, when we go to sleep, when we leave our homes, and when we return. The Psalms speak of remembrance in the morning, in the daytime, and at night. Paul’s exhortation to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances …” (1 Thess. 5:16–18a) echoes this theme as well. Remembrance is to be an ongoing part of our lives in Christ.

[Q] The Jews put scriptures in boxes on their doorposts (mezuzas) and tie them in leather boxes to their foreheads and arms (tefillin) as a way of remembering God’s Word. What use are such memory aids?

What sort of memory aids can we use to help us be aware of God’s presence at all times?

[Q] Why is it helpful to remember our sinful, fallen nature as well as God’s holiness?

[Q] How does remembering the things God has done for us affect our ability to hope in the Lord?

[Q] Is it more helpful to remember the things God has done for you personally, or his deeds as recounted in the Bible? Why?

Teaching Point Three: Rosh HaShanah is a day of awe.The ten days beginning with Rosh HaShanah and culminating with Yom Kippur are called both the High Holy Days and the Days of Awe. The awe referred to here is not the “wow is that ever cool” kind of awe, but rather the fall-on-your-face-and-pray-for-mercy kind of awe. It is awe in the sense of awful or terrible, as in “the great and terrible Day of the Lord.” This is the awe expressed by Isaiah when he said, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5), or by any number of biblical personages who fell on their faces and trembled at the sight of heavenly





messengers. It is the awe inspired by the sure knowledge of a coming day of reckoning.

During the High Holy Days, the Jewish tradition is to try to remember every sin committed during the past year and to repent. If possible, restitution should be made to anyone you may have wronged. Apologies should be made to those whom you may have offended. Money should be paid to those you may have cheated. It is an opportunity to “clear the slate” with God before his judgment is finalized on the Day of Atonement. The idea is that no sin should remain un-atoned for by the end of that day.

As the beginning of the Days of Awe, Rosh HaShanah is a time to begin the process of remembering sins. This is a time of quite literally working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). Yet woven into this time is also a sense of great hope in the Lord: hope brought on by our remembrance of what the Lord has done, as well as the awareness that we are ourselves commemorating this day, just as God commanded us.

[Q] How does the binding together of hope and remembrance with awe affect your understanding of the phrase “the fear of the Lord”?

[Q] Put yourself in the place of anyone in the Bible—Moses, Isaiah, Mary—who had a direct encounter with God or one of his messengers. How do remembrance and hope help to temper the stark terror brought on by such a powerful presence?

[Q] Often, the first words spoken by God’s messengers to human beings are “don’t be afraid.” Do you think this helped? If so, how and why?


Awe without hope is terror, pure and simple. Hope without remembrance is wishful thinking, empty and without substance. Remembrance without awe is mere nostalgia. Yet these three strands combined weave an unbreakable cord, binding us to the sure and dependable love of the Lord and causing us to desire to follow him in all that we do—not from a sense of tradition or fear, but out of reciprocal love.

The combination of hope, remembrance, and awe create something else entirely: mindfulness. The full and present awareness of God in each waking moment of our lives is a goal we all should share, elusive though it may be. Meditating on God’s Word—and on its application to our lives—is one way of describing this mindfulness. Praying constantly is another. Simply being aware that God is here, with all that that implies, can help us to transcend the mundane day-to-day rituals of our lives.

Action Point: Practicing Mindfulness





1. See inside the ritual. Whenever you partake of any commemorative ceremony, whether it be the Lord’s Supper or a liturgical service or even an Easter Mass, deliberately take the time to look for God in the details. Which elements of the ceremony provoke hope? Which provoke remembrance? Which awe?

2. Go beyond the ritual. Deliberately bring to mind an awareness that God is right here, right now, in the midst of whatever you are doing. Whether it is a sacred ritual or a mundane one (such as brushing your teeth or drinking morning coffee), allow it to remind you of the presence of the Lord.

3. Embrace awe. We have watered down the fear of the Lord in too many of our modern services. While we do not need to be terrified of our loving Father, it would serve us well to tremble in his presence, even as our remembrance of his goodness gives us great hope. Awe can open the door to a greater and fuller sense of God’s presence in our lives.

4. Share your remembrance with others. The point of telling others about God’s great deeds is not only that they may know, but also that our own faith and mindfulness might be strengthened. This is the true meaning of communal remembrance: that through fellowship and re-telling the stories of our God, we might all grow closer to him and increase our mindfulness of his presence.
















LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 4Yom Kippur:

The Day of AtonementThis is a day of afflicting our souls.

Yom Kippur is the most important day of the Jewish year. Many Jews who are otherwise completely secular will fast or at least pray on Yom Kippur. God himself places an emphasis on Yom Kippur observance that sets it apart: “Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day” (Lev. 23:29–30). To refuse to observe Yom Kippur is to reject one’s Jewish identity entirely.

Lesson #4


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Yom Kippur: The Day of AtonementPage 2



The Bible makes clear that the Day of Atonement includes self-denial. It does not say exactly how we are to deny ourselves, but rabbinic tradition is very specific on this point. In all, there are five prohibitions for Yom Kippur, the most important of which is a complete 25-hour0 fast, not only from food but also from water. In addition to fasting there are prohibitions against anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions (including deodorant), sexual relations, washing and bathing, and wearing leather shoes (they were the most comfortable shoes at the time the prohibitions were written).

The primary purpose of Yom Kippur is the atonement of sins. It is a sort of “last chance” to clear your slate for the coming year. This is the culmination of a process of repentance which begins on the 1st of Elul, the last month of the Jewish Year. On Rosh HaShanah, God’s judgment is said to be complete, but he gives a 10-day “grace period” between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe. For these 10 days, Jews are supposed to try to remember—and atone for—all the sins of the past year. These are specifically sins against God, not against our fellow man. On Yom Kippur, at the end of the day, God is said to “seal” his judgment on mankind, so all sins should be confessed and repented of before the end of the Yom Kippur service.

Leviticus chapter 16 outlines a detailed set of sacrificial rituals intended to cleanse the children of Israel of their sins. These include animal sacrifices (a bull and a goat) as well as the ritual transference of the sins of the people to a scapegoat, through the laying on of hands (v. 21), after which the goat is driven into the wilderness. This is to be a yearly ritual for all the children of Israel, in addition to the individual sin offerings which are presented throughout the year.

The concept of ritual cleansing from impurity is central to the levitical law. There are two general classes of things which can make a person unclean: physical things (such as unclean food, fluid discharges, or sickness) and spiritual things, specifically what we call “sin.” The cleansing prayers and rituals for the Day of Atonement are for cleansing the people from their sins, transgressions, and iniquities, not from physical ritual impurity.

Atonement starts with the recognition of one’s spiritual state: we are unclean as a result of our sins against God. This recognition should lead naturally to repentance, which includes heartsick distress at our own unclean state along with a powerful desire to set it right. Repentance, purification, and atonement are inseparable, and in a sense the three are simultaneous. The wrenching grief we feel when confronted with the depth of our unrighteousness is a part of the process of atonement; without this sincere revulsion and rejection of sin, we are left with nothing but an empty ritual, devoid of power or meaning. Repeating “mea culpa” a thousand times is no substitute for actually meaning it just once.

0 The fast begins before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ends after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur.



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Forgiveness of sins is a result of God’s response to a repentant heart. The embracing of rituals or abstinence from actions should flow naturally from a repentant and absolved heart. It is important to keep cause and effect straight, not confusing our prayers of repentance with God’s grace: we cannot “force” God to forgive us and cleanse us from sin by repetition or wailing or even abject heartfelt apology. We repent because we are truly grieved; God forgives because he chooses to forgive.

Discussion Questions:Read James 1:22–2:26.

[Q] Jewish tradition holds that the performance of good deeds (mitzvoth; also translated as “commandments”) is the way to atonement. Christian tradition holds that faith in Jesus’ atoning work on the Cross is sufficient. How does the passage in James respond to each of those traditions?

[Q] What, in your understanding, is the correct balance or relationship between faith and works?

[Q] 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “… The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Is a change of heart all that is needed for atonement? Can atonement come without a change of heart? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Sin is poison.

When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. (Leviticus 16:20–22)

Three words in this passage deserve a closer look. In Hebrew they are khet (moral sin), avon (rebellion or transgression), and pesha (wickedness or iniquity). All three are sins against God, yet each is a particular type of sin. We are quite familiar with the concept of moral sin, and tend to focus much attention on this area. Transgression and iniquity, however, are often seen as ethical or legal failings rather than as sins against God. Yet the Bible very clearly links these three together as sources of uncleanness, separating us from fellowship with God.

Transgression is, quite simply, law-breaking. Stealing, lying, cheating, and other methods of deliberately breaking the law fall into this category. Stealing office supplies from work. Lying to the IRS; cheating on our taxes. Downloading music



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without paying for it. Making a coworker look bad so you can look good. Fudging on the time clock. Refusing to stand up for a friend. All these and more are transgressions, rebellion, sins against God. After all, nobody knows but you—and God.

When we transgress the laws, we transgress God’s law. And we make our souls, our hearts, unclean and unfit for his presence.

Iniquity is a word we don’t hear much outside of church. Perhaps a better translation into modern English would be “scamming,” or maybe “dissing.” It involves the deliberate wronging of other people, and is almost always perpetrated against the weak and helpless. If you really want to kindle the wrath of God, try taking advantage of the weak and defenseless. Read Malachi 3.

Those “who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice” are lumped together with sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers as people who do not fear God. The context of Malachi 3 is worth noting: God is warning the people that he is planning to send his Messiah, and that they are not ready. Why? Because of their iniquity.

[Q] Sin is destructive and leads to death. Yet many of us take sin lightly. In what ways do most of us take sin too lightly?

[Q] What common sins are excused or overlooked in your church?

[Q] Are you willing to share some of your “pet sins” with the group?

[Q] Why do you think there is so much emphasis on moral sins in the church, while such sins as covetousness, dishonesty, and pride are often ignored?

[Q] The Vatican recently added environmental destruction to its list of things which should be considered sinful. Does the Bible support this view of sin?

[Q] There has been a split between churches emphasizing justice and fighting poverty (the “social gospel”) and those emphasizing personal salvation and right doctrine. How can we balance these perspectives to arrive at a more complete representation of Jesus’ teachings on sin?

