Some years ago, I had an experience that was unexpected and rocked me to my core. It happened in a small art gallery in Basel, Switzerland. I’ve been to a lot of art galleries over the years, but I still remember where I saw this particular painting. I can visualize the room. I remember walking in and seeing a life-size canvas that brought me to tears. I’ve never before or since had a piece of artwork effect me with such a profound emotional response. What was it about this picture? Why did it make me cry? Why do I still remember it so vividly? What did that image teach me?
The painting, by Holbein, is a depiction of our Messiah as he lay in the tomb. You can find the image by doing a search on the computer, but it is a dim shadow and will not have the full impact of the original. Here is a link to see the painting:
When I walked into that tiny room, the picture was on my left. It took up the entire wall from one side to the other. It was life-sized – but in all the important ways it was not a picture of life at all. It was a picture of death.
Not an ‘ordinary’ death. It was my Savior. And, until that particular moment, I had never actually taken in the fact that He experienced death. He wasn’t sleeping. It wasn’t a drug-induced coma. He was dead. He was dead in my place. The fact of his resurrection did nothing to diminish the fact of this death. This picture brought that understanding into my heart.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM AN IMAGE?
This brings me to a recent controversy regarding an ‘image’ that was part of the A Rood Awakening Passover presentation in Charlotte. The picture of the roasted lamb created a Facebook fire-storm, and many people took it completely out of context. I was at the event, and I feel compelled to give my perspective.
Many have been shocked by the upright roasted lamb that was carried into the feast. It had a crown of thorns upon its head, and was wrapped in a red cord. It was macabre and beautiful at the same time. It was compelling and horrific. It was hard to see and yet hard to look away from. It was a picture of death. It was a picture of sacrifice. It was a picture of our Passover Lamb; an image of Yeshua.
First of all, to be absolutely clear: it was not a ‘sacrificial lamb!’ It was a teaching tool. It was an illustration of what shadow-pictures were embedded in the Passover sacrifices in historic context!
IT WAS PROFOUND AND IT WAS EFFECTIVE.
I make no apologies for Michael Rood, and if you seek one from this author you will look a long time. I make no apologies for him because he doesn’t require one! Michael is the reason that I am walking this walk of Torah-observance. I hold him in very high esteem, and I always will.
Anyone who knows Michael Rood understands that his mission is to awaken people to the truth of scripture and history. No one could doubt his love for our Creator and Yeshua our Messiah! I appreciate his no-nonsense, in-your-face, presentations. I, for one, am weary of the sanitized stories of the life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of my Messiah!
TRUTH OR FICTION?
Those of us who never met Yeshua in the flesh have to have faith that his death and resurrection actually happened. It requires faith because I was not there. None of us were! Yet, the life, ministry, death and resurrection of this man named Yeshua (Jesus) is the hope upon which we hang our expectation and understanding of what is in store for mankind, and ourselves! It isn’t just a platitude. It isn’t a nice idea to play in church. It either IS or IS NOT the Truth!
This truth has been rehearsed for centuries and the images of the Passover lamb has become imprinted upon our collective consciousness. Or, at least it was before we received the sanitized version of the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua HaMashiach!
No-one in the last 2000 years has been able to undermine the facts of his resurrection, or prove any claim it is a fairytale. Yet, almost from the beginning of the new covenant established in His blood, we have failed to connect Yeshua with Passover.
HOW DO WE PLACE YESHUA IN PASSOVER?
Are we numbed to the significance we see in the Passover? What does the Truth of Yeshua’s death and resurrection mean to all of us? How do we understand that event and what it meant? What did it mean to the Jews that witnessed the crucifixion?
Should everyone in Jerusalem for the Passover have been able to connect the dots? The appearance of the Passover lamb was a familiar image that could have been recognized when Yeshua was crucified!
