Chag HaBikkurim - Feast of Firstfruit

Chag HaBikkurim - Feast of Firstfruit
Andre Widodo
© Talmid HaMashiach

Shalom,

In Tanach (Old Covenant) :
Lev 23:10 -CJB - "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'After you enter the land I am giving you and harvest its ripe crops, you are to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the cohen.

Lev 23:11 -CJB - He is to wave the sheaf before Adonai, so that you will be accepted; the cohen is to wave it on the day after the Shabbat.

Lev 23:12 - CJB - On the day that you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a male lamb without defect, in its first year, as a burnt offering for Adonai.

In Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) :
1Co 15:20 -CJB - But the fact is that the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have died.

Today is still 16 Nisan 5770 in Hebrew Calendar or Biblical Calendar. In Gregorian Calendar is 31 March 2010. Tonight after sundown, it will be 17 Nisan, the 2nd Day of Unleavened Bread. The day following the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread is called "Reshit Katzir" or "the beginning of the harvest"
(Feast of Firstfruits). In ancient times, on this day a sheaf (omer) of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony to mark the start of the counting of the omer, thereby initiating the 49 day countdown to the harvest festival of Shavu'ot on Mount Sinai.

Tonight, on this day 17 Nisan, Yeshua was risen from the dead, and start counting 49 day countdown to Shavu'ot/Pentecost on Jerusalem.

"Reshit Katzir" represents the resurrection of Yeshua our Mashiach and our future glorious state as part of the coming harvest of God at the end of the age.

Chag HaBikkurim Sameach (Happy Feast of Firstfruit)

70 Days Of God's Feasts

70 Days Of God's Feasts
Andre Widodo
© Talmid HaMashiach

Shalom,

From the Bible, we know that there are 52 weeks in Biblical Calendar. Biblical Calendar has 360 days, not like Gregorian Calendar that we are using widely nowadays, has 365 days.

How do we know that there are 360 days in Biblical Calendar?

Dan 7:25  CJB
He will speak words against the Most High and try to exhaust the holy ones of the Most High. He will attempt to alter the seasons and the law; and [the holy ones] will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.

Dan 12:7  CJB
The man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river raised his right and left hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and a half, and that it will be when the the power of the holy people is no longer being shattered that all these things will end.

Rev 11:2  CJB
But the court outside the Temple, leave that out; don't measure it; because it has been given to the Goyim, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.

Rev 13:5  CJB
It was given a mouth speaking arrogant blasphemies; and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.

Rev 11:3  CJB
"Also I will give power to my two witnesses; and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth."

Rev 12:6  CJB
and she fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared by God so that she can be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Note :
From the verses above, we understand that 3 years and a half = 42 months = 1,260 days.

So, 1 year = 360 days = 52 weeks (rounded up).

If 1 year = 52 weeks, then it means in 1 year there are 52 Shabbats (Saturday) for feast of Shabbat. Please also notice that besides 52 Shabbat days, there are :

7 days of Passover (including Days Unleavened Bread and Firsfruit). The 1st day of Unleavened Day = Passover. The 3rd day of Unleavened Day is Firstfruit.

1 day of Shavu'ot or Pentecost for remembering the giving of Torah on Mount Sinai and the giving of Ruach HaKodesh in Jerusalem.

1 day of Rosh HaShanah or Feast of Trumpets for Jewish Civilian New Year.

1 day of Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.

7 days of Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacle.

1 day of Simchat Torah or Celebration of giving Torah.

So, actually in 1 Biblical year, there are 52 Shabbat days, 7 days of Passover, 1 day of Shavu'ot, 1 day of Rosh HaShanah, 1 day of Yom Kippur, 7 days of Sukkot and 1 day of Simchat Torah.

Total in 1 year = 70 God's feasts = 70 days of celebration of God = 70 days for us to celebrate for God.

The ancient kingdom of Israel was thrown into captivity for 70 years because they forgot to celebrate 70 days of celebration of God.

Jer 25:11  CJB
This entire land will become a ruin, a waste; and these nations will serve the king of Bavel for seventy years.

Jer 29:10  CJB
"For here is what Adonai says: 'After Bavel's seventy years are over, I will remember you and fulfill my good promise to you by bringing you back to this place.



