TEACHING OF YESHUA MOSHIACH --- PART 3

Teachings About His Own Death:
The announcement of the Kingdom must be linked with Yeshua’s approach to His own death. Did Yeshua see His death as a key part of his mission? Some have maintained that He ended His life in disillusionment with some sort of death wish. However, His death was not a diversion from His mission. It was His entire mission. Yeshua knew the details of His life were a fulfilment of Scripture -- compare to Matthew 26:24, 56; Mark 9:12; Luke 18:31; Luke 24:25-27, 44-45. Yeshua’s suffering is the subject of Old Testament prophecy. He knew the Old Testament predictions and recognized that they could be fulfilled only through His own sufferings. This emphasis on fulfilment of Scripture is also seen in John’s Gospel. His statement that the Son of Man must be lifted up even as Moses lifted up the serpent -- John 3:14, illustrates this point. John contains most of the passages where fulfilment of Scripture is mentioned. But there can be no doubt that the fulfilment motive played a vital part both in Yeshua’s own understanding of His mission and in the early Christians’ understanding of His death. The Gospels emphasize the necessity of Yeshua’ death. In John’s Gospel, Yeshua speaks in the earlier stages of His Ministry as the [hour] of His death being [not yet,] but in the later stages it has arrived -- compare to John 17:1. Yeshua knew that only through the hour of death could the Father be glorified. He was not disillusioned about His death; He knew it was according to an orderly plan. Yeshua evidently regarded His death as a sacrifice. At the Last Supper, the cup is connected with the blood of the new covenant, which is said to be for the [remission of sins] -- Matthew 26:26-28. No explanation is given of the way in which the coming death, signified by the broken bread and poured-out wine, would bring about forgiveness of sins. But the early church realized that Moshiach died for our sins -- compare to 1 Corinthians 15:3. The new covenant idea is parallel to the old covenant, which according to -- Exodus 24, was sealed with sacrificial blood. Yeshua likely had this in mind when He spoke about the new covenant. It was also akin to the ideas expressed in -- Jeremiah 31, referring to a covenant written on the heart rather than in stone. In Yeshua’s prayer in John 17, as He faces the cross, He declares that He has finished the work that the Father gave Him to do -- 17:4. This is reinforced by the cry from the cross; [It is finished,] which only John records -- 19:30. This sense of accomplishment gives an air of triumph to what might otherwise have been considered a disaster. Yeshua was not murdered. He gave His life willingly as a sacrifice for our sins. Although men superficially nailed Him to a cross, His love for all of YHVH’s people is what kept Him there, enduring to the end.

Teachings About Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit):
At several of the major events in the life of Yeshua, the Gospel writers note the activity of Ruach HaKodesh. For example, the Virgin birth, Yeshua’s baptism and His temptation by Satan mention the Spirit. However, there is surprisingly little in the synoptic Gospels on this theme. Most of the teachings come from John’s Gospel. When Yeshua began His preaching Ministry in Nazareth, according to Luke, He read the statement in -- Isaiah 61:1-2 about the Spirit of YHVH and applied it to Himself. He saw the Spirit marking the beginning of His Ministry. He was accused of casting out demons by means of Beelzebub, prince of the demons. However, He was actually casting out evil spirits by the Spirit of YHVH -- Matthew 12:28. He was moreover, sensitive to the seriousness of blaspheming the Spirit, which He implies that His accusers were in danger of doing. Criticizing His Ministry meant criticizing the activity of the Spirit. While warning His disciples that they would meet with opposition, Yeshua assured them of the Spirit’s support when they were forced to appear before kings or governors -- Matthew 10:19-20; Mark 13:11. Indeed, He told them that the Spirit would continue to speak through them long after Yeshua had returned to heaven. Luke records Yeshua’s promise that YHVH would give Ruach HaKodesh to those who ask -- Luke 11:13, as a father gives good gifts to his children. We often ask YHVH for peace, purpose or protection. However, YHVH regards Ruach HaKodesh as the best gift He can give His children. On another occasion, Yeshua recognized that David wrote Psalm 110 -- Mark 12:36 with the Spirit’s influence. As a result of this example and others, we know that the Bible is no ordinary book authored by humans. In fact, Ruach HaKodesh inspired Scripture.

Salvation:
The Gospel of John provides a more detailed development of what Yeshua taught about the Spirit. Teachings about the Spirit are usually linked to Yeshua’s teachings about giving eternal life to those who believe in Him and receive Him. When He spoke to Nicodemus of the new birth and eternal life, Yeshua also spoke of the Spirit -- John 3:3-8, 15-16. When He mentioned the water of life to the Samaritan woman, He also spoke of the Spirit -- 4:14, 23-24. The same held true for the discourses on the bread of life -- 6:48-63 and river of life -- 7:37-39. Throughout the Gospel, Yeshua declared to various people that He could give them eternal life if they would believe in Him. He promised them the water of life, the bread of life and the light of life, but they would receive eternal life only when the Spirit came after Yeshua’s resurrection. Yeshua said, [It is the Spirit who gives eternal life] -- John 6:63. When the Spirit became available, they could have life. Again, Yeshua offered the water of life; even life flowing like rivers of living water; to the Jews assembled at the Feast of Tabernacles. He told them to come and drink of Him. But no one could then and there, come and drink of Him. So John added a note: [This He spoke of the Spirit... for the Spirit was not yet given, because Yeshua was not yet glorified] -- John 7:39. Once Yeshua had been glorified through resurrection, the Spirit of the glorified Yeshua would be available for believers. In -- John 6, Yeshua offered Himself as the bread of life to be eaten by believers; and in -- John 7, He offered Himself as the water of life to refresh. But no one could eat of Him or drink of Him until the Spirit of the glorified Yeshua was made available, as hinted in -- John 6:63 and then stated plainly in -- 7:39.

Comfort:
In -- John 14:16-18, Yeshua went one step further in identifying Himself with the Spirit. He told the disciples that He would give them another Comforter. Then He told them that they would know who this Comforter was because He was then and there, with them. In the near future, the Comforter would be inside them. Who else but Yeshua was with them at that time? Yeshua Himself represented the presence of Ruach HaKodesh. Then after telling the disciples that the Comforter would come to them He said, [I am coming to you.] First He said that the Comforter would come to them and abide or live in them. In the same breath, He said that He would come to them and abide in them -- see 14:20. The Comforter who was dwelling with the disciples that night was the Spirit in Moshiach. The Comforter who would be in the disciples after the Resurrection would be Moshiach in the Spirit. This is the mystery of how Yeshua comes to live in our hearts. While He is present in heaven, He is also present in us through the person of Ruach HaKodesh. On the evening of the Resurrection, the Adonai Yeshua appeared to the disciples and then breathed into them Ruach HaKodesh. This is similar to YHVH’s breathing into Adam the breath of life -- Genesis 2:7. The believers now possessed eternal life because the Spirit of Moshiach lived in them. From that time forward, Moshiach as Spirit lived inside His believers. [We know He lives in us because Ruach HaKodesh lives in us] -- 1 John 3:24. The indwelling Spirit helped the disciples remember Yeshua’s Words and actions -- John 14:26 so that they could teach and write about them. Yeshua also made it clear that the Spirit would convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment -- 16:8.