Why wasn’t the familiar appearance of the sacrificed and roasted lambs recognized as a foreshadow of Yeshua upon his execution stake? I wonder if any were awakened by the visual evidence that they had seen for years embodied in the sacrificial lamb? How many that had been asleep during his ministry were awakened by the sight of Yeshua on the cross as he spoke the words of Psalm 22?
We are quick to embrace the shadow-pictures in the Feasts, but why are we slow to believe an actual thing could give us a visual image that was provided so we could connect the dots? What shadow-pictures embedded in the Passover events were apparent when they took place?
ROOD EXPLAINS THE PASSOVER
There are many ways to follow the story of the Passover and how it was fulfilled to the very day, hour and manner that it had been rehearsed for centuries. Rood explains them all, and instead of taking it in and contemplating the marvelous truth before us, many are hung up on a lamb on a spit.
Historic records describe the upright position of the roasted Passover lamb, and formed the basis for how the presentation was made at the Rood Passover event. Again, it was NOT a sacrifice. It was an illustration used to help tell the story.
According to historic records, the entrails of the animal were wound around the head of the lamb before it was roasted. Rood used a crown of thorns to further help connect the dots, since actually cooking the entrails would have been even more controversial! The lamb with the ‘crown’ on its head and a ribbon of red was there to help in our understanding. The lamb is visual aid that is unmistakable, and one that was similar to what was seen throughout Judea every Passover.
This isn’t the only time a visual aid has been given to us by the Father and the Patriarchs. It isn’t all that much different than the brazen serpent that Moses held up in the wilderness! The shadows of what was to occur at the crucifixion were being manifested in real images all along! We look upon sin (serpent) and death (the lamb) and it is not a pretty sight. But, when we see it, we are saved!
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT IMAGERY? WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT?
We in America are so divorced from reality that we never even think about the tidy slices of meat we pick up at the supermarket for dinner. We don’t equate dinner with death, but it most certainly is the result of death to an animal for our meal. Unless you are a vegetarian, a meal is the result of death.
Likewise we don’t think about death in connection with the crucifixion either!
We pick up our portion of salvation and never contemplate how the death penalty was paid in full by our Savior. We skip right over how it was accomplished! We don’t focus on His death because we know the rest of the story!
DON’T SKIP AHEAD!
As a theatre director, one of the things that new actors have the most trouble internalizing is not to play the end from the beginning. In other words, when we tell a story we should be ‘in the moment.’ A tragic story isn’t tragic from the beginning…or at least it shouldn’t be! I have heard it described as, ‘you can’t make someone cry if you don’t first make them laugh.’ The counter to that is also true. A happy ending is usually preceded by a sad or trying tale. It has no significance or dramatic effect otherwise.
I don’t wish to get into a theatrical treatise here, but the point I am making is we cannot continue to look at the events in Yeshua’s life, death and resurrection based on the fact that He is Alive! We must see the entire story so that the happy ending carries all the weight that it should!
HE IS RISEN!
These are wonderful words, to be sure! But, if we look at the events of his life, ministry and tortured death on our behalf by reading only the end-of-the-story, we miss so much! Can we truly grasp the fact that He did die? And if we fail to understand that he experienced death (OUR Death) how do we rejoice that He has saved us from the same fate?
That is what the Holbein picture did for me. It brought home that it wasn’t a theatrical event. It wasn’t a story told so often that it has lost its impact. It isn’t an event that has no significance because we know that he triumphed over death in the end. Only by understanding his death can we rejoice!
HE DIED.
Not only did he die, it was a horrible, agonizing and humiliating death! That the crucifixion was fulfillment of prophecy should not blind us to an understanding of the event itself. Because he arose from death to life eternal does not alter the brutal facts of how he died. That He did all this for us, taking our deserved punishment upon himself, is beyond my ability to fully grasp!
Until we actually see and feel the enormity of Yeshua’s death on a cross, we will never truly understand how appropriate it is to rejoice in His resurrection! It has to get into our consciousness, and sometimes an image can do what words alone cannot.