So, 1 day of forgotten feast day = 1 year into captivity. 70 days of forgotten feast days = 70 years into captivity.

It is amazing to see how God justify His Word.

Psa 19:7  CJB
The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of Adonai is sure, making wise the thoughtless.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name

Did Yeshua (Jesus) Cancel All The Biblical Dietary Law?

Did Yeshua (Jesus) Cancel All The Biblical Dietary Law?
Andre Widodo
© Talmid HaMashiach

Shalom,

Kashrut

In Leviticus 11, we know and understand that God gave the Biblical Dietary Law to His people. This dietary system is called "kashrut" in Hebrew language. And as His people, we are suppose to acknowledge this system because this is for our own benefits. Amen?

First, let us read all the Leviticus 11.

Lev 11:1  KJV
And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
Lev 11:2  KJV
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Lev 11:3  KJV
Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
Lev 11:4  KJV
Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:5  KJV
And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:6  KJV
And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:7  KJV
And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Lev 11:8  KJV
Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Lev 11:9  KJV
These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
Lev 11:10  KJV
And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
Lev 11:11  KJV
They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
Lev 11:12  KJV
Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
Lev 11:13  KJV
And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
Lev 11:14  KJV
And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Lev 11:15  KJV
Every raven after his kind;
Lev 11:16  KJV
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
Lev 11:17  KJV
And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
Lev 11:18  KJV
And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
Lev 11:19  KJV
And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
Lev 11:20  KJV
All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
Lev 11:21  KJV
Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
Lev 11:22  KJV
Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
Lev 11:23  KJV
But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
Lev 11:24  KJV
And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:25  KJV
And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:26  KJV
The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
Lev 11:27  KJV
And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:28  KJV
And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
Lev 11:29  KJV
These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
Lev 11:30  KJV
And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
Lev 11:31  KJV
These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:32  KJV
And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
Lev 11:33  KJV
And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
Lev 11:34  KJV
Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
Lev 11:35  KJV
And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.
Lev 11:36  KJV
Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
Lev 11:37  KJV
And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
Lev 11:38  KJV
But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
Lev 11:39  KJV
And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:40  KJV
And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
Lev 11:41  KJV
And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
Lev 11:42  KJV
Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
Lev 11:43  KJV
Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
Lev 11:44  KJV
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Lev 11:45  KJV
For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Lev 11:46  KJV
This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
Lev 11:47  KJV
To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

That's the "kashrut", the Biblical Dietary Law.

Did Yeshua (Jesus) cancel the Law/Torah?
Straight forward to answer that question, let us read what Yeshua (Jesus) said about the Law/Torah.

Mat 5:17  KJV
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18  KJV
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19  KJV
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20  KJV
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Note :
In Mat 5:17, it is said that Yeshua (Jesus) came not to destroy the Law/Torah, but to make it fulfil. The word fulfil in Mat 5:17 derives from Greek word πληρόω - plēroō which means complete.

Mat 5:17  CJB
"Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete.

Yeshua (Jesus) came NOT to destroy the Torah, but to complete what it requires from the Torah.

The Torah is holy, the Commandment is holy, just and good (Rom 7:12). We know that the Torah is spiritual, but we are fleshly, we are carnal and having been sold under sin (Rom 7:14). That's why, once we know the Torah, the next step is we need Savior. And it is completed in Yeshua (Jesus) our Savior. This is Mat 5:17 is all about.

Rom 7:12  CJB
So the Torah is holy; that is, the commandment is holy, just and good.

Rom 7:14  CJB
For we know that the Torah is of the Spirit; but as for me, I am bound to the old nature, sold to sin as a slave.

The Torah is needed in order to make us realize that we are sinners and need a Savior. If the Torah is canceled, that means we do not need a Savior anymore. And this way of thinking is totally wrong.

We need Torah to bring us to Savior!

Once we fully understand that Yeshua (Jesus) did not abolish the Torah/the Law, now we come to Mar 7:19.

Mar 7:19  KJV
Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Mar 7:19  NIV
For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
Mar 7:19  ASV
because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught? This he said, making all meats clean.
Mar 7:19  NKJV
because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”

Mar 7:19 always be used as a reference that Yeshua (Jesus) canceled all the Biblical Dietary Law from Leviticus 11.

Did Yeshua (Jesus) cancel Leviticus 11?