Teaching Point Two: Ritual has value.Yom Kippur is sometimes called the “Sabbath of Sabbaths,” and is the only Jewish fast day which can fall on the Sabbath (all other fast days are delayed by one day if they fall on the Sabbath, so as to keep the Sabbath a day of celebration).

The liturgy for Yom Kippur is far longer than for any other day of the year. Observant Jews spend much of the day in prayer services, asking forgiveness for their sins. An important part of the liturgy recited on Yom Kippur is the Al Khet (“For Sin”; often transliterated Al Chet) recitation, a confession of communal sins: not “I have sinned against you” but rather “we have sinned against you.” This is an extensive list of confessions, including such prayers as “for the sin we sinned before you … forcibly or willingly; … by hard-heartedness; … in business



LEADER’S GUIDE


dealings,” and many more. There is also a sort of catch-all confession: “Forgive us the breach of positive commands and negative commands, whether or not they involve an act, whether or not they are known to us.”

The vast majority of the sins enumerated involve mistreatment of other people, most of them by speech (offensive speech, scoffing, slander, tale-bearing, and swearing falsely, to name a few). These all fall into the category of sin known as lashon ha-ra (the evil tongue), which is considered a very serious sin in Judaism. As if to drive this point home, one of the Bible readings on Yom Kippur is the entire book of Jonah, the story of the consummate grumbler of the Old Testament.

The final service of Yom Kippur is the Ne’ilah (sometimes referred to as “locking the gate”). During this entire service, which lasts about an hour, the ark (the cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are kept) remains open, which means that the entire congregation must remain standing out of respect. This is the last chance to repent of sins before the gates of heaven are closed and the Book of Life is sealed.

The service ends with a very long blast of the shofar (ram’s horn), signifying an end to the period of reflection and repentance which began on Rosh HaShanah.

The point to all this ritual is to focus the mind on the fact that all of us have, in fact, sinned. Yom Kippur leaves no room for the self-righteous man to smugly pray “thank you, Lord, that I am not like these sinners” (Luke 18:9–14). The collective recitation of penitent prayers assumes that all of us, individually and as a community, are guilty of each and every sin listed. And just in case we weren’t paying attention, the Al Khet list of sins is repeated ten times during the Yom Kippur service.

Read the text of the Al Khet prayer (included at the end of this study).

[Q] What value is there to confessing sins that you don’t think you have committed?

[Q] Does this list remind you of sins you would otherwise have forgotten?

[Q] Without this liturgy, how likely do you think it is that people would consider whether they were guilty of these sins?

[Q] Is there a liturgical tradition in your church that helps you remember to confess sins you might otherwise have forgotten? If not, how could you incorporate this practice into your daily or church life?

Teaching Point Three: Grace has value.As with all Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur begins with sunset and continues until sunset the following day. The first service of Yom Kippur, therefore, is an evening service. This service is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named after the prayer that begins the service. The phrase means “all vows” in Aramaic, which is the language of this particular prayer, and it has often been misunderstood by non-Jews.



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The Kol Nidre prayer is more of a statement than a petition. It can be translated as follows:

All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

This has been used by anti-Semites as evidence that Jews are untrustworthy: after all, goes the argument, they yearly renounce all vows and promises they might make, in advance! How can anyone expect them to keep their word?

In truth, the Kol Nidre prayer is intended as an act of grace, as well as a reminder not to make empty promises or vows. The Kol Nidre applies only to promises made to God, not to other people. It is an acknowledgement that people are wont to make foolish promises to God in times of great stress, and grants absolution beforehand for these moments of weakness. Only a people who believe in God’s grace can confidently approach him before the fact with a request to disregard their future foolishness.

This theme of dependence on God’s gracious allowance for human weakness runs all through the Yom Kippur tradition, even though it might seem at first blush to be a strict and rigid sort of holiday. For example, the 25-hour fast looks pretty tough: not only are we to abstain from food, but also from water! Not eating is one thing, but not drinking? That’s really, really hard.

But here, too, there are exceptions. For the sake of health, the sick and infirm are exempt from the fast. Even the healthy are allowed to take tiny sips of water from time to time. And kids can opt out if they so choose—in fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (and up until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to.

Another example of this trust in God’s grace is the very concept of the Yom Kippur service itself. The Bible commands the temple sacrifice of a bull and a goat, as well as the transference of the sins of the people to a scapegoat. But with no temple, this command cannot possibly be fulfilled. Yet the Yom Kippur service remains, transformed from a day of animal sacrifice to a day of personal sacrifice.

The Midrash (a collection of Jewish commentaries) tells the story of a conversation between Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and Rabbi Joshua. Upon seeing the ruins of the second temple, Rabbi Joshua said, “Woe to us, that the place which granted atonement lies in ruins!” Rabbi Yohanan replied, “Do not be distressed, there is another kind of atonement which is like it—and what is that? It is the doing of good deeds (mitzvot).”0 This reflects the certainty on the part of the Jewish people that God would not leave them without a means of atonement. God’s grace is assured, even in the face of total disaster. Of course, as Christians, we know that God’s atonement is found in Jesus Christ.

0 From The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan, http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=46315.



http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=46315

LEADER’S GUIDE


Confronted with the potentially deadly consequences of un-atoned-for sin, recognizing their need for confession and repentance, the Jewish people turn naturally to ritual—yet woven throughout this ritual is the acknowledgment of their deep need for God’s grace. Without grace, all the repentance and sacrifice in the world is meaningless.

Read Leviticus 16.

[Q] How does the concept of the scapegoat illustrate God’s grace?

Leader’s Note: Point out that Jesus was the ultimate scapegoat and that God was preparing his people from the beginning to see our need for him.

[Q] Read Leviticus 16:26 again. God’s grace here appears to be conditional—the man is not allowed to rejoin the people until he fulfills certain conditions. Do you think God’s grace is always conditional? Why or why not?

[Q] Leviticus 23:32 identifies Yom Kippur as “a Sabbath of rest” as well as commanding that we afflict ourselves. How is a rest day devoted to “afflicting the soul” an example of God’s grace?

Optional Activity

Purpose: Communal repentance, prayer, and confession of sins, that we may draw nearer to God.

Activity: Set aside a time for a liturgical confession of sins. You may use the Al Khet prayer as a guideline, or any other liturgical confessional prayer of your choosing. If you are especially brave or committed, you may declare a partial fast for part or all of the day beforehand. It is not recommended to fast from water, since this can have serious health consequences, but a short fast from food is perfectly safe.

Remember, the Bible assumes that fasting will be a regular and normal part of the Christian life. Jesus did not say “if you fast,” but rather “when you fast” (Matthew 6:16).


Knowing that we are sinners is only a beginning. Repenting of our sins must include restitution, public confession, atonement, and total trust in a gracious God. While Jesus’ blood is our atonement, we are still expected to confess our sins one to another and to repent on a regular basis.

The very fact that God set up an institutional Day of Atonement illustrates that God is not taken by surprise when we sin. In fact, he expects it, and has prepared in advance for it. Like loving parents drawing a bath for their children each evening, God is prepared to wash us clean, since he fully expects us to get dirty.



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Our part is to come willingly, confessing our sins and repentant of our transgressions.

Action Point: Repent.

1) Take a look at a traditional list of sins such as the Al Khet, the Ten Commandments, or the Seven Deadly Sins. Pray for insight as to your own guilt in committing these sins. Allow the Lord to bring to mind ways in which you have transgressed that you may not have looked at before. Repent.

2) Take the time to honestly examine your heart before answering this question: what is your “pet sin,” the thing (or things) you know you should not do, but have convinced yourself that “it’s no big deal”? Allow God to deal with your heart on this matter. Repent.

3) Try to remain aware during the day of the many minor sins and transgressions you commit. Anger at the person who just cut you off in traffic. Envy of your coworker’s promotion or raise. Glancing just a bit too long at that attractive stranger on the street. Indulging ungodly thoughts or fantasies. Repent.





In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity , by Oscar Skarsaune (InterVarsity Press, 2002; ISBN: 978-0830826704)




APPENDIX: Al Khet Prayer

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.






http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=26704&event=ESRCN&item_code=&product_redirect=1&Ntk=keywords&Ntt=978-0830826704




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And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.

For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.

For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings. And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor. For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips. And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.


For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman. And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye. For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain. And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.


And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering. And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.



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And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one’s means].And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation.

For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvoth [commandments], whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware—before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated: The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.From From www.chabad.org

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/6577/jewish/Text-of-Al-Chet.htm






PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 4Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement

This is a day of afflicting our souls.

Yom Kippur is the most important day of the Jewish year. Many Jews who are otherwise completely secular will fast or at least pray on Yom Kippur. God himself places an emphasis on Yom Kippur observance that sets it apart: “Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day” (Lev. 23:29–30). To refuse to observe Yom Kippur is to reject one’s Jewish identity entirely.





The Bible makes clear that the Day of Atonement includes self-denial. It does not say exactly how we are to deny ourselves, but rabbinic tradition is very specific on this point. In all, there are five prohibitions for Yom Kippur, the most important of which is a complete 25-hour0 fast, not only from food but also from water. In addition to fasting there are prohibitions against anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions (including deodorant), sexual relations, washing and bathing, and wearing leather shoes (they were the most comfortable shoes at the time the prohibitions were written).

The primary purpose of Yom Kippur is the atonement of sins. It is a sort of “last chance” to clear your slate for the coming year. This is the culmination of a process of repentance which begins on the 1st of Elul, the last month of the Jewish Year. On Rosh HaShanah, God’s judgment is said to be complete, but he gives a 10-day “grace period” between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe. For these 10 days, Jews are supposed to try to remember—and atone for—all the sins of the past year. These are specifically sins against God, not against our fellow man. On Yom Kippur, at the end of the day, God is said to “seal” his judgment on mankind, so all sins should be confessed and repented of before the end of the Yom Kippur service.

Leviticus chapter 16 outlines a detailed set of sacrificial rituals intended to cleanse the children of Israel of their sins. These include animal sacrifices (a bull and a goat) as well as the ritual transference of the sins of the people to a scapegoat, through the laying on of hands (v. 21), after which the goat is driven into the wilderness. This is to be a yearly ritual for all the children of Israel, in addition to the individual sin offerings which are presented throughout the year.

