שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם
Shalom aleichem
Welcome and Peace!

Adon Y'shua the Nazarene in Brief

We often identify our spiritual path as the "Nazarene Way" or "Nazarene Judaism" (whether we are Jewish Nazarenes or Noahide Nazarenes). Sometimes we are also known as "Messianic Jews" or "Messianic Israelites." Every term means something different to different people! For instance I despise the term "spiritual Israel" because of the antisemitic connotations frequently implied by those who use it (that being the anti-biblical notion that "spiritual Israel" has replaced "physical Israel").

By whatever name, our essential spiritual path is that we seek to be the talmidim (students/disciples) of Y'shua the Nazarene our Adon (Master Rabbi) and Cohen Gadol (High Priest and Mediator with HaShem). Understanding who Y'shua ben Miriam is is therefore essential. In this section we turn our attention there.

A critical distinction between Noahides (and Jews) and Noahide Nazarenes is our acceptance of the biblical and continuing ministry activities of Adon Y'shua (our master rabbi commonly known as "Jesus" -- see below for more on the name of our Adon).

One critical distinction between Nicene Christians and Noahide Nazarenes is our view of who Adon Y'shua is, and perhaps more significantly for this study, who he is not.

We will now consider these distinctions and what the Bible really has to say about Y'shua ben Miryam the Nazarene (Y'shua, son of Mary, the Messiah). We do so with respectful disagreement to Noahides, Jews and Nicene Christians remembering always that HaShem looks first and foremost at the heart. We stand with all who stand for the biblical faith according to their sincere knowledge. The following is therefore intended to share our views as Nazarenes not to cause division with others.

The Conception and Birth of Y'shua

As closely as we can determine somewhere between 7 and 4 B.C.E. -- almost certainly in the Autumn of the year during the biblical festival of Sukkot -- and absolutely not at Christmas time -- a pious Judean (Jewish) teenager of the House of David named Miryam (Mary in English) gave birth to a son and named him Y'shua ("Yah's Salvation": Matthew 1:21).

At the time of the child's conception and birth Miryam was legally married to a Jew of the House of David named Yosef (Joseph in translation) although their marriage had not yet been consummated physically.

Despite what the Catholic Church teaches the Bible is abundantly clear that Miryam and Yosef consummated their marriage after the birth of Y'shua and that their marriage produced several other children, including James the Just (leader of the Nazarene Movement after Y'shua's execution and author of the biblical Book of James as well as (probably) the Protevangelium [Gospel] of James. For instance:

KJV: Matthew 12:46 While he [Y'shua] yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
12:47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee....

Y'shua was not the physical son of Yosef by blood, however as Yosef was Miryam's husband, the Master is correctly known as Y'shua bin Yosef, however for clarity we reference him as Y'shua ben Miryam, "the son of Mary" here.

The Y'khanyahu Curse

As Yosef (Joseph) was Y'shua's legal father under existing Jewish (and Roman) law Y'shua was born into the royal lineage of King David as required by the Messianic prophecies.

Yosef's lineage passed through King Shlo'mo (Solomon) and included the royal promises made specifically to David concerning his foretold messianic descendant (Psalm 110 etc).

I discuss the occasionally cited curse of Jeremiah 22:28 that was placed on the bloodline of Yosef's Davidic ancestor Y'khanyahu in THIS study and demonstrate why that curse does not compromise the claims of Y'shua to that position -- simply stated, Y'shua was not of Yosef's bloodline (which carried the curse of Y'khanyahu) because Yosef was not his biological father. Had Yosef been his physical father Y'shua would not have fulfilled the messianic requirements. This truth makes the doctrine of the virgin birth a prophetic necessity for those who believe Y'shua is the Mashiach. This is why the enemies of Adon Y'shua so often attack his virgin birth with straw-man arguments like what the word almah means (it does not mean "virgin" however it does mean "a chaste female youth" which requires her to be a virgin).

For Y'shua to be Mashiach he had to have been born of someone other than Yosef as the Gospel accounts present. Some hope that by discrediting Yosef's Davidic ancestor Y'khanyahu they can disqualify Y'shua as Mashiach, however his claims to being Mashiach do not rest solely on his lineage through Yosef.

Y'shua's biological mother Miryam (Mary) also passed on her Davidic bloodline, but through David's son Nathan (Shlo'mo's brother) rather than through Y'khanyahu as with Yosef (again I discuss the bloodline of Y'khanyahu Here). This gave Y'shua a dual Davidic royal lineage without passing on the curse of Y'khanyahu that would have disqualified him as Mashiach!

An interesting note on this can be found in the Chabad discussion "What Is Moshiach Doing At The Gates Of Rome" that I examine Here. The Chabad rabbi in the video discussion (who in no way is referring to Y'shua) notes the "tainted" bloodline of David himself as an example that is very relevant to the claims of Adon Y'shua's tainted lineage. According to the Torah Mashiach comes through David (as did Y'shua through both his lines). Only one such line is required by the prophecies.

