Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 73
Sign #2, Miracle #2. Healing of a Nobleman’s Son.
- The Second *Sign and Second Miracle of Messiah
- “My God and your God”
- Return to Kana
- The Royal Official is a first century Jew named Chuza
- The name of the wife of Chuza is Yochana
- Bar Chuza (Son of the Prophets) is a type of Israel
- The Messiah is the Activist and Liberator of Yisra’el and of all the world
- The Second Sign was simultaneously manifested in Kana & Kefar Nachum
- The D’var HaShem transcends Time and Space
- The Lord of all Space and Time!
- Jewish time and the times of the Gentiles
- From the middle of the day: noon to three
The Second *Sign and Second Miracle of Messiah:
Yochanan 4:46-54
וַיָּבֹא יֵשׁוּעַ עוֹד הַפַּעַם אֶל־קָנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּגָּלִיל אֶל־מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר שָׂם הַמַּיִם לְיָיִן וַיְהִי אִישׁ מֵעַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבְנוֹ חֹלֶה בִּכְפַר־נַחוּם׃ וַיְהִי כְשָׁמְעוֹ כִּי־בָא יֵשׁוּעַ מִיהוּדָה לְאֶרֶץ הַגָּלִיל וַיֵּלֶךְ אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁאַל מֵאִתּוֹ לָרֶדֶת וּלְרַפֵּא אֶת־בְּנוֹ כִּי נָטָה לָמוּת׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יֵשׁוּעַ אִם־לֹא תִרְאוּ אֹתוֹת וּמוֹפְתִים לֹא תַאֲמִינוּ׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַיו הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר מֵעַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲדֹנִי רְדָה־נָּא בְּטֶרֶם יָמוּת בְּנִי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יֵשׁוּעַ לֵךְ בִּנְךָ חָי וְהָאִישׁ הֶאֱמִין לַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יֵשׁוּעַ וַיֵּלַךְ׃ וַיְהִי בְרִדְתּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־בוֹ עֲבָדָיו וַיְבַשְּׂרוּ אֹתוֹ כִּי־חַי בְּנוֹ׃ וַיִּדְרשׁ מֵאִתָּם אֶת־הַשָּׁעָה אֲשֶׁר רָוַח לוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו תְּמוֹל בַּשָּׁעָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית רָפְתָה מִמֶּנּוּ הַקַּדָּחַת׃ וַיֵּדַע אָבִיהוּ כִּי הָיְתָה הַשָּׁעָה אֲשֶׁר אָמַר־לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ בִּנְךָ חָי וַיַּאֲמֵן הוּא וְכָל־בֵּיתוֹ׃ זֶה הָאוֹת הַשֵּׁנִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יֵשׁוּעַ בְּבֹאוֹ מִיהוּדָה לְאֶרֶץ הַגָּלִיל׃
{Modern Hebrew}
הוּא בָּא שׁוּב אֶל קָנָה שֶׁבַּגָּלִיל, אֲשֶׁר שָׁם הָפַךְ אֶת הַמַּיִם לְיַיִן. וְאֶחָד מֵאַנְשֵׁי הַמֶּלֶךְ, שֶׁבְּנוֹ הָיָה חוֹלֶה בִּכְפַר נַחוּם, שָׁמַע כִּי יֵשׁוּעַ בָּא מִיהוּדָה לַגָּלִיל. הָלַךְ אֵלָיו וּבִקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁיֵּרֵד וִירַפֵּא אֶת בְּנוֹ, כִּי נָטָה לָמוּת. אָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ: אִם אֵינְכֶם רוֹאִים אוֹתוֹת וּמוֹפְתִים, בְּשׁוּם פָּנִים לֹא תַּאֲמִינוּ. אָמַר אֵלָיו הָאִישׁ: אֲדוֹנִי, רֵד נָא בְּטֶרֶם יָמוּת בְּנִי. הֵשִׁיב לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ: לֵךְ, בִּנְךָ חַי. הֶאֱמִין הָאִישׁ לַדָּבָר שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ וְהָלַךְ. כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרַד בָּאוּ עֲבָדָיו לִקְרָאתוֹ וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ שֶׁבְּנוֹ חַי. שָׁאַל אוֹתָם בְּאֵיזוֹ שָׁעָה הוּטַב לוֹ, וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֶתְמוֹל בְּשָׁעָה אַחַת אַחֲרֵי הַצָּהֳרַיִם הִרְפָּה מִמֶּנּוּ הַחֹם. אָז נוֹכַח הָאָב כִּי זֶה הָיָה בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ בִּנְךָ חַי, וְהֶאֱמִין הוּא וְכָל בֵּיתוֹ. זֹאת הַפַּעַם הַשְּׁנִיָּה שֶׁיֵּשׁוּעַ עָשָׂה אוֹת עִם בּוֹאוֹ מִיהוּדָה לַגָּלִיל. פ