That is what Michael Rood was trying to illustrate for us! The shadow-pictures of the Messiah that are embedded in the Passover observances are profound! The 2,000 years of rehearsals to commemorate the Passover event of Exodus 12 are there to teach us. To remind us! And every detail of his crucifixion was fore-told and illustrated repeatedly for centuries before His death!
BUT, IT OFFENDED ME!
If you are offended by the image of how a Passover lamb was typically roasted and prepared, how much more should you be offended by the event that it foretells? I don’t believe we should be comfortable in the fact of His death on a cross!
Our Father has given us so many ways to understand an event. He gave the Passover remembrance to the Israelites as a memorial to the events that allowed their exodus from slavery in Egypt. He gave the Passover remembrance to all of us so that we can see His Hand in the events of Yeshua’s Crucifixion.
We must learn to make connections! John the Immerser (John the Baptist) said that Yeshua was the ‘lamb of God.’ Was he confused? Was it a figure of speech? What are we supposed to do with that?
The lambs that were sacrificed, before the plague of death killed all of the first-born in the land of Egypt, were slain for the protection and redemption of the obedient Israelites! They smeared the blood of those lambs upon their doorposts so that the angel of death would pass-over their homes. They were protected and saved by the blood of the lamb.
DO YOU SEE THE PICTURE?
He has redeemed us twice! He rescued us from slavery (slaves to sin) in Egypt by the blood of the lamb, and He has rescued us from the death penalty for sin by the Blood of the Lamb. And each of these events was pictured from the very beginning when Adam and Eve were covered by the shed blood of the first animal (I believe it was a lamb) that was sacrificed to cover their nakedness.
There are so many things to learn from these events and from the event it foretold! Consider them! ‘We are covered by the blood of the lamb.’ ‘Place blood on the doorposts of your sanctuary.’ ‘Yeshua is the Lamb of YHVH that takes away the sins of the world.’ ‘The life is in the blood.’
WHY?
I used to angst over the notion that Yeshua (I called him Jesus then) had to die for my sins. Why is blood used? Why is all this death and torture necessary? “He’s GOD!” I used to say. Isn’t there another way? Why doesn’t He just forgive us and not have to sacrifice His Son?
Then, one day, I understood that nothing less than an event of Life and Death would suffice. His sacrifice for us was not cheap. It was not a ‘wave-my-magic-wand’ and all is forgiven! It was profound. It was painful. It was done because He loves me! It was done because nothing else could explain the height, width and depth of His love for us!
HE WAS WILLING TO DIE FOR US! FOR ME!
Once we grasp that, once we see the significance and finality of that death on our behalf – only then can we truly understand. He was broken for our sins. He died in our place. We have all heard these words so many times, but can you draw it into your heart and soul? What image would get your attention and make you see that he died for you?
Would a picture by Holbein make you realize the price that was paid? Would a roasted lamb?
1Co 6:19-20 You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don’t you? You do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought for a price…
1Co 7:23 You were bought with a price, do not become slaves of men.
1Pe 1:16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Thank you! Even tho I have read several very negative reports on Michael Rood, I am still reading, studying with 2 others the Chronological gospels. We want Truth and sometimes find it in the most unlikely places. Again, thank you.
Such beautiful words…My brother is so fortunate to have you standing WITH him. If it weren’t for Michael being obedient to Yah for so many years, the thick ugly scales would still be on my eyes and I would not be on this fantastic journey of the truth….I am so blessed.
Thanks, Deb! I missed seeing you at Passover. Hope you are all mended up! Thanks so much for your kind words. It is my honor to stand with Michael.
