Yeshua, Shabbat & Healing Eyes

 

I have recently been introduced to an inner meaning of Shabbat. We know that on this day, He stops His melachah and ascends to sit on His throne. What is His melachah?

    It is the creating of the world and universe, yes, but what if it's even more than just that? We all know HaShem is hidden in the world today, but what if that was His melachah? To hide Himself in the world so that we would not all be constantly overcome by His Presence, like the children of Israel at Mount Sinai? Could it be that on Shabbat, He stops hiding Himself?

    To me, this is an amazing idea and concept. Deep and beautiful. When I awoke this morning and came through to the lounge, I stood in the doorway, trying to ascertain whether I could sense a more revealed Presence of my Father and King. Eveything was so still and quiet as I began to say the morning blessings and prayers, washed my hands, opened the curtains, windows and doors and came to sit down with the siddur to start my Shacharit prayers for Shabbat. 

    In my mind I kept asking HaShem how He reveals Himself more on Shabbat than the other days of the week. Let me backtrack to Erev Shabbat, yesterday. It started there.

    While I was doing my final prep for Shabbat, with about 15 minutes to go to candle lighting, a message came through from a person I didn't know asking about Hebrew lessons. So that is how I entered Shabbat: Having a new friend and student, meaning HaShem had provided some additional parnasa for me. I was overjoyed and grateful. I couldn't stop thanking Him!

    Not only that, but when I moved my Torah and related books to make space for my Shabbat candles, I found a Yom Kippur Machzor that had been given to me last year by the wife of the gabbai at the shul! I had completely forgotten that I had it! It was such a beautiful surprise just before Shabbat. There were other little things too that Father just showered me with in the last few minutes before the start of the evening prayers and meal. I entered Shabbat feeling like a little girl who was very much loved by her Father.

    During Shacharit this morning, I got to the part where we thank Him for the radiant lights He has made, and just at that moment, the sun broke through the clouds and suddenly shone brightly in my window, reflecting beautiful light off all the leaves in the garden. Perhaps this is one way He reveals Himself to us, I thought. Perhaps He appreciates the time we take to be with Him and worship Him with our words and hearts.

    As I proceeded through the prayers, I became aware how my heart was moved with love for my Heavenly Father and all the people He has graciously placed in my life.

    Yes, the working week is full of ordinary things we have to do to keep ourselves attached to this world. Yes, Shabbat has none of those. After this Shabbat, I will look closely at my week days and try to compare them to the Shabbat. I don't know what kind of difference I will find, but there are bound to be some!

    Early this morning (Sunday), as I opened my curtains, the sun was shining on the foliage outside, but it wasn't still - a breeze was moving the leaves and branches. Then I went to stand on my stairs outside and survey the day. It was peaceful, but not quiet. The many & varied bird species were making their presence known. Beautiful, but not quiet and still. Someone once said that the rocks and stones are frozen in place because they can see God around them and are too full of fear and awe to even move!

    I was watching some old teachings on what Yeshua said about Shabbat and made some fascinating finds. I hope I can lay it out clearly for you.

    It is sometimes said by a certain section of society that Yeshua broke Shabbat and did away with the Torah. Of course, that is not true in the slightest. I hope to highlight some good examples of just how Torah observant He was - and is!

    As a starting point, if you have the time, perhaps take a moment to read the story of the man born blind who Yeshua healed in John 9.

    In Verse 6, Yeshua does a seemingly strange thing. He spits on the ground and makes mud to put on the man's eyes to effect his healing. His methodology has baffled me for years, until I read in the Talmud, Bava Batra 126b:11 & 12. (Remembering in those ancient days it was pretty common for men to have more than one wife.)

    The Gemara is a commentary on the Mishna which is the written version of the Oral Torah, which explains how to keep God's commandments. It was given to Moshe on Mount Sinai along with all the other Torah. It says:

    The Gemara relates: There was a certain man who came before Rabbi Ḥanina and said to him: I know that this man is a firstborn. Rabbi Ḥanina said to him: From where do you know? He said to Rabbi Ḥanina: Because when people would come before his father to obtain a cure for their ailing eyes, he would say to them: Go to my son Shikhḥat, as he is a firstborn and his saliva heals this ailment.

    The Gemara asks: But perhaps he is his mother’s firstborn? The Gemara answers: It is learned as a tradition that the saliva of a father’s firstborn heals this ailment but the saliva of a mother’s firstborn does not heal this ailment.

    So the fact that Yeshua could heal like this was well-known and practiced by the Jewish people of that time, of whom Yeshua was one. What this healing did is prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Yeshua was the firstborn of His Father, God!

    

    Verse 28-30 of John 9 recalls the words of the Pharsees to the man who received his sight from Yeshua. They tell him that they are disciples of Moses, but they don't know where this man (Yeshua) comes from - meaning, they thought He was illegitimate - to which the healed man sassily replies: "What a strange thing, that you don't know where he's from - considering that He opened my eyes!"

    This reply was a direct reference to the fact that only a firstborn son of a father could effect healing of the eyes by means of his spittle!

    Now let's look at the fact that Yeshua healed him on the Shabbat.

    There is a concept in Judaism, which Yeshua practised, of Pekuach Nefesh - Saving a Life. This is taken from the Torah which tells us that God's commandments are for us to live by, and not to die by. Saving a life, in other words, trumps Shabbat. While the blind man was not in danger of dying, he was unable to work and had to beg for a living. Yeshua gave his life back to him and he would henceforth be able to live a proper existence.

    There was also the incident where Yeshua and His disciples were walking through a grain field on Shabbat and they, being hungry, took a few heads of corn to eat. Some of the Pharisees immediately accused them of desecrating Shabbat. Yeshua's response?

    He cites David and his fighting men eating the Bread of the Faces when they were hungry and the priests in the Temple offering sacrifices on Shabbat - and both lots of people were declared innocent!

Let's look at this word for hungry. The Hebrew word indicates near starvation which is life threatening. Again, it's the application of Pekuach Nefesh.

    The Hebrew word used here, and in David's case, for "hungry" is rooted in the word for famine, רָעָב,  indicating life-threatening hunger, not that they just felt like a little snack. How hungry does one have to be to eat raw grain, just like that?!

    So, by healing on Shabbat and by often using His spittle to do so, Yeshua 1. Proved He is the true firstborn son of His Father; 2. Did not break Shabbat but rather fulfilled the Torah by saving lives.

He is Who He says He is.