הוא בא שוב אל קנה שבגליל, אשר שם הפך את המים ליין. ואחד מאנשי המלך, שבנו היה חולה בכפר נחום, שמע כי ישוע בא מיהודה לגליל. הלך אליו ובקש ממנו שירד וירפא את בנו, כי נטה למות. אמר לו ישוע: אם אינכם רואים אותות ומופתים, בשום פנים לא תאמינו. אמר אליו האיש: אדוני, רד נא בטרם ימות בני. השיב לו ישוע: לך, בנך חי. האמין האיש לדבר שאמר לו ישוע והלך. כאשר ירד באו עבדיו לקראתו ואמרו לו שבנו חי. שאל אותם באיזו שעה הוטב לו, ואמרו לו: אתמול בשעה אחת אחרי הצהרים הרפה ממנו החם. אז נוכח האב כי זה היה באותה שעה שאמר לו ישוע בנך חי, והאמין הוא וכל ביתו. זאת הפעם השניה שישוע עשה אות עם בואו מיהודה לגליל. פ
Yeshua came again to Kana, which is in the Galil (Galilee), the place where he had made the water into wine. There was a man who was a servant to the king whose son was sick in Kefar Nachum. When he heard that Yeshua had come from Yehuda to the land of the Galil, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was about to die. Yeshua said to him, “If you (plural) do not see signs and wonders, you will not believe!” The man who was a servant of the king said to him, “My master, please come down before my son dies!” Yeshua said to him, “Go. Your son is alive.” The man believed the word that Yeshua spoke to him and left. When he came down [to Kefar Nachum], his servants encountered him and gave him the good news that his son was alive. He inquired of them the hour that he felt better, and they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever faded.” His father knew that this was the hour when Yeshua had said to him, “Your son is alive.” He believed and so did his entire house. This was the second sign that Yeshua did when he came from Yehuda to the land of Galil.
*A Jewish sign (אוֹת-ot) is a unique kind of miracle (נֵס) and wonder (פֶּלֶא). It is a coded communication, a special message. There are seven special coded messages that are embedded in the 50 recorded miracles of the Messiah (cf. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
John 4:46-54
{Classical Greek}
ηλθεν οὖν πάλιν εἰς τὴν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ὅπου ἐποίησεν τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον. καὶ ἦν τις βασιλικὸς οὗ ὁ υἱὸς ἠσθένει ἐν Καφαρναούμ: οὗτος ἀκούσας ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἥκει ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἠρώτα ἵνα καταβῇ καὶ ἰάσηται αὐτοῦ τὸν υἱόν, ἤμελλεν γὰρ ἀποθνῄσκειν. εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτόν, Ἐὰν μὴ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἴδητε, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε. λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλικός, Κύριε, κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον μου. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Πορεύου: ὁ υἱός σου ζῇ. ἐπίστευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἐπορεύετο. ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ καταβαίνοντος οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες ὅτι ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ ζῇ. ἐπύθετο οὖν τὴν ὥραν παρ’ αὐτῶν ἐν ἧ κομψότερον ἔσχεν: εἶπαν οὖν αὐτῷ ὅτι Ἐχθὲς ὥραν ἑβδόμην ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ὁ πυρετός. ἔγνω οὖν ὁ πατὴρ ὅτι [ἐν] ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐν ἧ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ὁ υἱός σου ζῇ, καὶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ ὅλη. Τοῦτο [δὲ] πάλιν δεύτερον σημεῖον ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλθὼν ἐκ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν.