My husband Steve and I attended our first Rood Passover event this year and I must say we were shocked, saddened, overjoyed and amazed by the entire weekend. The lamb was fully explained ahead of time and was a sobering reminder of exactly what our Lord and savior did for us. thank you Michael for giving us your all, and for spreading the message of the true holiness required from all of those who truly love Yahovah. We are a chosen people who will also be an offense to the world. And if I offend then I am only doing what Yeshua did. Have another drink of wine (or juice) and enjoy your time in the holy land!
Again, all our thanks,
Steve and Cheryl Strouse
Julia, I was moved to tears to relive this event through your beautiful eyes. I kept it together that night, but the next morning, in the shower, the floodgates were opened as I relived Psalm 22. To illustrate the rest of the “My God, Eli, lama azavtani” story was the apex of the event for me this year. Everyone takes away something different according to their maturity in Messiah. Some people are so empty, so vapid, they only take away from the experiences and the life force of others.
As I wept in the shower on the morning after, I KNEW that I had done the Father’s will. I had told “the Greatest Story Never Told” – and at the end of the day, when the last person stepped out of the Mikveh and my voice was gone, I knew I had given it all. There was nothing left in the tank. I couldn’t speak until the third day after the event. I heard of the controversy over something that I had done during nine previous Passover memorials – but I was to exhausted to respond. Thankfully, you were able – and the responses you elicited were a joy to read.
Today I sit on my porch overlooking the sea of Galillee and Mount Hermon as I read your letter. You took me back to that night in Charlotte – Yom HaBikkurim – and the tears flow again. NEXT year in Israel, I might just sit at home, eat a piece of Matzah piled high with horseradish, and read your beautiful letter. That would be the most beautiful, stress free, and inexpensive Passover celebration that I could imagine. You (and Jerry) are polished gems. I am still singing “Blood Moon” in the background of my mind…
I will see you on the sea of fire and glass, when the smoke clears…
Michael
Toda, Michael. I will echo what Bryan Miller said on Kenny’s thread. I hope I get to be close enough to you on the last day to hear, ‘Well Done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Offended – YES! The cross is an offense to us all, the bloody sacrifice of a human being, an innocent man, the merciless beatings – OFFENSIVE!
The Scriptures: HE has no form or splendor that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him – despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him. Truly,
He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Yet we reckoned Him smitten, stricken by Elohim, and afflicted. amein.
Yes, offensive. As I witnessed the roasted lamb in Passover 2013, I, too, was stunned, appropriately so. Just as I watched the Passion film (17 times) and each time seeing something different, but, everytime at some point having to turn my head away from the scourging, the mocking, the spitting, the exhaustion, the destruction of Him – for me. The Word is true and foretold that we would be offended by this.
So, be offended.
In this: the damages of sin in all mankind, the ravages of wickedness on human life, the total destruction of all decency, goodness and beauty.
The ruination by sin He joyously took on (for the joy set before Him), seeing us as His redeemed future bride, brothers and sisters.
I am forever grateful He was ‘born to die’ and He did. And it cannot be undone!
It was the brilliance of the Father’s plan from before the foundation of the world. We are the awestruck recipients of His deepest wisdom, justice, and righteous love. My sin OFFENDS me; He showed me the depth of its deception. His sacrifice suffices; I am satisfied. shalom
Michael, true to his name, apparently gave another rude awakening!
Shock and awe! Thank you, Julia, for defending our much-loved brother
Michael, we stand with you in Yeshua’s name, enduring to the end.
Yana, What beautiful words you wrote! I love the passion of them, and the passion that inspired them. Toda!
Great article as usual, Julia. I watched this event and was truly touched by it all. I was unaware of some people being offended by the roasted lamb part. I was not offended I thought this was part of the ceremony of the Passover meal and presentation. Some people get offended at anything little thing just murmuring and complaining like they always do. Shalom
Thanks! Always nice to hear from you.
What a well-written and interesting article! Personally, people NEED to be shocked by the sacrifice made necessary by each of our sins! If you aren’t shocked, saddened, and finally uplifted, you aren’t sufficiently getting in touch with what really happened.