Of course, NOT. As we have discussed above, our Lord Yeshua (Jesus) came NOT to destroy the Law, but to make it complete. Then, what is wrong with Mar 7:19? Can the Word of God contradict each other?

Psa 119:160  KJV
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

God's Word is true from the beginning and His righteous judgments endures forever. God's Word is righteous and never contradict each other.

So, why doess the Church now always think that in Yeshua (Jesus), in the New Covenant, the "kashrut" is canceled and we can eat anything we like? Why is it like that? It is because the Church misinterpret Mar 7:19.

Who is actually the Church in the New Testament?

The Church

In the New Testament sense, the word "ekklesia" refers to the group of "called out" people (from every tribe and tongue) in covenant with God by means of their trust in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ).  In particular, this "ekklesia"  is composed of only those people who confess their faith that Yeshua (Jesus) is none other than Adonai come in the flesh, who died as a sinless substitutionary sacrifice for their sins, was buried, and resurrected from the dead
(Rom 10:9-10; 1Jo 2:22, etc).

Rom 10:9  CJB
that if you acknowledge publicly with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be delivered.
Rom 10:10  CJB
For with the heart one goes on trusting and thus continues toward righteousness, while with the mouth one keeps on making public acknowledgement and thus continues toward deliverance.

1Jn 2:22  CJB
Who is a liar at all, if not the person who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah? Such a person is an anti-Messiah — he is denying the Father and the Son.

Historically, the "ekklesia" mentioned in the New Testament was founded by a Torah observant Jew and began with the Jewish people (Gal 4:4; Rom 15:8).

Rom 15:8  CJB
For I say that the Messiah became a servant of the Jewish people in order to show God's truthfulness by making good his promises to the Patriarchs,

The first followers of Yeshua (Jesus) were all Jews, as were all the apostles and writers of the New Testament. The "church" was therefore born among the Jewish people in Jerusalem. 

Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Shavu'ot) was entirely Jewish, copiously quoting from the prophets and David, which would have meant little to any Gentiles in earshot (if there were any). It is likely, therefore, that the 3,000 people who were saved that day would have been all Jewish (Acts 2:1-41).

These earliest members of the new church met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were explicitly excluded (Acts 2:46).

Act 2:46  CJB
Continuing faithfully and with singleness of purpose to meet in the Temple courts daily, and breaking bread in their several homes, they shared their food in joy and simplicity of heart,

Note that the apostles Peter and John are recorded to have gone to the Temple for prayer during the time of minchah, the afternoon sacrifices (Acts 3:1).

Act 3:1  CJB
One afternoon at three o'clock, the hour of minchah prayers, as Kefa and Yochanan were going up to the Temple,


The ministry of the Apostles continued exclusively among the Jewish people, among whom were "many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah". (Acts 21:20).

Act 21:20  CJB
On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah.

Even after they were imprisoned but miraculously escaped, an angel told them to "Go, stand and speak in the Temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20).

Act 5:20  CJB
"Go, stand in the Temple court and keep telling the people all about this new life!"

When Stephen was called before the High Priest and the council, he gave a defense that was thoroughly Jewish, encompassing the entire history of Israel before he was martyred (Acts 7).

Even Peter's vision and visit to the house of Cornelius, ("God fearer Gentile") who attended synagogue and observed Jewish customs and traditions (Acts 10), was subject to a crisis of conscience for him. First, in his vision he said that he never would eat of the "unkosher" animals shown to him, and second, he had qualms about even entering the house of a non-Jew. This indicates, among other things, how steeped Peter was in the Torah, even after spending three years under the teaching of Jesus.

Likewise the Apostle Paul was an observant Jew. He was born in Tarsus but was brought up in Jerusalem and studied under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).

Act 22:3  CJB
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city and trained at the feet of Gamli'el in every detail of the Torah of our forefathers. I was a zealot for God, as all of you are today.

Did this Jewish Rabbi reject a Jewish lifestyle after his conversion on the Damascus Road? Of course NOT. The following events prove that during his ministry, Paul clearly indicates that he is a Torah observance :

1.
Paul identified himself a Jew, even to his dying day. In Acts 23:6 he confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee." He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to the very end (Phi 3:6). Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Act 25:7-8, see also Act 28:17).

