THE GOSPELS – Chapter 1: announcement of the births of Yeshua the Messiah and John the Baptist – Matthew & Mark

17 August 2024

We are proceeding with our study of the GOSPELS. Last week we spoke about the GENEALOGY of Yeshua the Messiah and TODAY we will focus on the ANNOUNCEMENT of the BIRTHS of John the Baptist and YESHUA THE MESSIAH as reflected in the GOSPELS of MATTHEW AND MARK, working mainly from the Complete Jewish Study Bible – insight for Jews and Christians with cross references to other Bible versions. As well as the Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary.

We are using the Hebrew names of God the Father, namely YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) where the word LORD is used in standard versions of the Bible, and we will also use the description Heavenly Father and Abba Father.  We also use the Hebrew Name Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

As we know now, Matthew presents Yeshua as the KING and in chapter1:18-25 he tells us about the BIRTH of YESHUA the MESSIAH.

We read in Matthew 1:18-20 “Here is how the birth of Yeshua the Messiah took place. When His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she was found to be pregnant from the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). Her husband-to-be, Joseph, was a man who did what was right; so, he makes plans to break the engagement quietly, rather than put her to public shame. But while he was thinking about this, and angel of YHVH appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). ”

The Jewish Study Bible explains it as follows: The Hebrew/ Aramaic word for betrothal (of engagement) is KIDDUSHIM signifying SANCTIFICATION – meaning to be set apart a particular woman/ bride to be for a particular man/ bridegroom to be.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice further explains: “A Jewish marriage consisted of three steps. A couple could become engaged if both their families agreed to the engagement. When it was announced publicly, the couple became engaged. An engagement was considered binding and could only be broken by divorce or death, but the couple was not allowed to have sexual intercourse before their wedding. Mary and Joseph were already engaged, therefore her apparent infidelity could have serious social consequences. According to the Jewish legal system Josef could divorce her, and the spiritual leaders could stone her in accordance to Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Joseph probably thought to quietly divorce Mary, but God expected Joseph to marry her. And it was just with God’s guidance that he took the right decision. We also have to ask God for His wise guidance when we have to make decisions that affect the lives of other people.

We further read in verse 21-23 the angel told Joseph: She will give birth to a Son, and you are to name Him Yeshua, which means YHVH saves, because He will save His people from their sins. All this happened in order to fulfill what YHVH said through the prophet (Isaiah 7:14), the virgin will conceive a bear a son, and they will call Him Immanu’EL (the name means ‘God is with us’)

The Jewish Study Bible explains it as follows: The HEBREW word for “He will save” is Yoshia. Many have objected stating that a virgin birth is impossible. Yet YHVH is supernatural, being above nature since He created nature and its laws.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice further explains: “The fact that Mary was pregnant made Joseph face a very difficult choice. He knew that it could be humiliating for him to marry her under these circumstances, but he was nevertheless willing to obey the command of God to marry Mary. Thereby we see the following characteristics of Joseph – the man Abba Father chose to be the earthly father of His Son Yeshua namely: principled (honorable and righteous), discreet and sensitive (thoughtful, considerate and kind), obedient to God and self-disciplined. The angel revealed to Joseph that the male child Mary was bearing was conceived by the Holy Spirit and thereby He would be God and man. The Son of God accepted the limitations of mankind to live and die to save everyone who believe in Him. Yeshua had to be named IMMANUEL (God with us), just as the prophet Isaiah foretold in Isaiah chapter 7:14. In Yeshua, God the Father is present with us. In Him God has literally come to live with us.

We further read in Matthew 1:24-25 “When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of YHVH told him to do – he took Mary home to be his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a Son, and he named Him Yeshua.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains: Joseph quickly changed his mind after he found out that Mary was not unfaithful to him. He therefore obeyed God and went ahead with the arrangements for the marriage. Although others may have disagreed, Joseph still did what was right in God’s eyes. We are often unwilling to do what is right because we are concerned about what other people will think of it.  We must like Joseph, choose before everything else obey God the Father, not seeking the approval of other people.

So what we see here is the fulfillment of Abba Father’s plan in Genesis 3:15 to restore the world after the fall of Adam and Eve. Eve told God that the serpent tricked her to eat form the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God then said to the serpent (a depiction of Satan the adversary): “I will put animosity between you and the woman and between your descendant and her descendant; He will bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel.”