We were not able to make it to Charlotte, but we did have our own seder. The mere roasting of a simple leg of lamb, carving it, and using the shank for our plate was significant and emotional in an albeit smaller, but similar way as the full lamb. Powerful to say the least, and I realized it was truly detailed imagery of His body sacrificed for me. What a personal picture from our Elohim who wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us!
This being said, it would be valuable to know the basis (historical references I can look up myself) of the details presented, such as presenting the lamb roasted and upright, wrapping the head with the entrails (represented as a crown of thorns of course), carving while still upright, etc., and how much of this was “dramatic license” to illustrate the point. While the story as told in Michael Rood’s Passover is logical and interesting, it is always nice to know the basis (sorry, the lawyer in me). Hopefully, Michael and team can provide follow-up on these details which will enlighten and enrich us all.
Listen here: http://hebrewnationonline.com/measure-the-pattern-examines-passover-as-it-was-observed-in-the-temple/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Torah2TheNations+%28Hebrew+Nation+Radio%29
And Also read here: http://silouanthompson.net/2012/04/crucifixion-paschal-lamb/
The comment by Scott Laird also has a link re Justin Martyr account.
Hope that helps some.
Pay particular attention to the account of the ‘helmeted goat’ at about 33 minutes into the Hebrew Nation Radio link provided above.
I`m glad Yeshua took the wine and bread and made those a remembrance for his death! He was the sacrificial lamb once and for all and i `remember` that by obeying Him.Michael`s teachings are good enough,he doesn`t need images like this.
I am so thankful and grateful for God, YHVH, His Son, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit for ALL THEIR SACRIFICES FOR ME AND MINE AND YOU AND YOUR loved ones in this Holy Sacrifice.
Keep Passover forever.
Remember and answer your children and grandchildren questions about our Lords sacrifices for us all.
Thank You YaHoVa.
Thank You YeSHua.
Thank You Holy Spirit.
In YeSHua’s Name,
Amen.
Amen
I watched Passover 2014 on my computer and was deeply moved by M. Roods presentation. In our world of strife and deceit the tender and accurate story of Yeshua’s triumph over evil uplifted me. Yeshua’s crucifixion was/is a shocking and emotional event. Done for us. Thanks Julia for your article.
Thank you for your kind words.
I watched this on video and looked forward to 2014 meeting in Charlotte to experience it first-hand. The event was everything I imagined, and more. Although I lack the courage (and finances) to use an entire lamb and display it roasted, my gathering of saints are open to eating lamb meat. I salute Michael Rood for teaching exactly what the sacrifice meant to the 1st century believers.
Thank you for your testimony.
… Ok, Ok, Ok,, ..People.. I totally understand why and how and who and all about this..and i have no major issue with the type that was portrayed, how-ever… i must clarify the point that i found difficult to swallow, as to why i commented at all… I get the types and prophetic messages from the Passover lamb as well as Yeshua being the Passover lamb.. I just don’t re-call slicing His Body and eating it for supper… i am not a Bible or History Rocket Scientist, so i could be mistaken here.. But,,, i would think that if this bothered me in thought, i would have issue with the bread and wine, seeing how it is suppose to be His Blood and Body.. as to Which i Do. When i take the Bread and Wine and doing it in remembrance of Him, i do see it as His Blood and Body for real… But in this situation,, to see the lamb standing, i must admit, that was a ugly sight to start with, head and all,, i don’t see that much, and never in person,, sooo, ok,, i give,,, but to see the crown and the body as it was all ready known to be the lamb for supper,,,, and then to see that it was Yeshua’s Body,, Shocked me.. i must admit,, I lost my Appetite.. and to you that say it didn’t,, well.. you shock me to and make me wonder just a bit.. ahaha But I Gotta Love Yah,, and if i ever need some slaughtering done,, I’ll let u know…or no need to see who will kill and bleed the lamb.. ahaha Yah’s Speed,,, Yaw’ll..!!!