2.
Paul circumcised Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father. He considered Timothy to be Jewish and wanted him to be circumcised before taking him on a trip to assist with the ministry among the Jews (Act 16:1-3).

3.
Paul regularly attended synagogue. "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures," (Act 17:1-2).

4.
Paul went to Jerusalem for the "feast" (most likely Passover) at the end of his second journey (Act 18:21-22; see also 1Co 5:7).

5.
Paul took the Nazarite vow (Act 18:18; see also Num 6:2-6,13-18).

6.
Paul sailed away from Philippi "after the days of Unleavened Bread" (Act 20:6), indicating that he observed Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread with the Church at Philippi (1Co 5:7).

7.
After leaving Philipi he sailed along the coast of Asia Minor, stopping at a few places along the way, but skipped Ephesus because he wanted to be in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost (Act 20:16). This was at the end of his third missionary journey.

8.
Paul lived "in observance of the Torah" (Act 21:23-24) and offered sacrifices in the Jewish Temple (Act 21:26). Notice that Paul was not only going to pay for his own sacrifices in order to be released from his Nazarite vow, he was also going to pay for the sacrifices for four other Jewish believers! Notice also that this was performed at the explicit request of James, the head of the Jerusalem Church (and half-brother of Yeshua).

9.
Paul observed that the prison ship (on which he was sailing to Rome) was going too slowly and "the fast was now already past" (Acts 27:9). The "fast" was universally regarded to refer to Yom Kippur.

In its earliest years, the Church or the "ekklesia" of Yeshua (Jesus) observed the Torah. After the national tragedy of the destruction of the Temple and destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D, there was a persecution of the followers of Yeshua (Jesus) by the Romans and also by the Jews who denied Yeshua. The Jews who believed in Yeshua were called as heresy and subject to excommunication from Jewish society. 

After 70 A.D, the Jews were scattered all around the world. By the authority of Roman Empire the Jews Believers in Yeshua were not allowed to enter the city of Jerusalem.

The rift between the followers of Yeshua and Rabbinic Judaism was intensified during the bloodiest of the Jewish-Roman wars, the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 A.D). The Jewish sage convinced the Sanhedrin, to support the revolt and actually regarded its leader (Simon Bar Kokhba) to be the Jewish Messiah.

Since the Jewish followers of Yeshua could not support such a claim (and therefore could not support the war), the divide between Rabbinical Judaism and the early Jewish Messianic Community became sealed.

Concurrent with the rejection of the "ekklesia" of Yeshua by the leaders of ethnic Israel, more and more Gentiles came to faith, and the Jewish roots of Yeshua began to be forgotten.  This "forgetfulness" was solidified by various Gentile Christian teachers of the first few centuries who, influenced by Greek philosophy, advocated severing the "ekklesia" from its historic Jewish roots.

The Gentile "Church" then came into prominence as a distinct entity from Israel, with its own mission and purpose. Sampling the teaching of many of the early Gentile Christian leaders reveals the "Gentilization" of the "ekklesia" :

1.
Marcion of Sinope (110-160 A.D) was a Hellenist steeped in the ideas of Plato and Gnosticism and wanted to separate Christianity from any connection with Judaism and the law.

2.
Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D), an early Christian apologist, wrote his "Dialogue with Trypho the Jew" in which he claimed that God's covenant with Israel was no longer valid, and that the Gentiles had replaced them.

3.
Tertullian (160-220 A.D) was another Gentile Christian apologist who blamed the Jews for the death of Yeshua (Jesus).

4.
Origen (263-339 A.D) founded a school in Alexandria Egypt that taught the allegorical interpretation of Scripture. Origen was heavily influenced by neo-Platonic Gnosticism. He was also an antisemite who accused the Jews of plotting to kill Christians.

5.
Eusebius (263-339 A.D) wrote an influential history of the church that blamed the calamities which befell the Jewish nation on the Jews' role in the death of Yeshua (Jesus).

6.
John Chrysostom (344-407 A.D) denounced Jews in a series of sermons to Christians who were taking part in Jewish festivals and other Jewish observances.

7.
Jerome (347-420 A.D) produced the Latin translation of the Bible which became the official bible of the "Catholic Church." He said, "Jews are incapable of understanding Scripture and should be severely punished until they confess the true faith."

