From: Eddie Chumney
To:      heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Chapter 6: Yeshua: Our Jewish Messiah


                                    CHAPTER 6

                   YESHUA: OUR JEWISH MESSIAH

                      from the book by Eddie Chumney

              "RESTORING THE TWO HOUSES OF ISRAEL"

         Copies can be purchased for individual or group study by
         writing to me (Eddie Chumney) at: (chumney@hebroots.org)

                                        PART 1 of 3

                  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


                                       CHAPTER 6

                   YESHUA: OUR JEWISH MESSIAH

     Yeshua/Jesus was/is a Jew. He was born a Jew, He lived as a Jew
and He died a Jew. While most members from the house of Israel
(Christianity) recognize that Yeshua/Jesus was Jewish, they do not
worship the G-d of Israel by identifying with the Jewishness of the
Messiah. The roots of faith (emunah) in Yeshua/Jesus as the Jewish
Messiah is biblical Judaism. In fact, the early believers in
Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah (Mashiach) were considered a sect of Judaism
(house of Judah) (Acts 28:22). On the other hand, many members from
the house of Judah (Judaism) do not recognize Yeshua/Jesus as being a
Jew. For those Jews (house of Judah) who do recognize that
Yeshua/Jesus was Jewish, they do not realize that Yeshua/Jesus was a
Torah observant Jew. Therefore, both houses of Israel need to
identify in a greater measure with the Jewishness of the Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus.

     In this chapter, we will examine the Jewishness of Yeshua/Jesus.
We will discover that Yeshua/Jesus was born a Jew, He lived His life
as a Torah observant Jew and He died a Jew. Furthermore, when He
returns to the earth to rule and reign for 1,000 years during the
Messianic Age (Athid Lavo), He will do so as a Torah observant Jew
teaching the Torah of the G-d of Israel to the nations of the world
(Isaiah [Yeshayahu] 2:2-4). In this chapter, we will study the
Jewishness of the life of Yeshua/Jesus. We will be mainly focusing on
His life as recorded for us in the New Testament (Brit Hadashah)
books of Matthew (Mattityahu), Mark, Luke and John (Yochanan). In
doing so, may both houses of Israel (Judaism and Christianity)
recognize and identify with the Jewishness of Yeshua/Jesus and
realize that He is our JEWISH Messiah (Mashiach).


                            OUR JEWISH MESSIAH:
                     YESHUA/JESUS WAS BORN A JEW

     Yeshua/Jesus was born a Jew. He was born of the seed of David and
in the city of David which is called Bethlehem. When Yeshua/Jesus was
born, His parents were betrothed to each other. Betrothal is the
first of two stages of a biblical Jewish marriage. Yeshua/Jesus was
circumcised the eighth day (brit milah) as is the custom for the
birth of a Jewish boy. The name of Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua. Yeshua
is the Hebrew word which means salvation. Yeshua/Jesus was born a
Jew. Yeshua/Jesus was born to be the Savior of the world and the
Messiah (Mashiach) of both houses of Israel (Judaism and Christianity).


                     YESHUA/JESUS WAS BORN A JEW
                         FROM THE SEED OF DAVID

     Yeshua/Jesus was born a Jew. Traditional Judaism (house of Judah)
believes that the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) will be born from the
seed of David. The house of Israel (Christianity) also believes that
the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) will be born from the seed of David. In
I Chronicles 17:7-14 it is written:

      "Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus
      saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even
      from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my
      people Israel: And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast
      walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and
      have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in
      the earth. Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and
      will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall
      be moved no more: neither shall the children of wickedness waste
      them any more, as at the beginning, And since the time that I
      commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will
      subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord
      will build thee an house. And it shall come to pass, when thy
      days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I
      will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons;
      and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me an house,
      and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father,
      and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from
      him, as I took it from him that was before thee: But I will
      settle him in mine house and in my kingdom forever: and his
      throne shall be established forevermore."

     The G-d of Israel's promise to David is repeated in Psalm
     (Tehillim) 89:20, 34-37 as it is written:

      "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed
      him . my covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is
      gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I
      will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his
      throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as
      the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah."

     The Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus was born of the seed
     of David according to the flesh.

      In Romans 1:3, it is written:

      "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the
      seed of David according to the flesh"

      In Hebrew 7:14 it is written:

      "For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah."

      In Revelation 5:5, it is written:

      "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion
      of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open
      the book."

     When Yeshua/Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary
(Miryam), the Jewish mother of Yeshua/Jesus and said in Luke 1:30-33
as it is written:

      "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast
      found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
      womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He
      shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
      the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
      And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his
      kingdom there shall be no end."


