Three days and Passover dates confusion... let's clear this up

TWO Questions come up in calendar confusion related to Passover. Let's get these sorted and remember what the holiday is all about. And what Christians can learn from this Jewish holiday. But first, what day was it?

Passover is the holiday that celebrates 'once we were slaves, now we are free.' Deliverance after hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt. God rescued the Jewish people and set a date, 14 Nisan, for us to remember the anniversary under a full moon each year.

Christians also have a day in this season related to Holy Week, the time of the death and resurrection of the Saviour Yeshua/ Jesus. 

There is some overlap and then of course, some real questions. Here are two of them asked, and hopefully answered for you.

QUESTION 1:        3 Days and 3 Nights in the grave

People often ask, “If Jesus said he would be in the ground three days and three nights… how does this work if Good Friday was when he was killed and buried to Easter Sunday when he arose?” That’s more like 36 hours.

Here’s the key:
The Bible uses Jewish time reckoning, not modern Western precision. This is not a Swiss watch.
In Jewish thinking, “Passover” can mean more than one thing.

1. The meal itself (the Seder, 15th of Nisan evening) 

1. The lamb sacrifice (14th of Nisan daytime) 

1. The entire festival week (Passover + Unleavened Bread)

the Passover lambs were being sacrificed. Different calendars; one fulfillment.

In Jewish thinking, any part of a day counts as a whole day. So look at the timeline: Jesus is buried on Friday before sunset — that’s Day 1 which includes Thursday night. He is in the tomb on Saturday, the Sabbath — that’s Day 2 which includes Friday night. And He rises early on Sunday — that’s Day 3 which includes Saturday night.
So Friday, Saturday, Sunday… three days.

Now what about “three days and three nights”? Two answers. 1) As I showed you just now, Friday daytime IS part of the same day as Thursday night. And similarly, Saturday day is Friday night. And Sunday day is Saturday night. Three days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Three nights, Thursday to Saturday.

But I prefer unpacking this in a 2^nd way. Why? Since this phrase is a Hebraic expression—a common Jewish way of saying a period spanning three days, not necessarily 72 hours. In fact, no matter what day you start with (and some start with Wednesday, you will never get 72 hours on the dot. He died in the afternoon, and he arose early in the morning. 

But the Hebraic expression is not about 72 hours. It’s a common Jewish way of saying a period spanning three days. Esther fasts and leads the people to fast for “three days, night and day” → yet goes in on the third day (not after 72 hours) (Chapter 4, verse 16)

The Bible itself says repeatedly…He would rise “on the third day.” so there’s no contradiction. It’s not about counting hours—it’s about understanding how Jewish people counted time. And when you do…Friday to Sunday fits perfectly. Sometimes the answer isn’t changing the Bible— it’s understanding the culture in which it was written.
 
Question 2… Was the Last Supper a Passover meal? 

People often notice something in the Gospels that seems to be a contradiction, but it isn’t. Let me explain. Matthew, Mark, and Luke say the Last Supper took place on Passover. And many believers see similarities between the Jewish Passover seder and the Last Supper.

But the apostle John seems to say Jesus died before Passover. So which is it? Who is right? Or can both of them be accurate?

Here’s the key:
The Synoptic Gospels are focusing on the meal, that is, Jesus eating Passover with His disciples. But John is focusing on the timing of the sacrifice. In fact, in John’s Gospel, Jesus is crucified at the very time the Passover lambs are being slaughtered in the Temple.

That’s not a contradiction—that’s theology. Jesus didn’t just celebrate Passover. He became the Passover Lamb. It’s very possible that Jesus followed a Galilean reckoning of Passover, celebrating it with His disciples—while the Temple in Jerusalem followed a different schedule, so that when Jesus died, the official Passover lambs were being sacrificed.

Jesus kept the meal… and became the Lamb.

How do we explain the different timings of Passover in the Gospels? 

Here’s a possibility many people don’t know:
In the first century, not everyone kept the calendar exactly the same way. Jesus and His disciples were from up north in Galilee, while the Temple authorities were in Jerusalem. Some scholars believe Galileans may have reckoned the day differently, thus allowing them to celebrate Passover a little earlier.

That means Jesus could eat a true Passover meal, the seder, with his disciples, and then, the next day which was the same Hebrew calendar date, as the official lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple, Jesus is on the cross. So again, not a contradiction, but a convergence. He keeps the Passover meal, and then he becomes the Passover Lamb. Different calendars, one perfect fulfilment.

Wait; were there actually different calendars in Jesus’ day?
The answer is yes. In the first century, not all Jewish groups followed the same calendar. For example, the community at Qumran—the Dead Sea Scrolls group—used a solar calendar, not the lunar one used in Jerusalem.

