A Call to Unity / May 2003

For those of you who have been a part of the Messianic Movement for some time, you know that there is a heavy emphasis on the "Messy" part of the Messianic Movement. We say this to appease some of our newcomers who are shocked to find out that Messianic Jewish believers still separate themselves from one another and are at odds with one another. Messianic organizations have been formed to promote unity and organize the fellowship of messianic believers. We sing with fervor, "How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together - in unity!" But instead of unity, it seems that things just get more and more "messy."

What is it that separates us and prevents real unity from occurring? Do we have too many organizations? Don’t we share the same vision of Yeshua as Messiah? Don’t we want to set the proper example that Yeshua gave us to be His disciples by loving one another?

The answers are obvious to some of these questions. Yes, we share the same testimony of Yeshua. Yes, we know we should love one another. Yes, we desire the unity of brethren (our numbers are small and we know we need the strength of one another). But, why do we separate ourselves intentionally and why are we so obstinate with one another? What really separates us?

The answer is simple. We are continuing to make the mistakes of the past. We do not love and obey the Lord, and we will not love one another as the Lord commanded.

Yeshua gave us a "new" commandment as a last part of His instruction to the disciples. Actually, it is really not a "new" commandment. It’s not the 614th commandment of Torah. It’s really an old commandment called, "Love your neighbor as yourself." However, we don’t keep that commandment. We would much rather separate our ourselves from our own brethren in the pursuit of our definition for the righteousness of God. We would rather be right by pointing out another’s wrongs, than stoop to help another brother. We have not learned to be our brother’s keeper yet. We are out for ourselves or the narrowly defined group we belong to. The fact is: the "new" commandment Yeshua gave is "new" to us.

As the Messianic Movement has grown and increased over the last decade, something else has grown as well. The animosity and separation of Messianic brethren has increased to the extent that we define one another as heretics, false prophets, false brethren, etc. Today, Messianic congregations too often bear the testimony of unfriendliness. A Messianic believer visiting another Messianic congregation almost has to defend himself just to visit the worship service. "What congregation do you attend? Who is the leader there? Is your congregation a member of XYZ National Messianic Organization? Do you hold to particular teachings?" So much for the joy of fellowship in One God with One Spirit. We have substituted that kind of fellowship with a host of concerns about one another.

The modern Messianic Movement is filled with factions and divisions. The disparity of these divisions range from total apathy (don’t bother me with any information, I could care less) to classifying others as false brethren and heretics (don’t you know that guy is a false prophet; you’re not welcome here).

Did you know that the roots of our divisions and differences come from the ancient past? What we are experiencing now is rooted in the misbehavior of our fathers back in the Bible. One of the greatest principles of Torah is simply: What happens to the Fathers will happen to the descendants. This includes their mistakes. The separation of the modern Messianic Movement is born out of mistakes and controversy of the past. Let me illustrate and explain with three points.

1. Joseph and his brethren. Our fathers were in disagreement with themselves at numerous times and in numerous ways. Beginning with the jealousy and envy of Joseph, Joseph’s brothers actually called and planned for the death of Joseph. It was Judah who decided to make a little silver on the side, which resulted in Joseph being sold and surviving his own death. This problem didn’t go away after Joseph helped spare his brothers from starvation. It grew into problems for the nation of Israel. Look at how the division between Joseph and his brethren lingered even after Jacob’s death and everyone was saved from the famine.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!" So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father charged before he died, saying, thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Genesis 50:15-17

There is no evidence that Jacob ever made this request of Joseph through the other brothers. This petition of Jacob was more likely a fabrication of the brothers to influence Joseph. They feared that once their father Jacob had passed on, Joseph would exact revenge. Their suspicions and fears were false. Joseph wept because he knew that they did not believe him and the kindness he had shown to them. Joseph knew that this kind of fear and suspicion grows into treachery and hatred. Joseph tried to avert this future pattern.

