Crossworks Comments

To Be an Apostle of Jesus Christ first be His disciple.

When Jesus was calling His disciples Matt chapter 4:18 to 22.

It says he called Simon and Andrew, James and John, and the scripture says immediately they left what they were doing. The words Jesus spoke - "Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men".

There were no great benefits declared in their becoming a disciple, or any real pressure applied. Have you ever wondered why they responded immediately, with even James and John, walking out of their fathers business, good old dad lost his workers in one hit.

What on earth was going on here. It was not because they recognised he was the Son of God because it says over in John 3 years later, "finally they realised He was the son of God".

We need a bit of an understanding of Hebrew Culture to understand the dynamic at work here.

In Hebrew culture every boy, from childhood, was trained to be a Rabbi - a long the way they were culled, kind of like we see with rugby teams, or football teams in Australia.

Those who didn't measure up were sent to work in the family business, at each different level.

With our football only the best of the best get to play at a national level. Well its sort of like that for the Hebrew boys, they all longed to go to the next level. You were someone special if you went to the next level.

(A scene was set in and through this cultural mindset - not to remain in it - but to prepare some Hebrew boys for something unique in history)

Now we dont know at what stage of this development in the Hebrew traditions, the disciples of Jesus failed or were rejected by the establishment but some of this preperation they certainly would have done, and they also would have yearned as all Hebrew boys did, to be considered good enough for the next level.

Look at some of the training they went through to try to get picked for "the next level in the institutional framework that was then ministry". We've all seen the adds "pick me pick me" it was like this in their minds.

By age 6 all Hebrew boys must be able to recite word for word the book of Leviticus. By age 12 they were supposed to recite the entire Torah - then they were examined on their knowledge of the Torah, based on how well you questioned the teachers of the law.

If you wowed the teachers of the law with good questions you went on to the Bel Talmud level. This is the cultural setting when we read these scriptures about Jesus .....

Luke 2:42 - "And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. "

Luke 2:46 to 49 - "Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers."

The Bel Talmud lasted 18 years from the age of 12 to 30 - A Rabbi would go to the Bed Talmud and choose from those graduated from the Betsapha and say "FOLLOW ME".

This was the ritual of choosing, and the words that every Hebrew boy from 12 years of age longed to hear from a respected Rabbi, if they were ever to be trained for the ministry.

For those who make it to stage 5 at 30 years old there is a baptism, a water baptism. Any change of status was sealed with a water baptism ceremony. Adoption required a water baptism.

When someone went through the waters of baptism after hearing the words, "Follow me" from the rabbi they were chosen to be discipled by, it was such a thorough change that like the adoption process you were no longer your own, or related the same to your family, - you were now the family of the Rabbi, and he was your father your master your all.

Stage 5 Schmeach - means a person has reached a level of recognised authority -. exousia is the greek equivalent.

To graduate there needed to be 2 or more witnesses who were recognised already to be Schmeach graduates, to say that this person had Schmeach.

A Rabbi with Schmeach was allowed to develop his own yoke. The Yoke to a hebrew means "the interpretation of scripture", or doctrin derived from scripture.

If you did not have, or had not been recognised and declared to have reached Schmeach you had to follow the yoke of your Rabbi.

The most amazing thing about the Yoke of Jesus, that was so very different from the other Rabbi's, was His revealing of the character of God - the gentleness and humility of God, He said God is love.

Some of the scriptures refering to His yoke were prophesied....

Isa 9:4 - 7 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

The yoke of the past has to go, only the yoke of Jesus can be taken on board if you truly want to live in the Kingdom of God.

Isa 10:27b And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

When I see people going into transition, the Lord often has me pray for them annoint them with oil and speak release and sanctification, that they be set apart and sanctified for the purposes of the King Jesus, and His Kingdom.

It has been a very powerful dynamic in God and only the start of restorative miracles that we see take place time and time again as people just co-operate with King Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead them into all truth. Jesus is the truth.

"Oh Lord sanctify us to your yoke, your truth, your will and your Kingdom come. Break every blindness that we may see your glory."

Isa 58:6 - 8 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. "

Back to the Hebrews boys....

Some of the times where Schmeach was discussed, recognised, challenged and questioned - are easily recognised even in English or Greek in spite of language differences the tone is there.

"By what authority do you teach?" (exhousia or authority)

"By what authority did John the Baptist teach?"

Once Baptised, whether having Schmeach or not, the Rabbi went to get disciples. Most Rabbis went to the Bed Talmud to pick out of the students the best for their Disciples.

A Rabbi would want to pick students that could be better than him.

Jesus says, "My Yoke chose fishermen - workers - those who had been rejected by the Bel Talmud".

Jesus disciples came from either those rejected by the dominating religious system, or some were actually disciples of John the Baptist.

Jesus' First Disciples

John 1:35 - 40 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother."

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus came on the scene and His time for rising up to accomplish the will of God was evident, John the Baptist had the appropriate response - "John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."

"Oh Lord help us not only do what we are called to do in the preparing of others to bring your Kingdom to manifest in the earth, help us when we must decrease so the next layer of your building can increase. Help us see it, help us to make way for it and help us to praise You for that which You are doing"

When Jesus came to the fishermen and said "follow me", He came as a Rabbi with authority to train them for ministry. Think about it these men had longed to be chosen as young men, they had been disqualified from ministry and sent home to learn the trade of their fathers.