The concept of ritual cleansing from impurity is central to the levitical law. There are two general classes of things which can make a person unclean: physical things (such as unclean food, fluid discharges, or sickness) and spiritual things, specifically what we call “sin.” The cleansing prayers and rituals for the Day of Atonement are for cleansing the people from their sins, transgressions, and iniquities, not from physical ritual impurity.

Atonement starts with the recognition of one’s spiritual state: we are unclean as a result of our sins against God. This recognition should lead naturally to repentance, which includes heartsick distress at our own unclean state along with a powerful desire to set it right. Repentance, purification, and atonement are inseparable, and in a sense the three are simultaneous. The wrenching grief we feel when confronted with the depth of our unrighteousness is a part of the process of atonement; without this sincere revulsion and rejection of sin, we are left with nothing but an empty ritual, devoid of power or meaning. Repeating “mea culpa” a thousand times is no substitute for actually meaning it just once.

Forgiveness of sins is a result of God’s response to a repentant heart. The embracing of rituals or abstinence from actions should flow naturally from a

0 The fast begins before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ends after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur.





repentant and absolved heart. It is important to keep cause and effect straight, not confusing our prayers of repentance with God’s grace: we cannot “force” God to forgive us and cleanse us from sin by repetition or wailing or even abject heartfelt apology. We repent because we are truly grieved; God forgives because he chooses to forgive.

Discussion Questions:Read James 1:22–2:26.

[Q] Jewish tradition holds that the performance of good deeds (mitzvoth; also translated as “commandments”) is the way to atonement. Christian tradition holds that faith in Jesus’ atoning work on the Cross is sufficient. How does the passage in James respond to each of those traditions?

[Q] What, in your understanding, is the correct balance or relationship between faith and works?

[Q] 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “… The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Is a change of heart all that is needed for atonement? Can atonement come without a change of heart? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Sin is poison.

When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert. (Leviticus 16:20–22)

Three words in this passage deserve a closer look. In Hebrew they are khet (moral sin), avon (rebellion or transgression), and pesha (wickedness or iniquity). All three are sins against God, yet each is a particular type of sin. We are quite familiar with the concept of moral sin, and tend to focus much attention on this area. Transgression and iniquity, however, are often seen as ethical or legal failings rather than as sins against God. Yet the Bible very clearly links these three together as sources of uncleanness, separating us from fellowship with God.

Transgression is, quite simply, law-breaking. Stealing, lying, cheating, and other methods of deliberately breaking the law fall into this category. Stealing office supplies from work. Lying to the IRS; cheating on our taxes. Downloading music without paying for it. Making a coworker look bad so you can look good. Fudging on the time clock. Refusing to stand up for a friend. All these and more are





transgressions, rebellion, sins against God. After all, nobody knows but you—and God.

When we transgress the laws, we transgress God’s law. And we make our souls, our hearts, unclean and unfit for his presence.

Iniquity is a word we don’t hear much outside of church. Perhaps a better translation into modern English would be “scamming,” or maybe “dissing.” It involves the deliberate wronging of other people, and is almost always perpetrated against the weak and helpless. If you really want to kindle the wrath of God, try taking advantage of the weak and defenseless. Read Malachi 3.

Those “who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice” are lumped together with sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers as people who do not fear God. The context of Malachi 3 is worth noting: God is warning the people that he is planning to send his Messiah, and that they are not ready. Why? Because of their iniquity.

[Q] Sin is destructive and leads to death. Yet many of us take sin lightly. In what ways do most of us take sin too lightly?

[Q] What common sins are excused or overlooked in your church?

[Q] Are you willing to share some of your “pet sins” with the group?

[Q] Why do you think there is so much emphasis on moral sins in the church, while such sins as covetousness, dishonesty, and pride are often ignored?

[Q] The Vatican recently added environmental destruction to its list of things which should be considered sinful. Do you think this is right or wrong? Does the Bible support this view of sin?

[Q] There has been a split between churches emphasizing justice and fighting poverty (the “social gospel”) and those emphasizing personal salvation and right doctrine. How can we balance these perspectives to arrive at a more complete representation of Jesus’ teachings on sin?

Teaching Point Two: Ritual has value.Yom Kippur is sometimes called the “Sabbath of Sabbaths,” and is the only Jewish fast day which can fall on the Sabbath (all other fast days are delayed by one day if they fall on the Sabbath, so as to keep the Sabbath a day of celebration).

The liturgy for Yom Kippur is far longer than for any other day of the year. Observant Jews spend much of the day in prayer services, asking forgiveness for their sins. An important part of the liturgy recited on Yom Kippur is the Al Khet (“For Sin”; often transliterated Al Chet) recitation, a confession of communal sins: not “I have sinned against you” but rather “we have sinned against you.” This is an extensive list of confessions, including such prayers as “for the sin we sinned before you … forcibly or willingly; … by hard-heartedness; … in business dealings,” and many more. There is also a sort of catch-all confession: “Forgive us





the breach of positive commands and negative commands, whether or not they involve an act, whether or not they are known to us.”

The vast majority of the sins enumerated involve mistreatment of other people, most of them by speech (offensive speech, scoffing, slander, tale-bearing, and swearing falsely, to name a few). These all fall into the category of sin known as lashon ha-ra (the evil tongue), which is considered a very serious sin in Judaism. As if to drive this point home, one of the Bible readings on Yom Kippur is the entire book of Jonah, the story of the consummate grumbler of the Old Testament.

The final service of Yom Kippur is the Ne’ilah (sometimes referred to as “locking the gate”). During this entire service, which lasts about an hour, the ark (the cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are kept) remains open, which means that the entire congregation must remain standing out of respect. This is the last chance to repent of sins before the gates of heaven are closed and the Book of Life is sealed.

The service ends with a very long blast of the shofar (ram’s horn), signifying an end to the period of reflection and repentance which began on Rosh HaShanah.

The point to all this ritual is to focus the mind on the fact that all of us have, in fact, sinned. Yom Kippur leaves no room for the self-righteous man to smugly pray “thank you, Lord, that I am not like these sinners” (Luke 18:9–14). The collective recitation of penitent prayers assumes that all of us, individually and as a community, are guilty of each and every sin listed. And just in case we weren’t paying attention, the Al Khet list of sins is repeated ten times during the Yom Kippur service.

Read the text of the Al Khet prayer (included at the end of this study).

[Q] What value is there to confessing sins that you don’t think you have committed?

[Q] Does this list remind you of sins you would otherwise have forgotten?

[Q] Without this liturgy, how likely do you think it is that people would consider whether they were guilty of these sins?

[Q] Is there a liturgical tradition in your church that helps you remember to confess sins you might otherwise have forgotten? If not, how could you incorporate this practice into your daily or church life?

Teaching Point Three: Grace has value.As with all Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur begins with sunset and continues until sunset the following day. The first service of Yom Kippur, therefore, is an evening service. This service is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named after the prayer which begins the service. The phrase means “all vows” in Aramaic, which is the language of this particular prayer, and it has often been misunderstood by non-Jews.

The Kol Nidre prayer is more of a statement than a petition. It can be translated as follows:





All personal vows we are likely to make, all personal oaths and pledges we are likely to take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither firm nor established. Let our personal vows, pledges and oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges nor oaths.

This has been used by anti-Semites as evidence that Jews are untrustworthy: after all, goes the argument, they yearly renounce all vows and promises they might make, in advance! How can anyone expect them to keep their word?

In truth, the Kol Nidre prayer is intended as an act of grace, as well as a reminder not to make empty promises or vows. The Kol Nidre applies only to promises made to God, not to other people. It is an acknowledgement that people are wont to make foolish promises to God in times of great stress, and grants absolution beforehand for these moments of weakness. Only a people who believe in God’s grace can confidently approach him before the fact with a request to disregard their future foolishness.

This theme of dependence on God’s gracious allowance for human weakness runs all through the Yom Kippur tradition, even though it might seem at first blush to be a strict and rigid sort of holiday. For example, the 25-hour fast looks pretty tough: not only are we to abstain from food, but also from water! Not eating is one thing, but not drinking? That’s really, really hard.

But here, too, there are exceptions. For the sake of health, the sick and infirm are exempt from the fast. Even the healthy are allowed to take tiny sips of water from time to time. And kids can opt out if they so choose—in fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (and up until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to.

Another example of this trust in God’s grace is the very concept of the Yom Kippur service itself. The Bible commands the temple sacrifice of a bull and a goat, as well as the transference of the sins of the people to a scapegoat. But with no temple, this command cannot possibly be fulfilled. Yet the Yom Kippur service remains, transformed from a day of animal sacrifice to a day of personal sacrifice.

The Midrash (a collection of Jewish commentaries) tells the story of a conversation between Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and Rabbi Joshua. Upon seeing the ruins of the second temple, Rabbi Joshua said, “Woe to us, that the place which granted atonement lies in ruins!” Rabbi Yohanan replied, “Do not be distressed, there is another kind of atonement which is like it—and what is that? It is the doing of good deeds (mitzvot).”0 This reflects the certainty on the part of the Jewish people that God would not leave them without a means of atonement. God’s grace is assured, even in the face of total disaster. Of course, as Christians, we know that God’s atonement is found in Jesus Christ.

Confronted with the potentially deadly consequences of un-atoned-for sin, recognizing their need for confession and repentance, the Jewish people turn naturally to ritual—yet woven throughout this ritual is the acknowledgment of

0 From The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan, http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=46315.



http://www.ujc.org/page.html?ArticleID=46315



their deep need for God’s grace. Without grace, all the repentance and sacrifice in the world is meaningless.

Read Leviticus 16.

[Q] How does the concept of the scapegoat illustrate God’s grace?

[Q] Read Leviticus 16:26 again. God’s grace here appears to be conditional—the man is not allowed to rejoin the people until he fulfills certain conditions. Do you think God’s grace is always conditional? Why or why not?

[Q] Leviticus 23:32 identifies Yom Kippur as “a Sabbath of rest” as well as commanding that we afflict ourselves. How is a rest day devoted to “afflicting the soul” an example of God’s grace?


Knowing that we are sinners is only a beginning. Repenting of our sins must include restitution, public confession, atonement, and total trust in a gracious God. While Jesus’ blood is our atonement, we are still expected to confess our sins one to another and to repent on a regular basis.