"So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Genesis 50:21

In later years, this animosity and fear grew and began to separate the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph (Ephraim). Eventually, the separation grew to the division of Judah and Ephraim. The House of Judah (descendants of Judah) were treacherous toward the House of Israel (descendants of Joseph) and the House of Israel was mutinous toward the House of Judah.

The prophet Ezekiel tried to show the House of Judah how this level of behavior renders all previous good deeds as worthless.

But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.

Ezekiel 18:24

The wisdom of Solomon in the book of Proverbs addresses the problem of treachery among brethren.

The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

Proverbs 11:6

A truthful witness saves lives, but he who speaks lies is treacherous.

Proverbs 14:25

The controversy of the separation of the House of Israel and the House of Judah was spoken of directly by Jeremiah. However, Jeremiah a prophet to Judah, did not choose one house over the other, nor did he say one was righteous and one was unrighteous. Jeremiah said they were both wrong, according to the Lord.

And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also.

Jeremiah 3:8

Is there room for Judah to gloat over Israel? No. Jeremiah adds the following.

And the Lord said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah."

Jeremiah 3:11

Today, this is a major controversy and issue for the whole of the Messianic Movement. Some say that the teaching of the Two Houses of Israel is heresy. However, the truth is that we are acting out the exact same controversy previously defined in the Scripture! Beginning with the suspicions of Joseph’s brethren, building into treachery and unfaithfulness to God, we still have brethren in the modern Messianic Movement doing exactly the same thing. Make no mistake about it, the two Houses of Israel still have not come together in our day, and the final prophecy of Jeremiah chapter three has not happened.

In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

Jeremiah 3:18

2. We still THINK like slaves. Even though God freed the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, they still thought of themselves as slaves. They misbehaved after seeing God judge their enemies, after crossing the Red Sea, and after receiving the Torah (ten commandments) at Mount Sinai. After all that, they made a golden calf, proclaiming that it brought them out of Egypt. Not learning that lesson, they rejected the promised land preferring to die in the wilderness.

The sages of Israel have wrestled with how quickly our fathers turned to the golden calf. They have concluded that while God freed them physically, mentally and emotionally they were still slaves in their thinking. Their value system was distorted from being slaves and they could not see the value of freedom yet. This concept is born out in Scripture.

So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

Exodus 6:9

Today, we don’t seem to understand what being a new creature in the Messiah means. We spend more energy devaluing one another instead of seeing the great value that God has put in us. We still think like slaves to sin. Instead of being Joshua’s and Caleb’s, most Messianic believers mumble and grumble in their tents and prefer to hear any "bad report" about anyone or anything.

The Torah clearly teaches us that speaking evil of one another is an attempt to put leprosy on one another, to call someone unclean. The Torah commands us to love our neighbor and to not slander or be a talebearer, which is bearing false witness. We are just like our ancestors in the wilderness, concerned more about our daily needs, and discrediting Moses and Aaron. How do we discredit Moses? We don’t do what He says.

3. The Spirit of Rebellion dominates our Assemblies. The children of Israel were rebellious with the Lord and His anointed one, Moses. In the wilderness, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rose up against Moses and Aaron and sowed disunity with the camp. The book of Jude gives specific teaching about New Covenant assemblies concerning the same issue.

But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Jude 1:10-11

These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly–minded, devoid of the Spirit.

Jude 1:16,19

Today, we have leaders who have risen up not by God’s call or anointing. They lead by the power of personality and use the tactics of intimidation, extortion, and criminally attack other ministries and brethren for reasons of financial gain and power. They speak against "La shon hara" (the evil tongue) but exploit any theological disagreement into directed behavior. They are self-willed and operate like the priestly elders of the temple, condemning Yeshua’s brethren with false witnesses and prejudice. But what of all the brethren that witness these misdeeds? Those witnesses are accomplices to the activity by listening and repeating the false accusations. The Torah teaches that a man who idly stands by while another is slain is just as guilty. Even more so, a witness who will not speak up when he is being investigated is just as guilty as the perpetrator and deserves the same judgment. The Messianic Movement has in some specific cases literally formed synagogues of satan that spend their energies accusing their own brethren. We have gone beyond the ego of Korah who wanted to be in charge. We have gone beyond Dathan and Abiram who refused to even meet with Moses. Jeremiah spoke rightly of us who would be scattered into the nations at the end of the ages.