David came through Ruth. Ruth of course was a Moabite (a Pagan from Moab) convert to Judaism (the Way of the Israelites) who embraced Adonai, the God of her mother-in-law Naomi after the death of her husband (Ruth 1:16). Remember where the Moabites came from?

Avraham's cousin Lot fled Sodom and Gomorrah as the angels were destroying it (for violating the hospitality laws: Ezekiel 16:48, Mark 6:11, Matthew 10:14). Lot's wife 'looked back' and died (turned to salt!). Lot and his two daughters escaped to the hills and later the girls tricked Lot into impregnating them. The older of the two daughters gave birth to a son and named him Moab (Genesis 19:37). Ruth descended through this line. Talk about tainted! Yet David and Adon Y'shua arose from this lineage.

The Chabad rabbi's description of why this "tainted" lineage is important for Moshiach (be he the Lubavitcher Rebbe or someone else) is very interesting and his same points apply equally well to Yosef's association with Y'khanyahu in producing the Y'shua HaMashiach! Again, that piece is Here and is well worth considering in my opinion.

According to an English cultural understanding of the biblical record Miryam was unmarried at the time of Y'shua's conception however we must not interpret the Bible based on our culture but according to that of the author. According to first century Jewish customs (and the Bible gives no specific instructions for the establishment of marriages) they were married at the time. We will now look into this question a bit deeper.

Who is "Yeshu the Mamser?"

As with the case of the curse against Y'khanyahu, the Hebrew term mamser is often misunderstood and/or deliberately misused by some Jews and Noahides to insult Adon Y'shua and/or to sincerely question his qualifications as Mashiach.

We also occasionally hear such people refer to the Master as "Yeshu Mamser" as if that were his name. Often a smug smile accompanies the term as the speaker assumes we will not understand the crude and fully intended insult being leveled at us, his talmidim. Such snide comments are beneath those who are serious about understanding biblical teachings. The use of the term itself demonstrates a lack of biblical knowledge concerning the claims of the New Testament and of first century Jewish customs. Whether one accepts the claims of Adon Y'shua or not such ignorance is sad to witness in otherwise serious students of the Way of God and does nothing to further understanding on any side. Its like an ignorant child pointing at his sister and mindlessly babbling that she is a "doo-doo head"... people need to grow up!

The meaning of the word mamser is actually far more general than usually intended in such uninformed comments. Mamser comes from an unused root meaning "to alienate" and can mean different things depending on the situation/context. The word literally refers to a person who is alienated or disaffected from Jewish society for some/any reason. The word mamser can mean one is "a mongrel" -- as in one of uncertain parentage such as one born of a Jewish father and a Gentile mother. It can refer to one who does not know (or can not objectively prove) the background of one or both parents. It can refer to people like King Herod whose forebears were forced Idumean coverts who never adopted Judaism yet claimed to be Jewish for personal advancement. And it can refer to a "bastard" -- to one born outside of marriage. It can also mean one born of a racially mixed union where neither parent is Jewish.

In our hyper race-conscious world opposition to inter-racial marriage and ancestry is generally condemned as "racist" but to most if not all ancient cultures both "racial purity" and maintaining family lineages were considered very important. This emphasis on maintaining ones people as distinct from "outsiders" is one big reason Jews still exist today as a unique people and why the Canaanites, the Philistines, etc. do not. Its why Orthodox Judaism is so adamantly opposed to Jews marrying non-Jews (as touched on above).

When studying any ancient text or culture one must seek understanding from the culture of the day as well as from the literal AND common reading of the text as understood by those who originally wrote/received it, otherwise one will never understand the people, the teachings or the culture as it existed.

Our world is a very different one than first century Judea.

Basically a mamser is anyone deemed "illegitimate" under halacha (Jewish law). None of these conditions apply to Y'shua because Miryam and Yosef were both Jews from the House of David who married prior to Y'shua's conception according to the norms and conditions of their society and so we can confidently say he is not a mamser.

We do however have a uniqueness in Y'shua's ancestry in that Miryam was miraculously impregnated by the Ruach HaKodesh of Adonai (HaShem's Holy Presence). This uniqueness falls outside the realm of the word mamser however.

There are many cases recorded in the Torah where Adonai intervened to help a woman become pregnant (as with the mothers of Isaac, Samuel, Samson etc) and surely no one considers them to be mamsers!

In the case of Y'shua, the pre-existent and only begotten Son of Adonai, we see Adonai's miraculous intervention in a unique manner. Rather than causing the father's semen to impregnate the wife and produce a child, the Son of Adonai, the firstborn of all creation and the only being created directly by HaShem without an intermediary (i.e. the Son) -- (Colossians 1:15) -- was miraculously transferred into the womb of a completely mortal women without the agency of male semen. This was truly miraculous. To insult Adon Y'shua on this point therefore is to blaspheme the One who performed such an unprecedented act!

