Daily Word: The Jewishness of Yeshua

Yesterday, we looked at the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5. Today, we are going to consider her actions in detail. She was in a state of ritual impurity because of her hemorrhage. This is most likely the reason she approached Yeshua from behind. Yeshua was wearing a tallit (a four cornered garment similar to a shawl) with fringes called tzitzit. The tzitzit had a thread of blue that represented the Law of God, i.e. the Torah. The purpose of the tzitzit was to remind God's people to obey His commandments. It was the most set apart, i.e. "holy" part of the tallit. It is this part of the tallit that the woman grabs. In normal circumstances, when something impure touches something pure, they both become defiled. In this case, the opposite occurred. When the impure touched the pure, both were pure. Yeshua is teaching us about the power of His touch. Healing virtue departed from Him and He remained set apart and pure. He cannot be defiled by the impure that come to Him.

Sometimes modern translations try to conceal Yeshua's Jewishness by describing Him as wearing a coat or garment. There is a real effort to turn the olive skinned Jewish rabbi into a blond haired blue eyed "Jesus." He is thoroughly Jewish in His practices, culture, and beliefs. He is wearing a tallit. He is reminded of God's commandments. He is obeying the law concerning the tallit as set forth in Numbers 15:37-41. This passage is part of the Shema that is spoken in the morning and in the evening before retiring to sleep. This is not a mere decoration; it is a real observance by Yeshua.

Today, what do you think about Yeshua's Jewishness? Do you ignore it, or do you embrace who He really is? I can tell you, you will never really know who Yeshua is until you find the Jewish Yeshua. And, when you do embrace His Jewishness, a whole new book of Scriptures will be opened to you!