August 2-6, 2010

Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:24

This week we continue our journey with the Rabbi and His disciples. Last week we observed Jesus as He separated the twelve apostles from His numerous disciples. This week we hear Jesus give similar instructions to 70 or 72 of His disciples, depending on which ancient manuscript is used. Although we are not given the names of all those commissioned that day, there is one name we know for certain, besides the names of the twelve apostles. Let’s see how many of you can figure out who he was and how we know for sure he was there.

Previously we had the pleasure of meeting some of the women who traveled with Jesus. This week we are introduced to a family of three and are welcomed into their home. He frequently stayed with them when He came to Jerusalem. I’m sure you have met them in times past, but maybe it was a quick introduction and you never REALLY visited their home or their village. There is a tendency to introduce them as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but it would be more proper to present them as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. The home belonged to Martha. As the head of the house, she invited Jesus into her home. In all instances in the Bible except one, Martha is always mentioned before Mary and Lazarus. Even when we are told of Jesus love for this precious family, it says:

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. (John 11:5 NASB)

As the head of the house, Martha would have borne the responsibilities that come along with showing hospitality and making sure that her guests were well cared for. Their house would have been quite considerable. When Jesus came to town, He always brought a troop with Him. We know that Jesus had quite a following and they didn’t all stay in the same home, but you can be certain that several of them did. When you count just the apostles and the women who traveled with him, you’ve already got close to 20 house guests!!!

Although we don’t have any knowledge of what happened to the parents of this generous threesome, we can learn a bit about who they were when we become acquainted with the village they lived in. There has been great debate concerning the name of the village of Bethany. The name “House of Figs” has been commonly accepted, but for several year this has been challenged. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls brought even great light to this translation mystery. The Essenes who lived in Qumran and who penned the Dead Sea Scrolls were a sect of Judaism. They were of the strictest order of Essenes; forbidding to marry as well as any physical pleasures. But not all Essenes lived by such a strict code. Although the Essenes of Qumran took a vow of chastity, there were others who married. Overall, Essenes believed in poverty by choice and in the sense of community, with all things being shared equally. They did not believe in owning slaves, but felt that they had been called to serve each other. They refused to accept the priesthood of the Temple, believing that it was corrupt. Therefore they did not believe in the sacrifices of the Temple, since the Law required they be offered by a legitimate priesthood. As descendants of Zadok who was of the lineage of Aaron, they saw themselves as the true priesthood. They believed in the coming of one who would be prophet, priest, and king and whose coming would restore the Temple and the priesthood. They devoted themselves to the study of Torah, the first five books of Moses, and also to their own writings. One of these writings which they held sacred was called The Temple Scroll. This scroll was believed to be an added Torah and was considered to be equal to the Torah. Amongst the many instructions written in it was:

“You shall make three places, to the East of the city (Jerusalem), separated from each other, to which shall come the lepers, and to those afflicted with a discharge and the men who have had an emission of semen… And the city which I shall sanctify to make dwell My name and My Temple within it shall be holy and shall be clean from any case of whatever impurity with which they could be defiled.” IIQTemple 46:16-47:5

The location of Bethany would certainly fall into the area and description of one of these cities. When the Galilean pilgrims came for the three pilgrimage feasts, they would have traveled from Jericho to Jerusalem on the last leg of their journey. Bethany would have been the last village before cresting the Mount of Olives where one would get their first glimpse of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Because of the people who dwelt in this village, it’s location was just out of sight of the Temple Mount so that nothing that could bring defilement could be seen. Since this would have been an Essene establishment, the name of the city would certainly not have been derived from Greek, but from Hebrew/Aramaic. In which case it would no longer be recognized as “House of Figs,” but “House of the Poor.”

As we continue on our journey, I believe we will find that this is the true basis for this village. In a short time we will visit the house of Simon the leper who lived in Bethany. Obviously, lepers were a part of this city since Simon owned a house there. We will hear Jesus speak to those who were with Him in Bethany, telling them that “the poor you will always have with you.” This statement would not have been condescending in a city that was filled with people who chose poverty as a righteous way of life. We will also understand why there was such disapproval when Mary took her alabaster vial of costly perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet, and why they thought it could have been better used to help the poor. Although Jesus was not an Essene, we find that He was welcomed among them. As a matter of fact, the closer Jesus came to the time of His death, the more He associated with the Essene community and the farther He pulled away from the Pharisees and scribes.

It is also interesting to discover that in the first few centuries of Christianity, Jewish Christians were often found among the Essene communities. In 325 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine called for the Council of Nicea in Bithynia (what is now Iznik in Turkey) and several decisions were made to universally govern Christianity. They changed the name of the Day of Resurrection to Easter, the name of the goddess of fertility, who was also known as Ashtaroth, the consort of Baal. They moved the date from the time of Passover to the celebration of Easter, thus removing it from its Jewish roots. Unlike some have claimed, this council did NOT establish the deity of Christ. It concluded that Jesus was adopted by God at His baptism, and therefore He was an adopted Son of God, but not God in the flesh. The Jewish Christians could not, and would not embrace the decisions of the council, holding fast that Jesus truly was Emmanuel, God with us, and thus were labeled heretics. Evidence has been found placing this rejected Christian Jewish population within the Essene Gate in Jerusalem.

We’ve got much to learn about this division of Jews, and there is enough written about them to give us a greater understanding. They obviously played an important part in the life of Jesus, as well as the New Testament Jewish believers. Hopefully, as we continue on our journey, the times we spend in this Jewish Essen village called Bethany will shed more light on the steps of Jesus’ as He journeys to the cross.