The derogatory nickname "Yeshu the Mamser" that some people apply to Y'shua is taken from the generally anti-Christian Medieval Toledot Yeshu narratives. These were presumably written by Jews as mild (but at the time daring) polemics against the Catholic Church. They have no other historic significance nor did they claim to reveal some hidden truth concealed by the Nicean Church. They were merely a way for a few oppressed Jews to vent their frustration at life under Catholic rule much as stand up comics do today.

Occasionally the term may be simply referencing Y'shua by people who do not understand the origins and ramification of the term, but more often this term is intentionally expressing a negative view of the Nicean Christian claims about him. The phrase should be viewed as an insulting term by Y'shua's talmidim.

Most people don't intellectually separate the historic and living person Y'shua from the Church's teachings of Jesus nor from the saying of his detractors. Millions still see Y'shua as a babe in a manger or a battered man hanging from a Pagan religious symbol.

But Y'shua is alive!

Critical thinking is in short supply on all sides however!

If one insults "Yeshu" the insult is intended for Adon Y'shua and for those who accept him. The name "Yeshu" as used today is best regarded as a derogatory and inaccurate term akin to the word mamser when applied to Y'shua ben Miryam. Indeed the two are often used together with the intention of referring to Y'shua as "Jesus the Bastard." One who honors Adon Y'shua should always verbally object to the use of such terms even as we object to the antisemitic, racist, sexist etc. terms people banter about. Such words have no place in civilized society nor among the people of God. They are bigoted, inaccurate and intentionally divisive.

Adon Y'shua Was Not Born Out of Wedlock

What constitutes a marriage varies culture by culture and throughout history. By current western custom a couple is first engaged and then at a later date married (often a year or more later). Prior to the marriage rite the couple is not considered married and modern religious cultures consider sexual congress during the engagement period an act of fornication.

For legal purposes even after exchanging marriage vows but prior to sexual consummation even a legal marriage can be annulled (made as though it never existed) even if the couple are already living together. The sexual consummation following the marriage rite and taking of vows defines the legally recognized beginning of a marriage in our present culture. And... if a couple has been living together "as husband and wife" without "legally marrying" after some point (seven years in many cases, it varies) they are automatically considered as being married "according to common law." Conversely consider how the Israelites in the early days (prior to the times of Y'shua's earthly life) were wed:

KJV: Genesis 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Isaac met Rebecka, they had sex and they were married. No engagement, no minister, no witnesses, no vows, no rings, no cake... Much of our marriage traditions are just that, human traditions.

Who is married "in the eyes of God and man?" To determine what constitutes a "legitimate marriage" we have to consider the cultural and religious implications, the legal factors and so on. Many of these timeless questions are resurfacing in the debates over same-gender marriage rites today.

The Bible does not define when marriages technically begin nor who can marry (other than requiring Believers to marry only other Believers and certain instructions regarding divorce and remarriage etc.). The customs among first century Judeans was different from those of Isaac's time and from ours.

For Yosef (Joseph) and Miryam their marriage was already official because they were engaged, they simply had not consummated it yet. Miryam was married to Yosef when she became pregnant by the Ruach Hakodesh (the Spirit Presence of Adonai). This is why we read:

HNB: Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Yeshua the Messiah was like this; because when his mother, Miryam, had been engaged to Yosef, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Ruach HaKodesh.
19 Yosef, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away [i.e. to divorce her] secretly.

"Yosef, her husband, being a righteous man..." intended to "put her away" or divorce her privately (so as not to disgrace her). By the cultural norms of the day Y'shua was conceived within legal and cultural wedlock and Yosef, to leave the marriage, would have had to divorce her. Miryam was at the time of her conception already Yosef's wife. Hence Y'shua was not a mamser.

"Y'shua" or "Jesus?"

As directed by the Ruach HaKodesh, the child was named "Y'shua."

KJV: Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The Name Jesus

The name "Jesus" in the Greek manuscripts from which our modern Bibles are taken is Iesous not "Jesus." The name Iesous was used in the original 1611 King James Bible:

1611 KJV: Ans she shall bring forth a sonne, and thou shalt call his Name Iesus: for hee shall saue his people from their sinnes.

The King James Bible used today is a later update of the original 1611 KJV. Almost no one uses the actual 1611 King James Version today despite the belief of many in the "KJV Only Movement." The letter "J" was added to English after the KJV was first published and Iesus was changed to Jesus. So if your King James Bible has the letter "J" it is not a 1611 original translation. You can read the original 1611 King James Version of the Bible Here. The point is, the original KJV has the Master's name as Iesus as it appears in the Textus Receptus and other Greek versions and in the original 1611 KJV, the Bishop's and Geneva Bible and others.

The name "Jesus" therefore is clearly not his name. But is Iesous?