Therefore he came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and began asking him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “ Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son is alive.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home. And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son is alive”; and he himself believed, and his entire household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when he had come from Judea into Galilee.
“My God and your God:”
“Yeshua came again to Kana, which is in the Galil, the place where he had made the water into wine.”
The Messiah’s name Yeshua means the “Salvation of YHWH.” The Messiah did not come in his own name but he came in the Name of God. He never has sought to honor himself; only to bring honor (glory) to God. God sent M’shicho (משיחו-His messiah) to Israel to be our Savior and the Salvation of God to all of the nations, peoples, and families of the world.
When the Savior of the World (מושיע העולם) sacrificed his life as our Korban Pesach on the accursed tree, he cried out to his God and our God as our atoning sacrifice. Therefore, as *Seh Ha-Elohim who takes away the sin of the world he cried out:
*The Lamb of God.
?אלי, אלי, למה שבקתני
?אֵלִי, אֵלִי, לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
Notice Rabbi Yeshua is crying out to his God and our God—the God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He never claimed to be El Yisra’el. He came as the Eved HaKadosh, the holy servant of HaShem. He came as the anointed one in whom all of the Spirit of the Holy One dwells bodily. Like the Shekinah Glory Cloud—-Yeshua is the good, righteous and true House of God. He is not THE GOD (האל) of the House of God, EL-Beit-EL (האל בית־אל). Our Rabbi Yeshua is House of God, Beit-EL (בית־אל). He is a human like us. He is our Jewish brother—Yeshua ben David ben Abrahm. He is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. He is only different than us in that he never has or ever will sin against God. He is our sinless brother. For this reason God has raised him up into heaven and made him sit at the right hand of His Majesty. Now by the will of God he is the ruler over all His creation. Yeshua’s perfect unity with the Spirit of the Holy One enables him to ask for and receive for us forgiveness and cleansing from sin. From the accursed tree on our behalf he cries out:
אבי, סלח להם, כי אינם יודעים מה שהם עושים.פ
אָבִי, סְלַח לָהֶם, כִּי אֵינָם יוֹדְעִים מַה שֶּׁהֵם עוֹשִׂים.פ
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Among all humankind only one person has obeyed all of God’s Torah and never sinned. Rabbi Yeshua is the only true tzaddik who has always heard, understood, and obeyed God’s law. He alone is HaGo’el. He is our Redeemer. He alone is *qualified to be our Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He always lives in perfect unity with the Holy One. He is the true Messiah of God.
*Morally perfect–without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
So our very special Jewish brother is not God. However, the Spirit who indwells him forever and rules through him is God.
Rabbeinu Yeshua is the HaPalat who Moses promised. He is the Deliverer that God has sent to be His deliverer and ruler over all creation. He is the Messiah of Israel and of all of the nations, peoples, and families of the earth. He is ben Ha’adam and ben Ha-Elohim. He is a son of God like the first Adam. He is our most esteemed brother who has come to us in The Name that is above every name. So, after the miracle of his resurrection he sent this message to his Jewish followers:
.אני עולה אל אבי ואביכם, אל אלהי ואלהיכם
“I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
The Messiah was sent to us from Avinu Shebashamayim to atone for all of the sins of our nation and our people. He was sent to us so that we might receive cleansing of sin, be reconciled to God, and receive the gift of eternal life.
Return to Kana:
The Messiah returned to Kana of Galil (Cana of Galilee). What does this mean? Do you recall the multiple meanings of the Hebrew place names of Kana and Galil? Go back and study carefully the teaching of the first sign and the first miracle. Then ask yourself what is the meaning of the phrase:
“There was a man who was a servant to the king whose son was sick in Kefar Nachum.”
Who is the ruler/king in view here? The name of the ruler in view here is Herod Antipas. What do we know about this first century ruler of Galilee and Perea? We know that Herod Antipas unjustly executed by beheading the Prophet Yochanan ben Zekaryah ben Aaron (Nisan 3789). We also know just one year later Herod approved of the Roman execution of the Messiah (Nisan 3790; 1, 2, 3). As you likely recall Pontius Pilate requested that the Messiah be brought before Herod Antipas to be questioned. Then afterwards Herod returned him to the Roman Governor with his approval to execute our Messiah.