That meant their festivals—like Passover—could fall on completely different days. Other groups, including those connected to the Temple, followed the official lunar calendar. So when we read the Gospels, we’re stepping into a world where more than one way of counting time existed.

That helps explain how Jesus could share a Passover meal, and still be crucified at the very time
Because no matter the calendar—Yeshua is the Lamb. History may have had multiple calendars…but God had one perfect timing.

The results are in, or are they?

It was last Monday night, 4 November, my birthday. The Kansas City Chiefs football team was playing at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The rain had been falling in Kansas City all day. I had flown that morning from Sydney, and now, on arrival in England, I began to spend time with some of the other folks at the conference we were attending. Seventy Jews for Jesus leaders had gathered from around the globe. 

Actually,
I had left over 30 hours before. The double flights (one to California and the other to London) take about 24 hours in the air alone. 30 hours includes counting travel to and from the airport and layover time. Imagine the normal jet lag which hits most folks who fly 16,000 km. I’m a normal guy, so a bit of jet lag makes sense. 

My usual style of beating that jet lag includes a lot of walking or even exercise during the daytime on arrival. This allows the sun’s rays to shine on my arms’ skin, and the resultant natural melatonin released causes an adjustment in my body clock.  

But this is England in November, and the amount of sunshine was a bit limited. Combine that with the delight I had in seeing so many of my colleagues with whom I had not spent time in months caused its own energy to be released. No real sunshine. No real melatonin. No conquest of jet lag. 

The Chiefs’ game was to air at London time 1:15 AM on Tuesday the 5^th, and any person who wanted to be alert and participate in the conference which was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM on the 5^th would hope for some good sleep. But I couldn’t wait for the results in the morning. After all, I’m a fan, and a fan must wear the team’s colours and cheer the team to victory in the moment, live. 

Tuesday the 5^th of November saw a substantial election take place in the US. As an American citizen who had voted by mail weeks before and who cared much about the campaign and its results, I wanted to know who won in local and national contests. The conference was terrific, and the time with colleagues was rich, but at 9:00 PM I had to go to bed. Tiredness won. I would have to see the results on waking that Wednesday morning. Perhaps it was the jet lag or maybe the energy of wanting to know the winners, but about 2 AM I awoke and thought I should check my computer for any updates. Needless to say, that was a mistake. The news was full of some states’ results. That caused me to sit up and watch for more. I couldn’t wait. The results were coming in; I wanted the play-by-play. And about 5 AM I lay back down. 

Not wanting to miss out. 

Sense and sensibility didn’t win on either overnight. Sleep is a natural and normal part of an animal’s day, and I finally caught up on my normal sleep the night of the 6^th. 

Oh, the Chiefs won their football match in overtime, no doubt caused in part by my horizontal cheering.

But now you might be wondering why I’m sharing these two episodes of not wanting to miss out with you.

Let me take you back further than last Monday. To a Friday about 2,000 years ago. It was in Jerusalem. A group of Jewish men and women were almost in shock. Their candidate for rank had lost. He was their hero, their leader, their teacher. Many fancied him to be the messiah, and messiah meant something different then. The shock that  hit these close followers of his took place just after a final meal together the night before. It was an annual feast, the feast of Passover. The whole Jewish world made pilgrimage to Jerusalem for this event, some stayed on for 7 full weeks for the next holiday. The city was abuzz with multilayers of activity. Lambs bought and sold, slaughtered and eaten. 

The folks who had that meal with their guy were surprised in just a short time. They left the upper room where they had celebrated Passover, and went to a nearby garden. It was there their guy (his name was Yeshua) was arrested. What? What did he do wrong? 

They were disoriented and surprised and angry. One of the followers (later they call them disciples or even apostles) named Peter took a sword and whacked the ear of the servant of the high priest. Yeshua, even during his troubles, reached out and put the ear back on Malchus’ head, healing him at once. Who does that?

The disciples were in shock; their guy was taken into custody. What did they do? They hid and stayed in hiding for days. Yeshua was given a death sentence. Wait a minute! Messiahs don’t lose; they don’t die, at least not before taking out Rome or whoever is ruining our Jewish lives.

 The trial took place after the arrest. They declared him worthy of death and the sentence was issued. A man named Simon carried the execution wood for Yeshua. The Romans put nails in Yeshua’s wrists to secure him to the pole, between two other criminals. He died. They all three died. And were buried.

That must be the end of the story. Who would wait for any further results then? That’s the end. No more hope. No more wishing. It’s over. 

The executioners put a big stone in front of the cave in which Yeshua was buried. They sealed it with a caulk agent and set two Roman military guards to ensure no one disturbed the burial site. 

The results were in. Hopelessness. Failure. Dejection. Again our religion failed us. 

Then Saturday and then Sunday and some women went back to the tomb hoping to freshen up the area with spices. They ran back to the gathering of the followers and told what they had seen. Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it just as the women had reported, but they didn’t find Yeshua. More disorientation, and now what?