The Name Iesous

The following may be considered a bit difficult to comprehend by some folks however it is important to understand the connections that follow and why referring to Y'shua as Jesus is more than mere semantics and custom. If this material seems too much you may wish to skip ahead to the end of this subsection. I've tried to be clear and concise throughout but sometimes that's easier than at other times. The central point in the next few paragraphs is that the name Iesous (Jesus) comes directly and intentionally from the religious beliefs of non-biblical religions as an assault on the Oneness of Adonai. It is vital to understand not only that the name of Y'shua was changed but why it was changed.

According to Matthew 1:21 the name of the child means that "he shall save his people from their sins." This is what the name Y'shua means (Yah's Salvation). What does the name Iesous or Jesus mean? Matthew tells us that his name was given because of what he will accomplish (i.e. that he will save his people from their sins) so the name itself must be indicative of that saving act.

In the Greek name Iesous the "ie" translates as "Hail" or "Glory to/of" and "sous" or "sus" is the name "Zeús": the universal Pagan dios (god). Therefore the name "Jesus" or Iesous etymologically means 'in praise' or 'glorification of' Zeus, the chief god of the Greek Olympian pantheon!

Since Matthew is clear that the child's name reflects the means of the future salvation of his people the name Iesous, if accepted, directly states that that act of salvation will be done for/to the glory of Zeus!

It has been argued that it is absurd to think that the Vatican (who changed his name) would intentionally direct people to worship Zeus! Hence, they argue, this whole thing is much ado about nothing. On the surface this argument is of course very true! The last thing the Catholic counsels wanted to do was resurrect the Greek pantheon! However they were seeking to establish a universal ("catholic") religion that everyone, Jews, Nicene Christians and Pagans alike would embrace. When we understand the significance and universality of the Pagan godhead conception the intended reference is completely reasonable.

In India the term Sanatana Dharma is used. This term means that there exists a universal (sanatana) or global truth (dharma). The Indians say:

Ekam Sat: Vipra Bahudha Vadante:
  "Truth is one; sages call It by various names."

This view is accepted by much of the non-Torah based (and non-Islamic) world. What/who we call "God" does not really matter according to this view because every conception of the divine is equally valid and equally limited. The desire to merge the various religions into a unified system is an ancient one (Genesis 11). As this view is seeking to establish unity it is not without merit however as with all perspectives, it can be taken too far. One can easily "throw the baby out with the bathwater" through this view. "If a tree bends too far it will eventually break."

The foundational premise of the Nicolaitan heresy is that there needs to be a global religious consensus as we will discuss in Part Nine of this study. This Universal Church will not be the blessing many hope! As we will discuss there, the Jews refused to take part in these 3rd and 4th century counsels because of their firm conviction that, as the Shema says:

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
  "Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"

Once the Nicene Church decided to elevate Y'shua into the godhead (as we will discuss in part Part Seven, the next step was to establish his position in the Globalist pantheon.

Matthew (1:21) tells us directly what the name of our master means. When we accept the transposed name "Iesous" the literal reading of that verse becomes, "... thou shalt call his name the Glory of Zeus [Iesous/Jesus]: for he shall save his people from their sins." Clearly stated, since Matthew places such stress on the meaning of the name, in a such a reading the unmistakable notion is that the salvation Jesus brings will be the work of Zeus, to his glory! Matthew says that his name is indicative of the salvation he will bring! This is not 'reading into text" this is what it says, IF the Master's name is Iesous/Jesus.

The Names Zeus and Marduk (Merodach)

The head god of the Greek pantheon is named Zeús. He was a solar deity considered the father of all other gods. Godheads of various sorts are common throughout the non-Torah based world.

The Romans worshiped Zeus as Jupiter and Jove. They considered them to be the same gods. As Rome advanced it incorporated the indigenous religions it came across and categorized their gods and goddesses into the Roman religious hierarchy. Roman Paganism was very eclectic and inclusive!

To the ancient Babylonians Zeus/Jupiter was known as Marduk (son of Ea: the Sumerian god Enki) and planet Jupiter was his glory. As Marduk (Merodach in the Hebrew) this god is specifically set aside for condemnation in the Bible. As we will discuss in Part 9 the deities of the Mer (Merodach) people are of special significance biblically and prophetically. Their association with this topic is therefore not coincidental.

KJV: Jeremiah 50:2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

CJB: Jeremiah 50:2 "Declare it among the nations, proclaim it! Hoist a banner, proclaim it, don't hide it! Say: 'Bavel is captured. Bel is shamed, M'rodakh disgraced, her images shamed, her idols disgraced.'

In the genitive case (i.e. the possessive second case that marks a noun as modifying another noun) the name Zeus is Διός (i.e. Diós). Zeus is dios (the god) because of his interaction with the other gods -- from this our Indo-European languages get the title Dios for God (as in Spanish: Dios te ama: God loves you). This is the same way Hubal-Sin became "the god" or Allah (i.e. head god of the 360 Ba'als) in Mecca as discussed before.

