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| ...His appearing |
Retaining Sin
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by haRold Smith
a citizen of the Commonwealth (Ephesians 2:19) 
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"...and I assign to you, just as My Father assigned to me, a Kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in My Kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:29-30
"Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Pharisees, Yeshua appeared and stood in their midst, and said to them, 'Shalom be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Messiah. So Yeshua said to them again, 'Shalom to you! JUST AS the Father has sent Me, EVEN SO I am sending you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Breath of Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'." John 20:19-23
The article, Just As-Even So (click on highlighted words to view content), explored how those who embrace the Life of Yeshua become echad (Hebrew for "one/unity") with YHVH in the same manner as Yeshua. Now, we will look a bit deeper into just what that actually means. Since the words above were given to the followers of Yeshua, let us begin this article by examining what scripture has to say about terms for describing a follower of the Messiah. The most common terms used in the Messianic Writings (NT) are, "disciple(s)" and "believer(s)". The term "disciple(s)" is used approximately 250 times to describe those who trust in Yeshua. Yeshua uses the term 14 times to describe those who were following Him. The term "believer(s)" is used approximately 12 times - yet, Yeshua never uses the terms "believer" or "believers" in reference to his disciples. This is so because He knew how easy it would be for a person to simply say they "believe" in Him and, yet, not keep His Words. This is in stark contrast to the Hebraic perspective found in the Tanakh (OT) of those called "faithful" to keep His Words. So He used the term "disciple". A disciple is one who follows, embraces and imitates the behavior of his Master (Matthew 10:24-25, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27).
Many have been taught to believe that simply conforming to the "Christian" religion fulfills this description of being a disciple; but the disciples of Yeshua never refer to themselves as "Christians." In fact, the term "Christian" is only used 3 times in the Messianic Writings (NT), each time presented in a negative light. While the word "Christian" was first given to Hebrew followers of Yeshua by the unbelieving gentile inhabitants at Antioch, it was as a derogatory remark used as a pun from the Hellenistic Greek chrestos (xrhsto/j) often meaning "good" or "moral" (thus, "goody-good") rather than christos. Consequently, we see in 1Peter 4:4 a preface to the final mention in 1Peter 4:16 that describes how to act when spoken of derogatorily. It was not embraced as a positive label until the second century when Justin Martyr adopted the word as a title of honor, thereby changling the meaning.. It is never used by Yeshua in reference to his followers - nor, as previously mentioned, is the term used (and thus not approved) amongst his followers. On this basis alone, we have arrived at what those who follow Yeshua should be known as - His "disciples," followers of the Way of Yeshua. The Greek transliteration behind the English term "disciple" is mathetes, and it simply means, "a learner" or "a pupil". The single occurrence of the Hebrew word, talmid, is found in 1Chronicles 25:8 where it is translated as the English "scholar"; however, Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines it as "a disciple, one taught." The root of talmid is found in lamad, meaning "to learn, teach, to exercise in" and lamad is used a total of 86 times in the Tanakh (OT). In Isaiah 8:16, Isaiah uses a lamad derivative, limmuwd, describing "my disciples"; in Isaiah 50:4 as a relationship characterized by an educational process accentuating speaking and listening and again in Isaiah 54:13 to specify the "disciples" of YHVH - indicating that limmuwd could be disciples of both YHVH and a human master at the same time. While not specifically labeled as such, the most eloquent illustration of a rabbi and talmid relationship is found in the interaction between Elijah and Elisha.
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"And it came to pass, when YHVH would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray you; for YHVH has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As YHVH lives, and as your soul lives,
I will not leave you
." 2Kings 2:1-2 |
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| ...the passing of the mantle |
The idea of following, therefore, defines the Hebrew Master/Disciple relationship. In keeping with this Hebrew perspective, Yeshua is addressed as a Hebrew rhabbi (translated as the English "rabbi" or "master") approximately 15 times in the Messianic Writings. Yeshua typically called his disciples by saying "Follow me." Therefore, remembering that the Hebrew mashiach (which in English became Messiah) means "anointed" and looking beyond the arcane use of christianos, derived from the Greek word christos (Eng. "Christ") which also means "anointed"; we can see in 1Peter 4:16 a deeper understanding of what bearing the mantle of the Anointed One means - the followers of the Anointed One become anointed ones in their own right. When Yeshua appeared in that room with His disciples, the first thing He said to those present was that just as His Father had sent Him, even so was He sending them - with the power to remit and retain sin. Remember that what had so incited the Pharisees was Yeshua's ability to "forgive sin" - something they traditionally believed only the Father was able to do. Yet here, Yeshua was saying that He was granting His disciples the same authority He had been given by His Father (Matthew 28:18). Just as with Elijah and Elisha, He was passing His mantle to His followers, His disciples - those who followed Him in their behavior. So, then, we have to ask ourselves, what does it mean to "remit" and "retain" sin? Most confuse what Yeshua is saying here by likening it to what He said in Matthew 6:14-15 - but, in that passage, He speaks only of what the Father will do as a result of how we behave toward others. In John 20, there is no mention of what the Father does - only what authority has been given the followers of Yeshua to enact. And what authority is that?