Just hours later Yeshua himself appeared with the followers back in the upper room where they had hidden themselves. He presented himself alive; he ate with them; he showed them his hands and feet; they knew it was he! Alive!

Now, new results were in. The play-by-play was being rewritten right before their eyes. Now a brand new overtime began! 

A New Episode. A New Life. If you receive it. 

 

Peace with God: 3 Exultations and 4 Kings (Romans 5)

[To watch this on YouTube when it was first given live on Zoom, click https://youtu.be/bdbG2xNaBFc ]

The general theme of Romans: How to be right with God.

Today’s topic: Rejoicing in the God of grace!    [The biblical text is at the end of this blog]

Welcome to those of you who are new to our class in this the 6^th lesson, as we take up Paul’s comments recorded in chapter 5 of The Book of Romans. If you are watching this video on YouTube long after our class ended today, then please pause the recording and read the 5^th chapter. It will only take 3 minutes. OK, welcome back.  

Verse one starts with the word “Therefore.” It’s not the last time we will see that, certainly throughout Paul’s writings. Some preachers say that when you see a ‘therefore’ you should look back and see what it’s there for. This word is the conjunction to the previous conclusions, found in chapters 3 and 4. It’s as if we are hearing the apostle say, “In light of everything I’ve taught you the last couple weeks, that you were painfully distant from God’s love, worthy of the wrath of the judgments of the Almighty, and yet your faith was directed to God and his grace, THEREFORE you have benefits. And you have reason to celebrate.” 

Paul in verse one highlights the reality and the result. The reality? We are justified, that is, counted as right with God, acquitted of the crimes he earlier listed, and of the sin of rejecting God. As a result, we have peace with God. Ponder that for a moment, will you? Today we are still in the midst of the war against COVID-19. Over 3.7 million cases worldwide, over 250,000 deaths. The battle is far from over. One day we anticipate a vaccine will be discovered and will be fully available globally. The war will be over. And some think that this is the meaning of ‘peace.’ In a way they are right, but biblically, peace (Hebrew: shalom; Greek: Eirene) is much deeper. It means a contentment, a confidence, a rest. It’s when we won’t have to socially distance ourselves. It’s when we will hug each other without worry. To be sure, the ‘new normal’ for a while will still be without peace. But there will be a day when peace will define us after this corona-time. 

That’s what Paul is hinting at.

Imagine that you have come to the realization that your attitude and your actions were both bad, that you lived for yourself, that you had made yourself into a god, but then someone challenged you. They told you about Jesus and redemption and forgiveness of sins. You considered it; and made a decision that the real God is better than all other gods. Anxiety hit you for a moment, and then you professed faith, however much you had, and pointed your heart towards the Lord. You believed God, you trusted Jesus as Lord, you confessed him as your Saviour. 

Paul says, “THEREFORE… you have peace with God.” Dear friends, there is nothing more important in your life than to submit to God and to have peace with him. Real peace. Not only the absence of conflict, but a deep heartfelt contentment. That’s the result of real faith.  Or as we titled it last week, “Getting right with God.”  Back in Paul’s day, no one would have considered peace as anything other than a stillness of discord between fellows. Peace with neighbours and peace among nations. But Paul makes it vertical. “Peace with God!” outrageous.

The Jewish people had been awaiting this peace since King David and Isaiah proclaimed it: Isa 32:17, 54.10, Psalm 72:1–7 and 85:8–13. Even Ezekiel announced a covenant of peace: Ezek 34:25–31 and 37:26— 

By the way, this chapter is odd because Paul does not directly quote from the Tenach. In fact he won’t do so again until chapter 8.  

Some of you may think, “I’ll just go directly to God. I’m Jewish; I’m automatically related to God.” The chosenness of the Jewish people is not in question, at least, not until chapters 9 through 11, but the key to our gaining peace with God is found in verse 1 and 2, “through Jesus the Messiah.” Paul will spend much time in some of his letters talking about the Jewish connection he has and putting it in perspective. Here, his point is clear. He has access (or introduction) to God because of Yeshua. And not because of any other key or learning or special knowledge or genealogical privilege. We are at peace with God because of our faith in Jesus. Full stop. 

Verse 2: Paul says that as a result of the grace, the faith, and Jesus, that we exult in hope of the glory of God. That’s a mouthful, but to put it simply, we REJOICE in the hope of a future with God making himself visible even near me. What a hope! What a joy to consider and to celebrate. This is the first of three exultations, three celebrations that the apostle highlights. If you will, rejoicing like here in our future hope, and in present trials and tribulations (verse 3) and finally, rejoicing in God himself. (verse 11)

This is a way of thinking that’s different to what I would employ. I would think: God is my saviour and I’m grateful and I will rejoice in that. Hallelujah. Then that means my present circumstances are in his hands, so even today I will rejoice. Finally I would have a perspective on my future that the glory that belongs to God would come my way, and all the mess I’ve made of my life will end, and I will be like him. That’s how I would progress with this triad. Paul on the other hand, sees the justification by faith, which gives him peace today as a down-payment of eternity. He sees God as the One who holds the future and thus the glory that belongs to God will actually be mine. I will be changed. If he has done all this so far, then NOTHING can stop his accomplishments. He will conquer Satan in my life. He will dominate over my failings. My glory is a sure thing. 