The very fact that God set up an institutional Day of Atonement illustrates that God is not taken by surprise when we sin. In fact, he expects it, and has prepared in advance for it. Like a loving parent drawing a bath for their children each evening, God is prepared to wash us clean, since he fully expects us to get dirty. Our part is to come willingly, confessing our sins and repentant of our transgressions.

Action Point: Repent.

1) Take a look at a traditional list of sins such as the Al Khet, the Ten Commandments, or the Seven Deadly Sins. Pray for insight as to your own guilt in committing these sins. Allow the Lord to bring to mind ways in which you have transgressed that you may not have looked at before. Repent.

2) Take the time to honestly examine your heart before answering this question: what is your “pet sin,” the thing (or things) you know you should not do, but have convinced yourself that “it’s no big deal”? Allow God to deal with your heart on this matter. Repent.

3) Try to remain aware during the day of the many minor sins and transgressions you commit. Anger at the person who just cut you off in traffic. Envy of your coworker’s promotion or raise. Glancing just a bit too long at that attractive stranger on the street. Indulging ungodly thoughts or fantasies. Repent.





APPENDIX: Al Khet Prayer

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.


For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings. And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor. For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips. And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.


For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman. And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye. For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.





And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain. And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.


And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering. And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one’s means].And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness. And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation.

For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvoth [commandments], whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware—before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated: The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.From From www.chabad.org







LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 5The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot):

The Latter HarvestThis feast emphasizes thanksgiving, celebration,

and a temporary dwelling.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals, the holidays on which the Jews were commanded to go up to Jerusalem. The other two are Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavu’ot). Like the Passover and Pentecost celebrations, the Feast of Tabernacles has historical, religious, and agricultural significance. Passover commemorates the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and marks the barley harvest; Pentecost is said to commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and marks the harvest of the firstfruits; and the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the 40 years of wandering in the desert and marks the final harvest of the agricultural year.

Lesson #5


LEADER’S GUIDE

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): The Latter HarvestPage 2



Like Passover, Sukkot is observed for an entire week, beginning with a sacred assembly followed by a holiday feast. Unlike Passover, Sukkot is observed as a purely joyous time, without any focus on harsh memories such as slavery or the deaths of the firstborn. In fact, God specifically commands the people of Israel to rejoice—that is, to be joyous and happy—in his sight. As a direct biblical command, the admonition to be happy during Sukkot actually carries more weight than the admonition to fast on Yom Kippur. Not to be joyous during Sukkot is to commit the sin of rebelliousness.

Sukkot begins on the 15th day of Tishrei, the seventh month in the Jewish calendar. Coming on the heels of the solemnity and reverence of Yom Kippur (which is observed on the 10th of Tishrei), Sukkot may seem like a rather abrupt about-face. One week all of Israel is fasting and repenting, afflicting their souls in fear and trembling, and the next they are laughing and feasting. At first glance this seems somewhat incongruous, but in fact the celebration is closely linked with the Yom Kippur fast. Sins have been forgiven, God had been gracious, and the harvest has been gathered in as proof of God’s faithful provision. Clearly a celebration is in order.

This celebration takes a specific form: the people of Israel are commanded to observe a number of rituals during the week of Sukkot . First and foremost, they are to dwell in booths (tabernacles) for the full seven days. NOTE: These should not be confused with the Tent of Meeting, also described as a tabernacle, where sacrifices were made to the Lord. The tabernacles in question are simple, temporary dwellings for people. There are a number of rabbinic traditions concerning the building of these booths; in brief, they are to be temporary, somewhat flimsy structures, and the roofs are to be made of branches or reeds laid loosely enough that one may see the stars through them at night.

In addition to dwelling in booths, the people are commanded to “take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days” (Lev 23:40b). Again, rabbinic tradition fills in this rather vague statute with numerous details: the fruit in question must include



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a citron0 (etrog), and the fronds and branches are specifically one palm branch, two willow branches, and three myrtle branches. These latter are bound together and collectively called a lulav (lit. palm frond). Together with the citron, these are known as the Four Species. There are detailed instructions for holding and waving these species during the Sukkot prayer services.

Just as the confessional prayers said on Yom Kippur are communal in nature (we have sinned rather than I have sinned), so the praises, thanksgiving, and rejoicing of the Sukkot holiday are communal in nature. Celebrants are commanded to invite strangers into their sukkah booth to share meals and rejoice together. The holiday is a weeklong festival of shared meals, as friends and relatives issue reciprocal invitations to come share in their respective sukkah booths.

The services for Sukkot are also communal in nature, with the community gathering together to share in reciting the Hallelu (“everyone praise”) prayers. In fact, the well-known Hebrew word hallelujah is itself a community-oriented word, meaning “everybody praise the Lord (together).” This idea that praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving are by their nature community activities is a key to understanding the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles.

If I rejoice by myself, I experience a measure of joy. But if you rejoice with me, my joy is increased. And when an entire faith community rejoices as one, the increase is exponential.

A key component of the Sukkot celebration is the temporary nature of the booths. Intended to evoke the nomadic dwellings of the 40-year journey en route to the Promised Land, the sukkah booths also serve to remind us of the transitory nature of our sojourn here on Earth. Just as the sukkah booths are fragile and temporary, so too are our bodies made of nearly ephemeral stuff. As the Hebrews in the desert were “just passing through” on their way to a better home, so we, too, are not really natives of this world. We’re on our way home, and our temporary dwellings of flesh should serve to remind us of that fact.

This unsettled, fragile component of the Sukkot dwelling lends an even more poignant note to the feasts and celebrations held inside. Enjoy this fleeting moment while it lasts, rejoice while we are together in this hut, because soon it will all come apart again. Now is the time to praise the Lord; today is the day of your salvation.


[Q] We often think of worship as the part of the service in which we sing to the Lord. What other forms of worship do you see in the Sukkot service?

[Q] What in your experience is the difference between worshiping alone and worshiping in a corporate setting?

[Q] How does the knowledge that life is fragile and brief affect your prayer and thanksgiving?

0 A relative of the lemon.



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PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Forgiveness and provision merit thanksgiving.

Read Exodus 16:9–35.

The Exodus generation were a grumbling, thankless lot for the most part. Yet God not only forgave their sins time and time again, he also provided for their every need. In fact, even though their lack of faith kept the Exodus generation (except for Joshua and Caleb) from entering the Promised Land, God nevertheless provided them with manna and kept their clothes sturdy and their feet healthy (Deuteronomy 8:4) for their whole lives as they wandered in the wilderness, living in sukkah booths.

Exodus 16:23–26 tells us that God not only provided for the needs of the people, he made a special provision so that they could celebrate the Sabbath as he had commanded. God’s attitude toward the people is one that, although not willing to countenance willful sin, nonetheless makes allowances for their weakness. In fact, the Bible often refers to them as “the children of Israel,” emphasizing perhaps not only their lineage but also their lack of maturity.

Imagine how much different things would have been had the children of Israel reacted to God’s provision with praise! If God forgave their stiff-necked rebellion and blessed them in spite of their sin, how much more would he have blessed their obedience and thanksgiving?

How often we are guilty of the sin of the Israelites! Rescued from slavery, brought along a difficult yet rewarding path toward the Promised Land, we grumble against God, accusing him of unfairness and of planning our destruction. When we don’t hear from God for what feels to us like a long time, we start to credit idols with our salvation: it is our 401(k) savings plan that will provide for us; our college degree that has rescued us; our diligence and perseverance rather than the grace of God that we place on a pedestal and worship.

Let us remember to give thanks to God. Thank him for providing the very air we breathe. Thank him for tolerating our childish rebellion and blessing us in spite of ourselves. Thank him for this incredible, beautiful world we live in. Give him praise for the very ability to praise him. God is a patient, loving, forgiving Father. Praise him!

[Q] What is the personal Egypt from which God led you? What did he free you from?

[Q] How have you been rebellious and thankless toward God? How has he responded?

[Q] List some ways in which God has provided for you—materially, spiritually, physically, or emotionally. How has God’s faithfulness in these ways helped you live with more trust now?



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Teaching Point Two: Together we can worship in spirit and in truth.Read Acts 2:29–47.

The apostle Peter’s astonishing Spirit-filled sermon on the Day of Pentecost amazed and convicted many people, and marked the start of the early church. The response was noteworthy: not only did three thousand people gladly receive baptism in the name of Jesus the Messiah, but they then went and sold their possessions, divided what they had among themselves, and began to live in the true spirit of brotherly love prophesied by Jesus: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Many of the apostle Paul’s letters deal with arguments and divisions among the early church, admonishing them to settle their differences in the love of Christ. Paul himself had conflicts within the church, both with Peter and with Barnabas. Yet nowhere do we read that the apostles walked away from fellowship or gave up on each other because of personality conflicts. In fact, the opposite is the case: always and everywhere we find the message of reconciliation and fellowship. Tradition holds that the apostle John, in the last years of his life, would say over and over to those who came to hear his teaching, “Little children, love one another.”

In the Western world today, there are well over 2,000 Protestant denominations, as well as a number of subsets and sects within the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Most of these divisions reflect political or personal disagreements rather than theological ones. And in America today, it has become common to move from one church to another based on such ephemeral things as the nature of the youth fellowship or the style of the songs introduced by a new worship leader. Rather than focus on fellowship, we tend to look to the church for what we are getting out of it.

There are legitimate reasons why fellowship with a certain group of people might be extremely difficult. If their theological outlook is such that you simply do not agree on core issues such as the identity of Christ or the accuracy of the Bible, then your fellowship will be limited. But an openhearted attempt at honest discussion of the issues can bring both sides closer to God than simply walking away ever will. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

Fellowship and brotherly love are not optional. Christ commands them, just as God commanded the children of Israel to invite strangers to celebrate Sukkot with them. This principle of reaching out to the “other” is a thread woven throughout the entire Bible. God wants us to love not only our friends, but our neighbors and even our enemies. Worship is all the sweeter when we agree together, even if our only point of agreement is that God is good.

[Q] What can be gained by listening to opposing points of view from other Christians?

[Q] Take a look around this discussion group. What makes this group work, in spite of your differences?



