Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 68
Mashal #48. The Seed that multiplies by dying:
- Today is Day #48
- The Forty-eighth Mashal of Messiah
- Isaiah and the Two Servants
- Adonai Eloheinu sacrificed His Individual Servant to save His National Servant
- The sacrifice is offered for the Salvation of All Israel
- The sacrifice for Israel is also offered for the Salvation of the Gentiles
- The whole world will be blessed when Israel accepts the “Salvation of Adonai”
- Then will it be said, “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of Adonai!”
Today is Day #48:
1. Today is “Day #48” in the forty-nine day Countdown to Shavuot.
2. Today is Forty-eight days in the Omer.
Today is forty-eight days which are six weeks and six days in the Omer.
היום שמונה וארבעים יום, שהם שישה שבועות ושישה ימים בעומר. פ
Haiyom shmonah v-arba’im yom, shehaym shishah shavuot veshishah yamim ba’omer.
“You shall count for yourselves — from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving — seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days.” (Leviticus). “You shall count for yourselves seven weeks, from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop shall you begin counting seven weeks. Then you will observe the Festival of Shavu’ot for Adonai Eloheinu.” (Deuteronomy).
“Blessed are You, Adonai Eloheinu, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.”
ברוך אתה, אדוני אלוהינו, מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וציוונו על ספירת העומר.פ
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, melech ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al sefirat ha’omer.
The Forty-eighth Mashal of Messiah:
Mashal
אָמֵן אָמֵן אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם אִם לֹא־תִפֹּל הַחִטָּה אֶל־תּוֹךְ הָאֲדָמָה וּמֵתָה תִּשָּׁאֵר לְבַדָּה וְכַאֲשֶׁר מֵתָה תַּעֲשֶׂה פְּרִי הַרְבֵּה׃
אמן אמן אני אומר לכם, אם לא ימות גרגיר החיטה הנופל לתוך האדמה, הוא ישאר לבדו. אבל אם ימות, יעשה פרי הרבה.פ
[Yochanan 12:24] “Amen, amen (אָמֵן אָמֵן), I say to you, if the wheat (גרגיר החיטה-grain of wheat) does not fall into the midst of the soil and die, it will be left to remain alone. But when it dies, it produces much fruit.”
Nimshal
הָאֹהֵב אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ יְאַבְּדֶנָּה וְהַשׂנֵא אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה יִנְצְרֶהָ לְחַיֵּי נֶצַח׃ וְאִישׁ כִּי חָפֵץ לְשָׁרֲתֵנִי יֵלֵךְ אַחֲרָי וּבַאֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה שָׁם יִהְיֶה גַּם־מְשָׁרֲתִי וַאֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרֲתֵנִי יְכַבְּדֶנּוּ אָבִי׃ עַתָּה נִבְהֲלָה נַפְשִׁי וּמַה אֹמַר הַצִּילֵנִי אָבִי מִן־הַשָּׁעָה הַזֹּאת אַךְ עַל־כֵּן הִגַּעְתִּי לַשָּׁעָה הַזֹּאת׃ אָבִי פָּאֵר אֶת־שְׁמֶךָ׃
האוהב את נפשו מאבד אותה, והשונא את נפשו בעולם הזה ישמרנה לחיי עולם. אם מישהו משרת אותי, שילך אחרי; היכן שאהיה אני, שם יהיה גם משרתי. איש אם ישרת אותי, האב יכבד אותו. ועתה נבהלה נפשי, ואני מה אמר: ‘אבי, הצילני מן השעה הזאת? אדרבא, הרי לשם כך באתי לשעה הזאת. אבי, פאר את שמך! פ
[Yochanan 12:25] “The one who loves his life will lose it, but the one who hates his life in this age will preserve it for everlasting life. Anyone who desires to serve me will follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be. One who serves me brings honor to my Father. Now my soul is troubled. What will I say? ‘My Father rescue me from this hour?’ But this is why I have arrived at this hour. Avi, glorify your name!” (אָבִי, פָּאֵר אֶת שִׁמְךָ)
וַיֵּצֵא קוֹל מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם אֹמֵר פֵּאַרְתִּי וַאֲפָאֵר עוֹד׃
אז יצא קול מן השמים ואמר: כבר פארתי ושוב אפאר.פ
Then a Voice came out of Heaven, and said: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Isaiah and the Two Servants:
The prophet Isaiah consciously anticipated the Messiah. He knew the difference between Israel the National Servant and the Messiah the Individual Servant. In short, those differences are quite simple:
The Messiah of God succeeded where we the nation and people of Israel failed.