Then you are to say to them, "It is because your forefathers have forsaken Me," declares the Lord, "and have followed other gods and served them and bowed down to them; but Me they have forsaken and have not kept My law. You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, you are each one walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me."

Jeremiah 16:11-12

The list could go on with other points, but I believe these three clearly cause us to be separated from one another. The irony is that these issues have been going on for a long time. But instead of finding more fault and dealing out doses of blame, I want to talk about solutions.

Now, some of you may be muttering to yourselves, "Who does this guy think he is and why should I listen to anything he has to say about unity of the brethren?" Allow me to answer that question first. I am another believer just like you. I am one believer who has no righteousness to commend me, just like you. But, I believe that the God we serve is bigger than all of us put together and that HE HATES the way we are all behaving. I believe everyone of us needs to repent of our own specific behaviors in this regard and take responsibility for our own congregational and organizational behavior. With that answered lets talk honestly about these three points that separate us.

Let’s talk SOLUTION the conflict in the Messianic Movement over the two-house teaching.

If the leaders of the national Messianic organizations think they best understand the prophecies of the Restoration of the whole house of Jacob or the Two-House teaching, then let’s hear them teach it right out of the Bible. This is exactly what Ezekiel the prophet challenged everyone of us to do.

And when the sons of your people speak to you saying, "Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?" say to them, "Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.’"

Ezekiel 37:18-19

If a Messianic Leader can not teach interpretively what this prophet has said, then he has no right to call anyone a heretic for their teaching of this passage.

This principle is an accepted standard by all Biblical teachers.

I want to see the leaders who call the two-house teaching false, to teach what the Scripture (book by book, verse by verse) actually says about the two-houses and when the two houses of Israel are to come together. I want to hear them explain how the Messiah accomplished, or is going to accomplish this!

Let’s talk SOLUTION about thinking like slaves.

Everyone of us has been valued by God to be in His kingdom. He has paid a price far beyond any value in this world. We devalue one another because we will not recognize the value of God on ourselves or one another. As a result, we strike out and seek to harm one another because we are still wounded and concerned for ourselves.

The truth is that we are now servants of God. Our Master has commanded us to not harm or devalue one another. He has instructed us that even if we see another servant fall, His Master is able to make him stand. We are to forgive even as we have been forgiven. We are to love our neighbor. We are to love one another – that is what proves we are disciples of Yeshua. A failure to follow these commandments proves that we are not Yeshua’s disciples and do not know God.

Let’s talk SOLUTION about the Spirit of Rebellion and those who are lifted up by ego.

I believe that good men in the Messianic Movement do exist and that this movement is led by God’s Spirit. I am asking that those men who are led of God’s Spirit to stand and let their voices be heard. I call for every leader from General Secretaries and Presidents of Messianic organizations to Messianic Rabbis and Pastors of individual congregations to shed their differences, hear the one voice of our Messiah Yeshua, and take their rightful place calling for all brethren to be unified in the Messiah.

Yeshua has said that there will be a judgment of sheep and goats once the kingdom is established. The prophet Ezekiel shared it this way.

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, "Thus says the Lord God, ‘Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.’"

Ezekiel 34:2-4

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: "As I live," declares the Lord God, "surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:" "Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be food for them. For thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,’ declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. And as for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? And as for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet, and they must drink what you foul with your feet!’ Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.’"

Ezekiel 34:7-22

Yeshua spoke directly of this prophecy. He also spoke of a day when He would decide between sheep and goats in His flock.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

John 10:11

And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Matthew 25:32-34

Then He will also say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me."