What high ranking position in the court of Herod is meant by the term “servant to the king?” Who is this man who is a personal servant of Herod? Why did the Messiah address this high ranking official in the plural, “If you (plural) do not see signs and wonders, you will not believe!” What group of people is this official, high ranking royal servant, being associated with? Put another way, is this high ranking official a Jew or a Gentile? Answer: He is a Yehudi (Jew). For in the first century (CE) it was said (1, 2, 3, 4):
.הנה היהודים מבקשים אותות והיונים מחפשים חכמה
“Look here: the Yehudim ask for signs,” evidence, proof (אותות, אוֹת), and the Yevanim, the Gentiles, the Greeks, look for wisdom to be a sage; to be considered of the highest intelligence (חכמה, חָכַם).
The Royal Official is a first century Jew named Chuza:
Is there any historical evidence that might identify specifically who the royal official and concerned father is? Is there any historical reference to this man’s wife or his children; other than, “He believed and so did his entire household”? The name of the royal official is Kuza (כּוּזָא-shortened version of Aramaic: Chu’zas). Kuza is a variant of Chuzas (חֹזֶה-chozeh) which means “seeing ones,” “seer(s),” “prophet(s).” His name, therefore, is derived from the verb chazah (חָזָה), “to see.” Chuza was a very high ranking steward of Herod, his chief financial officer. The name of his wife is Yochana (יוֹחָנָה). Her name means Grace of Adonai.
Chuza was the chief financial officer of Antipas.
Both Chuza and Yochana as high ranking persons who served in the royal household were eyewitnesses to such events as Herod Antipas’ order to execute the prophet Yochanan ben Zekaryah. Later they were witnesses to Herod’s examination of the rightful King of Israel, Yeshua ben Yosef ben David. He was falsely charged by our own religious leaders for sedition against the Roman government and blasphemy against God. After Herod examined him he sent Yeshua back to the Roman Governor Pilate, who sentenced him to death by crucifixion.
The name of Chuza’s wife is Yochana:
Chuza’s wife Yochana (Joanna) is referred to in the Brit HaChadashah as one of a small group of women who were close to the Messiah, who ministered to him and his disciples (1, 2, 3, 4). Her name means, Grace of GOD.
Bar Chuza (Son of the Prophets) is a type of Israel:
Bar Chuza is a type of Israel.
At what time was Bar Chuza, Son of the Prophets, healed? What procreative meaning is derived from the union of Chuza and Yochana? What does it mean that Israel is a Son of the Prophets who was carried and born out of the womb of the Grace of God? What hour was Bar Chuza healed? What meaning does the number seven indicate in the scriptures? Does Yochanan ben Zebedyah (יוחנן בן זבדי, זבדיה) in his writing of the fourth besorah (Jewish gospel) of the testimony of the Messiah also reference other times? Is there a prophetic relationship between the events of these other times and the miracle event of this particular time?
The Messiah the Activist and Liberator of Yisra’el and of all the world:
After staying in Samaria an additional two days (three days total) the Messiah returned to Galilee. There He was warmly welcomed by the Galileans who had seen and appreciated his bold and courageous acts of resistance toward the oppressive religious establishment centered in Jerusalem. These works of messianic activism were fresh in the memories of the freedom-loving Galileans because they had occurred just a few weeks earlier; just before (*Nisan 1-13) and during the recent Passover observance in Jerusalem (*Nisan 14-21).
*In the springtime.
Messiah’s public display of great displeasure and open rebuke of the Jerusalem religious leaders provoked them to anger. He rebuked them for their corrupt and greedy business practices, calling them a “den of thieves and robbers.” Yeshua’s forceful, passionate, near-violent, physical cleansing of the Temple—driving the money-changers and others out of the court that was designated for use by the Gentiles—caused the elite religious leaders to hate him and even plot to kill him.
The Second Sign of Messiah was simultaneously manifested in Kana & Kefar Nachum:
The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that we have received our heavenly Father’s *gift of eternal life.
As for the location of this particular narrative: Kana is the site of the first of seven signs that the Endowment of the Grace of Adonai (Yochanan ben Zebedyah) has born witness to in his inspiring eye-witness account of the Testimony of the Messiah (cf. chapters 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29 of the Messiah in Rosh HaShanah and Yom Teruah). It is was at Kana that we observed the waters of cleansing being transformed into wine. You will recall that the symbols of the water and the wine prophetically represent the transformational process that must be undergone in the lives of the redeemed, wherein we first must receive a full cleansing for our sins and then second we must be completely filled with the righteousness of God, His gift of the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.
