The Word Made Flesh (podcast)

John J Parsons

At Sinai we heard the voice of God (קוֹל אֱלהִים) speaking from the midst of the Fire (Deut. 4:33), an event that foreshadowed the great advent of the King and Lawgiver Himself, when the Eternal Word (דְבַר־יְהוָה) became flesh and dwelt with us (Phil. 2:6-7; John 1:1,14). Any theology that regards God as entirely transcendent (i.e., God is beyond any analogy with the finite) will have a problem with divine immanence (i.e., God is inherent and involved within the finite), since the highness, holiness, and perfection of God will make Him seem distant, outside of us, far away, and unknown…

Incarnational theology, on the other hand, manifests the magnificent humility and nearness of God to disclose the divine empathy. Indeed, the LORD became Immanuel (עִמָּנוּ אֵל), “God with us,” to share our mortal condition, to know our pain, and to experience what it means to be wounded by sin, to be abandoned, alienated, forsaken.

 

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Parashat Vayeshev Podcast…

John J Parsons

Last week’s Torah (i.e., Vayishlach) recounted how Jacob had wrestled with a mysterious Angel before returning to the Promised Land to be reconciled with his brother Esau. No longer named Ya’akov (“heel holder” [of Esau]), but Yisrael (“prince of God”), a transformed Jacob finally returned to Hebron to see his father Isaac, nearly 34 years after he had left home. However, on the way back home his beloved wife Rachel died while giving birth to his twelfth son Benjamin.

This week’s portion (i.e., parashat Vayeshev) begins with Jacob living back in the land that God had promised to give to Abraham and Isaac with his 12 sons, but the narrative quickly turns to Jacob’s “favorite” son Joseph, who was seventeen years old at the time. The Torah states that Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons since he was “the son of his old age” (בֶּן־זְקֻנִים) and he was the firstborn son of his beloved wife Rachel. Indeed, Jacob made him an ornamented tunic to indicate his special status in the family.

As the favored son, Joseph’s job was expected to oversee the activities of Jacob’s other sons (i.e., Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher) and to bring “reports” about their activities back to Jacob. However, this role as the overseer and “favored son” was too much for the other brothers, and they became jealous of him and hated him.

To make matters worse, Joseph related two prophetic dreams (חֲלֹמוֹת נְבוּאִים) to his brothers that foretold that he was destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred of him (the implication of the dreams was that all of Jacob’s family would become subservient to him). Jacob rebuked Joseph for arousing his brothers’ hatred, but he inwardly took note and waited for the fulfillment of the dreams.

The portion then records that one day the brothers went out to pasture their herds but when they saw their brother Joseph coming to check on them, they conspired to kill him, though later they reconsidered and decided to sell him to some slave traders instead. After Joseph was taken away, the brothers sought to deceive Jacob by staging his son’s death – dipping his special tunic into goat’s blood and telling him that he had been maimed and killed by a wild animal…

Meanwhile Joseph was taken into the land of Egypt and sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar (פּוֹטִיפַר) who was a captain of Pharaoh’s guard. The LORD was with Joseph” (יְהִי יְהוָה אֶת־יוֹסֵף) however, and blessed everything he did. In fact, he was soon promoted to be the head of Potiphar’s entire household affairs.

Unfortunately Joseph caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife (“Zuleika”), who then began enticing him to have an affair with her. Though he steadfastly refused her advances, she became indignant over her rejection and falsely accused him of attempted rape. Potiphar was understandably outraged (at his wife?) and threw Joseph into the royal prison, but again God showed him favor there and soon was appointed to a position of authority within the prison administration.

The reading ends with two prophetic episodes in Joseph’s life that eventually would bring him to the attention of the Pharaoh himself. While in prison, Joseph met Pharaoh’s wine steward and chief baker, both of whom were incarcerated for offending the king (according to Rashi, a fly was found in the goblet prepared by the butler, and a pebble was found in the baker’s confection). Both men had disturbing dreams which Joseph correctly interpreted: in three days, he told them, the wine steward would be released but the baker would be hanged. Joseph then asked the wine steward to advocate for his release with Pharaoh. Joseph’s predictions were fulfilled, but the wine steward forgot all about Joseph…

Note that this Torah reading is prophetic regarding Yeshua the Messiah. Joseph’s jealous brothers stripped him of his “coat of many colors” and threw him into a pit — a providential event that eventually led to the deliverance of the Jewish people by the hand of a “disguised savior.” Indeed, the life of Israel’s chosen son Joseph foreshadowed the two advents of Yeshua our Messiah: the first as the LORD’s Suffering Servant (עֶבֶד יַהְוֶה), and second as the Great Deliverer (הַגּוֹאֵל הַגָּדוֹל) of the Jewish people during tribulation…

 

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Knowing what is Real…

John J Parsons

Though we believe that God is everywhere and that “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), God is not experienced through objective observation but must be experienced inwardly, by means of the heart. This is true for two basic reasons. First, God literally cannot be experienced as an “object” both because we are unable to see him in his essence, and also because as the “Ground of Being” he is necessarily beyond the domain of objective measurement or “definite description.” Secondly, God is a spirit who “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see,” which again makes his infinite existence on a different plane altogether, beyond the horizon of human understanding. Therefore Scripture calls God “the King of eternity, immortal, invisible, and full of glory” (1 Tim. 1:17).