The Jewish Study Bible explains that: The descendant of the woman is a generic term for all humanity and the descendent of the serpent of all evil. Yet there is a clear sense that ONE SPECIFIC MALE DESCENDENT of the women will ultimately crush the head of the serpent. It is therefore through Yeshua the Messiah that evil will ultimately be defeated. Genesis 3:15 is therefore considered to be a Messianic Prophecy. Also read Romans 16:20 and 2nd Corinthians 11:3 and 14.

You and I were conceived when the seed of our father joined with an egg of our mother and were planted into her womb. But Yeshua the Messiah was not conceived through the seed of a man. Why? Because in this way, He did not receive the sin nature of fallen man from the bloodline of Adam, but instead Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit of God. Likewise, when we accept Yeshua our Messiah as our Savior and we are born again through the Holy Spirit we become children of God the Father and in essence we are no longer born from the corrupted seed of men, and therefore we are FREE of the bondage of sin and we are able to follow Yeshua our Messiah and live in a close relationship with Abba Father.

Dr Michelle Strydom explains it in her book: The Bible from a Medical Perspective and Medicine from a Bible Perspective as follows: “In the beginning in Genesis when God created man, He created us in His mage so that we could live from His likeness, meaning that we can think, speak and act like Him. As we live according to His image, we can make choices where we choose life so that we can be fruitful in our relationships with God, ourselves, our in our health, in our work, finances and every area of life. But unfortunately, man fell into sin when he was tempted by Satan, and so he submitted himself instead to the serpent’s image where now all the generations, we have learned to think, speak and act according to the serpent’s image. As a result, instead of fruitfulness in our relationships, health, finances and work, we have emptiness and sickness. But thankfully in His amazing grace Abba Father sent His beloved Son – Yeshua to die on a cross and pay the price for of the death penalty for our sin – so that once again we could be restored in our relationship with Abba Father. On the cross Yeshua destroyed the serpent’s image and set us FREE from the bondage of sin. When we accept the price, He paid on our behalf and acknowledge Him as the Son of God, we are saved. Then after salvation – we need to go through a journey of sanctification meaning getting rid of sin which is the serpent’s seed. We need to study the Word of God and RENEW our minds so that we can return back to the Father’s image.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Mark presents Yeshua as the SERVANT and in chapter 1:1-8 he tells us about the forerunner of the Servant

Mark begins in chapter 1:1-3 with the following words: “The beginning of the Good News, News of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God (YHVH): It is written in the prophet Isaiah: ‘See, I am sending My messenger ahead of you: he will prepare the way before You. The voice of someone crying out: In the desert prepare the way for YHVH! Make straight paths for Him!” These are combined quotations from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1.

The Jewish Study Bible explains: The Greek word IESOUS represents the ancient Greek attempt at translating Yeshua. The Greek word for Messiah is CHRISTOS as with the Hebrew word MASCHIACH, meaning “anointed one” or “poured upon”. The NAME OF GOD has been substituted for speaking and reading aloud God’s most prominent Name, also called the Tetragrammaton, which are the four Hebrew letters: Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh, the distinctive personal Name of the God of Israel which means “He IS, or “HE WILL BE, or perhaps “HE LIVES” In Exodus 3:14 God is represented as speaking using the first person: “I Am”, the meaning would therefore be: “He who is Self-existing, self-sufficient or more concretely “He who lives”. There is no doubt that the idea of life was intimately connected with the NAME OF YHVH from early times. HE IS THE LIVING GOD and the SOURCE AND AUTHOR of LIFE.

At least as early as the third century BC the Name seems to have been regarded by the Jews as “the unapproachable name” on the basis of a SOMEWHAT EXTREME interpretation of the 3^rd Commandment in Exodus 20:7 and Leviticus 24:11 where a man had a fight with another man and used the name of YHVH in a curse and God commanded Moses to have him stones outside the camp. So, because of this they only wrote God’s Name in the consonants YHVH, and the TRUE PRONUNCIATION was FORGOTTEN BY THEM. The Septuagint (that is the Greek version of the Old Testament originally written in Hebrew, translated in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries BC for Greek speaking Jews in Egypt and adopted by Christian Churches) translated YHVH as “the (capital letter) LORD”.

