Come to Understanding

Come to Understanding

They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,

and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. — Isaiah 29:24

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,

and caused them to understand the reading. — Nehemiah 8:8

September 1, 2010
Volume 9 Number 17

This Do In Remembrance of Me!

One of the greatest prophesies of the coming Messiah is found in Isaiah 61, which begins as follows:

1 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of Yahweh, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he might be glorified. -Isaiah 61

The people of God would be named "Priests of Yahweh" and would be called the "Ministers of God:"

6 But you shall be named the Priests of Yahweh: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall you boast yourselves. -Isaiah 61

His people will be clothed with the "garments of salvation" and with the "robe of righteousness," as Yahweh causes righteousness and praise to spring forth for all the nations of the world to see:

10 I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. -Isaiah 61

The significance of this passage of Scripture from Isaiah was revealed when Yahshua (Jesus) stood up in the synagogue and read it. After He finished His reading, He sat down and said that He had fulfilled this Scripture!

17 And there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord Yahweh.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. -Luke 4

That prophecy of Isaiah stood as a witness of the coming Messiah, who would be anointed with the Spirit of Yahweh. Through Him, we would be made Priests and Ministers of Yahweh, granting us the authority to enter directly into the presence of God. Through Him, we are clothed with the robe of righteousness so that we appear as righteous, cleansed from our sins, in the presence of Yahweh.

After Yahshua the Messiah died for our sins and was raised from the dead, He explained the purpose of the Scriptures, such as those of Isaiah. To those who are able to understand them, such writings in the law, the prophets, and the psalms were the promise of His coming:

44 And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved the Messiah to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. -Luke 24

The "good tidings" that Isaiah preached was the promise that the Messiah would die to pay for our sins and that He would conquer death. Those who believe that promise and repent of their sins, know that they are cleansed from their sins and are assured of the promise of everlasting life in the presence of God.

By understanding that Yahshua fulfilled the Scriptures, we can remember the account of the Passover with renewed enthusiasm. A lamb was offered in Egypt as a sacrifice. Its blood protected the children of Israel from the judgment of death that came upon those who were not protected by the blood of the lamb. The Passover was a "memorial," which was to be remembered forever with a Feast:

11 And thus shall you eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh’s passover.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am Yahweh.

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14 And this day shall be to you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever. -Exodus 12

The purpose of a memorial is to preserve a memory. Yahshua, however, explained that those things written in the Scriptures were not just for the purpose of recording history. They were written about Him. It might be said that biblical "history" is really "His Story." Therefore, it is likely that John the Baptist recognized the fulfillment of the Scriptures when he announced Yahshua as "the Lamb of God," who would cleanse the world of sin:

29 The next day John saw Yahshua coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. -John 1

Remaining obedient to the commandment of Yahweh, Yahshua kept the Passover with His disciples before He fulfilled it through His death:

16 For I say to you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:

18 For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. -Luke 22

The Messiah, Paul said, is "our passover" that is "sacrificed for us." Therefore, when we now keep the Feast of the Passover, no new sacrifice is made. Instead, we keep the Feast by faith, with the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth:"

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even the Messiah our passover is sacrificed for us:

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. -1 Corinthians 5

Unlike the priests who continually offered imperfect sacrifices for sin, the Messiah fulfilled the Passover with His perfect and final sacrifice, completing the job forever:

11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; -Hebrews 10

In contrast to "Israel after the flesh," which ate sacrifices that were freshly slain upon the altar, believers who come together in "communion" (which means "fellowship") keep a memorial of the final sacrifice that was finished. The "cup of blessing" is the cup of "eulogy," as it is translated from the Greek language. "Eulogy" literally means "good word" or "praise." Therefore the purpose of coming together in communion is not to make a new sacrifice. Instead, it is to offer our thanks and praise to God for the sacrifice that was already made for our sins:

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Messiah? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Messiah?

17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? -1 Corinthians 10

When Paul further explained the "communion" of the blood and body of the Messiah, He said that we partake of it to "show the Lord’s death till he comes:"

26 For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till he comes. -1 Corinthians 11

The Greek word that is translated as "show" means to publicly preach or proclaim. Therefore, the purpose of communion is to proclaim the memory that Yahshua is our Passover. It is a public testimony of our faith that the Lamb of God was slain for our sins, as we anticipate the further fulfillment of the Scriptures by His victorious return.

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Scriptures are taken from the Proper Name Version of the King James Bible.