Zeus or Dios is known as Zeu pater ("father Zeus"), a name stemming from the earlier Proto-Indo-European sun god known to the Mithraic mysteries (AKA Mithraism) as Sol Invictus, the god worshiped by Constantine (as we will discuss in part nine of this study (Rise of the Universal Church).

In Sanskrit this same solar dios is known Dyaus or Dyaus Pita (father Dyaus: Dyauṣpitṛ (द्यौष्पितृ): the father of Agni/Indra according to the Rg Veda (RV 4.17.4). The daughter of Dyauṣpitṛ is named Ushas and represents the dawn. Does the name Ushas sound familiar? Recall that Isaiah 14:12 reveals that Lucius/Lucifer (or Heylel) was hailed as the Son of the Morning (shachar) as we discussed in some detail in Part 3 of this study.

The name chosen to replace the name of our Adon (Master) was obviously carefully chosen to reflect the universality of the new Global religion being created. Again, we will look into this in more detail later but it is important to understand that not only was the name of Y'shua changed but why it was changed.

In Latin the Sun god is known as Jupiter (Iuppiter) which again arises from the common dyeu (meaning "to shine" like the Sun). This same Sun god (Zeus) is known in Germanic and Norse religions as Ziu, from the related noun deiwos.

When we study the allegedly divine lineages of the Pagan Godhead as reflected historically by the various traditions it becomes evident that the gods (shining ones) are ultimately connected to and in submission to the gods of old (the Nephilim: the Shining Ones) who came to Earth (fell to Earth, were sprinkled throughout the Earth) by the seed-planting solar charioteer Sol Invictus: Zeus: Dios. This further illustrates the reason why the Torah is so clear that the people of Adonai are to have no dealings with these gods nor with their devotees.

In the name Iesous the "ie" translates as "Hail" or "Glory to/of." The word "sous" or "sus" is the name "Zeus": the universal Pagan dios (god). Therefore the English name "Jesus" or Iesous etymologically means 'in praise' or 'glorification' of Jupiter-Zeus, the chief god of the ancient Greek Olympian pantheon! The attempt to merge the God of the Bible with the gods of other cultures and religions is an ancient one.

Once the Nicene/Nicolaitan Church decided to elevate Jesus to a godhood the next step was to establish his position in the universal godhead.

This would be bad enough of itself but because Matthew tells us directly what the name of our master means it is even worse because the literal reading of the standard versions is "... thou shalt call his name the glory of Zeus: for he shall save his people from their sins" includes the notion that this salvation will be the work of Zeus!

The Name Y'shua

Miryam and Yosef however did not name their son Iesous. Such a Pagan name for their child would have been unthinkable for devout Jews. Rather they gave him a good Hebrew name: they named him Y'SHUA (Y'shua, Yeshua or Yahshua is the same in the Hebrew). They did not name him Yahoshua as some maintain because that name was no longer in use in the late Second Temple period. The name Y'shua means, as Miryam was told, Yah provides salvation (or YHVH Saves: Yah of course being the standard abbreviated version of the Holy Name as used in hallelu-yah etc). Those of us who write the name as "Y'shua" rather than Yeshua often do so to honor the prefix of the Holy Name but either is equally correct.

I discuss the biblical name of our Adon in more detail Here.

Y'shua and Yochanan

Evidence is somewhat scarce concerning Y'shua's life prior to the beginning of his three and a half year ministry. That period began around the age of 30, circa 26 C.E. There are many traditional (and imaginative) accounts but little biblical evidence that shores the date up any closer. This is not unusual considering the utter destruction of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) in 70 C.E. and the animosity of the Romans towards all things Jewish. Some of the extra-biblical traditions have him journeying to India, to Egypt, to Persia, even to the Americas... some traditions show him studying under renown mystics and even traveling off world! I once read a fascinating (if ridiculous) account of his exploits on Venus that supposedly dates to the 2nd century C.E.!

The diverse accounts credit him with doing amazing feats in public view while others have him sequestered in far away caves like a hermit lost in meditation for years on end. Such accounts are interesting to read but they are outside our present interests here. Mostly such accounts can not be substantiated in any meaningful way.

We can safely assume a few things however. Y'shua studied carpentry with Yosef his step father. It would be odd if he did not. He doubtless spent countless hours learning this trade. This doubtless included making furniture, bowls, houses etc. although the specific kind(s) of carpentry Yosef did is not stated in the text.

Y'shua also studied the Torah with the village elders as is clear from the texts. Based on social norms and local culture as well as his recorded teachings, this study was doubtless done primarily with the P'rushim or Pharisees. In support of this we have the account of his astounding the Torah scholars when he was only twelve years old (Luke 2:42-52). Clearly Y'shua was completely literate and educated in Torah as he grew into manhood. He was therefore almost certainly raised in at least the middle class of Judean society.