8.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D) spiritualized the kingdom of God and introduced amillennial thinking into the Gentile Church. Augustine maintained that the Jews deserved death but were destined to wander the earth to witness the victory of "Church" over synagogue.

Note :
These were all Church Fathers. They were all so Gentile, and by their influences, the "ekklesia" of Yeshua eventually became so Gentile. This was a gentilization of the "ekklesia".


Besides these Gentile "Church" leaders who rejected the Jewish roots of Christianity, various Church Councils of the third and fourth centuries likewise rejected Jewish influence within the Church and abandoned the Jewishness of Yeshua (Jesus) and His "ekklesia". These include the Council of Elvira (306 A.D), the Council of Nicea (325 A.D), the Council of Antioch (341 A.D), the Council of Laodicea (434 A.D), and so on.

These councils went so far as to forbid Jewish and Christian intermarriage, the observance of Passover, and worship on the Sabbath day.

The Reformers tried to return the Gentile Church to its early roots, but sadly this did not involve a return to the Jewish roots of the original "ekklesia". For example, Martin Luther (1483-1586 A.D) became frustrated by Jewish unwillingness to embrace his own interpretation of Christianity and became one of the most bitter anti-Semites in history. His writings described Jews as "worse than devils." Jews were "poisoners," "ritual murderers," and "parasites," who should be expelled from Germany. His even went so far as to rouse the mob to "burn synagogues to the ground," and seize Jewish holy books. Later on, Adolf Hitler would tell Germany that his Final Solution was just an attempt to finish the work that Luther had begun.

This is a sad history!


Often Christians think that the "Old Testament" is virtually irrelevant today, since the doctrines of the Church are made explicit by the Church Fathers who were actually Gentiles. They made their own interpretation of the New Testament, and finally we think that Yeshua (Jesus) canceled all the Law/Torah. 

However, this is a serious mistake, as the following facts will demonstrate to us :

1.
Yeshua (Jesus) and all his disciples were Torah-observant Jews. The Scriptures which they studied, loved, and quoted were the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (the Jewish Tanakh).  Indeed, Yeshua quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (from the Torah) more than any other book in the Scriptures. As a child, Yeshua would have studied the Torah and memorized it with other Jewish children. He would also have been familiar with the teaching of the earlier Jewish sages of Israel.

When Yeshua was asked what was the greatest commandment of the LORD, Yeshua quoted the portion of the Shema : ve'ahavta et Adonai eloheykha be'khol-levavkha, u'vekhol nafshekha, u'vekhol me'odekha, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deu 6:5), and then He added the commandment, v'ahavta l're'akha kamokha - ani Adonai , "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18). Both of these commandments come directly from the Torah.

Indeed, Yeshua said that He did not come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mat 5:17-19). He later told a prospective follower of His, "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mat 19:17). When He was further asked which ones, Yeshua replied by citing the Ten Commandments and appealed to the man to follow Him (Mat 19:18-21).
  
2.
Yeshua said that the Jewish Scriptures plainly testify of Him (Joh 5:39). As His followers, we should understand what this means and how they indeed bear witness of Him as the King of the Jews (Mat 2:2; 27:11). In addition, by studying Torah, we can more fully appreciate the glory and grace as revealed in the Person and Work of our beloved Mashiach. For example, we can more fully savor the role of the sacrificial system and how Yeshua fulfilled all of God's holy requirements on our behalf as the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) of the new covenant.
  
3.
When two disciples were on their way to the town of Emmaus discussing the implications of the crucifixion of Yeshua three days earlier, who but the Master Himself appeared alongside of them and taught them from the Jewish Scriptures? "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luk 24: 13-36). Again, as His followers, we should likewise be able to recount how Yeshua is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.
  
4.
The "Church" was born on a Jewish holiday of Shauv'ot (Pentecost) among the Jewish people in Jerusalem.  Peter's sermon during that festival (Act 2:1-41) was entirely Jewish. The earliest members of the new church met regularly in the Temple, where Gentiles were explicitly excluded (Act 2:46).


5.
Later, when the Jerusalem Council wrote their letter to the Gentiles regarding their relationship to the Torah, they advised them to at first abstain from those things that would make them abhorrent to the Jews, with the assumption that they would later go on to study the Torah of Moses and the other Jewish Scriptures (Act 15:19-21).