Verse 5: Paul says this hope is not going to be dashed. You know of this type of hope, don’t you? I hope my horse will win at the Melbourne Cup. I hope I get a pay rise at my work. I hope that girl likes me. But many of those hopes are not real hope at all, Paul says. Real hope does not disappoint. Because of the lavish love of God, poured out (ekchunno) in our hearts by Holy Spirit, given to us. Like Psalm 23 “My cup runneth over.”  Gift upon gift, grace upon grace, or as in chapter 1, faith to faith. All these benefits of real hope because of the Holy Spirit anointing us, communally and individually. That brings real hope.

If that be so, then what I’m experiencing today, in my dismal life, there in Rome, or here in Sydney, or wherever you live and work and have your being… all the drudgery and pain, all the loss and difficulty, all the trials and persecutions… I rejoice in those! Not because of those, but because God is Immanuel. He is God with us. Now. Today. In my life. It’s not a pie-in-the-sky reality that one day my life will be good. God is present in this transitory life and thus my life is worthy of shouting ‘Hallelujah’ no matter what else is happening. I’m walking with the God of the universe. He knows where I live; he knows me. And his grace is sufficient for me. And for you. Today. Now. 

There is no doubt what those tribulations might be: (Romans 8.35-39, 1 Cor. 4.9-13, 2 Cor. 1.4-10, etc)

Verse 8: Paul assures us that when we were lost, Messiah died for the ungodly.  And those ungodly includes me! All our fears and failures are summed up in loss, but even though most of us would scarcely die for a good man, Messiah died for us in our failings. Think of those health-care workers who are working tirelessly in New York or Italy, and who are basically giving their lives for us in this season of COVID-19. For others they are giving their lives. Paul says not many would do that, and usually only for the good people. We have a spiritual inheritance that outweighs all our frustrations and difficulties of life. 

Then in summary, Paul says he rejoices or exults in God. (v. 11) This is the high point of his praises (and he will have other shouts of ‘hallelujah’ later in the letter). It’s not only the benefits that God extends that makes me delight in him; it’s our relationship! Paul had plenty of reasons to talk about God and rules and obligations and satisfactions of legal requirements. He’s not rejoicing because he’s Jewish. He’s not rejoicing because of some stuff he has received. He’s rejoicing because he can finally know the living God and be personally related to him. He also has peace with God, and that’s a comprehensive cushion to his life of struggles.

Verse 12 introduces a new section. How does it begin? “Therefore.” On the basis of the justification we have with the God who has made us right with him, our reconciliation does not prevent the reality of sin and death in the world. These two global considerations, sin and death, are inherent in the human race. No one is taken out of the world to avoid them. Each person sins, each person will die. If you will, Adam initiated or rather was part of the beginning of these realities. Because he sinned, sin exists. Little babies don’t sin; they live in a world marked by sin. Gentiles who don’t have Torah don’t sin in the same way as Jews, but the world is marked by sin. Adam caused that to happen, but he is not the cause, that is, there is no need to blame him for my own personal sin.  (Adam is the cause in five phrases: .15-19)

I believe verses 12 and following are in Paul’s mind the conditions of the world into which God’s Holy Spirit is poured and thus magnifies God’s grace that much more. By the way four times in chapter 5, Paul uses this phrase, ‘much more’. And he only uses it here and twice in chapter 11 in all of Romans. It’s the Jewish mechanism of biblical interpretation called “Kal v’chomer” meaning “from the lesser to the greater” a device that Jesus often used. In modern Borscht Belt thinking a comedian might say, “"If one day with her mother-in-law was too much, kal v'chomer a weekend will be!" (Lawyers use the Latin a fortiori argument for the same purpose, but with much less humor)

The inescapable reality of sin and death reigned from Adam, he says, until Moses. 

Verse 15: Then in contrast Paul says, “THE FREE GIFT is not like the offense.” The offense of Adam caused death to blanket the earth for all time. But the charisma of justification, of being made right with God came via another man, Yeshua our righteous messiah. (see .17)

Verse 18: Another ‘therefore’, which really is a reiteration of Paul’s previous one caused much argument. I’m not sure why he’s repetitive, and I am not going to mark him down on his grades, but it does seem a tautology. 