                 JESUS IN HEBREW MEANS SALVATION

     In Luke 1:31, the angel Gabriel told Mary (Miryam) that the
Messiah's name would be Jesus. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua
which means salvation. In Hebrew thought, a name is given to a person
to represent a person's character, identity, purpose or destiny. A
name represents who a person is to be. One of the roles of the Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) is to redeem the house of Jacob and save the world
from their sins. Therefore, the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) was named
Yeshua which means in Hebrew "salvation" because the Messiah would
save His people from their sins. In Matthew (Mattityahu) 1:21 it is written:

      "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
      JESUS [Yeshua]: for he shall save his people from their sins"


                      THE IMPORTANCE OF A NAME
                            IN HEBRAIC THOUGHT

     A Hebrew name is important because a name in Hebrew thought
represents a person's character, identity, purpose or destiny. The
angel Gabriel gave instructions to Mary (Miryam) to name the Jewish
Messiah, Yeshua/salvation because his character, identity, purpose
and destiny in the heart of the G-d of Israel is to save His people
from their sins. Next, we will examine the names of the patriarch's,
Abraham (Avraham), Isaac (Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) to understand
in a greater way how a name in Hebraic thought represents a person's
character, identity, purpose or destiny.


                      ABRAHAM IN HEBREW MEANS
                         FATHER OF A MULTITUDE

     Abram is the Strong's word 87 in the Strong's Hebrew Concordance.
It is the Hebrew word Avram. Avram (Abram) in Hebrew means "exalted
Father." When the G-d of Israel made a covenant with Abram (Avram),
He changed Abram's name to Abraham (Avraham). Abraham is the Strong's
word 85 which in Hebrew means "father of a multitude." When He
changed Abraham's name, the G-d of Israel added the Hebrew letter,
hay ("h"), to Abraham's name. The Hebrew letter, hay ("h"),
represents the breath and life of the G-d of Israel.

     By making a covenant with Abraham (Avraham) and changing his
name, the G-d of Israel was communicating to Abraham (Avraham) that
He was going to change the character, identity, purpose and destiny
of Abraham and his descendents. The G-d of Israel was going to do
this by adding His breath and life (the Hebrew letter, hay, ["h"]) to
the life of Abraham (Avraham) and make him a "father of a multitude."
In Genesis (Bereishit) 17:1-7 it is written:

      "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared
      to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before
      me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me
      and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly . As for me,
      behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of
      many nations [Avraham in Hebrew]. Neither shall thy name any
      more be called Abram [which means `exalted father' in Hebrew]
      but thy name shall be Abraham; [which means `father of a
      multitude' in Hebrew] for a father of many nations have I made
      thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make
      nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will
      establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after
      thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a
      God unto thee and to thy seed after thee."


                 ISAAC IN HEBREW MEANS LAUGHTER

     Isaac (Yitzchak) is the son of Abraham (Avraham) and Sarah. Isaac
is the Strong's word 3327 and is the Hebrew word Yitzchak which means
"laughter." When the G-d of Israel told Abraham that Sarah was going
to have a child in her old age when she was past child bearing age,
Sarah "laughed." (Genesis [Bereishit] 18:9-14). Therefore, Abraham
and Sarah named their child Isaac (Yitzchak) or "laughter." When
Isaac (Yitzchak) was born, Sarah said that the G-d of Israel has made
her to "laugh" (which has a deeper spiritual meaning of rejoicing
with great joy) so that all that hear (SHEMA in Hebrew which means to
hear, do and obey) will  "laugh" (have great joy in the L-rd) with
me. Therefore, Abraham and Sarah named their child, Isaac (Yitzchak),
because the name Isaac (laughter) represented a prophetic event that
the G-d of Israel performed in their lives. In Genesis (Bereishit)
18:9-14 it is written:

      "And they said unto him [Abraham], Where is Sarah thy wife? And
      he said, Behold in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
      return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah
      thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door,
      which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well
      stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner
      of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After
      I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
      And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh,
      saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is
      anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will
      return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall
      have a son."

     When Isaac was born, Abraham (Avraham) and Sarah named him
Yitzchak in Hebrew which means  "laughter." In Genesis (Bereishit)
21:1-3, 6 it is written:

      "And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did
      unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare
      Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had
      spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was
      born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac . And Sarah said,
      God hath made me to laugh so that all that hear [which is the
      Hebrew word SHEMA which means hear, do and obey and is the
      Strong's word 8085] will laugh with me."


               JACOB IN HEBREW MEANS SUPPLANTER

     Jacob is the Strong's word 3290 in the Strong's Hebrew
Concordance. Jacob is the Hebrew word Ya'acov which means
"supplanter, deceiver, kiniver, heel catcher." The meaning of the
name of Jacob (Ya'acov) was prophetic of the life of Jacob (Ya'acov)
until the G-d of Israel changed his name to Israel. Israel is the
Strong's word 3478 which means "to rule and have power as a prince
with God." Jacob (Ya'acov) was given the name "heel catcher" because
when he was born, he "caught the heel" of his older brother Esau.
Therefore, his name was called Jacob (Ya'acov) which means a "heel
catcher."

