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Pilgrimage to Yerushalayim: A
Sermon in Narrative with Hymns and
PREVIEW
Rabbi
Yahshua by Bruce Chilton PRODUCTION
NOTE: This is a story-like narrative about the
family of Miryam (Miryam) making pilgrimage from Natzeret to Yerushalayim for
the Feast of Tabernacles in 8 AD. The
story is based in the facts we know about the family and the time. It contains many Hebrew names and terms and a
glossary. It is also interspersed with
Psalms, prophetic readings and hymns to be used in unison with the
congregation. For the sake of the
narrative, we understand that Yahqov and Yahuda were sons of Yosef and a first,
deceased wife, that Yahshua’s birth was considered by Jewry to be outside the
Law of Moses, and that Shimon, Joses, Shalome and Yochana were children of
Miryam and Yosef, the latter is deceased by this time. The story is based loosely on a chapter from Rabbi
Yahshua by Bruce Chilton, but with far different conclusions. THE
PRAYER OF YAHSHUA (unison) Psalms 42
(NJB) Lament of a Levite in exile For
the choirmaster Poem Of the sons of Korah Note:
that Yahshua knew “God” as “Elohim” is clearly demonstrated in Mark 15:34 and
Matthew 27:46. As a deer yearns for running streams, so I
yearn for you, my Elohim. I thirst for Elohim, the living Elohim; when shall I
go to see the face of Elohim? I have no
food but tears day and night, as all day long I am taunted, "Where is your
Elohim?" This I remember as I pour
out my heart, how I used to pass under the roof of the Most High. used to go to
the house of Elohim, among cries of joy and praise, the sound of the
feast. Why be so downcast, why all these
sighs? Hope in Elohim! I will praise him
still, my Savior, my Elohim. When I am
downcast? I think of you: from the
THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES lasts from Sabbath (yesterday) to Sabbath
– one full week. The first day is a
holiday, and work is forbidden. The next
six days consist of a harvest festival in which peoples from all over the world
get together to rejoice in the blessings of Yahweh. A “tabernacle” (sukkah in Hebrew) is a
temporary dwelling. Tabernacles were to
be made from things found on the ground.
I think of them as “lean-tos” in the woods. The people of Yahweh prepare their sukkah
the week before the feast – so Tabernacles is a time of camping and rejoicing –
a vacation from the work of farming or whatever.
Yahshua kept Tabernacles all his life.
The prophet says that Tabernacles will be observed by all people
forever. When the Pilgrims enjoyed their
first harvest in the
Much of the Snyder family made pilgrimage to Yerushalayim for the Feast
of Tabernacles in 1989. It was the only
reunion our family ever had and ever shall until we meet in Heaven. And it was wonderful to spend this holy time
in worship and recreation with brothers and sister from all over the world –
tens of thousands of Christians kept the feast there – and to experience the
sites and sounds of the The Family, People, Places, Things
The Family Yosef = Joseph – husband of Miryam, father of Yahqov & bar Yosef
Miryam = Mary – mother of Yahshua and the rest Yahqov = James – eldest son of Yosef and his first wife (deceased) Yahuda = Judas– son of Miryam and Yosef Yahshua = Jesus – eldest son of Miryam Shimon = Simon – son of Miryam and Yosef Shalome = Salome – daughter of Miryam and
Yosef Yochana = Joanna – daughter of Miryam and
Yosef bar Yosef = Joses – second son of Yosef,
brother to Yahqov
People Yahweh Tzaviot = “Lord” of hosts (armies) – King of the World Shimon bar Cleopas = Simon the Leper of Bethany Marta = Martha – daughter of Shimon
Miryam = Mary – daughter of Shimon Eliazar = Lazarus – young son of Shimon
Banyah = a baptizer mentioned in history
books
Places Yerushalayim =
The Galil = Galilee – the northern Natzeret = Shomron =
Yarden = the Beit Anya =
Olivet = Mount of Olives outside
Hinnom = Gehenna or “hell” – the burning trash heap around the city
Things
Mamzer = a person born of an illegal
union – Yahshua was thought a mamzer. Tabernacle = a lean-to shelter made of
whatever is nearby; a tent Nazarite = a person vowed to Yahweh (from birth) Abba = Aramaic for the Hebrew word “Avi”
– meaning “Father”
{Traditional Jewish Song, “Yerushalayim the Golden”}
Yahqov, at twenty-five years of age, had
long before accepted the vow his parents made on his behalf at his birth –
since he was the first-born of a religious family, they dedicated his life to
Yahweh’s service in chastity and poverty.
But now, as an adult, it seems to him that his primary ministry is to be
the spiritual leader of his late father’s wife’s five children – Yahshua,
Shimon, Yosef, Shalome and Yochana. You
see, Yahqov is only two years younger than his “stepmother,” Miryam, and her
children nearly young enough to be his own.
