Many Christians right now are preparing for Christmas. Jews, on the other hand, are in the middle of the 8-day celebration of Hanukkah. For most, the two holidays seem to have little in common. But this is actually a wonderful time of year to consider Jesus in his Hebraic context. During Hanukkah, Jews celebrate their […]
Get Ready for Passover by Making Some Mudbricks
Next week we’ll be beginning Lent, which looks forward to the Passover/Resurrection Day. Passover, of course, is the celebration of God’s redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt. I think I’ve found the perfect activity for the season–making mudbricks like the ancient Israelites did in Egypt! Today Biblical Archaeology Review gave instructions on how to […]
A Modern Day Passover Sacrifice
We talk about Jesus as the true lamb of Passover, but moderners have a hard time imagining what that means. We have no mental imagery of what a Temple sacrifice ceremony was like. We know that the disciples joined crowds of other worshipers in the Temple to sacrifice a lamb, which they roasted and ate […]
Ushpizin – A Great Movie for Sukkot
In a few days, Jewish people around the world will be celebrating the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in small “booths” or “tabernacles” they have built in their yards. They’ll live in these little huts for seven days (or at least eat their meals there), in order to remember God’s care during their 40-year wilderness trek […]
What Really Happened at Pentecost?
Last weekend Christians celebrated Pentecost, recalling the account in Acts 2 where the disciples heard a wind and saw tongues of fire that appeared above each others’ heads. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and suddenly able to praise God in other languages. Peter then shared the Gospel with 3000 people who were baptized […]
The Night of Watching
The “Night of Watching” (Leil Shimurim – ley-EEL shi-mur-EEM) is the name of the night after the Passover feast, when God redeemed Israel by slaying the firstborn sons of Egypt (Exodus 12:42). In Jewish tradition, it is said that “just as God redeemed his people on this night, so he will one day redeem them […]