Isaiah (יְשַֽׁעְיָ֣הוּ-Salvation of Adonai) draws on texts that picture a sacrifice for sin. Isaiah’s prophetic narrative portrays an Individual Servant (the Suffering Messiah) who suffers for the sins of the nation and people of Israel; and for the sins of all the nations and peoples of the world. The Messiah of God universally atoned for our sins by sacrificing his life as a guilt offering.
The one who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God through him.
This had to be done because Adonai our God insists on the need for ritual purity. His nation and His people must be cleansed from sin. So now we must ask, what is the guilt offering that Adonai Eloheinu requires? and what is its cost? The cost of this cleansing and its consequent purification is graphically illustrated in the tragic image of an Individual Servant (the Suffering Servant) who is treated like a leper. In this redemptive picture of the prophet Isaiah we see:
All of the leprosy of the sin of our nation and people of Israel has been put on this Individual (Suffering) Servant.
In the prophetic narrative of Isaiah: The Individual Servant (the Suffering Messiah) voluntarily agreed to be a guilt offering for his nation and people; even though he knew—for a very long time—his nation and people (Am Israel) would reject him as their Messiah. It is this Suffering Servant who is our (Israel’s) sin-bearer. For the sake of our nation and people of Israel the Suffering Messiah has become “The Leper.” The leprous disease of the sin of the nation and the people of Israel and of all the world has been transferred upon him. The Leper is sacrificed so that he and what is now ‘his’ horrible disease of sin might be carried far away from his people, out of the land of the living—-into the land of death (Isaiah 52:14; 53:8–10).
כאשר שממו עליך רבים כן־משחת מאיש מראהו ותארו מבני אדם׃
כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמְמוּ עָלֶיךָ רַבִּים כֵּן־מִשְׁחַת מֵאִישׁ מַרְאֵהוּ וְתֹאֲרֹו מִבְּנֵי אָדָֽם׃
“Just as many were astonished, so his appearance was marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men.”
מעצר וממשפט לקח ואת־דורו מי ישוחח כי נגזר מארץ חיים מפשע עמי נגע למו׃ ויתן את־רשעים קברו ואת־עשיר במתיו על לא־חמס עשה ולא מרמה בפיו׃ וה’ חפץ דכאו החלי אם־תשים אשם נפשו יראה זרע יאריך ימים וחפץ ה’ בידו יצלח׃
מֵעֹ֤צֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט֙ לֻקָּ֔ח וְאֶת־דֹּורֹ֖ו מִ֣י יְשֹׂוחֵ֑חַ כִּ֤י נִגְזַר֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים מִפֶּ֥שַׁע עַמִּ֖י נֶ֥גַע לָֽמֹו׃ וַיִּתֵּ֤ן אֶת־רְשָׁעִים֙ קִבְרֹ֔ו וְאֶת־עָשִׁ֖יר בְּמֹתָ֑יו עַ֚ל לֹא־חָמָ֣ס עָשָׂ֔ה וְלֹ֥א מִרְמָ֖ה בְּפִֽיו׃ וה’ חָפֵץ דַּכְּאֹו הֶֽחֱלִי אִם־תָּשִׂים אָשָׁם נַפְשֹׁו יִרְאֶה זֶרַע יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים וְחֵפֶץ ה’ בְּיָדֹו יִצְלָֽח׃
“By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men. Yet he was with a rich man in his death, because he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth. But HaShem (the NAME) was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief; if he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring, he will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of HaShem will prosper in his hand.”
Adonai Eloheinu sacrificed His Individual Servant to save His National Servant:
The nation and people of Israel have never been without sin, at any time (cf. Isaiah 58).
This means that it has always been impossible for us to save ourselves. For this reason our Deliverer cannot be our nation or our people of Israel—-the National Servant. Israel is not alone: there never has been a nation or people on earth who have been without sin. Only one individual person in all of human history has been without sin. For it is written (Isaiah 53:6):
כלנו כצאן תעינו איש לדרכו פנינו וה’ הפגיע בו את עון כלנו׃
כֻּלָּנוּ כַּצֹּאן תָּעִינוּ אִישׁ לְדַרְכֹּו פָּנִינוּ וה’ הִפְגִּיעַ בֹּו אֵת עֲוֹן כֻּלָּֽנוּ׃
“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but Adonai has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.”