We do not know from Scripture when his direct association with Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and the Essene Brotherhood began. We do know that connection existed. We do not know for certain if this association preceded Yochanan's moving to Bethabara (where he headed an Essene splinter community that varied somewhat from the main Qumran sect doctrinally) but the evidence would seem to imply Y'shua was already familiar with the Brotherhood (and not a member).

Most Nicean Christians assume Yochanan and Y'shua were strangers until Yochanan's proclamation that Y'shua was the Lamb. That view certainly makes the declaration sound more impressive. However remember they were cousins, Miryam and Elizabeth were quite close from what we know and we have this:

KJV: Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
1:42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

With such a beginning it seems certain the sons knew each other well, even though Yochanan moved away to live with the Essenes at an early age. Yochanan and Y'shua shared a common mission.

Since we know from James (in the Protevangelion of James) and the New Testament that Yochanan had been living a secluded Essene lifestyle it is assumed by some folks that Y'shua would not have been directly associated with Yochanan prior to his baptism. The Essenes were after all very private. However that is an assumption only and is not supported by what is known. For instance we know that Lazarus and his sisters Miryam (not Y'shua's mother) and Martha lived near Yochanan's community at Bethabara and that Miryam was interested in spiritual studies (Luke 10:38-42). We know that Y'shua frequented their home and that Miryam sought his teachings.

Thanks to the discovered Dead Sea Scrolls we know that many of Y'shua's sermons (especially the Sermon on the Mount) were directly inspired by sermons of the Essene Teacher of Righteousness. This strongly suggests there must have been contact between Y'shua and the Essenes prior to the beginning of his ministry. He clearly studied those teaching and incorporated them.

Such contacts would surely have been made through association with his cousin, especially considering the closed nature of the Brotherhood. But again, we can not prove conclusively when their direct association began so its conjecture on all sides. I believe it was a lifelong association however that was nurtured as Miryam visited with Elizabeth, as the two boys grew up challenging one another in camaraderie and later as serious talmidim of their teachers. Such contrasting of Essene and P'rushim doctrine would have honed the wit and independent spirit manifested in both men during their ministries.

Like Adon Yochanan, Adon Y'shua clearly knew who he was and what his life would bring. That this common bond would not have been utilized seems most unlikely. Who other than Yochanan could have understood Y'shua as he was growing up and vice-versa? Based on the emphasis placed on Yochanan's birth in the Gospels (compare Luke 1) and the Protevangelion of James and the relationship that existed between Yochanan's mother Elizabeth and Y'shua's mother Miryam, the lifelong close connection between Y'shua and his cousin Yochanan is certain in my opinion.

That Yochanan was trained by the Jewish Essene Brotherhood from an early age is spoken of by Y'shua's brother James as he describes Yochanan's rescue by the Brotherhood during the days when Rome was seeking to destroy the Jewish children (as accounted in the Gospels: Matthew 2:13). Of this we read:

Protevangelion 16:3 Elizabeth also, hearing that her son Yochanan was about to be searched for, took him and went up into the mountains, and looked around for a place to hide him;
4 and there was no place to be found.
5 Then she groaned within herself, and said, "O mountain of Adonai, receive the mother with the child."
6 For Elizabeth could not climb up.
7 And instantly the mountain was divided and received them.
8 And there appeared to them an angel of Adonai, to preserve them.

The Kingdom of Heaven Was At hand!

In my opinion the preceding is James' accurate testimony of how Yochanan was called to and out of "the Wilderness" by HaShem as a child in fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah 40:1-3. This account by Ya'akov (James) reveals how Yochanan (John the Baptist) was educated by the Essene Brotherhood of Qumran -- who dressed in white like the angels and lived in the caves such as those discovered at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

This Gospel by Ya'akov shows us how Yochanan later returned to civilization (came out of the wilderness) as an Essene Master (headquartered at Bethabara, 8 miles from the Qumran Essene community) to proclaim that the time for the implementation of the Kingdom of Heaven had arrived (Matthew 3:2).

I believe it is clear from what is known that that Yochanan was an intimate talmidim (student) of the Essene Teacher of Righteousness himself and that he was trained to proclaim the establishment of the literal, earthly Kingdom of HaShem. His task, under Essene benediction, was to proclaim his cousin Y'shua HaMashiach (to announce that Adon Y'shua was the awaited Nazir (Nazarene) or Mashiach, King of Israel: Isaiah 11:1, John 1:29. Hence:

CJB: Matthew 3:1 It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y'hudah and began proclaiming the message,
2 "Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!"
3 This is the man Yesha`yahu [Isaiah] was talking about when he said, "The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert prepare the way of ADONAI! Make straight paths for him!'"