Yahqov’s only full brother, Yahuda, took over his father Yosef’s
construction business, which made Yahuda the family financier at age 23. Their father, Yosef, died just last year. We’re visiting this Galilean family just
before the Feast of Tabernacles in the year 8 AD, when Yahshua is about
fourteen years of age and Miryam is twenty-seven. There’s nothing unusual about a mixed family
in the first century – life expectancy in rural Galil was short, so families
came together. And there is respect for
this family in Natzeret. Yahqov is
already a leader in the local synagogue.
Yahuda is a businessman, though his out-of-town building projects keep
him absent much of the time. Miryam is
too young to be a stepmother to her husband’s adult children, but she became
the wife of the widower Yosef when she was thirteen, and therefore her children
were conceived in an acceptable union. All but one child, that is – her
oldest. The religious authorities
consider Yahshua’s conception to be unlawful, which prohibits him from
attending any local religious services or schools. It’s for this reason that Yahshua would later
become known as “the carpenter” (tekton – “builder”), for he was schooled under the strict hand
of his elder half-brother Yahuda, with whom he’d gone to work since he was able
to walk. Yahuda was teaching him the
family trade and carried him all over the province to work, where Yahshua
learned things not taught in schools, met people not seen in Natzeret, and got
acquainted with a heavenly Father not found in any temple or synagogue. Now Yahshua is fourteen, attaining the age of
manhood without benefit of any ceremony, yet ascribed as worthy by his Father
in Heaven and the angels of glory. This
is why Yahshua is so anxious to get to Yerushalayim and its After consulting with the elders of
Natzeret, the family was given leave to go on pilgrimage to Yerushalayim for
the Feast of Tabernacles. It would be a
difficult journey, not only because of the hard travel for a large family, but
because Galileans had very little money – they did all their business by trade
– my wheat for your wine, my building for your weaving, my fish for your
writing. The The trip will take at least five days,
starting out before the first light, traveling not south, but east so as to
cross the Yarden river and avoid journeying through Shomron. Yahqov, Yahuda, Miryam, Yahshua and the
children pass many ancient villages on the east bank of the Yarden when they
turn south to follow the river. On this
route, the locals live off the revenue of pilgrims, wanderers and soldiers. Though some are nominal Jews, they don’t much
share the close-knit family morality of rural Galileans. Yahqov and Yahuda set up their family
tabernacle in the wilderness outside these towns rather than pay an inn or risk
slick city thieves. The family of Yosef
was, in fact, camping in {Gospel Song, “Camping in Part 2 – Spying
Out the Kingdom But staying in tabernacles in the
wilderness also has its dangers. The
unexpected autumn rainstorms could sweep the family right down into the Yarden
valley to their deaths. There are
leopards and jackals at night seeking prey – fully able to carry off one of the
younger children. Some say there’re
still lions in those parts. But there’s
a more dangerous beast to be wary of – the human beast! For thugs often lay in wait for campers, even
in the wildest regions. After eating a
little bread with stew made from leeks, onions and maybe a little meat, the
family douses their fire and huddles together beneath their tabernacle,
protected only by their cloaks, their staffs and their vigilance. Breakfast at dawn is more coarse bread,
hummus and oil. The little group then
continues south, observing the great cliffs on either side of the Yarden
valley. As they move on, the landscape
noticeably changes – from the flatlands of Galil through the deep wadis of the
Yarden to the occasional glimpse of the barren Yahudan mountains. They’re climbing in altitude now – the going
is rough – sweaty – slow – but they’re determined to be UP in Yerushalayim by
feast time. By late afternoon on the fifth day, they’ve
almost reached the end of their hundred-mile journey. Here are narrow, pebbly beaches on the cold Yahshua asks Yahqov, “Brother, I see a
thousand people swimming and a prophet like you with really long hair down the
river. What’s it all about and who is
he?” Yahqov hastily explains, “Little brother, it’s probably Banyah. People are being cleansed from their sins in
that water. I thought we might see
Banyah hereabouts. Show me where.” Yahshua leads Yahqov to the site. Yahqov says, “It’s Banyah, all right. I’m going down to see him for awhile. You go back and tell the family where I am.” But Yahshua cries, “Brother, I want to see
Banyah, too!” “No, boy,” scolds Yahqov.