As with ALL things in life, we have a choice to take what is good from any situation and learn from it. We do not have to accept everything given to us, whether a word or deed or teaching. The life, death and ressurrection is a very personal experience and if we choose to experience that event as the guest of someone else, we may be exposed to thier perceptions and to their relaities. I did not find the lamb offensive, only because I did not dwell on that one part of the event. The event as a whole filled me with such love and understanding of my Savior and for that I am wholly grateful. After the lamb was given as an example for us to experience…what should have been done with it…throw perfectly good food away…that ,to me, would have been wrong . I want to thank Michael, my brother, the staff, and all who attended for one of the most profound experiences of my life.
Son of Fegan, It is ok and quite natural for you in this day and age to be offended by the lamb. We today, unless you are a hunter do not kill and eat our own meat. We pay someone else to do it for us. Most children today would be mortified to learn that there chicken Mcnuggets used to be a living thing with feathers, running around the barnyard without a care. Or more likely crammed into a overcrowded building without room to move. We have become detached from reality, and having Reality hit us in the face can be a “ROOD AWAKENING”. Welcome to reality! Life is a Circle with a beginning and an end, even your vegetables die. But I think you are missing the point. It is here in my Passover celebration that I tell the ancient Hebrew ritual of the wedding. Both Michael and Jamie & Neal Lash of Jewish Jewels tell this story better than I can so I will let you refer to them. I will just say that the expression “we are Bought with a Price” referrers to the Bride Price paid by the Bride Groom to the Brides Father to say that he will return when the time is right to claim his bride. The greater the price, the more likely it is that the Groom will return! Yeshua Paid It ALL!!!!!
He will be coming Back, Will you be part of the Bride?
Everything else is just theology, Keep looking up!
I too attended the Rood Awakening Passover 2014 event and it was the most well orchestrated, heart wrenching, truthfully detailed event I have ever witnessed. If Michael were sitting any closer to Yeshua, he would be in His lap. Michael is brilliant and has absolutely nothing to apologize for. Whoever was offended obviously is offended by our Savior Messiah Yahshuah and that won’t be so well for that person. I will pray for you whoever you are. Michael, keep your head up and keep doing what you are doing. I appreciate you and your own sacrifices to get the truth out. You are loved dearly! Julia, great article! Toda rabah!!!
Toda!
This is what I wrote on face book to Bernice Giorgi-Gatlin in reply to some comments on this section of her facebook re Pesach at Michael Rood which were not understood by the person who wrote on her page.
“Eunice Austin: The whole point missed is that Michael was showing the people what it was like for the first Passover. There is no “sacrifice” as such here, only demonstration with participation. Then to continue onto the NT truths not forgetting that Yeshua gave His life and Took it up again Himself, in order to pay the debt we owed after Sinai…..we broke that Blood Covenant and someone had to shed blood in order to redeem. There has never ever been that perfect spotless blood, except what Yeshua gave. Note that His blood was not spilt on the ground, but many a Rabbi has seen or “seen” where that blood went during the earthquake at the time. He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. I choose not to be a stone thrower. Shalom to the person who had the blog that originally posted the picture, out of context,. Shalom Bernice, Shalom. ”
Thus I say, Thank you Michael, and I have a set of earlier Passover DVD’s which are very precious to me. However, I do play the second DVD first just so there is no mistaking by those who view my copies.
Todah Rabah and Shalom. from Australia.
thank you for sharing that. 🙂
I watched this and was very moved by it and I saw what was on facebook and I made a comment and told everyone that Michael Rood was doing a teaching and no one believe me. But like you said the people that follow TORAH and believe in YA’SHUA are the only ones that can see this.
thank you for sharing.
