In Messiah in Messiah

The Chosen People Volume XII, Issue 8 September 2006 ForFor ivenessiveness in gg Messiah on the High Holy Days INSIDE Messiah’s Solution to the Dilemma of Forgiveness • Testimonies • THIS ISSUE: The Promise of Forgiveness • David–Music Therapist to the King Dear friend of the Jewish people, Shalom from the Chosen People Ministries headquarters in New York Messiah’s City. I wish you could join me here— especially in Brooklyn where I live— to see the way the Jewish community prepares for the High Holy Day season, which begins on the evening Solution of September 23. You would be amazed! There is a growing sense of to the holy anticipation in the air. Families are finishing their shopping, buying new clothes and getting ready for family visits, sometimes with relatives arriving from around the world. Rabbis have been preparing services and synagogues, making sure all facilities are in the best condition. of Forgiveness The High Holy Day season, which includes Rosh Hashanah (the New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (the Feast of Booths), is undoubtedly the holiest and most important time of the Jewish year. Even the most irreligious Jewish people will probably find themselves in synagogue sometime in the next few weeks. The High Holy Days and the Bible Beginning in verse 23 of chapter 23 of Leviticus, the three festivals observed in the seventh month are listed; Rosh Hashanah in verse 23, Yom Kippur in verses 26-32 and Sukkot in the remainder of the chapter, verses 33-43. Each one of the festivals points us to an event in the past that God wanted to memorialize for the Jewish people.Yet each festival not only points to historical events, but also foreshadows greater events in the future. For example, the Feast of Booths looks ahead to the day when the entire earth will become the Tabernacle of God as His presence fills His restored creation.This and other festivals such as Passover provide the 2 The Chosen People believer in Jesus with an extraordinary redemptive blood.The biblical means the forgiveness of sin.As He once did array of types and prophetic portraits by which Jewish people were to for our father Abraham, God Himself of all that the Lord would accomplish receive forgiveness for sin was through would again provide a sacrifice (see through the finished work of our the sacrifices offered in the Temple. Genesis 22). Messiah Jesus. This is obviously difficult for Jewish The New Testament Scriptures But there is no greater, treasured people today, since the Temple, which make it clear that the Day of hope embedded in the festivals that the Romans destroyed in 70AD,was Atonement and the Temple itself has more meaning to both Jews and the only place where sacrifices could pointed to Jesus—the Messiah who Gentiles than the promise of be offered. died and shed His blood for the forgiveness of sin.The festivals serve as Modern Judaism has developed a forgiveness of our sin.The writer to a prophetic call for the Jewish people path to forgiveness without a Temple. the Hebrews describes this powerful to return to God and find forgiveness. With every passing generation that the promise in these words, Temple lies in ruins, the biblical idea For the law, having a shadow of the First the New Year of blood atonement has become more good things to come, and not the very Rosh Hashanah,The New Year, and more foreign. The Judaism of image of the things, can never with prepares the Jewish person for the Day today, based upon Scripture but also these same sacrifices, which they offer of Atonement. Observed on the first upon adaptation and interpretation by continually year by year, make those day of the seventh month, this festival the Jewish sages, has tried to solve the who approach perfect. For then would is also called the Festival of Trumpets. forgiveness issue without a Temple for they not have ceased to be offered? Why the seventh month? Over time, almost two thousand years! For the worshipers, once purified, the Jewish people developed many As you can see, this inability to would have had no more different New Years, as we today have offer the proper sacrifice is a difficult consciousness of sins. But in those calendar years, fiscal years, school challenge and continues to be so for sacrifices there is a reminder of sins years, etc. If you wish to learn more, Judaism at the turn of the 21st every year. For it is not possible that I have written about this festival in century. Jewish leaders have the blood of bulls and goats could detail in the book, The Fall Feasts of traditionally replaced atonement take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4) Israel, described on the back page of through the shedding of blood with The answer to the Jewish dilemma this newsletter. the performance of good deeds and of forgiveness of sin is Jesus. The Day On Rosh Hashanah, in Jewish reliance upon the mercy of God. But of Atonement pointed