“Remember – your place is with the girls. Now go hence.” Yahqov goes on to see Banyah the
Baptizer. But Yahshua doesn’t
return. He follows at a safe
distance. When he gets close, Yahshua
hears Banyah cry, “Repent, you all, for the {Hymn 724, “On Yarden’s Stormy Banks”} Part 3 - The
Harvest at Beit Anya The next morning, the troop walks the day to
the west, into a suburb of Yerushalayim called Beit Anya, where they would stay
with their widowed uncle, Shimon bar Cleopas, and his family, Marta, Miryam and
the young Eliazar. Shimon’s house is situated on a broad street
in a highly populated area, and there are people constantly passing by on their
way to and from Yerushalayim; many pilgrims from all over the world are seen,
both the rich camel trains and the poor foot-wanderers, rich and poor both
making ready for the Feast. The house
itself is grand by rural Galilean standards, with a large common room, a second
story and a flat roof. It’s on that roof
where Miryam and her family will stay.
In Galil, a man would always see where he’d left off in the fields from
his roof. Here, all that could be seen were
more roofs. Miryam’s strange son,
Yahshua, looks out over the vast city from that roof in Beit Anya. And though there’re no fields to be seen, he
still sees fields white with harvest.
After all, the Feast of Tabernacles is the time to thank Yahweh for the
plentiful harvest: of wheat and barley, figs and grapes, sheep and cattle, and
souls of men. {Hymn 694, “Come,
Ye Thankful People, Come”} Part
4 – Yahqov at the Market Stall Before dawn, the young man Yahqov sets out for
Yerushalayim alone to buy a goat for sacrifice.
By sun up, he’s at the Market Stall south of the temple on the hill
called Olivet. His sacrifice on behalf
of his family and his hometown has to be a perfect animal without blemish. Yahqov finds the prices for sacrificial
animals to be very steep and he wishes it were legal to bring his own. As a Nazarite, Yahqov can judge the
perfection of goats with his own eyes and hands. Yet the vendor makes it perfectly clear that
the only acceptable goats, blemished or not, were the ones the priests had
specially marked with paint. This
corruption is disgusting to Yahqov, but if he’s to sacrifice, he has no other
choice but to do it in the way of corruption.
At least for now. Yahqov takes his goat directly through the
north gate to the {The Offering and offertory solo, “Arise, Shine Out, Your
Light Has Come,” 725} Part 5 – No
Respect for Back in Beit Anya, Yahshua and the rest of
the family, having eaten fresh fruit for breakfast, set out to meet Yahqov at the
pool of Siloam, near the The hill of Zion had become a thirty-five
acre rectangular mountain of gleaming stone with magnificent porticos, columns
and courtyards. The reflection of
daylight off the solid gold facade made the whole mountain appear to burn like
a second sun. They can’t see much of it
from Siloam, but what they see they can scarcely take in. Way off in the distance, they can actually
see wisps of rising smoke from the first of the morning sacrifices. They’re all extremely excited to be on the
very outskirts of what they consider to be the very The family ascends up the steps from the
pool toward the heights of They also see non-Jewish tourists with
guides going up. Many women have no head
covering at all, or bare-shouldered or barelegged, wearing see-through cotton
tunics decorated with expensive purple scarves – and jewelry. What are these godless, indecent foreigners
doing, ascending to the Now, here’s Yahqov. He approaches Miryam and Yahuda and says
quietly, “There’s much fixing to be done here. It will take some time.” {Afro-American Spiritual 655, “Fix Me, Yahshua”} Part 6 – Ascending
to the All those, Jew or Gentile, Israelite or
tourist, who plan on entering any part of the After bathing, there were three courts to
which the people would then progress – the Court of Israelites for the men of Yahshua and his family find a simple pool
and pay the required sum so that their clothes might be secured and they might
receive a flax towel. They could then
approach farther only in a clean tunic with bare feet. They start to climb the narrow staircase deep
inside this gleaming pedestal they’d been looking at all along. It’s a four-story, windowless climb, as dark
as a cave, though torches light the way.
Their companions are fear and awe, since the air is so stagnant with
smoke and there are so many others crammed into its half-light. To ease their terror, Yahshua begins singing
the family’s favorite hymn – they all join in, even the tourists: Who
shall ascend up to Yahweh’s hill? Or
who shall stand in his place? Never
the vain man, never the false, but Those
with clean hands; those with pure hearts; They
will receive Yahweh’s blessing then, When they crawl out of the staircase,
they’re like ants flowing out of the mound.
The sunlight only adds to the blinding reflection of silver and gold
from the temple edifice itself. The
worshipers and tourists peel off into their permitted courtyard – Yahshua, his
mother and his younger siblings enter the Court of the Women, one step removed
from the Great Court of the Israelites, where Yahuda turned in to meet Yahqov,
who was already there. Yahshua inches
his way through the crowds of women and children to the edge of the Court of
Women nearest the sanctuary. This is
what he’d been waiting for since he’d seen the Living waters shall flow from
Yerushalayim, And Yahweh shall be the king over all the
earth. So then all the nations shall go up year
to year To worship the King, our Yahweh Tzviot, To keep the Feast in their Tabernacles
there. (Zechariah 14: 8ff) Now Yahshua is
actually seeing the white marble Sanctuary, the {Contemporary Gospel song, “The Mercy Seat”} Part 7 – The
Abomination Before this unseen throne, in the openness
of the Yahshua could see his older brother Yahqov
in the Yahshua now looks back through the crowds of
the Court of Women and spies his young mother and the rest of the brood. She’d come so far to make this pilgrimage, to
worship in the city of the great king, to sacrifice so much, and to preserve
their Hebrew heritage – she’d come for all the right reasons. Yahqov was only a year or two younger than
Miryam, and certainly the Israelite of the family, but it was Miryam who
gained permission for her family to make the trip, and it was Miryam who
accumulated the provisions, even out of her penury. Yahshua knows he will miss his mother and
brothers and sisters if all works out.
