I was thinking recently about why people suddenly realize that there is more to life than making money in a virtually non-ending rat’s race. I thank God that he has been patient with me even when I wasn’t being patient with myself. And I praise Him for bringing me out of that rat’s race for His pleasure and purposes.
I mentioned Pilate a couple of days ago standing before Yeshua Ha-Mashiach and asking Him, ‘What is truth?’ Truth was standing right before him, and Pilate, apparently at that time, did not know it. Today we have God’s Word, which is under attack from all sides. How many people know it today?
But the Word of God has survived many attacks from the very beginning. And, it will survive the current attacks just fine. Within the Torah, a Rabbi is trained that prophecy is subject to the Midrash Model. That model states that all prophecy is part of a pattern.
They are also trained that the Torah, and for our purposes the entire Word of God, contains many instances of what is called a ‘remez’. You see the Hebrew approach to hermeneutics (the theories of interpretation) views four levels of interpretation:
1) Peshat, the literal, direct meaning; 2) Remez, an allegorical significance; a hint of something deeper; 3) Derash, the homiletical, or practical application; and 4) Sod, the mystical or hidden meaning.
There are so many ‘remez’ in the Word of God that we may never discover them all before Jesus Christ raptures the church. But one of the remez I find tremendously provocative includes the aforementioned Pilate. You see Pilate found Jesus Christ innocent of any crime.
In fact, Pilate was shocked when the crowd, at the prodding of the religious leadership, chose to have Barabbas set free instead of Jesus (Mark 15:11, Matthew 27:20 KJV). But Pilate would get back at the Jews in one of the most ingenious of ways.
John 19:19 says, “Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
Based on explicit and implicit references in the Scriptures made regarding the Mashiach, we understand that Yeshu is indeed none other than YHVH come in the flesh!
John 19:20-21 says, “Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priest of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
This was a direct slap in the face to the Sanhedrin and a perfect way for Pilate to insult to the Jews. For us we must never forget that Barabbas and Jesus changed places! There is a “type” and/or a “remez” here as well:
Barabbas as well as each of us are "dead in (our) trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1) Jesus Christ took our place on that cross as assuredly as He took the place of Barabbas. And for that reconciliation to God, we all should be eternally grateful to our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
I will end this with the words of Paul from the Aramaic Bible and 2 Corinthians 5:19, "For God was in The Messiah- he who reconciled the universe with his Majesty, and he has not accounted their sins to them and has placed in us our own message of the reconciliation."
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