WOW!!! What a brilliant well thought out response. When that lamb came through the door, it brought tears, as it looked very similar to a vision I was given on Passover several years ago of Messiah, before I was aware of truth and the “Hebrew” movement. If that offended someone, well, guess they missed the whole point. May YHVH grant them favour, and remove the scales from their eyes. In Yahushua’s name, Amein
thanks so much.
Julia,
That’s all I can say is WOW! Your letter brought tears of sadness and joy to my heart. Most people don’t want to deal with the DEATH portion, however without it we would all still be in our sins and apart from YHVH!
Thanks so much for such an eloquent response and even though I did not attend Michael’s Passover celebration we did have our own with a small gathering of about 15 or 16 people and roasted a lamb also for a MEMORIAL and NOT a sacrifice as Yashua has already taken care of that part.
Shalom!
Tom
I am overwhelmed, and humbled, that my words touched others. Thank you for your comment.
Well said Julia! This was an absolutely beautiful shadow picture. Well done ARA! To be upset about the shadow picture seems to be akin to wanting to changing the shadow picture and we know how that worked out for Moses.
Thank you.
I attended the Passover Online and watched the whole four hours it took to retell. I was moved to tears, it was poignant and thought provoking and in no means blasphemous, sacrilegious or anything much of those who just saw one image are saying. I am saddened and a little sick over the proportion this has been blown out too. I support Michael and the whole Rood Crew and will again join this event in the future, hopefully in person. Great Job on the article, now if you can just get people to read and comprehend.
Thank you! Feel free to share this!
I too was honored to be part of the Pesach Celebration. The imagery of the lamb haunted me, or should I say stirred something in me that I couldn’t put words around, until I read your article. I wept and rejoiced all in the same moment upon seeing the bound lamb. I rehearsed in my mind, of our forefathers that had to ‘consume the whole lamb’ before leaving Egypt, how we must consume the whole LAMB in order to rid ourselves of Egypt. Was reminded that our Messiah was unrecognizable, as upon first gazing upon the roasted lamb, I had to allow my mind to adjust to what I was seeing. Many thoughts and emotions were activated. Some people will never see the beauty or parallel that was portrayed.
Thank you for sharing Julia… And thank you ARA for this word picture.
Angie
Thank you!
Ms. Julia:
Concerning the critics:
Consider: 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV) …For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…
It’s been my experience in in almost 30 years of walking w/HaMashiach that the 99.9% of “christians” just don’t “get it” and never will. They are happy snorting the crack cocaine of worldly religion and don’t want to touch anything as disturbing as the truth, it might jostle them out of their man-made religiion induced comas.
Every believer everywhere who takes Yeshua seriously will at some point in life have a head on collision w/this reality, which I call “The Brick Wall of Unbelief.”
The 99.9% of those claiming HaMashiach really aren’t serious about Him at all. They don’t believe the Scriptures, they rebel against the move of the Holy Spirit, they reject good teachers, and attack godly prophets…then say they doing it all in “Jesus’ Name.” Just like the Pharisees.
It is what it is. Narrow is the way and straight is the path and FEW be those that find it. It’s called following HIM and NOT following the blind leaders of the blind.
Your article is excellent! Keep in keeping on.
Be blessed.
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.
We all need to know the Truth. The Lord wants us to study His Word, which many do not. We Study His Word, we get to know Him, and who He really is, and the Culture He lived in, and the Word comes so alive, and it makes us hunger and thirst even more for Him and to know Him, and we fall in love with him over and over. Thank you Rood Awakening for the Real Truth! I am blessed.
🙂
It was brought home to me how Yeshua sacrified His life for us, when I first saw The Passion of Christ, Mel Gibson’s film when it first came out in the theater. I sat there in tears, and my family who had attended with me, as my guests, couldn’t/wouldn’t understand the impact it had on me. I had been born-again for several years, but the visuals in the film REALLY brought it home. For that, I am grateful, because it really connected the dots for me.