     During his life, Jacob (Ya'acov) greatly desired to inherit the
covenant blessing that the G-d of Israel made with Abraham (Avraham).
While Jacob's heart was honorable in desiring the covenant blessing
that the G-d of Israel promised Abraham (Avraham) and the G-d of
Israel honored the heart of Jacob (Ya'acov) for desiring this
blessing, the method that Jacob (Ya'acov) used to obtain this
blessing is best characterized as being a "supplanter, deceiver or
kiniver." This is the meaning of the name Jacob (Ya'acov) in Hebrew.

     Esau and Jacob (Ya'acov) were twin sons of Isaac (Yitzchak) and
Rebekah (Rivkah). Because Esau was the firstborn, the family
inheritance legally belonged to him. However, Jacob (Ya'acov)
purposed in his heart that he would obtain the blessing of the
firstborn. Because Jacob desired the covenant blessing that the G-d
of Israel made with Abraham (Avraham) so greatly, Jacob (Ya'acov)
asked his brother Esau to sell him the birthright of Esau when Esau
was hungry and needed food to eat.

     Esau represents the carnal (earthly) believer in Yeshua/Jesus as
Messiah (Mashiach). Esau's heart was more preoccupied with meeting
his TEMPORARY fleshly, earthly needs than inheriting the ETERNAL
covenant promises that the G-d of Israel made with Abraham (Avraham).
Therefore, Esau sold his "birthright" to satisfy his temporary
earthly desire of food for his body. However, Jacob (Ya'acov) was
more concerned with the eternal covenant blessing that the G-d of
Israel promised to the descendents of Abraham (Avraham).

     Jacob (Ya'acov) had a "wrestling" in his life between his carnal
nature (evil inclination) being a  "supplanter, deceiver, kiniver"
with his brother Esau and his spiritual nature (good inclination)
which desired the blessing of the G-d of Israel. When Jacob (Ya'acov)
had a "wrestling" match with the G-d of Israel toward the end of his
life, this was prophetic of his life. In the "wrestling" match, Jacob
(Ya'acov) prevailed. Even though Jacob's method of obtaining the
blessing of the firstborn was carnal, fleshly and earthly (evil
inclination), the G-d of Israel honored the spiritual nature (good
inclination) of Jacob's heart to desire the covenant blessing that He
made with Abraham (Avraham).

     When Jacob (Ya'acov) prevailed in his "wrestling" match with the
G-d of Israel, G-d changed Jacob's name to Israel. Israel is the
Strong's word 3478 which means "to rule and have power as a prince
with G-d." The changing of the name of Jacob (Ya'acov) to Israel
represented a change in the character, identity, purpose and destiny
of Jacob's (Ya'acov) life.

     When Jacob (Ya'acov) was born, he grabbed the heel of his twin
brother Esau who came out of the womb of their mother Rebekah
(Rivkah) first. In Genesis (Bereishit) 25:21-26 it is written:

      "And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was
      barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife
      conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and
      she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of
      the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy
      womb, and two manner of people [Esau after the flesh and Jacob
      after the Spirit] shall be separated from thy bowels; and the
      one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the
      elder [Esau, the flesh] shall serve the younger [Jacob, the
      Spirit]. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled,
      behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out
      red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name
      Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took
      hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac
      was threescore years old when she bare them.


           JACOB SUPPLANTS THE BIRTHRIGHT OF ESAU

     In Genesis (Bereishit) 25:28-34, Esau sells his birthright to
Jacob (Ya'acov) when Esau was hungry  for food as it is written:

      "And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but
      Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from
      the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I
      pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore
      was his named was called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day
      thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die:
      and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said,
      Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his
      birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of
      lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his
      way: thus Esau despised his birthright."


          JACOB SUPPLANTS ISAAC'S BLESSING TO ESAU

     In Genesis (Bereishit) 27:1-36, Jacob (Ya'acov) supplants the
blessing of his father Isaac (Yitzchak)  to Esau with the help of his
mother Rebekah (Rivkah) as it is written:

      "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were
      dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son,
      and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am
      I. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my
      death: Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver
      and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
      And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me,
      that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. And
      Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to
      the field to hunt for venison and to bring it. And Rebekah spake
      unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak
      unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me
      savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord
      before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according
      to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me
      from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them
      savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt
      bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless
      thee before his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother,
      Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
      My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as
      a DECEIVER; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a
      blessing. And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my
      son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. And he went, and
      fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made
      savory meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took goodly
      raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the
      house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the
      skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the
      smooth of his neck: And she gave the savory meat and the bread,
      which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. And he
      came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am
      I; who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his father, I am
      Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me:
      arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may
      bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast
      found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy
      God brought it to me. And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I
      pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very
      son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and
      he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands
      are the hands of Esau. And he discerned him not, because his
      hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed
      him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
      And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's
      venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to
      him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And
      his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my
      son. And he came near and kissed him: and he smelled the smell
      of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my
      son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
      Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of
      the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee,
      and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let
      thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that
      curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. And it came
      to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and
      Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his
      father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he
      also had made savory meat, and brought it unto his father, and
      said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's
      venison, that thy soul may bless me. And Isaac his father said
      unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn
      Esau. And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where
      is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have
      eaten of all before thou camest and have blessed him? Yea, and
      he shall be blessed. And when Esau heard the words of his
      father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said
      unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he
      said, Thy brother came with subtlety and hath taken away thy
      blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he
      hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright;
      and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing."


          THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF JACOB AND ESAU

     Jacob (Ya'acov) is a spiritual type and picture of the children
of the Promise who walk according to  the Spirit (good inclination)
and not according to the carnal nature of the flesh (evil
inclination). Esau is a spiritual type and picture of those who walk
according to the carnal nature of the flesh and not after the Spirit.
The G-d of Israel loves those whose heart is toward Him and His
promises (Jacob) and hates those who are more concerned with pleasing
the desires of their flesh (Esau) above loving the G-d of Israel with
all their heart, mind, soul and strength and living for the eternal
Kingdom of G-d. This is explained for us in Romans 9:8-13 as it is
written:

      ".They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
      children of God [Esau]: but the children of the promise are
      counted for the seed [Jacob]. For this is the word of promise,
      At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not
      only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by
      our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither
      having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according
      to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
      It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As it
      is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."


            JACOB WRESTLES WITH G-D AND PREVAILS

     In Genesis (Bereishit) 32:24-30, Jacob (Ya'acov) has a wrestling
match with the G-d of Israel and prevails. Jacob (Ya'acov) would not
leave Him depart until the G-d of Israel blessed Jacob. In Genesis
(Bereishit) 32:24-30 it is written:

      "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
      until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed
      not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the
      hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with
      him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said,
      I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto
      him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name
      shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast
      thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob
      asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he
      said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he
      blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place
      Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is
      preserved."

     How did the G-d of Israel bless Jacob (Ya'acov)? He blessed him
by changing his name from Jacob (Ya'acov) which means a "supplanter,
deceiver, kiniver" (which was characteristic of Jacob's [Ya'acov's]
life) to Israel which means "to rule and have power as a prince with
God."

     Therefore, we can see from the lives of Abraham (Avraham), Isaac
(Yitzchak) and Jacob (Ya'acov) that their names represented their
character, identity, purpose and destiny in G-d. In Hebraic thought,
a name is prophetic of your character and your destiny. For this
reason, the Jewish Messiah is named Yeshua. His name represents His
character, destiny and purpose as the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) to
both houses of Israel (Judaism and Christianity). He is our Savior
and He was sent by the G-d of Israel as the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach)
to save His people from their sins (Matthew [Mattityahu] 1:21).


                 MIRYAM WAS BETROTHED TO YOSEF

     Mary (Miryam) the Jewish mother of Yeshua/Jesus was betrothed to
Joseph (Yosef) when Mary (Miryam) was pregnant with the Jewish
Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus. In the ancient biblical Jewish
wedding ceremony, there are two stages to the wedding process. The
first stage is called betrothal. During betrothal, you are legally
married to your spouse but you do not physically dwell with your
spouse. By understanding the Hebrew language, we can see how
betrothal is legally binding. The word for betrothal in Hebrew is
erusin which comes from the Hebrew root word aras. Aras is related to
the Hebrew word asar which means  "to bind." By this, we can see that
the Hebrew language teaches us that betrothal is legally binding.

     According to the ancient biblical Jewish wedding customs, once
you are betrothed, the only way that you can get out of the marriage
is through a divorce. A divorce is known as a "get" to the house of
Judah (Judaism). The second stage of marriage is called in Hebrew
nesu'in. It is during the second stage of marriage that the bride and
groom physically come together and consummate the marriage. In
Matthew (Mattityahu) 1:18-20, we can understand that the Jewish
parents of the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach) Yeshua/Jesus were wedded
according to the ancient biblical Jewish wedding customs as it is
written:

      "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his
      mother Mary was espoused [betrothed] to Joseph, before they came
      together [the first of two stages of the ancient Jewish wedding
      ceremony], she was found with child of the Holy Ghost [Ruach
      HaKodesh]. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man [tzaddik],
      and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put
      her away privily [get/divorce]. But while he thought on these
      things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a
      dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto
      thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the
      Holy Ghost [Ruach HaKodesh]."

     Therefore, the Jewish parents of the Jewish Messiah (Mashiach)
Yeshua/Jesus were wedded in  accordance with the ancient Jewish
wedding customs.

                                 (End Part 1 of 3)

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