Variously written in English as YHVH and pronounced as Yahveh of Jehovah although there is no “J” in the Hebrews language. In Hebrew a name was not just a way of identifying a person; it was a way of revealing his or her identity and essence (their spirit and soul, including their heart and way of thinking). It is the same with the Names of God – only in Scripture, God’s identity is expressed not just in ONE NAME but in MANY. Each Name of God is like a curtain on a window. When the curtain is drawn back, the Name becomes more fully known and glimpses of God can be seen. An example of this can be found in Exodus 3:13-22 when Moses asks God what His Name is and God explained WHO HE IS – that He is eternal, the God of Israel, a God of compassion who has taken notice of ISRAEL’s CAPTIVITY and WHO WILL FREE THEM. ELOHIM is the most common name of God used in the Tanakh (that is the Old Testament). It is PLURAL in FORM, though it is commonly construed with a singular verb or adjective. This ancient Name of God conveys the idea of His creative power, authority, and sovereignty.

YHVH Elohim is a common expression in the Old Testament, meaning: “the (capital letter) LORD God.” The Name Elyon occurs with YHVH and Elohim. When used with God, Elyon means highest or Exalted One. (Capital letters) ADONAI occurs as a substituted reading for YHVH. ADONAI means: my LORD. When ADONAI and YHVH appear together, it is translated as (capital letter) LORD GOD. The word EL is an ordinary name of God. El is used chiefly in poetry and prophecy and then usually with some attribute attached as “a jealous God “, some examples are: El Shaddai meaning God Almighty, El Olam meaning Everlasting God, El Elohei Yisrael meaning the God of Israel and El Gibbor (Mighty God).

The Names YHVH and Elohim frequently occur with the word Tzava’ot (meaning hosts/ multitudes or armies), as in YHVH Elohim Tzava’ot, which means God of Hosts/ multitudes or armies, translated to the Lord of Hosts in many Bible versions. ADDONAI is often added to the title which then reads: Lord YHVH of Hosts and is interpreted as “the God of the armies of Israel”. The Name is also associated with the Ark of the Covenant which was the SYMBOL of GOD’s PRESENCE in the midst of the hosts/ multitudes of His people (read Numbers 10:35-36; 1st Samuel 4:4 and 2nd Samuel 6:2). Later on, and specifically in prophetic use, Tzava’ot included the earthly and the HEAVENLY HOSTS/ ARMIES. It therefore referred to heavenly hosts joining their forces with those of God’s people, or fighting on behalf of God’s servants , see Judges 5:20, 2^nd Kings 6:16-17 and Psalm 34:7 and 68:17.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice further explains: “The prophet Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years before that a messenger would come to straighten the paths for the coming of Yeshua. How did He know it? YHVH promised him that a Savior would come to Israel and that His coming would be announced by a voice calling in the desert. The word of Isaiah was consolation for many while waiting to be rescued.” We also have to hold on to the promises of YHVH our God and keep on trusting that He will fulfil it.

We further read in Mark 1:4-8 the following: “So it was that John the Immerser (called the Baptizer in other Bible Versions) appeared in the desert, proclaiming an immersion (or baptism) involving TURNING TO GOD from sin in order to be FORGIVEN. People went out to him from all over Judah (also referred to as the Judean countryside) as did all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. CONFESSING THEIR SINS, they were immersed in the Jordan River.

John wore clothes of camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist; he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed: ‘After me is coming someone who is more powerful than I – I’m not worthy even to bend down and untie His sandals. I have immersed you in water, but He will immerse you in the RUACH HAKODESH (the Holy Spirit).

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice further explains: “Mark begins his Gospel with John the Baptist and not with Yeshua because in those days’ messengers announced the coming of important Roman officials to the towns and cities. Therefore, when people saw the messenger, they knew that an important person was coming. This created expectations among the Romans and the Jews.  John’s clothes remind us of the prophet Elijah as described in 2^nd Kings 1:8 and it visibly distinguished him from the fancy dressed religious leaders of his days full of pride and awareness of their important positions. John’s clothes were just as strikingly different as his message. And although he was the first true prophet in 400 years after the last Old Testament prophet, Yeshua the Messiah would be infinitely greater than he. Yeshua finished what John started, and He fulfilled what John had prepared. The baptism of John was a sign of REPENTENCE and the WILLINGNESS TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN. It was the beginning of the spiritual process. Water could however not take away the sin of people but the (capital letter) One coming after Him would purify people with the Holy Spirit. When Yeshua plants the Holy Spirit in a human heart, the person is changed totally by the power of the Holy Spirit and that is the sign that He is a work in our lives.