In John 20:23, the Greek word translated as the English "remit" is aphiemi, which has as its primary definition "to send away" (the same Greek word used in Matthew 9:5 to describe what Yeshua said it means to forgive sin). The Greek word translated as the English "retain" in that verse is krateo whose primary meaning is "to take possession of". When you retain something, when you take possession of something - what does that mean? It means you own it. The Father doesn't keep it - He is nowhere to be found in this directive. The followers of Yeshua take possession of it. If the disciples of Yeshua are sent in the same manner as the Master, the question arises - how did Yeshua deal with sin? In 1John 3:5 we are told that He took sin upon Himself and Hebrews 9:26 says He "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself". Romans 6:23 and 1Corinthians 6:20 both tell us there is a price to be paid for sin. Yeshua paid that price for all who would embrace the Words of His Father. There is no record in the eyewitness accounts of any disciple being healed or delivered - those miracles were used as incentive to prod one truly seeking Truth to become a follower of haMashiach (the Messiah of Israel), a Gatekeeper of His Kingdom. The Power granted a follower of Yeshua is surrounded by a hedge of selflessness. When we seek to preserve our life in some manner, we are seeking to consume that Power on ourselves - the antithesis of what His Life exampled. Yeshua tells us in Luke 17:20-21 that the Kingdom of YHVH is within or among those embracing His example of Life. It was from the virtue cultivated in His manner of life that caused His Light to become so pure, so brilliant that He was able to absorb the sin of those He healed - as Light consumes darkness. Yeshua's disciples are sent in the same manner as He was - to take upon themselves the sin of those they encounter that healing might occur with the recipient of that healing beginning to follow Yeshua in their own right as a result. In Isaiah 53:5 and 1Peter 2:24 it is revealed how healing occurs - because He bore our sin in His Body. Who comprises His Body? Is it not His disciples who bear the mantle of "anointed"? If His disciples are sent just as He has been sent, then, do they not have the same authority that He was sent with? How does all of this actually work?
My first encounter with this puzzlement occurred upon my arrival in Israel where I was confronted with a young woman who, like me, had volunteered to work for a non-profit Israeli organization. She had been involved in a traffic accident and, as a result, her back was causing her severe pain. I had just recently been exposed to the truth of John 20:23; so, as I laid my hands on her back while asking the Father for her healing, I had an innate knowing that her pain was being transferred from her to me - I was taking possession of it and her pain immediately subsided. The next day, however, I could not get out of bed because of an excruciating pain in my back. After a couple of days and a lot of over the counter pain killers, I was able to resume my activities in the office of the organization. Thereupon, I was confronted with another young lady who was obviously very sick with the flu. Once again in my naiveté, I laid hands on her, taking her sickness and she was immediately healed with all her symptoms disappearing. The next day, I awoke violently sick. I began to seek the Father for wisdom because, at this point, it was apparent that something wasn't right. When Yeshua healed and delivered, there is no record of His becoming disabled as a result of that healing. So, I backed off of laying hands on people until Spirit gave more understanding. And He did! Recalling His previous words to me, "you can't give what you don't live," He made me aware that my light was just not yet bright enough to absorb that amount of darkness. By not ever being disobedient to His Father's Words (John 5:19, John 12:49). Yeshua's Light became like His Father's - the purest, most brilliant on the planet. Remembering that Light = Life and because Light and darkness cannot abide in the same space at the same time, when Yeshua took upon Himself the darkness of death that had attached to those He healed it did not affect Him because the darkness was dispelled in the brilliance of His Light, His Life caused the darkness to become Light. From the Hebraic perspective of scripture, whatever is not Life is death. Life = Light and death = darkness. Death is living in darkness but Light dissipates darkness. Darkness does not "flee" in the face of Light - it is dispelled. However, that only occurs through an active choice of behavior to embrace Light, which is the example of Yeshua's Life. The dictionary definition of darkness is the absence of light. Shades of grey are the weakening of darkness - not of the Light. There is no more of a struggle for Light to prevail over darkness in you any more than there is a struggle for light to overwhelm darkness when you enter a room at night and turn on the light switch. It took a bit for me to fully grasp what all that entailed, but today I am seeing the fruit of what was learned in that experience
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"I give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18 |
Many ask, "Where is the dynamism today of those early disciples we read of in Acts 5:16?" Because these faithful had just witnessed the Resurrection and Shavu'ot what we see happening in this verse was the communal brilliance of their Light being manifested so that all that had to happen was for people to be brought into where they were gathered for healing to occur. They were not brought to an individual, but into the assembly. We are told in Romaans 8:19 that the whole of creation is eagerly awaiting the manifestation, the unveiling of the sons of YHVH, The Greek word translated into the English "manifestation" in that verse is apokalypsis which means the "laying bare of the disclosure of Truth" for all to see. When will that happen? It seems that YHVH is waiting on us - a generation of the faithful, to bring into this earthly realm that Communal Light once more. When that happens the darkness of this world will simply dissipate and YHVH's Glory will be brilliant. The Day of YHVH will be made manifest in and through His Children, His Family.
a discussion of Retaining Sin
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| "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a Kingdom, Priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." Revelation 1:5-6 | ||
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the Kingdom Mysteries Series
Part One: Communion Part Two: A Cloud of Witnesses Part Three: Ashes of the Red Heifer Part Four: Retaining Sin |
???Questions???
Please feel free to email me at harold@hethathasanear.com. While not claiming to have all
the answers, it would be an honor to partake with you of what Spirit is uncovering.
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