Matthew 25:41-43

For those of us who are congregational and fellowship shepherds in the Messianic movement, we need to listen carefully to what Ezekiel and Yeshua said. Let me share a bit of wisdom I learned from a shepherd once.

Do you know how to tell the difference between a goat and a sheep in Yeshua’s flock? The goats are always BUTTING their way around. They are the ones who stomp around mudding the waters so no one can have a clean drink. They are ones who poop on the grass so no one can eat.

I ask that my fellow Messianic brethren do a little self-examination. Ask yourself, would anyone in the Messianic movement say that you have been behaving more like a goat than like one of the sheep?

It is time for UNITY to be the call of all Messianic brethren in the Messianic Movement. If you agree and want to be part of a greater Messianic Movement, then proclaim the Messiah as your true shepherd… but do it in a new way… start loving one another.

Whenever I have spoken about FAITH to an assembly, most of the enthusiasm to hear the message has dropped off at the introduction of the topic. Many believers have heard faith teachers so many times that they can almost get up and preach the sermon themselves. We have all heard about the father of faith – Abraham. We have preachers telling us that we just need more faith and we will get the blessings of health and prosperity. "Send me a little seed faith money and see how God will bless you with next months car payment, or a new house, or the lottery, etc." We almost get nauseated hearing it again and again.

I don’t blame you that your ears are dull of hearing another teaching of faith, but would you give me an ear to try and straighten out some of the teaching you have received? It is essential to your faith that your faith be true and correct. Having faith alone is not sufficient; you could have faith in the wrong thing. The true measure of faith is not in blessings. Blessings come from obeying the Lord. That is why people with no faith in God at all seem to have a lot of blessings. They accidentally obeyed God. True faith is something that prevails in the face of trouble or a disaster. An excellent example is given to us in the story of Lazarus’ death and being raised by Yeshua. It is a story about the faith of Yeshua’s disciples, Mary and Martha, the close friends of Yeshua. John chapter 11 is where we find this story and teaching about faith.

Yeshua and His disciples were a good day’s journey from the home of Lazarus in Bethany. The message didn’t come by telephone or letter. Someone personally offered to help since they were going that way, or perhaps someone made a special trip.

The news was not good. It was really a request for immediate attention. It was about Lazarus, His friend. Lazerus had two sisters whom Yeshua knew as well. They had all become close friends probably out of the hospitality shown to Yeshua and their agreement with His message.

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

John 11:1-3

When most of us get bad news, harm has come to a friend or someone we love, we immediately want the details. How sick is he? How long has he been sick? Do I need to come right away? Apparently, the message gave a disturbing report, that Lazarus was near to death and may not make it. It was given in the most emphatic terms to motivate Yeshua to come. Besides Lazarus, there were his sisters who would need to be encouraged and comforted. But Yeshua didn’t react as we would have expected.

But when Yeshua heard it, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it." Now Yeshua loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.

John 11:4-6

First, Yeshua took the serious report in stride saying that instead of death, a wonderful thing would happen. He may have dismissed the messenger and said, "Don’t worry. Everything will be fine." The stage was set for Him to remain another two days. There certainly was no urgency on His part to jump up and head back to the Jerusalem area.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" Yeshua answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep."

John 11:7-11

The announcement by Yeshua to go to Judea (the Jerusalem area) came as a little bit of a surprise. He had gotten the report of Lazarus’ illness and not reacted immediately. He had assured others that it would be okay. So, when He said let’s go to Judea and the reason is Lazarus needs to be awakened, it must have sounded out of sequence logically. If you notice, John’s Gospel also places the logic of the response out of sequence. Yeshua said, "Let’s go to Judea." Then He said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep…" Then the disciples questioned the need to go because of the danger to Yeshua. How could waking someone up from sleep be more important than avoiding the risk of immediate arrest and worse? Yeshua’s answer to the threat of being stoned by the Jews is very intriguing and requires a bit more understanding.