6.
The Apostle Paul was raised a Torah observant Jew who studied under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Act 22:3). Rabbi Sha'ul (as he would have been called) was well-established in the Jewish leadership of his day, and even had a relationship with the Sanhedrin and High Priest of Israel (Act 9:1-2). But even after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Act 9:1-21), he still identified himself a Jew. In Acts 23:6 he confessed, "I am (not "was") a Pharisee." He even declared that concerning the observance of the Torah he was "blameless," which indicates that he observed a Jewish lifestyle to his dying day (Phil 3:6). Paul testified that he kept the Torah throughout his life (Act 25:7-8, see also Act 28:17).

When Paul wrote to the Gentile churches, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2Ti 3:16-17), he was of course referring to the Jewish Scriptures, since the New Testament had not yet been compiled for the church.

Indeed, in order to understand Paul's writings, we need to remember his training as a Rabbi when he quotes the Scriptures in his writings. For example, when he wrote, "And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ" (1Co 10:4), he was quoting from a story later written in the Talmud (that from the time that Moses struck the rock at Horeb and brought forth water until the death of Miriam (Exo 20:1), this water-giving rock "followed the children of Israel through the desert and provided water for them each day" (Taanit, 9a and Bava Metizia, 86b).
  
Moreover, it must be remembered that the Greek text of the New Testament derives its authority and veracity from the Jewish Scriptures, and not the other way around.

In other words, while it's possible that the Hebrew Scriptures are true and the Greek Scriptures are not, it's impossible for the Greek Scriptures to be true if the Hebrew Scriptures are not. Too many Christian theologians go at this backwards, reading the New Testament (and particularly certain ideas ascribed to the Apostle Paul) as the interpretative filter for the study of the Hebrew text.  Theologians of the Western traditions must consciously remember the dictum, "a text without a context is a pretext" and repent of their heresies and implicit anti-Semitism.

Now, we can go to Mar 7:19.

Mar 7:19

Before we read Mar 7:19, first of all we must read Mar 7:1-5.

Mar 7:1  KJV
Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
Mar 7:2  KJV
And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
Mar 7:3  KJV
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
Mar 7:4  KJV
And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
Mar 7:5  KJV
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

OK, from Mar 7:1-5 we all know that :
1.
They must be eating the "kosher" food according to Leviticus 11. That's for sure. So the topic here is NOT about the food, but about the tradition of elders (washing hands).

2.
Tradition of elders teaches that if you want to eat "kosher" food without washing your hands, then the "kosher" food will be considered "non-kosher".

3.
The way of the tradition of elders to set aside the commandment of God in Leviticus 11, was a false teaching. It was a transgression of Leviticus 11 just for a tradition of hand washing. This is why Yeshua asked them, "Why do you also transgress the command of God on account of your tradition?".

Mat 15:3  KJV
But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Now, the picture is becoming clear. Yeshua (Jesus) did not cancel the Biblical Dietary Law. What Yeshua (Jesus) meant is : we cannot cancel the Word of God just for the sake of human tradition.

At that time, the tradition of Jewish elders said that the "kosher" foods in Leviticus 11 will be unfit to be eaten with unwashing hands. If we eat with unwashing hands, the "kosher" foods will be automatically "non-kosher". And this is the Pharisee's teaching.

But, then Yeshua (Jesus) rebuked them. And in Mar 7:19, Yeshua told us that eating "kosher" foods with unwashing hands will not make the foods  "non-kosher". So Yeshua (Jesus) canceled the tradition of elders but He did not abolish the Torah.

Mar 7:19  CJB
For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and it passes out into the latrine." (Thus he declared all foods ritually clean.)

Yeshua declared all foods (kosher foods in Lev 11) ritually clean, without washing hands.

We will understand the message if we understand the background in Jewish perspective. It is trully sad if we look at what the Church Fathers had done to us. They had misled us so gentile so that we almost lost the point and the message of Mar 7:19 from our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ).

Please remember, Yeshua (Jesus) and all his disciples were Torah-observant Jews. And Yeshua (Jesus) wanted us to follow Him.

Mat 28:20  KJV
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Keep in His Word and may Adonai bless you in your study.

Blessing in Yeshua's Name.