Even so, verse 20: Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. There is no place where darkness dwells, where darkness abounds, where evil exists and seems to dominate that the Lord of heaven and earth, by grace, and by the power of the Resurrection cannot make his power, his love, his overcoming, not only to come alongside, but to dominate. Sin reigned (.21), death reigned (.14), Grace regins (.21), and we shall reign (.17). 

Yes, you and I will reign in life, now, due to the hope we have. Not the hope of the end of COVID-19, although that surely should be one of our prayers. Not the hope of Menachem asking you out on a date, not the hope of your boss giving you a raise at work… the hope of glory, God’s grace ruling in your life, today and throughout your days.  We will reign in life through Yeshua the Messiah.

We are supposed to win; we’re supposed to conquer; we’re supposed to have victory! What is that victory? The apostle John said it, “Faith is the victory!” (1 John 5.4) This hearkens back to all that Paul has been saying throughout Romans (so far). We are justified by faith. He quotes Habakkuk (2.4) “The just shall live by faith.” That’s how we are victors. Faith, not in our own capacity. Faith in Yeshua because he has done it all. He gave me his grace. 

Listen to verse 21, “as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Grace gives us right standing with God, not only in heaven, but today. Thanks be to God, amen?

NEXT WEEK and the week following, we will look at the question of sin in the life of a believer and its relation to grace and being right with God.

We have much more to get through in this letter, and I’m delighted to be able to read and help us understand it each Friday here from my lockdown in Sydney. 

The actual text:

Rom. 5:1   Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Rom. 5:6   For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Rom. 5:12   Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — ¹³ for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Rom. 5:15   But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from onetransgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Rom. 5:18   So then as through one transgression ¹there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. ¹⁹ For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Cemetery vandalism… again!

by Bob Mendelsohn, JFJ National Director
Australia

PHILADELPHIA VANDALISM

Following are three reports of cemetery vandalism, in two different US cities. And all within a fortnight. And a conclusion which has hope and might surprise some of you. Concerning the cemeteries, what is sad is that none of the perpetrators have been caught, so far. What’s worrisome is that this appears to be a trend, and what that says about the US just now is troubling.

Police in Philadelphia are investigating a vandalism at a Jewish cemetery last weekend. This was the 2nd time in a fortnight that Philly cemeteries have had headstones knocked over and damaged.

At least 75 tombstones were overturned Saturday night at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery. The only targets were the Jewish graves according to Det. Jim McReynolds of the police department's Northeast Detectives Division. He said no damage occurred at the three neighbouring Christian cemeteries at Mt Carmel. Two weeks ago, a dozen headstones were damaged at a Catholic cemetery in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia mayor's spokeswoman Lauren Hitt reported.

That vandalism at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Cemetery didn't appear to target a specific group of people, Hitt said. The Catholic cemetery is about two miles away from the Jewish cemetery.

ST LOUIS LAST WEEK
The vandalism at the Jewish cemetery was especially worrisome because it comes less than a week after a similar incident at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, said Nancy Baron-Baer, the Anti-Defamation League's regional director for the Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware region.

"One stone in one cemetery being desecrated is one stone too many. We are talking about hundreds within a week," she said.
The ADL is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 offered a $3,000 reward for the same purpose.

SURPRISING HELPFUL HANDS
But there is hope. In a most unlikely show of support, after the Jewish cemetery in St. Louis was vandalised, Muslim-American activists Linda Sarsour and Tarek El-Messidi launched a fund-raising effort to help pay for the toppled headstones to be repaired. They set a goal to raise $20,000, but donors gave more than $130,000. El-Messidi wrote on Facebook that some of the extra funds would go toward the Philadelphia cemetery, and he visited Mt. Carmel on Sunday to help in the recovery efforts.

"Seeing this in person was very devastating," El-Messidi wrote on Facebook. "Many people there were embracing one another in tears due to what they saw."

"I want to ask all Muslims to reach out to your Jewish brothers and sisters and stand together against this bigotry," he said. Members of the Philadelphia branch of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, an American-Muslim organisation, also visited the cemetery and helped in the cleanup efforts, according to national spokesman Qasim Rashid.

Salaam Bhatti, another spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, told CNN there are as many as eight more members at Mt. Carmel cemetery Monday helping out with "whatever the cemetery needs."

"This attack is not just an attack on our Jewish brothers and sisters but on our common community," Bhatti said. "We believe we need to be protecting our fellow humans from this extremism."

MY THOUGHTS
I know some of our Blog’s readers will be suspicious of the kindnesses of these Muslims, but I reckon their words, their money and their personal attention to the cause of repair should all be highlighted more than their own religious persuasion.

If a person in time of need rejects the kindness of a neighbour, and fails to receive that measure of love, it says much more about the (non)receiver than about anyone else in the drama. The perpetrators of the evil in the desecration of the three cemeteries (and dare I add many more such desecrations worldwide in the last two years) will be caught in due course. God knows how to judge those who disparage his own people.

