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Rest
Rest. What does that mean to you?
Recently, our Bible study group had the pleasure and privilege of attending a Friday evening Shabbat in the lovely home of a lovely family who embrace Messianic Judaism. Messianic Jews recognize Jesus as Messiah while continuing to practice the traditions of the Jewish faith in order to acknowledge and honor the ties between the two. Our evening was filled with sensory delights--candles flickering on the table, soft, fragrant loaves of braided challah, talk and laughter amidst the clinking of silverware and the earthy, elemental sounds of the Hebrew language, ancient blessings our host spoke over all of us gathered around the table.
Our Bible study group uses The One Year Bible as a text. At this time of year, our Old Testament readings are in Exodus and Leviticus, and our New Testament readings are in the Gospels. The timing was perfect for us to participate in a Shabbat. Attending this ceremony brought the Scriptures we've been reading alive for us in a brand new way. For example, take the following passage, we'd discussed at length in Bible study just two weeks before:
Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, "Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions" (Exodus 24:8).
Imagine. You're gathered with your people at the foot of a mountain, hearing the Book of the Covenant read to you. It's a calm, pastoral scene, yes? Worship outdoors, surrounded by nature. Ah, lovely! Who wouldn't enjoy that? And then the blood of animals slaughtered as peace offerings is splattered over you. Not merely sprinkled. Splattered.
I'm really glad being splattered with blood is not part of our modern day worship services! Aren't you? But, wait. . . .
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).
You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24).
So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood (Hebrews 13:12).
Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood (Hebrews 13:20).
Being covered with blood is not a comfortable thought. Why couldn't we just be splattered with olive oil? I mean, since the days of Noah when the dove returned to the ark with an olive branch in its beak, doves and "offering the olive branch" have symbolized peace. Why not olive oil or leaves, instead of blood? How can blood bring peace? How can blood make us clean?
Because God said. Because that's just how it works in the Inverted Kingdom.* Turn the other cheek. Like a seed planted in the ground, give up your life in service to others to gain it. Blood makes us clean. Everything is upside down. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us how to accept those truths.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they recognized their nakedness and covered themselves with leaves, but the Lord let them know leaves weren't enough. He slaughtered animals and provided the skins to cover them. Blood had to be shed to cover their sin. Why? Because God said. Maybe it took seeing their animal friends die (remember Adam had named each kind) to shock Adam and Eve into realizing how tragic their transgression had been? I don't know. But I do know that the shed blood of every sacrificial animal in the Hebrew Bible (including those in the Garden of Eden) point to Jesus and his once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin.
Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said (I Corinthians 15:3b-4).
These are the kinds of things we talked about during Shabbat. All evening long, our animated host related story after story in which Jewish Scriptures and extra-biblical traditions point to Jesus. The illustrations poured forth like water from an artesian spring, and all evening long, we soaked in every word. All evening long, I felt at home. All evening long, I felt a huge "YES!" rising up inside. All evening long, I rested in ancient promises made alive in fresh, new ways. All evening long, I felt rested in Jesus, our true Sabbath rest.
As Resurrection Sunday approaches, may we be reminded to truly rest in Jesus, our Passover Lamb, our Sabbath rest.
Daye Phillippo
March 2018
*Inverted Kingdom may be a term I read somewhere in C. S. Lewis's writing. I'd be happy to provide the exact reference if I could remember it!