Hidden in Plain Sight!

The Torah portion for this week is Genesis 44:18 - 47:27.

It would be hard to find in the Bible a more perfect type of Messiah than Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob. The similarities are amazing! One of these similarities is the 30 pieces of silver which paid for both men's betrayal by their "brothers." Another is that both men were hidden in plain sight. Let me explain.

Paul teaches us in Romans that the Jewish people are currently experiencing a blindness or sleep in regards to recognizing their Messiah.

Romans 11:8 (KJV)
⁸ (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. (from Deuteronomy 29:4)

Romans 11:25 (KJV)
²⁵ For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Now the tendency for Gentile Christians is to say that the Jewish people are foolish not to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. However, we see from Romans that our attitude towards the Jews should not be one of superiority. Rather we should understand that God has allowed this to occur in order for Gentiles to enter into Messiah's Kingdom.

Also, if believers would seriously look at the Old Testament and examine Joseph as a type of Messiah, they would see that Joseph was not recognized by his brothers either. When Jacob's other sons came into Egypt they met the nation's second top man. He had an Egyptian name, He spoke in the Egyptian language. He was dressed as an Egyptian. He was revered by the Egyptians. He did not resemble their brother Joseph at all. It wasn't until after Judah offered to be held as a bondsman in place of Benjamin that Joseph revealed himself.

Genesis 45:4 (KJV)
⁴ And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

In a way, Joseph was hidden in plain sight!

Now let's look at Yeshua. He has a Greek name (Jesus from Iesous). His Hebrew/Aramaic language comes down to us through not only the Greek language, but from a Greek understanding of Scripture. Often artwork portrays Him in Medieval European dress and very European features. Gentiles worship Him while ignoring the Torah and creating a new religion. Is is surprising that most Jewish people can't recognize their own Messiah? Yeshua also seems to be hidden in plain sight!

One day, though, as we  learn from the Old Testament, as well as Paul, that Messiah will reveal Himself to His brothers.

Romans 11:26-27 (KJV)
²⁶ And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
²⁷ For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (from Isaiah 59:20-21)

"Vayigashu......ani Yeshua akhikhem....."   "Please come near to me.....I am Yeshua your brother....."

Perhaps as Gentile and Jewish believers we need to help our brothers of all stripes learn to recognize our very Jewish Messiah by peeling back the Greek and Gentile traditions that have hidden our Messiah so well.

Blessings!

Originally posted 12/23/12

When I became convinced of the Messianic perspective I truly wanted to align my life with Torah. I began eating according to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. I began observing a Saturday Sabbath and I kept all the feasts of the Lord as described in Leviticus 23. It was liberating and exhilarating! However, I also ran into some obstacles! There were family feelings and traditions that I couldn't just sweep away and rearrange to my liking. So, I have often found myself in a dilemma. How do you maneuver between what you perceive as right and the ways of others that you no longer adhere to?

As Christmas approached I was really not enjoying the season. If I had been on an island by myself I would have celebrated Yeshua's birth at the Feast of Tabernacles and I would have ignored December 25th. But most of my family would have thought me crazy or weird and would have been hurt by my wanting to alter Christmas, so I knew that I had to "go along" to a certain degree.

Christmas is in two days. My gifts are wrapped and are waiting in a corner of our living room. (We don't have a Christmas tree. This is my one refusal in light of the pagan origins of the holiday.) We will have our Christmas. I wish we could do it differently. Maybe we will next year!

Yet, through all the Christmas-ness of the season, the well wishes, the feelings of care and love, family, holiday movies, and the very real meaning of the birth of Yeshua, I still have felt that spark of gratitude to God for the reason for the season, as they say. If Yeshua had not been born where would we all be? We would be doomed for a Godless eternity in Hell. So in focusing on the meaning of Yeshua's birth rather than on the traditions and the specific day, I am feeling His love and I want and need to share!

To all my readers, family, and friends, have a very blessed Christmas!