Yes, there are twelve hours in a day. Yes, it is much better to walk in the daylight and see the way you are going. The possibility of going the wrong way or stumbling is greater in the darkness. Yeshua concluded that walking in the darkness was a sure way not to be in the light. Okay, so we’re thinking… we’re thinking… we are sitting there with Yeshua and the disciples trying to understand. What does that mean? And, what does that have to do with a journey to Judea and wake up Lazarus? Part of the disciples problem here was that they did not understand what being asleep for Lazarus meant. Part of our problem is that we don’t understand what Yeshua really means to us as "the light of the world."

The disciples therefore said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Yeshua had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. Then Yeshua therefore said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him."

John 11:12-15

Now we are coming to the reason for this entire article. It’s not about Lazarus or his sisters. It is not about understanding deep things. It is about believing in Yeshua. It is about faith and whether our faith can carry us through difficult times.

Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

John 11:16

I love Thomas, doubting Thomas. This probably wasn’t the first time he had expressed concern or questioned the wisdom of what they were doing. But, this time, it was clear that he was frustrated with the decision making and timing of this trip. Not only were they going to trek back to Judea, they probably would all get arrested and get stoned together. Thomas expressed his cynicism and unbelief to make a statement. He wasn’t trying to be a prophet; he just expected worse and voiced that assessment. The trip back to Judea must have been an uplifting experience: Yeshua didn’t seem to be making much sense. If Lazarus is dead, then we must really be going to a funeral (what joy that was before them). And, finally, there is a good chance that they will all be arrested and stoned by the religious authorities. I’m sure everyone was cheering each other up all along the way. No, more likely, they were walking in silence struggling with their own feelings and trying to answer Yeshua’s statement to them, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe." Just how strongly did they believe that Yeshua was the Messiah? Was this man more of a hope and their hopes would soon be dashed?

So when Yeshua came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

John 11:17-19

They finally arrived. They were two miles from Jerusalem and luckily the religious authorities had not heard of their arrival and no officers were posted to immediately arrest them. Maybe they could make a short visit and still get out of Dodge City before the marshal found out they had returned. One thing was for sure. Their friend was dead. The Jews of that day held a certain belief about death; it’s noteworthy here.

Death was something accepted but not really understood as we do today. The belief was that until a person is "dead" more than three days then the spirit of that person might still be present; but after three days, for sure by four days, even the spirit of the person had left. There was no chance that he was ever going to be seen or even his presence sensed again. He had crossed over to eternity. There was simply no reason for anyone to believe that Yeshua could do anything now.

Martha therefore, when she heard that Yeshua was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house. Martha therefore said to Yeshua, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

John 11:20-22

Martha came first to Yeshua, while Mary sat in the house. This behavior matched their lives perfectly. Martha was the type to always be working things, working in the kitchen, trying to gather her resources to work the next event. Mary, on the other hand, was very sensitive and expressive in her emotions and feelings. Mary was devastated by the loss of her brother. Maybe she was concerned about how they would live and make ends meet. Maybe her brother was closer to her than with Martha and the loss was greater for her. One thing was sure, her friend Yeshua was late, and there was no need or reason to rush out to Him on His arrival. But, before we move on with the story, let’s examine Martha a bit more and her expressions of faith toward Yeshua.

Martha said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." What was Martha really saying? I have a very specific idea about that I would like you to consider.

I think Martha’s faith in Yeshua is in the past. Martha’s faith is like a lot of believers I know. Sure, Martha believes in the Bible and she believes in what God has done before, but it is all in the past. Martha does not believe that God is going to take any time out from running the Universe and all that is going on to make any significant changes in her life. What has happened has happened. "I don’t think I’m of any particular value to request or counsel God to change anything," Martha probably concluded after deep thought, "Whatever happens now or in the future is up to God, regardless of my life." Martha probably thought that others could ask God for something and that He would more likely do it than if she asked. Many believers today are just like Martha. They believe in the Bible, because it is stories about the past. They believe that Yeshua came and that He did a lot of wonderful things just like God has done in the past. But, they don’t believe it will change anything for them right now. Martha would love to have her brother back, but she had resigned herself to this loss. Martha was prepared to move on and conduct the business of what was before her. Her attentions were about kitchen duties and what shall she serve to all these people who have come to help us mourn the loss of our brother.