So, Julia, I can really relate to your article. I would be like you, if I had attended the event. It is a visual tool, and a reminder. Those of you who are offended… that’s the Holy Spirit trying to get to your heart, so that you truly understand the significance of His death on the cross for our sins… there was NO OTHER WAY!
Thanks for sharing that.
A great fact-filled, truth-laden excerpt. Excellent!!
Thank you!
Julia, what a beautiful, poignant message. I appreciate your candor. Many, many people are Torah observant because of the message of Michael Rood. He has been faithfully shaking people out of the pretenses of churchianity and into reality for a long time. He has my appreciation and respect. He has my loyalty and my affection because I consider him a true brother. As always, he has given people a powerful, moving illustration of the Lamb who was slain for each of us. It ought to horrify us. It ought to cause us to gasp and make us weep aloud. It ought to send us to our knees in authentic repentance. If we are offended by this visual reality we ought to wonder why.
Thanks so much!
Julia, let me second Scott Laird’s praise of your article: it was excellent! And as someone who was also at the Passover 2014 event in Charlotte, the sight of the roasted lamb being carried in was shocking. But, to echo what you said; traditional Christianity has taught us a superficial and sanitized version of Yeshua’s ministry. And that’s why Michael Rood’s teaching of Scripture has resonated with me, i.e., teaching the Scriptures in the context of the Hebrew culture of the day has allowed me to better understand what the Bible is trying to teach us. And for that, I am truly thankful.
Thanks for the kind words.
thanks Julia. i wasn’t there and i am now informed of the event from a participant with sound mind. I can now converse intelligently on the subject. Yepper… Michael Rood is definitely one to get right to the story and not hold anything back. Thank you YHWh !
how much is left out by not doing the research and doing it right !
Thank you Michael and Judith for remaining ever faithful !
Thank you!
Thanks Julia 🙂 I needed to hear a trusted voice and live witness take, within this controversy.
Thanks, Jeff.
To my mind, Michael Rood needs not to explain or justify this deeply effective illustration. But if he did, he couldn’t ask for a better spokesperson than this brilliant lady. Thank you Julia, for caring to write this letter.
Thank you!
Thank you for writing this. We have used that particular portion of the DVD Celebrating Passover for the last 3 years with numerous people and i don’t think there is ever a dry eye in the room. You spoke for those of us who were profoundly impacted by this teaching tool. Toda.
Toda!
By the way, if anyone is looking for “proof” of how the Passover lamb was roasted upright during Yeshua’s day, look no further than Justin Martyr. He lived between 100-165 AD and was a Samaritan, so he knew the culture of his day. He details the lamb roasting method in a document called “Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho the Jew.” You can read it for free on Google. Here’s the link: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=NIRPAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA170
Julia, I have been a writer for 20 years; allow me to say that this piece of yours is absolutely brilliant. You told the truth, you explained it as only someone who was at this event could, and I hope others appreciate it as much as I do. Well done!
I am so touched, Scott. Thank you. But, all the praise is for My Savior. I am fully convinced it is what He wanted me to say because the article practically wrote itself. I am so happy that he has given me this gift, and doubly happy that it can be for the edification of the Body of Yeshua. Thanks. It was so good to spend time with our FAMILY at ARA.
Julia, this was very well written and provided a very clear explanation. I could visualize your every word. I also knew that if Michael presented something like this that there had to be a profound message. It was painful to see that image because I saw Yeshua. Thank you and Michael for your obedience of illustration and explanation.
Thank you JC.
Great article, Julia! I’m with you! It’s fact! History! The lamb roasted on a stake with the entrails wrapped about it’s head like a bloody crown was by design! It was a prophetic picture, a picture of the Lamb of God that would be slain, and that in fact had been slain from the foundation of the world. My pastor taught on it a couple o weeks ago. It’s more proof of how important these rehearsals, Feasts of YHVH, are!
Chris
Thanks, Chris. Much appreciate your support and friendship.