Yochanan's whole life was invested in training for this event of singular importance. Yochanan did not say the Kingdom will be established in a couple of thousand years! No, he said the Kingdom was at hand then. BUT there was a condition! "Repent!" he urged, because the time is now at hand. Prepare yourselves to receive the Kingdom!

It is clear from the words of both masters that Yochanan and Y'shua fully intended to establish the Kingdom at that time (compare Matthew 3:2, 4:17 etc.). They were not speaking in symbols; they were ready!

However the elders of Israel rejected the Kingdom on behalf of Am Israel and so the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21;24) continued.

It is true that all of the disciples and early talmidim were Jews and that the number of Jews who accepted Y'shua as Mashiach was vast (Acts 17:1-6), however it was the scribes and P'rushim (Pharisees) seated in the place of Moshe (Matthew 22:2) who had to accept Mashiach and vouch for him and they refused. HaShem deals with Israel as a people according to an established hierarchy. When the Elders of Israel rejected Y'shua, all of Israel rejected him by proxy. Without being accepted by the elders Y'shua could not take up the messianic mantle.

Conversely, had the elders led Israel in sincere repentance the Kingdom would have been established 2000 years ago!

Of course HaShem knows all things and He knew that was not going to happen because human beings have free will and HaShem knows the choices we will make before we make them. This is not predestination, it is the foreknowledge of God, a foreknowledge that even Adon Y'shua does not have completely (Matthew 13:32).

Who's To Blame?

Understand that even this rejection of the Kingdom was done by the Sovereign Will of HaShem and should not be placed "at the doorstep" of the Jewish people nor their elders as Medieval Catholics were prone to do prone to do with their Passion Plays and diatribes.

Paul discusses this rejection and why it happened in chapter eleven of his Letter to the Romans. There he explains that HaShem orchestrated all of these events to demonstrate (to the Heavenly courts) that neither the Jews nor the Gentiles would be able to liberate the Earth, to extricate the world from the results of the Rebellion they had all chosen to take part in, without His help.

We sometimes wonder how Jews could possibly read the Tanakh and not see Y'shua presence throughout its pages. Here in part is the answer to that question:

CJB: Romans 11:1 "In that case, I say, isn't it that God has repudiated his people?" Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra'el, from the seed of Avraham, of the tribe of Binyamin.
2 God has not repudiated his people, whom he chose in advance...
8 just as the Tanakh says, "God has given them a spirit of dullness eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, right down to the present day."
11 "In that case, I say, isn't it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?" Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world - that is, if Isra'el's being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter - how much greater riches will Isra'el in its fullness bring them!...
32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.

This is a wonderfully informative and very important chapter that I encourage everyone to carefully read in its entirety.

The Suffering Servant

People Israel are collectively the Suffering Servant of the Echad Elohiym (the One God). They are suffering for our sins even today! May HaShem bless and protect His people always! The sufferings of Y'shua are the sufferings of Y'srael and the sufferings of Y'srael are the sufferings of the world entire. Through that suffering Adonai is bringing the world into reconciliation (Genesis 12:1-3). In this Adonai is not slow to act, as it may seem to those without spiritual eyes to see:

CJB: II Peter 3:8 Moreover, dear friends, do not ignore this: with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some people think of slowness; on the contrary, he is patient with you; for it is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that everyone should turn from his sins.

Adonai has His own plans and He leads His people according to His good pleasure. All things work together for the good for those who love God and who He uses according to His own purposes (Romans 8:28).

T'shuvah and Immersion into the Way

Being led by HaShem and the Essene Teacher of Righteousness (Melchizedek) Yochanan began his public ministry at Bethabara (Bethany-across-the-Yarden: John 1:28) and baptized his talmidim in the Yarden (Jordan). Those who came to him were seeking to do t'shuvah (acts of repentance) in preparation for receiving Mashiach and his Theocratic Kingdom. Yochanan went about publicly proclaiming that the Theocratic Kingdom was then at hand, if only the elders and people of Israel would repent and accept it... and many did.

In time Yochanan was led by the Ruach Hakodesh to immerse and anoint Y'shua of Nazareth as (Netzar: the Nazarene/Mashiach who comes through Jesse the Bethlehemite: Isaiah 11:1; I Samuel 17:58). Yochanan publicly announced Y'shua as King of Israel and Overlord of the Earth! The time had arrived!

Note that like the Essenes Y'shua was not immersed (baptized) as an act of repentance. He had nothing to repent of! Baptism is the outward proclamation that one is ready to live for Adonai as His pure servant. Repentance purifies the soul, immersion purifies the body. Baptism does not save anyone nor is it required for salvation. It is an outward sign that one has made a personal commitment to walk with HaShem as a son or daughter of Light. We are baptized (fully immersed in a mikvah) into the service and obedience to HaShem (the Father) in accordance with the B'rit Hadashah (New Covenant) implemented by Adon Y'shua as Cohen Gadol of HaShem through the empowerment of God's active Presence (the Ruach HaKodesh). To be clear, this does not suggest a Trinity. Elohiym our God is One Elohiym.