Martha’s request of the Lord, "Whatever You ask of God, God will hear You" probably had more to do with daily needs and fixing lunch than anything truly life changing. "Maybe you could do that blessing thing you do and make some lunch to feed everyone," she may have hoped. Martha’s faith is stuck in the past, and there isn’t much faith in that. Her faith can only help put on a "pot luck dinner" now. Doesn’t that pretty well describe a lot of people’s faith we know? But, Yeshua was not going to let her stay there. He wanted her faith to come alive and be a vibrant thing that would work for her today.

Yeshua said to her, "Your brother shall rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

John 11:23-34

Yeshua tried to draw her into the present, but Martha fast forwards to the future. Yes, in the last day (way into the future), I’m sure my brother will be resurrected. These are the very words that we comfort one another at any funeral. We say a temporary "goodbye" hoping for the resurrection at the end of the ages. But that is not what Yeshua meant.

Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:25-26

Now, Yeshua has challenged Martha’s faith to get into the NOW and present mode. He is not going let her sit in the past with what God could have done, or escape to the future and substitute hope for faith. He wants Martha’s faith to sustain and help her today. Yeshua was forcing her to deal with her faith by asking, "Do you believe this?" [Do you believe that I can help you right now today by raising your brother to live today?]

There is no way for Martha to escape. The question has been put to her directly and she must answer. It is the same question that all of us face when we realize that we are sinners and Yeshua is offering us redemption. "Today is the day of salvation." We have to believe at that moment that God CAN and WILL do something for us, namely, forgive us and give us the gift of eternal life.

Consider this. Which is more difficult? To believe Yeshua the Messiah and ask Him directly to raise His friend Lazarus from the grave; or, to believe in Yeshua the Messiah and ask Him to forgive us and raise us from a future grave to live eternally with Him? Aren’t they really the same? If you believe one, shouldn’t you believe the other?

Martha’s answer is the same one we give when we are confronted. We make a declaration of faith. But if you will notice, she continues to say, "I have believed…" It is still in the past.

She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here, and is calling for you." And when she [Mary] heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him.

John 11:27-29

What is Martha doing now? Nowhere in the previous discussion did Yeshua say to Martha, "Have your sister Mary come to me." Why is Martha secretly telling Mary to go out to Yeshua?

I think that Martha is still dealing with her lack of faith for that moment. She needs and wants other people who really believe to be there too. Martha thinks that Mary really believes in what Yeshua says. Didn’t Mary express her deep belief in Yeshua sitting at His feet for the teaching? Didn’t she wash His feet and use her hair to dry them clean? Martha is like many believers today. Many believers don’t really believe NOW; they have no confidence in their faith toward God. They believe that others really do believe in Him, like the Pastor, the worship leader, their Sunday School teacher, etc. They think that if they can surround themselves with others who believe, then maybe that will be good enough for them. Their faith is best described in the past. So, they want to hang around with people they think have faith for today. Martha wants Mary right there with her because she thinks that Mary really believes in the Lord today.

Now Yeshua had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Therefore, when Mary came where Yeshua was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

John 11:30-32

Martha said upon first seeing Yeshua, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Mary upon first seeing Yeshua said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Are they truly saying the same thing? I don’t think so, because Yeshua reacts in a totally different way.

When Yeshua therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Yeshua wept.

John 11:33-35

Yeshua’s reaction to Martha’s statement is to address her faith and the fact that she didn’t really believe that God could do anything for her that day. Yeshua’s reaction to Mary is much more emotional. I think that Mary’s statement was filled with the emotion of anger and great disappointment directed at Yeshua and God. Her faith has been replaced with the passion of anger.