As northern Spring has begun, with the seasons of Easter and Passover to be celebrated in the next few weeks, may we pause and call to mind the harsh condition of the world in 1500 BC or 30 AD? May we remember that God heard the cries of his Jewish people and sent a redeemer to deliver us when Moses was born, raised in the royal comforts in Egypt, trained as a wilderness shepherd for four decades, then led us out of Egypt by God’s outstretched arm and mighty hand.

“Let my people go!” was Moses’ cry and eventually, and with regret, Pharaoh did let us leave slavery in Egypt.

1500 years later, God again heard the cries of the people, and in the darkness of Roman occupation of the land of the Jewish people, in what we today call Israel, God again sent a redeemer to deliver all people. Yeshua (some call him Isa or Jesus) was born, raised in Israel, trained as a carpenter at his father’s side, then led us out of slavery to sin by his death on the Roman cross and resurrection from the dead.

No one had an inside track on this redemption. In fact, the Good Books says of everyone on the planet, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Paul’s letter to the Romans 5.10)

So whether a Muslim, a Jew, a Catholic or a none-of-the-above, here’s God’s good news for you this Passover. “God loved the world so much that he sent his only son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3.16)

Howard Hughes, Rules Don't Apply: A review

I'm not an expert on Howard Hughes. I didn't see the 2006 movie about Clifford Irving, the fake Hughes biographer, starring Richard Gere in Irving's role in "The Hoax." Leonardo de Caprio's performance as Hughes in "The Aviator" (2004) featured his earlier life in Hollywood and in the airline industry from the 1920s and 1930s. Warren Beatty's 'biography' of Hughes picks up and ends in 1964, so there is no overlap with Aviator. Beatty's super-involvement included producing, directing, writing the screenplay, and acting as the lead character. Let me highlight a few moments of the film.

Four main characters feature: Beatty as Hughes, Lily Collins as Marla Mabrey, Matthew Broderick as Levar Mathis, and Alden Ehrenreich as Frank. (For those who follow this blog about many Jewish concerns, the last three of these listed have Jewish ancestry). Other characters are played by the likes of Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Candice Bergen in more than cameo roles.

The ambling story concerns Hughes in conflict with the world: New York bankers (led by Oliver Platt), his own staff, and just about everyone. He makes Marla wait for her one-off appointment with him after her screen test. He makes us wait ... and wait. It seems interminable. Hughes doesn't appear as luminous as most would make of themselves if they were billionaires (or was he 'only' a millionaire?) In fact, he stays in the shadows most of the movie. The choice of lighting reminded me of "Citizen Kane" and even the mystery of Rosebud seemed to flashback on me in "Rules."

Beatty uses the ingenue Mabrey as a foil, and in the movie this Baptist woman is the daughter of Bening (Beatty's real wife). Too weird. Collins as Marla makes perfect sense. The real-life daughter of singer Phil Collins, has been in a few things, but this is her first major role. Her IMDB listing is here . And she's playing a starlet-wannabe coming to Los Angeles/ Hollywood for the chance of a lifetime. She comes from Front Royal, Virginia, still a rural town near Washington, DC. Her Baptist preacher has inspired her to know about virtues including sexual behavior and about abortion and such. Some surprises ensue as you might expect.

I will not spoil the ending, but will tell you that this is not an Irish tale. It's pure Hollywood. At least in its endings.

There was a momentous scene which seemed to turn the movie, but Beatty didn't stay black-to-white as I expected. In that scene he 'came out' and turned on a lamp near his darkened self. If I remember right, the background music of Mahler's 5th even changed its feeling. He caught a serious glimpse of his DNA-in-the-future, and that seemed to give him spark and lift. But Beatty didn't keep it going to my disappointment. By the way, for Donald Mitchell, perhaps the most important Mahler scholar writing today, the Fifth Symphony “initiates a new concept of an interior drama.” The idea of a programmatic symphony has not vanished, “it has gone underground, rather, or inside.” I wonder if that influenced the choice of the 5th throughout.

Perhaps Beatty saw in Hughes a great American enigma. A life of massive financial success and yet a life of wishing to be in relationship with his departed father. A desire to keep his father's legacy, or at least his name, in perpetuity. And utter dissatisfaction with those who disagreed with him, on any level, even about ice cream availability.

He lived as a recluse, see these facts about the real Hughes in this article from History.com I'm sure some of the real story influenced Beatty. And then there is the Hollywood add-on as per usual.

Hughes was a megalomaniac, but I'm not a psychologist, so probably shouldn't evaluate him as such with such little information. Still, Beatty made us think this in the very slow opening (at leat 45 minutes of the 2 hours) and Hughes' obsession with his own reputation and possible identification as crazy.