But he wouldn’t miss Yahqov or Yahuda, that’s for sure. One more time Yahshua looks upon the
sacrificial spectacle in horror. No,
this Isaiah 1:11ff I am full up with burnt offerings of rams
and fat beasts; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls, lambs or
goats. Bring no more vain sacrifices; to
me, the smell is an abomination; I cannot stand your holidays and your worship
services. I hate your feasts; I am tired
of them all. So when you pray, I will
not hear: your hands are full of blood, says Yahweh. His confidence in the whole system is shaken. {Hymn 505, “When Our Confidence Is Shaken”} Part 8 – The
Deconstruction of Yahshua The young Yahshua looks again through the
crowd to mother. He remembers what she’d
told him about his birth and the consequences of it for her; an old prophet had
written to her that, “This child is set for
the fall and rising of many in Nobody notices
this boy crying in the Court of the Women.
But as he dabs at his tears with his tunic, he hears the rest of his
Father’s admonition: Isaiah 1:17ff “Go.
Learn well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless,
plead for the widow. Come now, says the
I AM; let us reason together. Though
your sins are scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Yahshua goes to his mother. There’s no point in conversation – there’s
too much noise. But Miryam sees that
he’s crying. “What is it, son?” she
yells. He only whispers, “I must be
about my Father’s business” as he vanishes into the sea of people. Somehow Miryam hears his whisper. She sees him disappear. She won’t see him again for many years. {pause} Yahshua runs down the People of all sorts are massed in every
living space – Yahshua hears Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Phrygian – even
Hebrew, a language used exclusively in the But where will he go? He certainly won’t return to Natzeret to be
treated as an outcast. He won’t go back
to Yahqov, who taunts him, or Yahuda who enslaves him. He can’t stay with Marta and Miryam in Beit
Anya – they’d send him back to Natzeret.
His trade is far too primitive for this area. He has no money. He couldn’t go back and he couldn’t
stay. He was like Moses, a stranger in a
strange land, even though this was supposed to be his kingdom. Yet, even among all these strangers, he’s
still a mamzer, an outcast. He’d
been conditioned from his earliest recollection that he didn’t really belong
anywhere. Yahshua falls to the filthy
curb and cries out in tears, “Abba!
Abba! Where shall I go? What shall I eat and who will clothe me?” Then, through all the emotions, smells,
cacophony of noise, fear, and inexperience of his youth, Yahshua’s mind
suddenly clears, and he’s reminded by a still, small voice that he did indeed have
a father, an “abba,” to which he could call upon. His mother told him she’d named him after his
Father in Heaven, Yahweh. Yahshua (Yahshua) means: “the salvation of Yahweh.” He is heartened some because he knows he’s
special to Abba; yet if he’s special, why do his own people treat him so? Now words he had heard his mother recite a
thousand times make sense for the first: Isaiah 61:2ff. paraphrase The spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon him, of
wisdom and understanding, of counsel and might, of knowledge and of reverence;
And shall make him understand things quickly: he shall not judge by sight nor
hearing, but with righteousness. And
righteousness shall gird his loins, and faithfulness his reins. There’s a long
pause and a silence in his mind despite the din. Then Abba speaks only a few quiet words, but
they are enough. Abba tells his son,
“Get out of town, son; back over the Yarden – get out to Banyah the
Baptizer.” Yahshua hears these words and
there’s a sudden peace for his soul. {pause} All of a sudden, all the confusion returns
when a uniformed man severely kicks the boy Yahshua and threatens, (“Phaq,
talya!”) “Get out, boy.” The kick knocks him over – he falls eastward,
and he opens his eyes to see the sun, which is now rising high in the eastern
sky. “Isn’t this what Father just told
me? To get out?” Yahshua muses. Ignoring the pain, he gets himself out of the
gutter and starts walking east, toward the sun, toward the Yarden. A smile of hope crosses his face as he walks
into the sun. {Hymn 723, “Shall We Gather at the River,” verses 1 - 3} {Prayers of the People}
{Hymn 723, “Shall We Gather at the River,” verse 4} {Benediction and Dismissal}
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