Germany, Rome, Jerusalem and the Menorah

A group of German Christians, calling themselves “The Menorah Project” are traveling from Germany, through Rome, to Haifa, Israel.  They will be bringing a replica of the menorah found on the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy.  The gift will be presented to the Jewish people in Jerusalem on May 9^th.  It is meant to show solidarity with Israel and as a memorial to the Jewish People.  The trip is to be a symbolic and public display of bringing the menorah from Rome back to Jerusalem.  I have included a link here for The Menorah Project website.       

This past Sunday (April 28), we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday.  A portion of one of the readings from the day was from Revelation in which John sees one like the Son of Man among the seven golden lampstands.  

I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,  his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force (Rev 1:12–16). 

Jewish Menorah on Arch of Titus (photo: Anthony Majanlahti)

Replica of the Temple Menorah (photo credit: Courtesy) 

Jewish Passover in Jerusalem 2019

This year the Jewish Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem in various ways and locations.  Priests from the Jewish Temple Institute enacted a sacrifice of a Passover Lamb from an area overlooking the Temple Mount.  Elsewhere, thousands of Jewish worshipers gathered at the Western Wall for a priestly blessing also during the Passover celebration on April 22, 2019. 

Priests from the Temple Institute pray priestly blessing during Passover from area above the Temple Mount.

A Jewish worshiper wearing a prayer shawl takes part in the priestly blessing during the Passover holiday at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 22, 2019. (Thomas COEX / AFP)

The Resurrection of Christ and Pentecost

Today Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  Moreover, the day is the beginning to the Feast of Pentecost (Feast of First-Fruits or Weeks).    

The Feast of Pentecost has its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Today marks the beginning of the offering up of the omer of first-fruits along with other offerings (Lev 23:9-14).  Later there was the lifting up of the offering of the bread of the first-fruits along with other offerings on the 50^th day (23:15-22).  Thus, the feast is associated with the harvest.  In later Jewish tradition the day corresponded with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.

In the Christian tradition, the Resurrection of Christ begins the countdown of fifty days until Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is the first-fruits of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:20).  He was raised like the first-fruits of the barley harvest (omer).  Yet, this was only the beginning for Pentecost, whose fulfillment came fifty days later with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who is herself the fulfillment of first-fruits (Rom 8:23).

In his apocalyptic vision, John sees a Lamb standing as having been slain and having the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth (Rev 5:6).  In Christ, the resurrection is intimately linked with the mystery of Pentecost.  Christ becomes the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45).   

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Update on Temple Mount

This year, the date of the Jewish Passover coincides with Good Friday on April 19, 2019.  This past Monday, April 15, 2019, a small fire broke out on the south east corner of the Temple Mount near olive trees.  Although the cause of the fire is not certain, it is thought to have been started by children.  The fire happened on the same day as the fire at Notre Dame in Paris, France.    

In other news, four individuals (two Temple Mount activists and two journalists) were arrested on Thursday near the Jaffa Gate.  It was believed they were on their way to the Temple Mount in order to sacrifice two young goats.  It is not unusual for individuals to attempt to enact a ritual sacrifice on the mount during the Passover; however the Israeli police firmly enforce the Status Quo on the site that does not allow Jews to pray and worship on the location.      

Jaffa Gate (2018) LFL

Jaffa Gate (2018) LFL

Holy Week and the Two Anointed Ones

Looking Northeast from the Old City of Jerusalem

Looking toward the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

Old Olive Trees on the Mount of Olives (if they could only speak)

More Olive Trees near the Top of the Mount of Olives

Today Christians celebrate Jesus’ going up to the city of Jerusalem.  It is the beginning of Holy Week.  He was on his way from the area of Bethany near the Mount of Olives toward the city, when he began to ride a colt into Jerusalem.  Matthew sees this as a fulfillment of the prophet Zechariah 9:9 (Mt 21:4-5).  In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus is described as coming in the name of the LORD, and as the Son of David, but Matthew adds that he also  is recognized as “the prophet” (21:11).  In the Gospels, Jesus is understood as the Messiah—the “anointed one.”  He is headed up to the Temple, and its predecessor the Tabernacle was also “anointed” (Ex 30:26-29; 40:9-12; Lev 8:10-11).  So, do we have the anointed ones? 

A Guide to the 2019 Israeli Elections

A Guide to the 2019 Israeli Elections

Coming Israeli Election and the Temple Mount

The 2019 Israeli Election Day is on April 9.   There are nearly 15 parties with candidates who are running.  Among them is the Likud party headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whose stance on the Temple Mount is to uphold the Status Quo.  However, not all candidates are supporters of the present status.  In fact, Moshe Feiglin who is head of the Zehut party said that he wants to build the Jewish Temple now.  His plan would move the government to the Temple Mount and grant the Chief Rabbinate authority over the location.  He would also extend Israel’s authority into the West Bank and require Arabs who live in Israel to agree and if not they will be relocated with the help of the government.  Feiglin, like his party, is liberal in some of his views, for example legalizing cannabis.  For the platform of the Zehut party, which includes a discussion on “The Heart of the City: The Temple Mount,” click here.

It is interesting to see how the upcoming elections turn out.  Feiglin is perhaps too liberal and even radical for some.  What is surprising is that he overtly calls for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in which Jewish religion and the Israeli state are not separate, but one.  Apparently, this approach has the support of others.          

Ancient City of David

The City of David is located south of the Temple Mount.  It was the heart of Jerusalem during the First Temple Period.  The site has been excavated and studied for nearly 160 years.  I visited the location during my visit to Israel in 2018.  I took a number of pictures and several of them are included below.  The first one is looking northward toward the Temple Mount, which is in the background, with the excavation site below.  The second shot is a close up of a stone structure with its entry way in the center of the picture.  The third photo is of a man working on site.  Visiting the city helped hit home the realization that there was a more ancient than the existing Old City of Jerusalem.    

Excavation Site in City of David

Stone Structure with Arched Doorway 

Excavating Work Taking Place

One of the more recent and exciting discoveries at the site is a stone stamp-seal that was found in a house burned and destroyed by the Babylonians nearly 2600 years ago in Jerusalem.  In ancient Hebrew script, the seal bears the name of Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King, who is believed to have been an official during the time of King Josiah (Kings 23:11).

Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David