*The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Living Torah) is our guarantee that we have received the gift of eternal life and that by the grace of God on the day of the resurrection of the righteous we will “be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.”
The D’var HaShem transcends Time and Space:
Technically speaking this second miracle and second sign occurred in two places at the same time. The miracle occurred simultaneously in Kana and Kefar Nachum. Kefar Nachum is both the home town of the desperate father and Yeshua; and was located about twenty miles distance from Kana. Chuza’s son was seriously ill lying at home in Kefar Nachum. So the royal official traveled to Kana and said to Rabbi Yeshua, “Sir come down [to Kefar Nachum] before my child dies.” Yeshua said to him,
“Go your son lives!”
By this directive Yeshua was saying, I am not limited by your belief that I have to physically be in the same location as your son to heal him. I can heal your son instantly from anywhere. Therefore Yeshua was saying to the Son of the Seers (Prophets):
Go home and see that your son has been instantly healed by the power of my word!
The Lord of all Space and Time!
This second miracle of the Messiah is the first miracle of twelve recorded miracle events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) that occur in Kefar Nachum.
So the concerned man returned to his hometown and the Messiah’s too, the Village of Consolation and Comfort, with full faith in the power of Messiah’s word and not in his belief that the Master had to be present physically—at his same time and place—for the healing to occur.
When Chuza arrived home to his great joy his servants told him that his son was completely healed exactly as Yeshua had said.
וַיִּדְרשׁ מֵאִתָּם אֶת־הַשָּׁעָה אֲשֶׁר רָוַח לוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו תְּמוֹל בַּשָּׁעָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית רָפְתָה מִמֶּנּוּ הַקַּדָּחַת׃ וַיֵּדַע אָבִיהוּ כִּי הָיְתָה הַשָּׁעָה אֲשֶׁר אָמַר־לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ בִּנְךָ חָי וַיַּאֲמֵן הוּא וְכָל־בֵּיתוֹ׃ זֶה הָאוֹת הַשֵּׁנִי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יֵשׁוּעַ בְּבֹאוֹ מִיהוּדָה לְאֶרֶץ הַגָּלִיל׃
שָׁאַל אוֹתָם בְּאֵיזוֹ שָׁעָה הוּטַב לוֹ, וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֶתְמוֹל בְּשָׁעָה אַחַת אַחֲרֵי הַצָּהֳרַיִם הִרְפָּה מִמֶּנּוּ הַחֹם. אָז נוֹכַח הָאָב כִּי זֶה הָיָה בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ בִּנְךָ חַי, וְהֶאֱמִין הוּא וְכָל בֵּיתוֹ. זֹאת הַפַּעַם הַשְּׁנִיָּה שֶׁיֵּשׁוּעַ עָשָׂה אוֹת עִם בּוֹאוֹ מִיהוּדָה לַגָּלִיל. פ
“So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives;” and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Yeshua performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”
The seventh hour is about 7 PM (Roman time begins at twelve and ends at twelve; therefore, the seventh hour occurs at 7 AM and 7PM). This was the exact time Yeshua had pronounced that the royal official’s son was healed.
The long-distance healing of the desperate father’s son, therefore, was instantaneous!
This increased the concerned father’s faith and led to the salvation of his whole household. This second sign teaches us that the one who changed the water into wine, who is not limited by the laws of nature, is also the one who can instantly heal us from great distances of space and even time.