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[Q] Are there people you might never spend time with if not for your shared faith? Is this a positive or negative comment on your faith and fellowship practices?

[Q] The two “taboo” subjects in the West are politics and religion. Lately, the two have become more intertwined. Are political questions needlessly divisive in your church community? Can you think of a way to defuse these divisions without simply ignoring them?

[Q] What do you think is a valid reason to break fellowship with someone?

Teaching Point Three: We are just passing through.Read Matthew 18:1–20.

Jesus’ most central teaching is on the kingdom of heaven. Over and over he makes clear to us that this world is not our home; our goal and destination is God’s kingdom. He tells us to become like little children that we might enter the kingdom, and that it is better to enter life maimed than to be thrown into eternal fire. The implication is that we are not yet truly living—yet the kingdom of God is “at hand” and “among you.” It is there for the taking, if only we will grasp the gift.

Jesus tells the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 to “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (v. 21). In Luke 14:26–27, he tells the crowd to reject their family and even their own lives in order to follow him. And here in Matthew 18 he makes the shocking statement that we should be willing to cut off our hands and feet or pluck out our eyes in order to enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom is of inestimable value. Nothing in this world—possessions, family, even life and limb—is worth as much as the kingdom of God.

God’s command to the children of Israel to live in sukkah booths for one week each year is a reminder of the transience of life. The Exodus generation truly were “just passing through” the wilderness. This symbolism suggests a perspective that is nearly absent in Judaism: the idea that this life is merely a brief journey, and that the point is the destination rather than the sights along the way. Much of Judaism focuses on this life itself, ignoring speculation about heaven as irrelevant. The Christian idea of heaven as reward for the faithful simply does not exist in Judaism—rewards are given in this life, not in some nebulous afterlife.

The Feast of Tabernacles, however, points clearly at something beyond this life. The celebration of the final harvest is in itself suggestive, as is the concept of rejoicing because of the finality of the Atonement, which was pleaded for on Yom Kippur. There are plenty of symbols to anchor us to this world—fresh fruits from the harvest; praying while facing the six directions (east, west, north, south, up, and down) with the lulav and etrog in hand; eating and singing together with friends and family—all are very much a part of life on Earth. Yet as a backdrop for all of this, the flimsy and temporary structure of the sukkah reminds us that this, too, shall pass. We are on our way to the Promised Land.

[Q] What is hardest for you to give up: possessions? activities? opinions? something else?



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Do you think we must give these things up in order to gain the kingdom? Why or why not?

[Q] Jesus tells us to be as little children. The writer of Hebrews tells us we should be mature (5:11–6:3). How can these seemingly contradictory exhortations be reconciled?

[Q] How do you understand Jesus’ teachings that “the kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15) and “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21)? What, according to Jesus, is the kingdom of God?

Optional Activity:

Build a sukkah booth together and eat at least one communal meal in it. Decorate the sukkah with fresh fruit in season, posters, homemade decorations (such as paper chains), even Christmas-tree lights. Invite others to join you. Laugh, celebrate, sing, and praise the Lord together. If you like, try sleeping in the sukkah as well (kids especially enjoy the makeshift backyard camping aspect of Sukkot).

You can find instructions on how to build a sukkah by doing a simple internet search on “how to build a sukkah.” Don’t feel constrained to follow directions precisely: have fun with it! After all, God has commanded us to be joyful as we celebrate Sukkot .


By sleeping and eating in a fragile, temporary sukkah booth for a week, the point is driven home: this is not our final destination. We’re only passing through, heading for the Promised Land. We’re exchanging our lives, our fortunes, and our families for God’s kingdom, choosing instead to be a part of the family of Christ. And who are Jesus’ family members? Those who do the will of his Father (Matt 12:48–50). And what is that will? Loving God and loving our neighbor (Matt 22:37–40). The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of giving thanks, of fellowship, of giving up all we have, all we covet, all we are, in order to gain that which is truly permanent. It is the exchange of this ephemeral life for life eternal.

Action Point: Give thanks together, for this life is ephemeral and God is good.

1) When you catch yourself grumbling about life’s annoyances, try to bring to mind the Exodus generation and how much they lost by grumbling. Look to God’s deliverance and provision instead, and give thanks!

2) Be thankful for the diversity of humans on this earth. We’d be bored if not for the wide variety of characters. Even the annoying people give life extra flavor, as well as providing us with someone to pray for—and a lesson in patience. Make a point of thinking about the “different” people in your church the next time you



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worship together. You may not agree on much, but you can agree that God is good and give thanks together.

3) These tents we call bodies won’t last long and are easily broken. Allow aches and pains to remind you that this temporary dwelling is not your home. Try to see beyond the things of this world to the kingdom of God, which is all around you. The fragile nature of life, and even the heartache of sickness and loss, should serve to remind us of our ultimate destination.





DVD: Ushpizin (Picturehouse, 2006; Hebrew with English subtitles). This is a wonderful film about an orthodox Jewish couple, centered on the holiday of Sukkot.

Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles , David Brickner (Moody, 2006; ISBN 9780802413963)









http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=41396X&netp_id=433952&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details




PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 5The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot):

The Latter HarvestThis feast emphasizes thanksgiving, celebration, and a temporary

dwelling.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals, the holidays on which the Jews were commanded to go up to Jerusalem. The other two are Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavu’ot). Like the Passover and Pentecostcelebrations, the Feast of Tabernacles has historical, religious, and agricultural significance. Passover commemorates the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt and marks the barley harvest; Pentecost is said to commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and marks the harvest of the firstfruits; and the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the 40 years of wandering in the desertand marks the final harvest of the agricultural year.





Like Passover, Sukkot is observed for an entire week, beginning with a sacred assembly followed by a holiday feast. Unlike Passover, Sukkot is observed as a purely joyous time, without any focus on harsh memories such as slavery or the deaths of the firstborn. In fact, God specifically commands the people of Israel to rejoice—that is, to be joyous and happy—in his sight. As a direct biblical command, the admonition to be happy during Sukkot actually carries more weight than the admonition to fast on Yom Kippur. Not to be joyous during Sukkot is to commit the sin of rebelliousness.

Sukkot begins on the 15th day of Tishrei, the seventh month in the Jewish calendar. Coming on the heels of the solemnity and reverence of Yom Kippur (which is observed on the 10th of Tishrei), Sukkot may seem like a rather abrupt about-face. One week all of Israel is fasting and repenting, afflicting their souls in fear and trembling, and the next they are laughing and feasting. At first glance this seems somewhat incongruous, but in fact the celebration is closely linked with the Yom Kippur fast. Sins have been forgiven, God had been gracious, and the harvest has been gathered in as proof of God’s faithful provision. Clearly a celebration is in order.

This celebration takes a specific form: the people of Israel are commanded to observe a number of rituals during the week of Sukkot . First and foremost, they are to dwell in booths (tabernacles) for the full seven days. NOTE: These should not be confused with the Tent of Meeting, also described as a tabernacle, where sacrifices were made to the Lord. The tabernacles in question are simple, temporary dwellings for people. There are a number of rabbinic traditions concerning the building of these booths; in brief, they are to be temporary, somewhat flimsy structures, and the roofs are to be made of branches or reeds laid loosely enough that one may see the stars through them at night.

In addition to dwelling in booths, the people are commanded to “take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days” (Lev 23:40b). Again, rabbinic tradition fills in this rather vague statute with numerous details: the fruit in question must include a citron0 (etrog), and the fronds and branches are specifically one palm branch, two willow branches, and three myrtle branches. These latter are bound together and collectively called a lulav (lit. palm frond). Together with the citron, these are known as the Four Species. There are detailed instructions for holding and waving these species during the Sukkot prayer services.

Just as the confessional prayers said on Yom Kippur are communal in nature (we have sinned rather than I have sinned), so the praises, thanksgiving, and rejoicing of the Sukkot holiday are communal in nature. Celebrants are commanded to invite strangers into their sukkah booth to share meals and rejoice together. The holiday is a weeklong festival of shared meals, as friends and relatives issue reciprocal invitations to come share in their respective sukkah booths.

0 In the Shadow of the Temple, Oskar Skarsaune (InterVarsity Press, 2002), pp. 24–25.





The services for Sukkot are also communal in nature, with the community gathering together to share in reciting the Hallelu (“everyone praise”) prayers. In fact, the well-known Hebrew word hallelujah is itself a community-oriented word, meaning “everybody praise the Lord (together).” This idea that praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving are by their nature community activities is a key to understanding the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles.

If I rejoice by myself, I experience a measure of joy. But if you rejoice with me, my joy is increased. And when an entire faith community rejoices as one, the increase is exponential.

A key component of the Sukkot celebration is the temporary nature of the booths. Intended to evoke the nomadic dwellings of the 40-year journey en route to the Promised Land, the sukkah booths also serve to remind us of the transitory nature of our sojourn here on Earth. Just as the sukkah booths are fragile and temporary, so too are our bodies made of nearly ephemeral stuff. As the Hebrews in the desert were “just passing through” on their way to a better home, so we, too, are not really natives of this world. We’re on our way home, and our temporary dwellings of flesh should serve to remind us of that fact.

This unsettled, fragile component of the Sukkot dwelling lends an even more poignant note to the feasts and celebrations held inside. Enjoy this fleeting moment while it lasts, rejoice while we are together in this hut, because soon it will all come apart again. Now is the time to praise the Lord; today is the day of your salvation.


[Q] We often think of worship as the part of the service in which we sing to the Lord. What other forms of worship do you see in the Sukkot service?

[Q] What in your experience is the difference between worshiping alone and worshiping in a corporate setting?

[Q] How does the knowledge that life is fragile and brief affect your prayer and thanksgiving?

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: Forgiveness and provision merit thanksgiving.

Read Exodus 16:9–35.

The Exodus generation were a grumbling, thankless lot for the most part. Yet God not only forgave their sins time and time again, he also provided for their every need. In fact, even though their lack of faith kept the Exodus generation (except for Joshua and Caleb) from entering the Promised Land, God nevertheless provided them with manna and kept their clothes sturdy and their feet healthy





(Deuteronomy 8:4) for their whole lives as they wandered in the wilderness, living in sukkah booths.