נגש והוא נענה ולא יפתח־פיו כשה לטבח יובל וכרחל לפני גזזיה נאלמה ולא יפתח פיו׃
נִגַּשׂ וְהוּא נַעֲנֶה וְלֹא יִפְתַּח־פִּיו כַּשֶּׂה לַטֶּבַח יוּבָל וּכְרָחֵל לִפְנֵי גֹזְזֶיהָ נֶאֱלָמָה וְלֹא יִפְתַּח פִּֽיו׃
“He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep (רָחֵ֕ל-rachel, ewe, female sheep) that is silent before its shearers, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
The sacrifice is offered for the Salvation of All Israel:
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם אֶחָד מֵהֶם וְהוּא קַיָּפָא הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל בַּשָּׁנָה הָהִיא אַתֶּם לֹא־תֵדְעוּ דָבָר׃ אַף לֹא־תִתְבּוֹנֲנוּ כִּי טוֹב לָנוּ מוּת אִישׁ אֶחָד בְּעַד הַגּוֹי מֵאֲבֹד הָעָם כֻּלּוֹ׃ וְלֹא מִלִּבּוֹ דִבֶּר הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כִּי הָיָה הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל בַּשָּׁנָה הָהִיא וַיִּנָּבֵא אֲשֶׁר יָמוּת יֵשׁוּעַ בְּעַד הָעָם׃:
קיפא, שהיה אחד מהם והוא הכהן הגדול באותה שנה, אמר להם: אין אתם יודעים כלום, אף אינכם מבינים שכדאי לנו כי איש אחד ימות בעד העם ולא תאבד כל האמה כלה. לא מלבו אמר זאת, אלא שבהיותו כהן גדול באותה שנה התנבא כי ישוע עתיד למות בעד האמה. פ
[Yochanan 11:49] “But one of them, Kayafa, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You do not know anything. You do not even understand that the death of one man on behalf of the nation (of Israel) is better for us than the destruction of the entire people!” He (Kayafa) did not speak this word out of his own heart. For he was the high priest that year and was prophesying that Yeshua (the Suffering Messiah) would die on behalf of the nation (הָאֻמָּה-lit. the mother) and the people (הָעָם).”
The Messiah died a redemptive death on behalf our nation and the people of Israel.
Therefore, the Individual (Suffering) Servant, The Leper, is the (Individual) Messiah who Adonai Avinu sent to save us—-the nation and people of Israel. Among all Israel and humankind the Messiah is the one and only sinless one. He alone is qualified to be our sin-bearer. He alone died a redemptive death for us that we (Israel) might be cleansed of our sins and iniquities (Isaiah 53:5,11).
והוא מחלל מפשענו מדכא מעונתינו מוסר שלומנו עליו ובחברתו נרפא־לנו׃
וְהוּא מְחֹלָל מִפְּשָׁעֵנוּ מְדֻכָּא מֵעֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ מוּסַר שְׁלֹומֵנוּ עָלָיו וּבַחֲבֻרָתֹו נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ׃
But he was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon him,
And by his scourging we are healed.
מעמל נפשו יראה ישבע בדעתו יצדיק צדיק עבדי לרבים ועונתם הוא יסבל׃
מֵעֲמַל נַפְשֹׁו יִרְאֶה יִשְׂבָּע בְּדַעְתֹּו יַצְדִּיק צַדִּיק עַבְדִּי לָֽרַבִּים וַעֲוֹנֹתָם הוּא יִסְבֹּֽל׃
As a result of the anguish of his soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By his knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As he will bear their iniquities.
The Messiah is the innocent one who died a sacrificial-redemptive death for our sake. He died in our place. This is why he did not speak a word in his own defense (Isaiah 53:7). Not because he was guilty. There was no defense because we are guilty! He had no defense because he was standing up in our place to the righteous judgment of Adonai our Father and our God.
נבזה וחדל אישים איש מכאבות וידוע חלי וכמסתר פנים ממנו נבזה ולא חשבנהו׃
נִבְזֶה וַחֲדַל אִישִׁים אִישׁ מַכְאֹבֹות וִידוּעַ חֹלִי וּכְמַסְתֵּר פָּנִים מִמֶּנּוּ נִבְזֶה וְלֹא חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ׃
“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face he was despised, and we did not esteem him.”