Why did Yeshua weep? It’s not as the Jews concluded.

And so the Jews were saying, "Behold how He loved him!"

John 11:36

I believe Yeshua wept because no one believed Him. The disciples didn’t believe Him. They thought it was a mistake to even be there. Martha didn’t really believe. She didn’t think God valued her enough to do anything. Now we have Mary, the one who was so expressive in her love of him, she didn’t believe Him either. She was overcome with anger toward Him and God. To add insult to all this disappointment, the professional mourners from Jerusalem asked the question challenging everyone whether they should ever believe in Yeshua again for anything.

But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?"

John 11:37

Everyone is still stuck in the past. Couldn’t He have done something if He had been here earlier? But nobody thinks He can do anything NOW. Why did He even come back. He can’t do anything now! Or, so they all thought.

Yeshua therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Yeshua said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."

John 11:38-39

Yeshua now takes action ordering the stone of Lazarus’ tomb to be removed. This would have required several of his disciples to physically roll the stone out of the way. The process of burial in those days is different from what we know today. A burial place was a cave, usually hewn out of stone, where a dead body was wrapped in linen, scented with spices for fragrance, and left for more than a year to naturally decay. After a year, the bones were gathered and placed in a box and put into a cemetery. The decaying process would be well underway for Lazarus at this point. Therefore, Martha was concerned about the stench. Besides, Torah teaches that anyone coming in contact with a dead body would be unclean. Yeshua answered Martha directly.

Yeshua said to her, "Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

John 11:40

The disciples responded to Yeshua’s order and everyone focused on Yeshua.

And so they removed the stone. And Yeshua raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me. And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Yeshua said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

John 11:41-44

As soon as Yeshua called for Lazarus, every eye must have moved from Yeshua to the tomb. It was an incredible moment. He who was dead was NOW alive. There probably were gasps. Hands probably covered mouths. Mary and Martha didn’t know whether to breathe or cry out. The disciples must have been stunned trying to take it all in. Lazarus was probably besieged answering all the questions of how he felt. In one moment, the words of Yeshua were suddenly more profound than they had ever considered before. Yeshua had raised a man from the dead and proved that He had the power of life over death. His words were the words of life!

Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.

John 11:45

No longer could the witnesses to this moment not believe Yeshua any longer. There was no more room for doubt. All that they could do was rejoice and relive the moment by telling others. Even the Jews from Jerusalem couldn’t contain themselves. They had to tell someone, everyone. They had seen a dead man, dead for four days, come to life at the word of Yeshua. Of course, this was the event that tipped the scales for the leaders in Jerusalem. If they didn’t stop Him now, the whole world would believe in Him and they would lose their jobs of being in charge of Jerusalem and the temple. With this event, the decision was made to kill Yeshua.

Yeshua delayed His coming to guarantee these results. He clearly wanted all those present to believe in Him, to have faith in God that He was sent, and that God was concerned about each person.

However, the question remains for us about our faith. Do we really believe in Yeshua as Messiah, as Redeemer, as the One who will raise us in the last day and give us eternal life?

Yeshua asked, "Will the Son of Man find faith when He returns?" This is a question for the last generation. That is us. Do we have the kind of faith that Yeshua expected of Martha and his disciples. Or, do we have faith that is limited to the past, hoped for in the future, but missing from the present?

The writer of Hebrews wrote an entire chapter on the issue of faith. He defined faith not as something sitting at the foot of a rainbow, nor did he express it as something that oozes out of a tube like skin cream. He didn’t say it was absorbed by standing around others with it. Nor, did He say it was illusive and purchased with a high price.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Hebrews 11:1-3

First, you should take note that the writer is not explaining "past tense" faith or "future tense" faith. He is defining NOW faith. He is defining something that exists each day that a believer has. Secondly, he says that NOW faith is an assurance. It is much more than hope. He says that it is a conviction; it is a decision based upon evidence that leads to truth. When a man is convicted of something, evidence has been brought forward, weighed, and a decision and judgment has been rendered beyond all reasonable doubt. You are convinced that certain things are true. Now faith is true faith; it is based on truth backed up by evidence.