Someone asked me "Did you like the movie?" And honestly I never quite know if I liked some movies until I sit down to write the review of it. This one is certainly in that category. What I liked was clear...the parts by Sheen, Bergen, Platt, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin... they all were subjugated to the great one. Beatty made it clear, in their deference, and their compliance, their opposition and their diminution, that Hughes was the greater. I liked the ingenue and her life choices she was continually forced to make. I liked the Radaresque Broderick in his subjugation to Hughes, until that one moment of confrontation. I liked the forward-thinking Frank, the chauffeur. I suppose there was enough in the movie to give it another look, down the road, on an airplane at 35,000 feet in a few months.

ABC News in the US gave it a moderate score, and finished with "When "Rules Don’t Apply" is good, it’s a delight. When it’s not, you just wish you were somewhere else." Oy, did I agree with that one!

And maybe then I will think of what I have to do to live in subjugation to my Greater One, the Almighty. No matter how I see myself in this movie, as I identify with one or more characters (at a time), I know that in the end, no matter how much I gain or lose, there is a Greater One. A God who gives of Himself that we might have life. I had a good relationship at times with my dad, but when I met the Eternal Father, the Lord God Almighty, I found my own darkness-to-light moment and the music changed from Mahler's 5th to Mahler's Resurrection!

No enigma now. Life comes and life lives on, because of the One who said of Himself (and which is a sign on one of the churches in the early part of the movie), "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." (Yeshua, the messiah quoted by his friend and biographer John) Thanks be to God.

Three Days? Three nights? How does that work?

The questions come from a Bible verse, Yeshua said, "For just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12.40) And the question gets asked every Easter. When did Jesus really die? And when did he really rise from the dead?

This might help explain how this works. Clearly whatever day Yeshua died (and I believe it was a Friday), the exact 72 hours calculation will never work. He died in the afternoon, and rose before morning.

During an online debate with Christians about the above Scripture verse, an unlikely contributor to the debate showed us something that I'd heard before, but had never seen proven. Joe Zias, ex-curator of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, and a Jewish man who does NOT believe that Jesus rose from the dead or is the Messiah, nevertheless weighed in with a post about the idiomatic use in Jewish circles of the phrase "three days and three nights." In brief, Zias said that the phrase is found elsewhere in the Bible and in Rabbinic literature, and that it did not usually refer to a literal 72 hour period of time. He said, "It's one example of many Hebrew idioms used for inclusive time reckoning."

(For those who may have forgotten, an idiom is a word or phrase that MUST NOT be understood to mean the sum total of its parts, or it will surely be misunderstood. Every language and culture has idioms. Some examples in English are, "She went ballistic," "I hit the ceiling," and "I'll be a monkey's uncle!")

A literal interpretation by some well-meaning Christians, of the phrase "three days and three nights" as representing an exact period of 72 hours, displays ignorance of the biblical and rabbinic evidence about the idiomatic use of the phrase "a day and a night," of which "three days and three nights" is merely an expansion. In truth, the idiom refers not to an exact number of hours or of minutes, but simply to a calendrical day, whether complete or incomplete.

In the Bible, a fraction of a day or of a night was reckoned inclusively as representing the whole day or night. This method of reckoning is known as "inclusive reckoning."
[See: this link Ortho ].

A few examples from the Bible and from rabbinic literature will suffice to demonstrate its usage (I am indebted to Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University from his book The Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection for the following examples and most of the commentary):
1Samuel 30:12 speaks of an abandoned Egyptian servant who "had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights." The idiomatic usage of this expression is shown by the following verse, where the servant states that his master had left him behind "three days ago" (v. 13). If the "three days and three nights" were meant to be taken literally, then the servant should have said that he had been left behind four days before.

Esther 4:16 mentions that when Queen Esther was informed by Mordecai about the plan to exterminate the Jews, she sent this message to him: "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king." However, we read in 5:1 that Esther went before the king "on the third day." If Esther intended the three days and three nights to be taken literally as a 72-hour period of fasting, then she should have presented herself before the king on the fourth day. These two biblical examples clearly show that the expression "three days and three nights" is sometimes used in the Scriptures idiomatically to indicate not three complete 24-hour days, but three calendric days of which the first and the third could have consisted of only a fraction of a day.

But we also have examples from ancient rabbinic literature. For instance, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah, who lived about 100 CE, said, "A day and a night are an Onah [‘a portion of time’] and the portion of an Onah is as the whole of it." (As quoted from the Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 9,3; see also Babylonian Talmud, Pesakhim 4a; and the Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 56.1 (commenting on Gen 22:4); Genesis 91.7 (commenting on Gen 42:17-18); Esther 9.2 (commenting on Esther 5:1). Etc. In fact, according to The Jewish Encyclopedia, a standard Jewish reference work [available for perusal online here: ], the practice of inclusive day reckoning is still in vogue among the Jews today.