That's why when a Rabbi came by who obviously spoke with schmeagh, and said "Follow me", it was such an opportunity that they dropped everything for the opportunity to be taught for the ministry.

Just a thought for further development later.........

What is Jesus saying here?

Mat 23:8 - 13 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

"Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

"And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Jesus is saying He is the last Rabbi with Schmeagh, there will be no one after him that can create another yoke. His yoke will forever be the yoke of the Kingdom. - The yoke of the ministry. The teaching and perspective of the word of God that we are all to adhere to.

Mat 11:25 -30 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

These Hebrew men knew exactly what Jesus was talking about when He invited people to take His yoke. That is why these could say with conviction -

Acts 15:10 -12 "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. "

and

Gal 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

2 Pet 1:17 -20 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.

(Emphasis mine)

Here Peter is declaring that Jesus authority to interpret scripture was not only recognised, as was custom, by two or three earthly witnesses, Peter is refering back to the mount of transfiguration where Moses and Elijah, the most recognised authorities regarding the word of God, who would know if someone was misrepresenting the way God intended His word to be used, and Father God Himself declared "this is my Son hear you Him." The words declared when a Rabbi was reconised and graduated with authority to interpret scripture.

Jesus Yoke teaches the Kingdom of God,.

When I first came into the things of God and was baptised in the Holy Spirit, I could not understand that no one in the church was talking about or teaching about the Kingdom of God, everyone was talking about lots of other things. Holy Spirit was constantly showing me in the word the things of the Kindgdom. My first sermon in Bible College, a mostly male Bible College I preached to the other students the importance of teaching about the Kingdom of God.

Many of them thought I meant Kingdom verses church or something and that had nothing to do with it. An honest open reading of scripture shows Jesus preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God, the disciples and Apostles talking and preaching the Kingdom of God.

The church is not where you go on a Sunday even though all that is good, the Church is you and you are also the Kingdom of God on legs , Jesus wants to release His Kingdom everywhere you go.

Jesus considers it a very important subject - Gods Kingdom and King are central to understanding scripture properly.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." ...

was said to people who taught and recited scripture. What is Jesus saying here.?

I've heard it said that scriipture says "in the last days there will be a famin of the word of God". Derived from Amos 8:11

I beleive what is being expressed here, in the heart of the pastors who are carrying it, is simply that like what happened with Israel, that the word of God was taken so far from what He originally intended for it, that there will once again be so little of the word of God as it is connected to His thoughts in writing it.

When Jesus said "when the son of man comes will He find faith in the earth? - that is speaking of "pistis" - persuasion credence conviction of truthfullness of God - total and utter reliance on Jesus Christ. That is not speaking of a doctrin of faith, it is speaking of "will He find persuasion, credence, conviction of His own truthfullness in our hearts, total trust and reliance on Him." In other words His yoke.

Are we not once again living amongst those who hold fast to their traditions and in so doing, make of no effect the very word of God they so vehemenently speak about - simply because its filtered through private interpretation or tradition.

John the Baptist had schmeach - at the baptism of Jesus - and again at the mount of transfiguration - God's recognition of Jesus as His Son in whome He is well pleased, "HEAR HIM" - is a declaration or witness by the Father Himself, of His authority to correctly interpret the scripture, and the application of it, or create a yoke to be followed. Jesus was recognised and declared by the witness of Father Holy Spirit priestly order (John), to be the authorative son of the living God who alone had the level of relationship, with the Father, to be able to declare truthfully what God's intention of His written word, His will and testament, is. What purpose it has and what God is wanting to accomplish in the earth.

The foundation of Jesus Christ - His declaration of the Character of God - His interpretation and application of scripture, the law of God, the eternal principles of God, the commandments to be adhered to, in the covenant He and the Father were establishing, the better covenant. These are the authorative teaching or schmeach yoke, that disciples of Jesus Christ, or those who call themselves Christians, are to adhere to - practise - and preach.

God's love, His gentleness with His people, His unfailing commitment to fulfil covenant with those who He makes covenant with, His patience. Why does Jesus declare, "The Kingdom of God is peace love and joy in the Holy Ghost". Because this is His yoke, it is one that will have the word of God accomplish what it is sent forth to do, and will ensure it does not return to Him void.

It is a more powerful and explosive yoke than anything man had ever seen in their tradition and interpretation of scripture that very often declared God's judgement as a harsh and cruel thing.

Jesus said that, "the goodness of God leads a man to repentance". What a strange yoke or treatment of scripture it must have been to the Hebrew mind.

If you had no schmeach - you had to follow teach preach the yoke of your Rabbi. You could not interpret scripture for yourself.

If Jesus has called you to the ministry guess what? You are called to teach and preach His Yoke.

Pastor Les Wallen when I shared this with him looked up the word "burden" from where scripture says "my burden is light", he said it means "The price I will charge you for using". Hmm some are paying a high price to be in ministry could this be a key as to why.

Are we really disciples of Jesus? Do we wear His yoke and teach it?

If not can we call ourselves Apostles of Jesus Christ?

Love and blessings

Lee