Again, the picture of the TABERNACLE as well as the FEASTS OF ABBA FATHER beautifully explains this process

The Bronze Altar in the OUTER COURT represents the CROSS of YESHUA the MESSIAH and therefore the Feast of Pesach (also called Passover)

We give all our SIN along with its feelings of fear, guilt and shame (like dirty, rotten, rags that we have been clothed with), to Yeshua my Messiah at the cross where He died and PAID the FULL price for our SIN, SICKNESSESS and DEATH (spiritual death/ blindness and the second death) so that we can live in FREEDOM of the shackles/ the enslavement to SIN and the SPIRITUAL and EVERLASTING DEATH in this world and eternally. And we receive the FREE GIFT of ABBA FATHER, through YESHUA our MESSIAH of RIGHTEOUSNESS (comparable to being clothed with a white robe), and in so doing we complete the FIRST STEP in MAKING PEACE with ABBA FATHER (read Ephesians 2:8-9).

Next we stop at the Bronze Wash Basin in the OUTER COURT representing baptism and daily repentance of accidental sins and therefore the Feat of Unleavened Bread (signifying the death and burial of Yeshua our Messiah)

We are BAPTISED into the DEATH of YESHUA our MESSIAH – and we choose to let our OLD SINFUL SELVES, doing and enjoying wilful sin under the leadership of Satan and his evil forces (doing things against the will and ways of YHVH the Father, like those mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21), DIE in the water and REMAIN BEHIND in the water grave. (read John 3:11 & Romans 6:3-11).

We DAILY REPENT of ACCIDENTAL SINS to enable us to OVERCOME and CONQURE sin day-by-day and step-by-step in following in the footsteps of our Messiah Yeshua (read 1 John 1:1-10).

We use Scriptures like Galatians 5:19-21 as evaluation tool to ensure that we do NOT fall back into the traps of my old sinful nature again. We willingly and deliberately reject the old nature that died in the water of our baptism. We aspire to fully become who we are meant to be in Messiah Yeshua in our journey of sanctification with the aim of bearing the FRUIT of the HOLY SPRIT in accordance to Galatians 5:22-23.

Next we are SPIRITUALLY resurrected with Yeshua our Messiah AND we RISE AS A NEW CREATION/ A NEW PERSON IN YESHUA MY MESSIAH, thus a picture of FEAST 3, FIRST FRUITS

Just as our Messiah Yeshua had been raised from the grave, we rise out from the water of our baptism as a NEW PERSON who now embark on a lifelong JOURNEY of SANCTIFICATION of the heart and mind, being RENEWED day-by-day and step-by-step.

Then we are ready to enter INTO the HOLY PLACE and sit down at the TABLE OF SHOWBREAD, The LIVING WORD OF ABBA FATHER

Here we have the privilege to enter EVERY MORNING and EVERY EVENING to EAT free of charge and to our hearts delight and content OF THE LIVING BREAD and DRINK of the LIVING WATER of THE WORD each DAY at the TABLE of ABBA FATHER prepared for us by our SHEPPERD (Yeshua our Messiah who indeed IS the LIVING BREAD and WATER). Psalm 23 & John 6:35. And as we eat and drink, we are nourished and strengthened and healed (physically, mentally and emotionally) day-by-day and step-by-step!

I also start discovering and developing our: Redemptive Gift received from Abba Father on conception and our Office Gift/ callings received from Yeshua our Messiah that will reveal our PURPOSE to us (read Romans 11:29, 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:10 and Ephesians 4:11).

Hereafter we are MENTALLY and SPIRITUALLY PREPARED and TESTED by YESHUA our MESSIAH on our progress on LEARNING and IMPLEMENTING the WAYS of ABBA FATHER for 49 days to enable us to by DAY 50 receive the power of the HOLY SPIRIT and the GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT as part of Feast 4: Pentecost represented by the FLAMING MENORAH (meaning: being BAPTISED by Yeshua the Messiah with the FIRE of the HOLY SPIRIT) –to equip us to do our work as part of the COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS working in the KINGDOM of ABBA FATHER to gather the harvest receiving the GIFTS of the Spirit to:

1. Glorify Abba Father through Yeshua our Messiah (1 Peter 4:11).
2. To become more like Yeshua our Messiah (John 13:13-17, 1 John 2:6 and Ephesians 4:22-24 & 5:1-2);
3. To build up the community of believers/the body of Yeshua our Messiah to be trained and taught for service (Ephesians 4:11-13); and
4. To have the POWER to SPREAD the GOOD NEWS/ GOSPEL of SALVATION! (Mark 16:15-20, Acts 1:8, Colossians 1:23-29 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-7).