Now while we cannot directly see God, we can rationally discern or infer his existence though the effects of nature itself. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1); “the invisible things of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead” (Rom. 1:20; Rev. 4:11). Furthermore, God has “set eternity” within each human heart (Eccl. 3:11; Gen. 1:27) which provides inner witness to his reality as the Creator and Judge of all the world (Rom. 2:15).

This “general revelation,” as it has come to be called, has been expressed in various logical arguments for God’s existence over the years, including the “cosmological” argument (the universe exists because God is its first cause); the “teleological” argument (the universe displays purpose and intelligent design); the “ontological” argument (God is known intuitively by reflecting on the nature of existence itself); the “moral” argument (moral and aesthetic values indicate that right and wrong are grounded in God as the Lawgiver); the argument from religious experience (people encounter “transcendental” and spiritual meaning in life that points to God), and so on. In this present age, however, we see through “a glass darkly,” which means we see indirectly by means of analogy or “riddles,” and our language about God will therefore be analogical and incomplete. Faith is the “substance of hope” and the “conviction of the unseen” (Heb. 11:1) and the person of faith “sees the One who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). It confesses that “we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).
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Read more “Knowing what is Real…”

Telling God your Name (podcast)

John J Parsons

Some people make it the business of theology to know God’s Name, but God begins by first asking for our name instead. Recall that Jacob had disguised who he really was in the hope of obtaining the blessing (Gen. 27), though his duplicity forced him into an exile that lasted until he was finally willing to be honest with himself. In our Torah portion this week (Vayishlach) Jacob’s inner conflict comes to a head, and we learn that like the great patriarch, each of us likewise must answer God’s question: “What is your name?” (Gen. 32:27).

When we “wrestle through” the question to face who we really are, we encounter God and find our blessing, that is, our true identity. Each of us has to go through the process of being renamed from “manipulator” (i.e., Ya’akov) to “one in whom God rules” (i.e., Israel). But note the order: it is only when we “tell God our name,” that is, own who we really are, that He meets with us “face to face” (Gen. 32:30). You will not be able to say, “I will not let you go unless you bless me,” until you are willing tell God your name (Gen. 32:26-27).

Let me add that while “telling God your name” can be painful and even frightening, it is not the last word about who you really are. We are faced with an inner dualism as we struggle to take account of our lives. On the one hand, we need to confess the truth of our sinfulness, brokenness, and so on, while on the other we must endure ourselves and find faith that God’s blessing nevertheless belongs to us, despite the mess we’ve made of our lives…. We have to be willing to accept God’s new name for us and to believe that God will miraculously transform our inner nature for good. We are renamed from Yaa’kov to Israel, though we still know ourselves as both. Jacob was renamed “Israel” but afterward he walked with a limp, seeing both the new and the old natures within him. Jacob still struggled, though his struggle was now focused on walking as God’s beloved child in this world: the limp was given to help him lean on the Lord for support.

Part of spiritual growth involves learning to “endure yourself.” Many are able, it seems, to receive the hope that they are forgiven for their past sins, but they are subsequently scandalized by encountering their own inner struggles, and they eventually despair over their ongoing weakness… Tragically, some are even tempted to regard the warfare within the heart as a sign of being devoid of all saving grace! We must remember, however, that there is a real struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). We must never move away from simple trust in the message of God’s unconditional love demonstrated at the cross; we must never seek to legitimize our place in God’s heart. When we walk by the Spirit, we are no longer under the law (Gal. 5:18), which is to say, we no longer need to justify ourselves but instead trust in God’s power to transform us. Just as we are saved by the love of God, so are we changed, so do we grow.

 

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Telling God your Name Podcast:

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Parashat Vayishlach Podcast…

John J Parsons

Before he could return from his exile, Jacob had to face his fears and wrestle with God. The outcome of the struggle was a blessing, as signified by a new name, “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל), meaning one who who perseveres (שָׂרָה) with God (אֵל). Jacob finally prevailed with God when the power of his faith overcame the pain of his past… Jacob’s story teaches that before we can return from our place of exile, we have to face our fears and wrestle over who we really are.­

 

 

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Vayishlach Shavuah Tov Podcast:

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Thanking God for life…

John J Parsons

Gratitude is essential to the life of faith… We read in the Torah: “And you shall bless the LORD your God for the good” (Deut. 8:10). Whenever we derive benefit or enjoyment from something we are to bless (i.e., thank) God for his goodness. Indeed the Hebrew term for gratitude is “hakarat tovah” (הַכָּרַת טוֹבָה), a phrase that means “recognizing the good.” The heart looks through the eye, and therefore how we see is ultimately a spiritual decision: “If your eye is “single” (i.e., ἁπλοῦς, sincere, focused),” Yeshua said, “your whole body will be filled with light” (Matt. 6:22). When we see rightly, we are awakened to God’s Presence in the little things of life, those small miracles and “signs and wonders” that constantly surround us. The good eye of faith sees hundreds of reasons to bless God for the precious gift of life (1 Cor. 10:31).

“Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1); “Give thanks to the LORD always” (Col. 3:17; Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18)… Gratitude is foundational to our lives as followers of Yeshua. Indeed there are really only two prayers we ever offer to God, namely “Help, LORD!” and “Thank you, LORD.” Meister Eckhart once remarked that if the only prayer you said in your entire life was, “thank you,” that would suffice… Genuine prayer ultimately resolves to an expression of thanks. We are to “praise the Bridge that carries us over” into the Presence and Love of God, and that Bridge is Yeshua our Lord.

The “thank offering” mentioned in the Torah (i.e., zevach ha-todah: זֶבַח הַתּוֹדָד) is also mentioned in the New Testament. In the Book of Hebrews were are instructed to “continually offer up a sacrifice of thanks (זֶבַח תּוֹדָה) to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his Name” (Heb. 13:15). It is interesting to note that the Greek verb used to “offer up” (i.e., ἀναφέρω) is used to translate the Hebrew verb “to draw near” (karov) in Leviticus. In other words, the “offering up of thanks” for the sacrifice of Yeshua functions as “korban” and draws us near to God. Thanking God for personal deliverance constitutes “right sacrifices” (זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק) as we draw near to God in the hope of His love (Psalm 4:5; Heb. 7:19).
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Parashat Vayetzei Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah portion this week (parashat Vayetzei), it is written that Jacob “came to a certain place and stayed there that night” (Gen. 28:11). The Hebrew text, however, indicates that Jacob did not just happen upon a random place, but rather that “he came to the place” — vayifga ba’makom (וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם). The sages therefore wondered why the Torah states ba’makom, “the place,” rather than b’makom, “a place”? Moreover, the verb translated “he came” is yifga (from paga’: פָּגַע), which means to encounter or to meet, suggesting that Jacob’s stop was a divine appointment. Indeed, as we shall see, this special dream or vision revealed the very truth of the Messiah – the Meeting Place of God – to our father Jacob.

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The deception of Esau Podcast…

John J Parsons

In parashat Toldot we read that God told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided…” (Gen. 25:23). These twins, of course, were Esau (עֵשָׂו) and Ya’akov (יַעֲקב), respectively. In this podcast (see link below), I discuss the relationship between Isaac and Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, and consider the ongoing struggle between “Edom” and the Jewish people… The issue of the birthright – and therefore the mantle of Abrahamic – leadership was crucial for the perpetuity of the Jewish people. To this day, Rome (i.e., “Edom”) and Israel are considered perpetual enemies… I hope you find this helpful.

 

 

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Parashat Toldot Podcast…

John J Parsons

In our Torah reading for this week, called parashat Toldot (תוֹלדת), we learn that Isaac and Rebekah had been married for twenty years but were still without an heir to carry on the family line… Finally their prayers were answered and Rebekah conceived, though not without complications. When Rebekah inquired of the LORD about her travail, God told her that she was carrying twins that would be heads of two rival nations, but the younger child would in fact become the promised heir of the chosen people.

 

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Opening Verse of Toldot:
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Parashat Chayei Sarah Podcast…

John J Parsons

Our Torah reading for last week (i.e., Vayera) told how God was faithful to Abraham and Sarah by miraculously giving them a son (Isaac) in their old age. Nonetheless, Abraham faced his greatest test of all by being asked to offer up his promised child as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the place of the future Temple. On account of his willingness to obey, God promised He would multiply Abraham’s offspring as the stars of heaven and that in his seed (singular) all the nations of the earth would be blessed.­

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This week’s Torah portion is called Chayei Sarah (חיי שרה), the “life of Sarah,” though it begins (paradoxically) with the account of her death, and tells how the first great matriarch of the Jewish people was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, a burial site which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23:1-20). Since the account of Sarah’s death is given just after the account of the near-sacrifice of Isaac (i.e., the Akedah), some of the sages link the events together, suggesting that the shock of the loss of her beloved son at the hand of her husband was just too much for her to bear…

After Sarah was buried in Hebron, Abraham sought a wife for his son by commissioning his faithful servant Eliezer (whom Abraham had originally thought would be his heir), to go among his relatives living in Mesopotamia to seek for a bride for Isaac. Eliezer (i.e., אֱלִיעֶזֶר, lit., “My God will help”) then set out on the 550 mile journey to Haran (also called the City of Nahor and the place where Abraham’s father died), taking ten camels laden with gifts in search of a suitable woman. Providentially, and in answer to his prayer, as soon as Eliezer reached the city of Nahor he encountered Abraham’s grand niece Rebekah drawing water at a well, where she graciously provided water for him and for his ten camels, thereby confirming that she was God’s choice for Isaac.

 

Chayei-Sarah Podcast:

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