These words of the Messiah spoken almost two thousand years ago, possess the power to heal us today. These words apply to those persons today who are the children of the Prophets and who remain afflicted by the illness (fever) of unbelief. Therefore Rabbi Yeshua speaks to the Orthodox Jews of today the same words of encouragement he spoke to the Prushim of his day:
וַיֹּאמֶר יֵשׁוּעַ אֶל־הַיְּהוּדִים הַמַּאֲמִינִים בּוֹ אִם־תַּעַמְדוּ בִדְבָרִי בֶּאֱמֶת תַּלְמִידִים אַתֶּם לִי׃ וִידַעְתֶּם אֶת הָאֱמֶת וְהָאֱמֶת תּוֹצִיאֲכֶם לְחֵרוּת׃
אמר ישוע אל הפרושים שהאמינו לו: אם תעמדו בדברי, תלמידי אתם באמת; ותדעו את האמת והאמת תשחרר אתכם. פ
Yeshua said to the Prushim who believed in him, “If you truly stay (stand) in my words, you are my talmidin. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Jewish time and the times of the Gentiles:
This is the third time in the besorah of Yochanan ben Zebedyah that we have been given a revelation of “times;” as well as persons and places. There are actually four such revelations in the good news of the Beloved Disciple. These “four” times are recorded in their proper chronological order as follows:
Time #1. Rabbi Yeshua said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the TENTH HOUR. In Jewish time the tenth hour is about 4 PM. The tenth hour occurs in the window of time that the Torah refers to as being in the cool of the day.
Time #2. And Jacob’s well was there. Yeshua therefore, being wearied from his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about the SIXTH HOUR. In Jewish time this is about 12 PM. The sixth hour occurs in the window of time that the scriptures refer to as being in the heat of the day.
Time #3. So Bar Chuza (Son of the Prophets) inquired of his servants at the hour when his son began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the SEVENTH HOUR.” In gentile time the seventh hour is at 7 PM. The fever of Chuza’s son left at the seventh hour. This means the miracle occurred at the beginning of the evening.
Time #4. Now it was the day of preparation for the Pesach (Passover). And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” it was about the SIXTH HOUR. In gentile time the sixth hour is at 6 AM. This sixth hour in gentile time occurred at the beginning of the morning.
What we find fascinating about these four times is that the former times are Gentile and the latter times are Jewish.
We discover in the besorah of Yochanan that there is always a generous equality assigned by the Jewish writer to the Gentiles. Just as there were fourteen names used, seven Jewish and seven Greek, in the introductory portion of the good news of Yochanan ben Zebedyah; also now there is an equality of time. Since the Gentiles are considered our (Israel’s) guests (מצוות הכנסת אורחים) in the Jewish order of time – night to day, day to night – the times of the Gentiles occur first; therefore the times of the Gentiles occur in the first half of the day from the evening to the morning. The times of the Gentiles happen first and they go forward (7 PM to 6 AM) {selah – seriously think about this}.
The Jewish narrative starts in the light, the day and ends at the beginning of the cool of the day; the Gentile narrative starts in the dark, the night, and ends in the light at the dawn of a new day.
These former gentile times begin in the first half of the day at nightfall (about 7 PM) and end at sunrise (6 AM). The Jewish latter times occur in the second half of the day from the morning light to the light of the cool of the day.
The Jewish times go backwards from 4 PM back to 12 noon {selah}.
The latter Jewish times start in the cool of the day at the Tenth hour (4 PM) and go backwards to the six hour, to the beginning of the Heat of the Day (12 Noon).
Needless to say the selection of these four times – four being the number of universality in the scriptures – is very interesting. Why? Because although salvation is of the Jews it is incumbent upon us that we understand the equally important love the heavenly Father has for the Gentiles. It is the calling of our people—this Seventh Generation of Modern Israel—to take the faith of our fathers, the prophets (the seers), the Messiah, and his chosen sent ones to all of the nations, peoples and families of the world. This is what the first Israeli followers of Messiah did almost two thousand years ago. Now all Israel must follow. Only then will Israel be fully restored and the Shiloh of God come to reign over all the earth!
From the middle of the day: noon to three:
From the the middle, the heat of the day (Jewish 6th hour, noon), to the beginning of the cool of the day (Jewish 9th hour, 3 pm), the Messiah sacrificed his life to deliver the human race from sin. The Jewish sages say (Sanhedrin 38b) that Adam sinned at the 10th hour (4 pm). This means Yeshua, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world died one hour BEFORE sin occurred in the garden of God. Therefore, the sin of the world was cancelled by Yeshua’s redemptive sacrifice at the end of the heat of the day at 3pm, so that the entire human race of Adam could begin to walk with God again in the *cool of the day!
*The cool of the day begins at 3 pm when the heat of the sun begins to decline.