Exodus 16:23–26 tells us that God not only provided for the needs of the people, he made a special provision so that they could celebrate the Sabbath as he had commanded. God’s attitude toward the people is one that, although not willing to countenance willful sin, nonetheless makes allowances for their weakness. In fact, the Bible often refers to them as “the children of Israel,” emphasizing perhaps not only their lineage but also their lack of maturity.

Imagine how much different things would have been had the children of Israel reacted to God’s provision with praise! If God forgave their stiff-necked rebellion and blessed them in spite of their sin, how much more would he have blessed their obedience and thanksgiving?

How often we are guilty of the sin of the Israelites! Rescued from slavery, brought along a difficult yet rewarding path toward the Promised Land, we grumble against God, accusing him of unfairness and of planning our destruction. When we don’t hear from God for what feels to us like a long time, we start to credit idols with our salvation: it is our 401(k) savings plan that will provide for us; our college degree that has rescued us; our diligence and perseverance rather than the grace of God that we place on a pedestal and worship.

Let us remember to give thanks to God. Thank him for providing the very air we breathe. Thank him for tolerating our childish rebellion and blessing us in spite of ourselves. Thank him for this incredible, beautiful world we live in. Give him praise for the very ability to praise him. God is a patient, loving, forgiving Father. Praise him!

[Q] What is the personal Egypt from which God led you? What did he free you from?

[Q] How have you been rebellious and thankless toward God? How has he responded?

[Q] List some ways in which God has provided for you—materially, spiritually, physically, or emotionally.

Teaching Point Two: Together we can worship in spirit and in truth.Read Acts 2:29–47.

The apostle Peter’s astonishing Spirit-filled sermon on the Day of Pentecost amazed and convicted many people, and marked the start of the early church. The response was noteworthy: not only did three thousand people gladly receive baptism in the name of Jesus the Messiah, but they then went and sold their possessions, divided what they had among themselves, and began to live in the true spirit of brotherly love prophesied by Jesus: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).





Many of the apostle Paul’s letters deal with arguments and divisions among the early church, admonishing them to settle their differences in the love of Christ. Paul himself had conflicts within the church, both with Peter and with Barnabas. Yet nowhere do we read that the apostles walked away from fellowship or gave up on each other because of personality conflicts. In fact, the opposite is the case: always and everywhere we find the message of reconciliation and fellowship. Tradition holds that the apostle John, in the last years of his life, would say over and over to those who came to hear his teaching, “Little children, love one another.”

In the Western world today, there are well over 2,000 Protestant denominations, as well as a number of subsets and sects within the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Most of these divisions reflect political or personal disagreements rather than theological ones. And in America today, it has become common to move from one church to another based on such ephemeral things as the nature of the youth fellowship or the style of the songs introduced by a new worship leader. Rather than focus on fellowship, we tend to look to the church for what we are getting out of it.

There are legitimate reasons why fellowship with a certain group of people might be extremely difficult. If their theological outlook is such that you simply do not agree on core issues such as the identity of Christ or the accuracy of the Bible, then your fellowship will be limited. But an openhearted attempt at honest discussion of the issues can bring both sides closer to God than simply walking away ever will. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

Fellowship and brotherly love are not optional. Christ commands them, just as God commanded the children of Israel to invite strangers to celebrate Sukkot with them. This principle of reaching out to the “other” is a thread woven throughout the entire Bible. God wants us to love not only our friends, but our neighbors and even our enemies. Worship is all the sweeter when we agree together, even if our only point of agreement is that God is good.

[Q] What can be gained by listening to opposing points of view from other Christians?

[Q] Take a look around this discussion group. What makes this group work, in spite of your differences?

[Q] Are there people you might never spend time with if not for your shared faith? Is this a positive or negative comment on your faith and fellowship practices?

[Q] The two “taboo” subjects in the West are politics and religion. Lately, the two have become more intertwined. Are political questions needlessly divisive in your church community? Can you think of a way to defuse these divisions without simply ignoring them?

[Q] What do you think is a valid reason to break fellowship with someone?





Teaching Point Three: We are just passing through.Read Matthew 18:1–20.

Jesus’ most central teaching is on the kingdom of heaven. Over and over he makes clear to us that this world is not our home; our goal and destination is God’s kingdom. He tells us to become like little children that we might enter the kingdom, and that it is better to enter life maimed than to be thrown into eternal fire. The implication is that we are not yet truly living—yet the kingdom of God is “at hand” and “among you.” It is there for the taking, if only we will grasp the gift.

Jesus tells the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 to “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (v. 21). In Luke 14:26–27, he tells the crowd to reject their family and even their own lives in order to follow him. And here in Matthew 18 he makes the shocking statement that we should be willing to cut off our hands and feet or pluck out our eyes in order to enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom is of inestimable value. Nothing in this world—possessions, family, even life and limb—is worth as much as the kingdom of God.

God’s command to the children of Israel to live in sukkah booths for one week each year is a reminder of the transience of life. The Exodus generation truly were “just passing through” the wilderness. This symbolism suggests a perspective that is nearly absent in Judaism: the idea that this life is merely a brief journey, and that the point is the destination rather than the sights along the way. Much of Judaism focuses on this life itself, ignoring speculation about heaven as irrelevant. The Christian idea of heaven as reward for the faithful simply does not exist in Judaism—rewards are given in this life, not in some nebulous afterlife.

The Feast of Tabernacles, however, points clearly at something beyond this life. The celebration of the final harvest is in itself suggestive, as is the concept of rejoicing because of the finality of the Atonement, which was pleaded for on Yom Kippur. There are plenty of symbols to anchor us to this world—fresh fruits from the harvest; praying while facing the six directions (east, west, north, south, up, and down) with the lulav and etrog in hand; eating and singing together with friends and family—all are very much a part of life on Earth. Yet as a backdrop for all of this, the flimsy and temporary structure of the sukkah reminds us that this, too, shall pass. We are on our way to the Promised Land.

[Q] What is hardest for you to give up: possessions? activities? opinions? something else?

Do you think we must give these things up in order to gain the kingdom? Why or why not?

[Q] Jesus tells us to be as little children. The writer of Hebrews tells us we should be mature (5:11–6:3). How can these seemingly contradictory exhortations be reconciled?

[Q] How do you understand Jesus’ teachings that “the kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15) and “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21)? What, according to Jesus, is the kingdom of God?






By sleeping and eating in a fragile, temporary sukkah booth for a week, the point is driven home: this is not our final destination. We’re only passing through, heading for the Promised Land. We’re exchanging our lives, our fortunes, and our families for God’s kingdom, choosing instead to be a part of the family of Christ. And who are Jesus’ family members? Those who do the will of his Father (Matt 12:48–50). And what is that will? Loving God and loving our neighbor (Matt 22:37–40). The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of giving thanks, of fellowship, of giving up all we have, all we covet, all we are, in order to gain that which is truly permanent. It is the exchange of this ephemeral life for life eternal.

Action Point: Give thanks together, for this life is ephemeral and God is good.

1) When you catch yourself grumbling about life’s annoyances, try to bring to mind the Exodus generation and how much they lost by grumbling. Look to God’s deliverance and provision instead, and give thanks!

2) Be thankful for the diversity of humans on this earth. We’d be bored if not for the wide variety of characters. Even the annoying people give life extra flavor, as well as providing us with someone to pray for—and a lesson in patience. Make a point of thinking about the “different” people in your church the next time you worship together. You may not agree on much, but you can agree that God is good and give thanks together.

3) These tents we call bodies won’t last long and are easily broken. Allow aches and pains to remind you that this temporary dwelling is not your home. Try to see beyond the things of this world to the kingdom of God, which is all around you. The fragile nature of life, and even the heartache of sickness and loss, should serve to remind us of our ultimate destination.





DVD: Ushpizin (Picturehouse, 2006; Hebrew with English subtitles). This is a wonderful film about an orthodox Jewish couple, centered on the holiday of Sukkot.

Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles , David Brickner (Moody, 2006; ISBN 9780802413963)



http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=41396X&netp_id=433952&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details




LEADER’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 6Hanukkah:

Celebrating the Eternal LightJesus is the light of the world.

Until recently, Hanukkah has been seen as a very minor holiday in the Jewish year. With the immigration of large numbers of European Jews to the United States in the early 20th century, this began to change as these immigrants assimilated into American society. For most American children, Christmas is the high point of the year, primarily because of the shower of gifts they can anticipate. Not wanting their kids to feel left out, Jewish Americans began to appropriate Hanukkah—the closest Jewish holiday to Christmas—as a sort of “Jewish Christmas,” with gift giving, lights, and in some cases even a tree (euphemistically called a “Hanukkah bush”).

Previously, however, Hanukkah was given no more importance than any of the other minor holidays which are not found in the Bible. Even today, the traditions associated with Hanukkah are seen as somewhat questionable by many Jewish scholars. There are a number of reasons for this, not least of which is that the core story behind Hanukkah involves a clear violation of the commandments surrounding temple worship and sacrifice.

Lesson #6

Scripture:John 10:22–42

Apocryphal Books:1 Maccabees 2:1–48; 2 Maccabees 10:1–8

(available at http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/index.htm#index)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/index.htm#index

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Hanukkah: Celebrating the Eternal LightPage 2



God can use even our rebellion to glorify himself.

The story of Hanukkah begins in 167 B.C., with the occupation of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of the Hellenistic (Greek influenced) Seleucid Empire. Antiochus was determined to spread Greek culture to every corner of his empire, and in the case of Israel this meant forcing the Jews to worship Zeus. Unlike other conquered peoples, however, the Jews were not willing to worship the gods of their conquerors. Enraged at what he perceived as stubbornness, Antiochus seized the city of Jerusalem, entered the temple with his soldiers, and sacrificed a pig on the altar in the Holy of Holies. He then attempted to force the Jewish men in the area to eat the pig meat, which is unclean according to levitical law.

Antiochus removed all of the Torah scrolls from the temple and had them burned. He also had his soldiers kill anyone in Jerusalem who was found to have a Torah scroll in his possession, as well as any mother who had her son circumcised.

Antiochus’s brutal attempts to force Greek culture and religion on the Jews merely strengthened their resistance, and soon after the desecration of the temple a rural priest named Mattathias began what was to become a violent revolt against the Seleucid occupiers. A soldier had come to Mattathias’s small town of Modi’in, where he set up an idol in the town square and ordered the townspeople to offer sacrifices to it. Before the first Jew could complete his sacrifice, however, Mattathias killed him in a righteous fury, then slew the king’s soldier.