to a person— tradition, the blowing of the trumpet, the haunting question remains: Is this the Messiah—who would die in our (ram’s horn) calls the Jewish people to really enough? place as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. repentance from sin. Rosh Hashanah He has done all that is necessary for us initiates what is commonly called “the The Jesus Solution to receive forgiveness of sin and ten days of repentance” or “the days of One of the many reasons I can eternal life. Now the Lord waits only awe.” It is during this period that rejoice as a Jewish believer in Jesus for our response.As John writes, Jewish people are supposed to repent during this holy season of the year is “He who believes in the Son has of their sins before God and one that for me, He has solved the everlasting life; and he who does not believe another and make restitution.At the problem of forgiveness of sin.The Day the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of conclusion of the ten days, we observe of Atonement outlined in Leviticus 16 God abides on him” (John 3:36). Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement and 23 points to a greater day of Please pray for your mission to the —which in Jewish tradition is the day forgiveness. The word atonement, Jewish people as we share the message when the Books of Judgment are caphar (rpk) in Hebrew, refers to a of forgiveness through Yeshua the closed and God decides the fate of covering.The sacrificial blood creates a Messiah with our people.Thanks for each Jewish person, for good or for ill! protective covering for sinners, sparing your love and us from the wrath of our holy God. faithfulness—we could The Forgiveness Dilemma The Day of Atonement points us to not continue this As meaningful as some Jewish the Messiah Who according to ministry without you! traditions are, the means by which Scripture (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22) would Your brother, Jewish people receive forgiveness of die as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin is misunderstood by the average sin. Embedded in the Old Testament Dr. Mitch Glaser Jewish person.At the heart of the Day Scriptures is the promise that one day President of Atonement is the shedding of the Temple would not be necessary for Mitch September 2006 3 Forgiveness. anything that hinders the quality of The Day of Atonement What more comforting word that relationship must be dealt with. in Judaism Today could there be, especially when we This is the primary purpose of the There is no more solemn know how much we are in need of sacrificial system and the priesthood. observance in the Jewish calendar year it? Forgiveness is It was instituted than the Day of Atonement (Yom at the heart of to implement Kippur). Coming at the end of the the Gospel The Promise God’s statutes: ten-day period known as the “Days of message. “…So the priest Awe,” it is the culmination of an The sinful OF shall make intense time of introspection during woman atonement for him which the faithful Jewish person seeks who concerning his sin, amends not only with God, but also bathed and it shall be with others whom he or she might Jesus’ feet Forgiveness forgiven him” have offended in the past year. with the (Leviticus 4:26). The Day of Atonement begins tears Fulfilled in Therefore, with fasting at sundown and an accumulated over forgiveness evening synagogue service. It the course of a lifetime Messiah is the continues the following day and understood.And her love means culminates in the evening when for Him overflowed to such through worshippers stand for an hour-long an extent that He declared, which the service to conclude the long day of “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are balance of peace many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But (shalom) in creation is restored. prayers and fasting.The liturgy of the synagogue for the Day of Atonement to whom little is forgiven, the same loves But unlike other systems of is filled with pleas for forgiveness and little” (Luke 7:47). sacrifice in the ancient Near East, restoration of relationship with God. The gift of forgiveness, the there was nothing inherently powerful Apostle Paul says, is not like the about the priesthood or the sacrifices. The focus of Yom Kippur is upon offense that calls forth its necessity. “Whereas the required ritual is worship, the need for forgiveness and “…For if by the one man’s offense many carried out by the priest, it is desired deliverance from the just judgment of died, much more the grace of God and and is granted solely by God.” 1 the Lord against our unrighteousness, and upon the hoped for restoration of the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Moreover, the attitude of the Christ, abounded to many” penitent sinner was of great relationship.There is much Scripture (Romans 5:15).

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