"In Jewish communal life part of a day is at times reckoned as one day; e.g., the day of the funeral, even when the latter takes place late in the afternoon, is counted as the first of the seven days of mourning; a short time in the morning of the seventh day is counted as the seventh day; circumcision takes place on the eighth day, even though on the first day only a few minutes remained after the birth of the child, these being counted as one day." ("Day," vol. 6, p. 475). In fact, Joe Zias used the example of “the eighth day” regarding circumcision not necessarily being eight full days. He, being an Israeli Jew, drew it from his own personal experience with inclusive day reckoning.

The examples cited above give sufficient evidence that in biblical times (and until now) the expression "a day and a night" could mean idiomatically "a day," whether complete or incomplete. Thus, in the light of the prevailing Jewish usage, Jesus employment of the expression "three days and three nights" in Mat 12:40 does not necessarily require that Yeshua would have been entombed for 72 hours. Rather, a full day and two partial days fit the time-frame best, as ancient Christian tradition has historically understood it.

Risen, the Movie, the Review

Setting: Today a look at Capitol movie release "Risen" starring Joseph Fiennes as Clavius, a murderous and successful Roman tribune in 30 CE (AD). The setting is the Roman occupation of ancient Judea/ Israel. The title comes from the story told by the followers of Yeshua (that's the name he's called even in the movie) that their hero/ messiah is risen from the dead. Pontius Pilate charges the military tribune Clavius with the responsibility to quell the rumours which otherwise might end Pax Romana, especially before the imminent visit of the Emperor Tiberius.

The acting is real; the settings superb, recreated in Spain for the movie, which depicted the historical accounts of the messianic hopeful named in English Jesus of Nazareth. He is often titled in the movie "The Nazarene" highlighting his roots in nearby Galilee. Scenes include fishing, the healing of a leper, terrorised Jews running from Roman domination, even the end of the crucifixion scene well known in history of three criminals.

Characters:
Tom Felton (Lucius) from the Harry Potter series plays a rookie tribune-to-be and has some serious conflicts with his hero, played so well by Fiennes. Peter Firth (Pilate) had many issues, most of which had to do with keeping the calm. I liked that most characters are not one-dimensional. I say 'most' because the Jewish leadership seems always aggravated and malicious. Everything that Mel Gibson did not allow about Jewish people in his "Passion of the Christ" Kevin Reynolds (director)and Paul Aiello (scriptwriter) did. I'm disappointed with that part of the film. However, the main storyline is so good that I can somewhat overlook that (with regrets).

OTHER ISSUES:
The visual references to the Shroud of Turin, which doesn't come into history's play for over a millennium is unnecessary I thought. The sealing of the tomb of Yeshua, the love of the Nazarene and fair-go by Joseph of Arimathea are important highlights and have been well-included. The conversation with Bartholomew (Nathaniel) and Clavius highlight the issue of doubt/ faith and why anyone should ever believe in this story.

I like the character of Yeshua (Cliff Curtis, Kiwi actor) who during the first half of the movie is known only through a visual point-- his death. He doesn't move nor speak. The woman Mary Magdalene, along with the disciples Peter, John, even Thomas, come to their own as the movie continues and then the major risen character, Yeshua takes centre stage. And he's a likeable triumphant one. He appears and disappears. He instructs the fearful followers to meet him up north. He comes and goes at will. And during his post-resurrection visits he eats with them, helps them find a major fish cache, forgives and re-instructs Simon Peter, and the leper scene happens. (Which doesn't happen in the biblical record at that time). All the while Clavius, with Lucius and his colleagues, seek to finish this rumour's nonsense, find the body, and settle Jerusalem back to normal.

SPOILER ALERT:
I won't unpack the ending, but since the Bible doesn't record any interactions between Yeshua and unbelievers after the Resurrection, the encounters "Risen" show are "Hollywood"ed for us. It does make for a good story, and what Clavius determines is useful for every believer and every unbeliever who watch to the end. I like that the Hollywood add-ons are not distractions at all, but rather make the story that much fuller. After all, when CSI, NCIS, and Ben Hur come together this is a likely screenplay.

The main question anyone will have when they make their way to the parking lot is "Is that true? Did Yeshua rise from the dead?" And that's a huge question for all of us to ask. If he had risen, from the reality of the crucifixion, then what evidence is required? Two things: 1) his body was not in the grave and 2) physical appearances to many. Without the empty tomb, the appearances are mere fancy, hallucinations of madmen. Without the appearances, the empty tomb is merely evidence of some clever grave robbers and re-buriers. But with both... the evidence is in. And Clavius and every honest skeptic has to deal with that reality.

And so do you. So, watch the movie. It's worth the money. And it may impact your life more than Harry Potter. More than Fiennes' Shakespeare in Love. You never know. Give it a try soon. Before it goes to video.