According to the apocryphal Book of Maccabees, “Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: ‘Let everyone who is zealous for the law and



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supports the covenant come with me!’ Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town” (1 Macc. 2:27–28).0

This action made Mattathias and his family into folk heroes, and after Mattathias’s death about one year later, his son Judah Maccabee led a ragtag army of Jewish rebels to victory over their oppressors. And that’s where history gets a bit muddy.

We know for certain that Judah Maccabee and his followers retook Jerusalem, where they entered the temple and began cleansing it and rededicating it to the Lord. On the face of it, this seems fine—until you read the laws regarding temple services and see that nobody is allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except for members of the levitical priesthood, the descendants of Aaron. By disregarding the law and the covenant, the Maccabees placed the newly independent nation of Judah firmly on the side of compromise. This continued to be the case even after the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C., creating a hybrid form of Judaism that was deeply influenced by the Greco-Roman culture of the day.

The story of HanukkahHere’s how the story of the Hanukkah miracle is told: having cleansed the temple, the Maccabees search for undesecrated oil with which to light the lampstand in the Holy of Holies. Once lit, this lamp is supposed to burn day and night (Exod. 27:20–21), but they can only find one day’s worth of oil. It will take eight days to press fresh oil and consecrate more. What to do?

In faith, the Maccabees bless the day’s worth of oil they have found and light the lamp. And—miracle of miracles!—the oil lasts for eight full days, until they are able to replenish the supply. God’s command regarding the lamp is honored, thus proving that God is pleased by the re-consecration of the temple.

This story is not found in the Book of Maccabees; it was not written down until approximately 600 years after Judah Maccabee, in the Babylonian Talmud. In reality, the eight days of Hanukkah were likely instituted by the Maccabees as a belated celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. 2 Maccabees 10 says:

Now upon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Casleu (Kislev). And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts. Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews. (vv. 5–8)

The Hanukkah story appears to be the continuation of an attempt to legitimize the Maccabean disregard for the Torah’s injunction against anyone other than the sons of Aaron performing temple services. Thus, the events which led to the

0 http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm#Extra




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establishment of Hanukkah also served to strengthen the Hellenized form of Judaism—a form which was firmly established by the time of Jesus, and which we see in the New Testament.

Nonetheless, Hanukkah today is celebrated as the Festival of Lights, honoring a God who loves his people and who intervenes on their behalf. God took the rebellion of the Maccabees—which was not only a rebellion against Antiochus, but also against God’s word concerning temple worship—and turned it into a lasting testimony to his glory.


[Q] Can you think of a time in your own life when God turned your rebellion or disobedience into glory?

[Q] During this period of Israel’s history, the Jews were veering far from what God had told them in the Old Testament. Yet in doing so, they were setting the stage for Jesus to enter the world. Does this mean that what they did was, in some sense, right? Explain.

PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: There is curable and incurable blindness.

Sometimes even the light of the world is not enough to see by, if we refuse to open our eyes. In John 10, Jesus calls himself “the gate for the sheep” and “the good shepherd” (v. 7, 11). Verses 19–21 say, “At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’ But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’”

Some of the people thought Jesus was out of his mind for calling himself a sheep-gate and a good shepherd. Others reasoned that he could not be insane or demon-possessed, based on the strength of his miracles. There is no indication that this second group understood what he was saying any more than the first did, but at least they were willing to listen.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry this same division can be seen: some people dismissed his teachings as mindless raving, while others recognized that Jesus not only taught with clarity and authority, but also with signs and wonders. Neither group really seems to have understood what Jesus was saying—for that matter, even his disciples missed it much of the time!—but their willingness or unwillingness to listen divided them into two camps. Both were blind, but only one could have their eyes opened.

It is worth taking to time to consider others’ arguments carefully, even if we end up rejecting them. At least we will reject them with understanding.

Read John 10:22–42.



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[Q] When Jesus finally spelled out exactly who he was, the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. They understood exactly what he was claiming, but refused to even consider that it might be true. Why do you think they were so unwilling to accept even the possibility that he might be the Messiah?

[Q] This event took place nearly five months before the Crucifixion. Yet when the Sanhedrin were accusing Jesus before handing him over to Pilate, they asked again for a clear statement as to whether or not he was the Messiah (Mark 14:61). Why do you think they still did not understand who he was claiming to be?

[Q] What made you believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be?

[Q] When have you refused to listen to a spiritual idea that you later recognized as truth? What made you refuse to listen to it at first, and what changed your mind?

Teaching Point Two: Jesus is the light of the world.Jesus grew up with Hanukkah, although it was called the Feast of Dedication at that time. Whether Jesus actively celebrated Hanukkah as an adult is not clear; we do know that Jesus was in Jerusalem during at least one Hanukkah celebration, and that he chose this time to make one of his clearest claims of Messianic identity (John 10:22–42). Among other things, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30), and “I am God’s Son” (v. 36).

It is significant that Jesus chose to make this declaration in Solomon’s Colonnade (v. 23), rather than in the inner temple courts. This colonnade was part of the Court of the Gentiles, meaning that anyone, Jew or Gentile, could come there to worship God. Thus Jesus declared himself to be God incarnate—the Son of God—not to the Jewish leadership alone, but to all the world. The Gentile world, as well as the Jewish, was privy to this announcement.

Making the point even more inescapable, Jesus tells the Jewish leaders, “The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (vv. 25b–27). This harkens back to what Jesus said earlier in chapter 10: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (vv. 14–16). Jesus is declaring himself to be the Messiah of the whole world, not just of the Jews.

This is a point that is often missed when we study the Scriptures. Statements such as “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) are taken for granted: of course Jesus is the light of the world, and we are to take the Good News into all the world. Nothing special there, it’s part of the package.

But to the Jews of Jesus’ day, this idea was revolutionary. The Messiah was supposed to be the light of Israel, not the Gentiles as well! Sure, the Messiah



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would establish Jerusalem as the center of the world, and the Gentiles would come there to worship the Lord—but as second-class spiritual citizens. The Messiah would establish the Jewish people as the light of the world, not take up the position himself. The Jews were expecting a Messiah who would bring glory and honor to all of Israel: a mighty king who would lead the Jews, who in turn would rule the world. And Jesus was proposing to trash those dreams of glory, inviting the Gentiles in on an even footing.

How little has changed since those days. All too often we Christians look for credit, when it really belongs to Christ. As individuals and as congregations, we love to be the light—but we are supposed to be pointing to the light. What stubborn sheep our Lord has. What a good and patient Shepherd he is.

[Q] Give some examples of how you or your congregation has thoughtlessly accepted praise that belongs to God. How can we avoid this in the future?

[Q] What practical ways in our daily lives can we point to Jesus as the light of the world?

[Q] Jesus also told the church, “You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). How can we be the light of the world if that’s who Jesus is? Does this make it all right for us to accept praise and glory? Explain.

Optional Activity

Throw a Hanukkah party! Find or make a hanukkiah (eight-branched candelabrum), cook up some potato latkes (pancakes) and/or sufganiot (jelly donuts), and recite this blessing while lighting the Hanukkah candles:

Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who did miracles for our fathers, in those days, at this time.

Blessed are you, Lord, our God, king of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.

Follow the links at the end of this study for recipes and other ideas for celebrating Hanukkah.


The Maccabees rebelled against Antiochus for a good reason, but when they ignored God’s precepts regarding temple worship, their zeal led them to disobedience. Too often we find ourselves justifying wrong actions in the name of righteous motivations. Yet God, in his sovereign grace, has allowed Hanukkah to become a light-giving holiday. And he has done the same for many well-meaning Christian blunders throughout the years.



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This should open our eyes to the fact that God is often less concerned with details than we are. We correctly point out the theological mistakes of others, and think ourselves righteous for doing so. But God looks at the heart.

After all, there are elements of Christian holidays which have no basis in Scripture and could even be considered unscriptural (Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies come readily to mind). Yet God has not abandoned these holidays or turned his back on us for celebrating them; on the contrary, he has often used Easter services to bring the lost to himself. God uses anything and everything for his purposes.

Action Points:

1) Next time you hear someone declaring an opinion, whether political, religious, or otherwise that you disagree with, make an effort not to shut them out. Instead, listen carefully. Engage the person and try to understand their point of view. Don’t try to convince them of your point of view, just listen to their arguments until you are certain you really understand how they think. You might learn something.

2) As you study the Bible, be aware that there have been many different ways of interpreting various passages throughout they years, and that each has, in turn, been considered to comprise Christian orthodoxy. Considering the different ways in which people understand Scripture can deepen our own understanding, even if we end up disagreeing with other points of view. Jesus read Isaiah in a way nobody had ever heard before, and the people tried to stone him for it (Luke 4:16–30). Don’t shut out teaching just because it is unfamiliar.






A Messianic Look at Christmas and Hanukkah (Purple Pomegranate Productions; ISBN: 1-881022-22-6)

Information about Hanukkah, including recipes: http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/hanukkah/hanukkah.php http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Chanukah.htm



http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Chanukah.htm


http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/hanukkah/hanukkah.php

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm





LEADER’S GUIDE




PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE FOR STUDY 6Hanukkah: Celebrating the Eternal

LightJesus is the light of the world.

Until recently, Hanukkah has been seen as a very minor holiday in the Jewish year. With the immigration of large numbers of European Jews to the United States in the early 20th century, this began to change asthese immigrants assimilated into American society. For most American children, Christmas is the high point of the year, primarily because of the shower of gifts they can anticipate. Not wanting their kids to feel left out, Jewish Americans began to appropriate Hanukkah—the closest Jewish holiday to Christmas—as a sort of “Jewish Christmas,” with gift giving, lights, and in some cases even a tree (euphemistically called a “Hanukkah bush”).



LESSON #6 SCRIPTURE: JOHN 10:22–42 APOCRYPHAL BOOKS: 1 MACCABEES 2:1–48; 2 MACCABEES 10:1–8 (AVAILABLE AT HTTP://WWW.SACRED-TEXTS.COM/BIB/APO/INDEX.HTM#INDEX) PART 1Identify the Current Issue

God can use even our rebellion to glorify himself.

