Journey From Jacob

<p><strong>Brotherly Love </strong>is like a passport. It comes with citizen rights and responsibilities. As citizens of the Kingdom, God expects us to utilize it. He can rightfully do so because Jesus paid the price for love to function as it should in His kingdom.</p><p> </p><p>In the Hebrew Bible, brotherly love is often difficult to locate. Instead of judging the sons of Jacob for their lack of brotherly love, in this episode, we will move forward to the New Testament and see how things turned out since then. </p>

<p>Brotherly Love is not a Suggestion</p><p>As followers of Yeshua, we keep our focus upon Him for instruction and direction. We study, we sing songs and we pray. We say “It’s all about You, Jesus,” but is that an accurate description of what it means to be His disciple?</p><p>On His last night on Earth following the Passover Meal, His Last Supper, in an intimate moment with His disciples, Yeshua shared these words with His closest friends;</p><p><em>“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you </em><strong><em>have love for one another</em></strong><em>.”</em> John 13:35</p><p>Forgive me for stepping on toes, but He did not say to “love <strong><em>on</em></strong><em> </em>one another.” Love is not a task, it is the representation of the invisible God at work in people who represent Him. His disciples were appointed to the most important position in the affairs of mankind. When Jesus died, He made love possible and accessible for those who believe. We who believe are responsible to see this through in our generation. God help us if we do not take this to heart in our daily lives.</p><p>To avoid future confusion, Yeshua added this;</p><p>“<em>A new </em><strong><em>commandment</em></strong><em> I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”</em></p><p>As we continue our journey from Jacob, the absence of brotherly love becomes increasingly evident. The need for divine assistance to reflect God’s image grows greater with each generation and the longing for His help begins to yearn in the hearts and lives of the broken.</p><p>Has this generation been exposed to the Brotherly Love that Jesus purchased? If Jesus commanded us, we <em>can</em> do it!</p><p>It is our duty and honor, not a suggestion.</p>

<p>As followers of Yeshua, we keep our focus upon Him for instruction and direction. We study, we sing songs and we pray. We say “It’s all about You, Jesus,” but is that an accurate description of what it means to be His disciple?</p><p>On His last night on Earth following the Passover Meal, His Last Supper, in an intimate moment with His disciples, Yeshua shared these words with His closest friends;</p><p><em>“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you </em><strong><em>have love for one another</em></strong><em>.”</em> John 13:35</p><p>Forgive me for stepping on toes, but He did not say to “love <strong><em>on</em></strong><em> </em>one another.” Love is not a task, it is the visible representation of the invisible God at work in people who represent Him. His disciples were appointed to the most important position in the affairs of mankind. When Jesus died, He made love possible and accessible for those who believe. We who believe are responsible to see this through in our generation. God help us if we do not take this to heart in our daily lives.</p><p>To avoid future confusion, Yeshua added this;</p><p>“<em>A new </em><strong><em>commandment</em></strong><em> I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”</em></p><p>As we continue our journey from Jacob, the absence of brotherly love becomes increasingly evident. The need for divine assistance to reflect God’s image grows greater with each generation and the longing for His help begins to yearn in the hearts and lives of the broken.</p><p>Has this generation been exposed to the Brotherly Love that Jesus purchased? If Jesus commanded us, we <em>can</em> do it!</p><p>It is our duty and honor, not a suggestion.</p><p> </p>

<p>In this episode, our Journey from Jacob expands into the family of Jacob, who has begun to be identified as Israel.</p><p><strong>But it is not pretty.</strong></p><p>One characteristic of the Hebrew Bible, mistakenly known as the Old Testament, is that God doesn’t hide the activities of His chosen, nor does he defend their poor choices. In fact, He holds them accountable, attempts to correct, rebuke, and instruct them, but they often fail to heed His lessons, even in the midst of their struggles.</p><p>Their consequences will affect everyone's future because the families of the earth are intended to become recipients of the promised Blessing. For that to happen, the descendants of Israel must be spiritually healthy.</p><p>We have much to learn concerning our own role because the Bible has not been widely taught from this perspective.</p><p>This will require humility on both of our sides--ours to teach and yours to consider.</p><p> </p>

<p>We do NOT want to erase history, good or bad.</p><p>However there are a few holes to patch to bring clarity to an historic event.</p><p>The purpose of this episode is to clear up the confusion about why Jews celebrate Passover every spring while Christians celebrate Easter. Is this how God planned the calendar?</p><p>Or was God's intention to unite Jews and Gentiles instead of further dividing them as history has sadly recorded?</p><p>On the night of Passover, when God saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves' homes, He delivered them from the cruelty of slavery.</p><p>That night was to be remembered and celebrated for all generations in every Jewish home.</p><p>Fifteen centuries later it was celebrated by a group of Jewish disciples, led by Jesus, whom they called Yeshua. From that night on until eternity, people everywhere can celebrate with even greater intention because on that Passover, Yeshua became the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, to free all who believe in Him from the slavery of sin.</p><p>We can't change history, but we can make corrections as we move forward and follow the Lamb.</p>