Many believers today say that they have faith in God. But too often, their faith is a presumption of facts not proven with evidence nor defined as truth. Presumption leads to false prophets and false teachers. Presumption of faith leads to false brethren and believers.

The Bible is filled with stories of men of old who had faith in God. Abraham’s faith is the Biblical definition for righteousness. The rest of Hebrews chapter eleven expresses how many people from the past had faith in their day that caused them to act, be delivered, and to make the choices they made. Their faith worked and accomplished things, like Yeshua showed us in the raising of Lazarus.

But faith is also able to do something else that few people talk about. Faith can enable you to see the unseen Creator. This ability to see the Creator includes seeing His purposes and plans. This kind of faith can hear the voice of God speaking from Mount Sinai regardless of speaking 3500 years earlier. True faith comes by hearing, not by seeing things that can be seen. This kind of faith stirs a person to live beyond the present dimensions and to see themselves as an eternal creature on a fascinating journey. This kind of faith knows that God really is God and that He truly is interested and involved in their life.

Quite honestly, if God will not deliver you on the day of your trouble, then what good is your faith. If God does not answer you when you call out, then why do you say you believe in Him. If He can’t be trusted to answer you and respond to your petitions, then what makes you think you actually know Him, or that He knows you. Just as the writer of Hebrews said.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

Most believers, at this point, are all nodding their heads in agreement that we need NOW faith, but they still have a very serious question. How do you get true faith that works NOW?

Our father Abraham was able to call upon God and God would answer, "Here I am Abraham." To have that kind of faith, you have to answer God when He calls, "Here I am Lord." Do you remember when the Lord came looking for and calling out to Adam. Adam hid himself. He was afraid. He was naked. To have faith in God, we must listen and respond to the Lord. We can no longer hide ourselves in a host of activities. We can no longer be afraid and hide the talents given to us. Remember the parable of the talents and what the third servant said?

But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money. And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours."

Matthew 25:18,24-25

The third servant failed because he had no faith. With no faith, he can do no work; he accomplishes nothing in the kingdom.

To have NOW faith, we must have faith like our father Abraham to believe the promises of God. Abraham believed the promise of God for a son. That promise was realized in the birth of Isaac, by Sarah. We believe the promise of God for another son. That promise was realized in the life of Yeshua, the Son of God. It can not be, however, the presumption that He was the Son of God, the Messiah. Each of us must base our faith on truth with the evidence backing it up.

Do you know what a miracle really is? A miracle is something that happens to someone who said they had faith, but really didn’t, and then watched it happen. The surprise is called a miracle. A miracle to a person of faith is an event that didn’t surprise them. He is happy that it happened; he calls it a miracle only to give God full attribution for it happening. The person of faith is expressing their thanks to God.

The real measure of faith is not in signs and wonders, or in miracles. It is believing when no one around you believes. It is being empowered to do the will of God when others are opposed to you. It is more real than the temporal existence we have as mortals in this world.

Yeshua taught us that if we have faith like a mustard seed, we could say to a mountain to be moved, and it would be moved. A mustard seed is a very small thing. However, it is not faith alone that moves a mountain. God moves mountains. Faith is not about how to move mountains; it’s about knowing who can move mountains.

NOW, take a deep breath. Ask God to increase your faith to believe Him today. Ask Him to move the mountains that are before you, that you might walk on straight and smooth paths of His will. Don’t walk by sight; walk by faith.

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
The ministry is a non-profit organization with an end time prophetic message in a Messianic Jewish context.
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Editor - Monte Judah
Electronic Editor - Ephraim Judah

Lion and Lamb Ministries
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