The story of Hanukkah begins in 167 B.C., with the occupation of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of the Hellenistic (Greek influenced) Seleucid Empire. Antiochus was determined to spread Greek culture to every corner of his empire, and in the case of Israel this meant forcing the Jews to worship Zeus. Unlike other conquered peoples, however, the Jews were not willing to worship the gods of their conquerors. Enraged at what he perceived as stubbornness, Antiochus seized the city of Jerusalem, entered the temple with his soldiers, and sacrificed a pig on the altar in the Holy of Holies. He then attempted to force the Jewish men in the area to eat the pig meat, which is unclean according to levitical law.

Antiochus removed all of the Torah scrolls from the temple and had them burned. He also had his soldiers kill anyone in Jerusalem who was found to have a Torah scroll in his possession, as well as any mother who had her son circumcised.

Antiochus’s brutal attempts to force Greek culture and religion on the Jews merely strengthened their resistance, and soon after the desecration of the temple a rural priest named Mattathias began what was to become a violent revolt against the Seleucid occupiers. A soldier had come to Mattathias’s small town of Modi’in, where he set up an idol in the town square and ordered the townspeople to offer sacrifices to it. Before the first Jew could complete his sacrifice, however, Mattathias killed him in a righteous fury, then slew the king’s soldier.

According to the apocryphal Book of Maccabees, “Then Mattathias cried out in the town with a loud voice, saying: ‘Let everyone who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come with me!’ Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town” (1 Macc. 2:27–28).0

This action made Mattathias and his family into folk heroes, and after Mattathias’s death about one year later, his son Judah Maccabee led a ragtag army of Jewish rebels to victory over their oppressors. And that’s where history gets a bit muddy.

We know for certain that Judah Maccabee and his followers retook Jerusalem, where they entered the temple and began cleansing it and rededicating it to the Lord. On the face of it, this seems fine—until you read the laws regarding temple services and see that nobody is allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except for members of the levitical priesthood, the descendants of Aaron. By disregarding the law and the covenant, the Maccabees placed the newly independent nation of Judah firmly on the side of compromise. This continued to be the case even after the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C., creating a hybrid form of Judaism that was deeply influenced by the Greco-Roman culture of the day.

0 http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/liturgical_texts/TO_Machzor_3530.htm






The story of HanukkahHere’s how the story of the Hanukkah miracle is told: having cleansed the temple, the Maccabees search for undesecrated oil with which to light the lampstand in the Holy of Holies. Once lit, this lamp is supposed to burn day and night (Exod. 27:20–21), but they can only find one day’s worth of oil. It will take eight days to press fresh oil and consecrate more. What to do?

In faith, the Maccabees bless the day’s worth of oil they have found and light the lamp. And—miracle of miracles!—the oil lasts for eight full days, until they are able to replenish the supply. God’s command regarding the lamp is honored, thus proving that God is pleased by the re-consecration of the temple.

This story is not found in the Book of Maccabees; it was not written down until approximately 600 years after Judah Maccabee, in the Babylonian Talmud. In reality, the eight days of Hanukkah were likely instituted by the Maccabees as a belated celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. 2 Maccabees 10 says:

Now upon the same day that the strangers profaned the temple, on the very same day it was cleansed again, even the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Casleu (Kislev). And they kept the eight days with gladness, as in the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long afore they had held the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts. Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also, and sang psalms unto him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews. (vv. 5–8)

The Hanukkah story appears to be the continuation of an attempt to legitimize the Maccabean disregard for the Torah’s injunction against anyone other than the sons of Aaron performing temple services. Thus, the events which led to the establishment of Hanukkah also served to strengthen the Hellenized form of Judaism—a form which was firmly established by the time of Jesus, and which we see in the New Testament.

Nonetheless, Hanukkah today is celebrated as the Festival of Lights, honoring a God who loves his people and who intervenes on their behalf. God took the rebellion of the Maccabees—which was not only a rebellion against Antiochus, but also against God’s word concerning temple worship—and turned it into a lasting testimony to his glory.


[Q] Can you think of a time in your own life when God turned your rebellion or disobedience into glory?

[Q] During this period of Israel’s history, the Jews were veering far from what God had told them in the Old Testament. Yet in doing so, they were setting the stage for Jesus to enter the world. Does this mean that what they did was, in some sense, right? Explain.





PART 2Discover the Eternal PrinciplesTeaching Point One: There is curable and incurable blindness.

Sometimes even the light of the world is not enough to see by, if we refuse to open our eyes. In John 10, Jesus calls himself “the gate for the sheep” and “the good shepherd” (v. 7, 11). Verses 19–21 say, “At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’ But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’”

Some of the people thought Jesus was out of his mind for calling himself a sheep-gate and a good shepherd. Others reasoned that he could not be insane or demon-possessed, based on the strength of his miracles. There is no indication that this second group understood what he was saying any more than the first did, but at least they were willing to listen.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry this same division can be seen: some people dismissed his teachings as mindless raving, while others recognized that Jesus not only taught with clarity and authority, but also with signs and wonders. Neither group really seems to have understood what Jesus was saying—for that matter, even his disciples missed it much of the time!—but their willingness or unwillingness to listen divided them into two camps. Both were blind, but only one could have their eyes opened.

It is worth taking to time to consider others’ arguments carefully, even if we end up rejecting them. At least we will reject them with understanding.

Read John 10:22–42.

[Q] When Jesus finally spelled out exactly who he was, the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. They understood exactly what he was claiming, but refused to even consider that it might be true. Why do you think they were so unwilling to accept even the possibility that he might be the Messiah?

[Q] This event took place nearly five months before the Crucifixion. Yet when the Sanhedrin were accusing Jesus before handing him over to Pilate, they asked again for a clear statement as to whether or not he was the Messiah (Mark 14:61). Why do you think they still did not understand who he was claiming to be?

[Q] What made you consider that Jesus is who he claimed to be?

[Q] When have you refused to listen to a spiritual idea that you later recognized as truth? What made you refuse to listen to it at first, and what changed your mind?





Teaching Point Two: Jesus is the light of the world.Jesus grew up with Hanukkah, although it was called the Feast of Dedication at that time. Whether Jesus actively celebrated Hanukkah as an adult is not clear; we do know that Jesus was in Jerusalem during at least one Hanukkah celebration, and that he chose this time to make one of his clearest claims of Messianic identity (John 10:22–42). Among other things, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30), and “I am God’s Son” (v. 36).

It is significant that Jesus chose to make this declaration in Solomon’s Colonnade (v. 23), rather than in the inner temple courts. This colonnade was part of the Court of the Gentiles, meaning that anyone, Jew or Gentile, could come there to worship God. Thus Jesus declared himself to be God incarnate—the Son of God—not to the Jewish leadership alone, but to all the world. The Gentile world, as well as the Jewish, was privy to this announcement.

Making the point even more inescapable, Jesus tells the Jewish leaders, “The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (vv. 25b–27). This harkens back to what Jesus said earlier in chapter 10: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (vv. 14–16). Jesus is declaring himself to be the Messiah of the whole world, not just of the Jews.

This is a point which is often missed when we study the Scriptures. Statements such as “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) are taken for granted: of course Jesus is the light of the world, and we are to take the Good News into all the world. Nothing special there, it’s part of the package.

But to the Jews of Jesus’ day, this idea was revolutionary. The Messiah was supposed to be the light of Israel, not the Gentiles as well! Sure, Messiah would establish Jerusalem as the center of the world, and the Gentiles would come there to worship the Lord—but as second-class spiritual citizens. Messiah would establish the Jewish people as the light of the world, not take up the position himself. The Jews were expecting a Messiah who would bring glory and honor to all of Israel: a mighty king who would lead the Jews, who in turn would rule the world. And Jesus was proposing to trash those dreams of glory, inviting the Gentiles in on an even footing.

How little has changed since those days. All too often we Christians look for credit, when it really belongs to Christ. As individuals and as congregations, we love to be the light—but we are supposed to be pointing to the light. What stubborn sheep our Lord has. What a good and patient Shepherd he is.

[Q] Give some examples of how you or your congregation has thoughtlessly accepted praise that belongs to God. How can we avoid this in the future?





[Q] What practical ways in our daily lives can we point to Jesus as the light of the world?

[Q] Jesus also told the church, “You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16). How can we be the light of the world if that’s who Jesus is? Does this make it all right for us to accept praise and glory? Explain.


The Maccabees rebelled against Antiochus for a good reason, but when they ignored God’s precepts regarding temple worship, their zeal led them to disobedience. Too often we find ourselves justifying wrong actions in the name of righteous motivations. Yet God, in his sovereign grace, has allowed Hanukkah to become a light-giving holiday. And he has done the same for many well-meaning Christian blunders throughout the years.

This should open our eyes to the fact that God is often less concerned with details than we are. We correctly point out the theological mistakes of others, and think ourselves righteous for doing so. But God looks at the heart.

After all, there are elements of Christian holidays which have no basis in Scripture and could even be considered unscriptural (Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies come readily to mind). Yet God has not abandoned these holidays or turned his back on us for celebrating them; on the contrary, he has often used Easter services to bring the lost to himself. God uses anything and everything for his purposes.

Action Points:

1) Next time you hear someone declaring an opinion, whether political, religious, or otherwise that you disagree with, make an effort not to shut them out. Instead, listen carefully. Engage the person and try to understand their point of view. Don’t try to convince them of your point of view, just listen to their arguments until you are certain you really understand how they think. You might learn something.

2) As you study the Bible, be aware that there have been many different ways of interpreting various passages throughout they years, and that each has, in turn, been considered to comprise Christian orthodoxy. Considering the different ways in which people understand Scripture can deepen our own understanding, even if we end up disagreeing with other points of view. Jesus read Isaiah in a way nobody had ever heard before, and the people tried to stone him for it (Luke 4:16–30). Don’t shut out teaching just because it is unfamiliar.

Bio?








A Messianic Look at Christmas and Hanukkah (Purple Pomegranate Productions; ISBN: 1-881022-22-6)

Information about Hanukkah, including recipes: http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/hanukkah/hanukkah.php http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Chanukah.htm





http://www.akhlah.com/holidays/hanukkah/hanukkah.php

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm





Current Issues Bible Study · Web viewMeditating on God’s Word—and on its application to our...

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