מעמל נפשו יראה ישבע בדעתו יצדיק צדיק עבדי לרבים ועונתם הוא יסבל׃
מֵעֲמַל נַפְשֹׁו יִרְאֶה יִשְׂבָּע בְּדַעְתֹּו יַצְדִּיק צַדִּיק עַבְדִּי לָֽרַבִּים וַעֲוֹנֹתָם הוּא יִסְבֹּֽל׃
“As a result of the anguish of his soul, he will see it and be satisfied; by his knowledge
the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as he will bear their iniquities.”
Therefore, the Moses to come (הוא אשר נועד לבוא-He who is predestined to come) is the one who has secured for us our Salvation. Moses himself could not do this for us because he too was not without sin. However, the Moses to come is without sin. Ha-Mashiach has obtained for us the salvation that our fathers had so long pursued but could never obtain on their own.
The sacrifice for Israel is also offered for the Salvation of the Gentiles:
The prophetic narrative of Isaiah clearly anticipates a Suffering Deliverer who sacrificially dies in our place and then is resurrected and exalted both in heaven and on earth. The narrative about the Deliverer begins with the salvation of our nation and people of Israel (עם ישראל) and then necessarily ends with the “Salvation of Adonai” graciously being given to the Gentiles as well (Isaiah 52:13, 15).
הנה ישכיל עבדי ירום ונשא וגבה מאד׃ כן יזה גוים רבים עליו יקפצו מלכים פיהם כי אשר לא־ספר להם ראו ואשר לא־שמעו התבוננו׃
הִנֵּה יַשְׂכִּיל עַבְדִּי יָרוּם וְנִשָּׂא וְגָבַהּ מְאֹֽד׃ כֵּן יַזֶּה גֹּויִם רַבִּים עָלָיו יִקְפְּצוּ מְלָכִים פִּיהֶם כִּי אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־סֻפַּר לָהֶם רָאוּ וַאֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־שָׁמְעוּ הִתְבֹּונָֽנוּ׃
“Behold, My servant will prosper, he will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Thus he will sprinkle (purify with his sacrificed life, symbolized in the sprinkling of blood) many nations (גּוֹיִ֣ם-Goyim, the Gentiles), Kings will shut their mouths on account of him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.”
The whole world will be blessed when Israel accepts the“Salvation of Adonai:”
In the end the National Servant and the Individual Servant (of Israel) are both working together in harmony. It is only ‘after’ the nation and people of Israel have discovered who the Individual Deliverer (Kinsman Redeemer) really is that the elect nation and people of Israel can be the royal and priestly nation we are destined to be.
Then when the nation and people of Israel accept our Servant-King Messiah then we too will be called a Light of Salvation to all of the nations, peoples and families of the world. For it is written (Isaiah 61:1-2):
רוח אדני ה’ עלי יען משח ה’ אתי לבשר ענוים שלחני לחבש לנשברי־לב לקרא לשבוים דרור ולאסורים פקח־קוח׃ לקרא שנת־רצון ל ה’ ויום נקם לאלהינו לנחם כל־אבלים׃
רוּחַ אֲדֹנָי ה’ עָלָי יַעַן מָשַׁח ה’ אֹתִי לְבַשֵּׂר עֲנָוִים שְׁלָחַנִי לַחֲבֹשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵב לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרֹור וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח־קֹֽוחַ׃ לִקְרֹא שְׁנַת־רָצֹון ל ה’ וְיֹום נָקָם לֵאלֹהֵינוּ לְנַחֵם כָּל־אֲבֵלִֽים׃
“The Spirit of Adonai (the LORD) is upon me; because Adonai has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the favorable year of Adonai and the day of vengeance of Eloheinu (our God); to comfort all who mourn.”
Then will it be said, “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of Adonai!”
Therefore, the sacrifice of Isaiah 53 is by no means the end of the prophecy. It is only the beginning. The narrative moves forward to the Joy that is ahead. For it is written:
יראה זרע יאריך ימים וחפץ ה’ בידו יצלח׃
יִרְאֶה זֶרַע יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים וְחֵפֶץ ה’ בְּיָדֹו יִצְלָֽח׃
He will see his offspring (זֶ֖רַע-his Seed), he will prolong his days, and the good pleasure (will) of Adonai will prosper in his hand.
This good news (בשורה-besorah) most certainly leads us to today’s mashal of “The Seed that Multiplies by dying:”
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”
Need anymore be said? We believe not. Therefore, we close today’s study now with these few words:
ברוך הבא בשם ה’ ברכנוכם מבית ה’׃
בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם ה’ בֵּרַֽכְנוּכֶם מִבֵּית ה’׃
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai! We (Israel) have blessed you from the House of Adonai!”