Counting Pentecost ~ Day Thirty Five ~ Open Your Mind

Update May 12th 2018 ~ By Leialni

Today is the 7th day of the 5th week of seven weeks. Today is the 35th day of the counting of fifty days from the day of the waving of the Omer on the morrow after the Sabbath. Today is Sabbath, the 5th Sabbath of seven Sabbaths. Today completes the 5th week of seven weeks.

On the day of Pentecost, also known as Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks, as believers we would have brought an offering, in Temple times. “A new grain offering” Leviticus 23. However, because of Jesus’ redemptive work we no longer need to bring an offering, nor have we been able to, since 70 AD, when the Temple was destroyed.

So how do we keep or remember this appointed time, besides resting and doing no work? Maybe by cultivating the fruit (new grain) of the Spirit we have received. Galatians tells us the the fruit of the Spirit is; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…

A character in a book I recently read, was surprised at the lack of patience she had in a certain situation. Thinking that her fruit was not as mature as she thought it should be, particularly that of patience. That was an interesting way of looking at what God is doing in each of us, as fruit that is not ripe, but is growing day by day. He gives us the seeds of His fruit and over time it matures. If we will only cultivate it, “…knowing that affliction works out patience, and patience works out proven character; and proven character, hope. And the hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us;” Romans 5:3-5

Original Post May 12th 2012

19 Ziv / Iyyar 31 AD

Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. “You are witnesses of these things. “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:44-49

It had been more than a month since “the passion” and those terrible first three days. Jesus comes to them yet again with more of Himself. He opens their minds to understand the Scriptures, “Now you will understand what seemed so dark to you when I told you about the Son of man being put to death and rising again” Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Jesus is referring back to when He told them exactly what was going to happen, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all the things that are written through the prophets shall be accomplished unto the Son of man. For he shall be delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon: and they shall scourge and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and they perceived not the things that were said. Luke 18:31-34 Since all that He said would happen–happened, they are given the “mind” to understand the Scriptures they’ve known all their lives. And they know full well that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of them. Earlier in Luke 18 Jesus explains to Nicodemus that he must be born again, to understand God’s word. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18

Just some of the Scriptures fulfilled in Jesus–

Prophesied ~ The Messiah would be betrayed by a close friend for thirty pieces of silver
Psa 41:9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
Zec 11:12 “Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.”
Fulfillment ~ Luke 22:47,48; Mat 26:14,15

Prophesied ~ The Messiah would be mocked, scorned and shamefully treated.
Psa 22:7, 8 “All those who see Me laugh Me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!””
Isa 50:6 “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”
Fulfillment Matt 26:67; Luke 23:35

Prophesied ~ He would be scourged and killed.
Mic 5:1 The Messiah Will Be Born at Bethlehem, gather yourself in troops, O daughter of troops; He has laid siege against us; They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.”
Isa 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
Zec 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for his first born.”
Isa 53:12 “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Fulfillment ~ Mark 15:19, 27, 28; John 20:27

Prophesied ~ The Messiah would be raised from the dead
Psa 16:10 “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”
Psa 49:15 “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah”
Isa 53:8, 11 “He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities” “
Fulfillment ~ Matt 16:6, 7; Matt 28:2, 5-7, 9

Prophesied ~ Messiah would bring salvation to the whole world, to the Jews first, then to the gentiles.
Isa 49:6 “Indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel: I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”‘”
Isa 42:1-4, 6 “The Servant Comes to Glorify the LORD My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him: He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench: He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth: And the coastlands (aka. Gentiles) shall wait for His law.” “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand: I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,”
Fulfilled ~ Matt 12:14-21

“We are not called to be defenders, but witnesses of the truth. We speak what we know and testify what we have seen. Our fellow-witness is the Holy Spirit,” Acts 5:32. F.B. Meyer

I think if we would just share what we know and even what we don’t know, we would be better witnesses. But that’s the rub…we have to be experiencing Him daily or we have nothing to say…

Jesus and his disciples traveling into Galilee – William Brassey Hole