Around the year 26 C.E. Y'shua was listening as Yochanan preached the need for spiritual revitalization and commitment to the people who had gathered at Bethabara. His calling of Israel to repentance moved Y'shua deeply and sparked the divine embers HaShem had placed within him.

So many Jews of the day were praying for an end to Roman oppression and the restoration of not the Hasmonean Kingdom but the implementation of the Messianic Kingdom promised to their ancestors. The people wanted change! They wanted a new order that would restore Jewish pride, not to mention independence. But were they willing to do what was required to achieve it? That was the rub! Yochanan was offering the Way of Liberation but he was being opposed by the P'rushim (Pharisees), by the Tz'dukim (Sadducees), by the Scribes, and by the Roman and regional government. Y'shua wept for their people (Matthew 23).

As Y'shua listened to Yochanan's inspired sermons he understood that true liberation must begin within the individual heart. He knew that the Jews are not like any other people. They are the Suffering Servant! As traditional Siddurim read in the Aleinu prayer portion:

It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to exalt the Creator of the Universe, who has not made us like the nations of the world and has not placed us like the families of the earth; who has not designed our destiny to be like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitude, who worship mist and emptiness and pray to a God who cannot give success.

Y'shua the Nazarene understood that political freedom without spiritual liberation wouldn't be enough for the Jews. The God of Israel demands exclusive worship and loyalty and for the Kingdom to be established the people and elders of Israel would have to commit themselves fully to HaShem. Roman Pagans could exchange one god for another with little or no difficulty whenever the political winds shifted, but for the Jews there was only one unchanging God, the Echad Elohiym of the Torah.

Unlike the Pagan gods, the God of Israel is alive and active in the affairs of His people and He demands loyalty. Unless the Jews as a nation did t'shuvah (acts of true repentance) it was doubtful that HaShem would ever again grant them the freedom they so yearned for.

Standing in the waters of the Yarden Adon Yochanan was directly and publicly challenging the Jews of all classes to do this kind of deep repentance and Y'shua watched from a distance, nodding his head in agreement as he approached the Essene Master for immersion in the mikvah of repentance. Whether or not the nation was ready, Y'shua the Nazarene was!

As pinpointed by Prophet Daniel in his ninth chapter, the time had come for the Theocratic Kingdom to be granted to the Jews (this section of Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled as Y'shua rode into Jerusalem on the donkey 3 1/2 years after his baptism). The area was all abuzz with hopes but not everyone shared that faith, that hope that HaShem would actually establish His rule.

Receiving the Kingdom required absolute submission to HaShem. What if they wrong? What if they angered the Romans with talk of revolution and a King and then nothing happened! Surely Rome would genocide the people for such impudence!

CJB: John 11:47 So the head cohanim [priest] and the P'rushim [Pharisees] called a meeting of the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we going to do? -- for this man [Y'shua] is performing many miracles.
48 If we let him keep going on this way, everyone will trust in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both the Temple and the nation."
49 But one of them, Kayafa, who was cohen gadol [high priest] that year, said to them, "You people don't know anything!
50 You don't see that it's better for you if one man dies on behalf of the people, so that the whole nation won't be destroyed."
51 Now he didn't speak this way on his own initiative; rather, since he was cohen gadol that year, he was prophesying that Yeshua was about to die on behalf of the nation...

The elders like all the other Jews wanted the Kingdom, they wanted independence from Rome, but did they want it enough to risk everything on an act of faith? They were used to reading Torah and following the "letter of the law" not to acting by faith in divine intervention! Judaism had become a religion of method, not a faith based system. Were they willing to repent and to place everything in the hands of this man? What if he failed? What if he wasn't the Mashiach after all? Others had made similar claims... but still there was something different about this man and they knew it...

But the time had come! And so Y'shua heeded Yochanan's call to the Yarden mikvah and was baptized in preparation for his role as HaMashiach, King of the Kingdom.

We will discuss the mikvah and other aspects of living a Nazarene life a bit later in this study.

The Times of the Gentiles

In the early portions of the Gospels it is clear that the literal, earthly Kingdom is being offered to the Jewish people. As we read on however the emphasis shifts until finally Y'shua says, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).

After his execution and resurrection Adon Y'shua gives these instructions to his talmidim:

KJV: Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples [Judas was gone] went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Kingdom would not be established at that time. An unspecified period of gentile domination would follow. Of this period the Master said:

KJV: Luke 21:24 And they [the Jewish people] shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Those times are almost fulfilled!

In the next part of this study we will consider the nature of Adon Y'shua. Is he just another prophet? Is he God Incarnate? Is he part of a trinity of Gods or a Godhead? Is he still alive and active?

There is much more to come!

This Study of the Way of Y'shua Continues in Part Seven

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