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Perfect Timing, Coincidence?
Luke 23:7 “And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.”
Did you know, the name Herod G2264 – hērōdēs, means “Heroic“? Herod was the name of a royal family that flourished among the Jews during Yeshua’s time. Herod the Great was actually born a Semitic, part of the Edomites, but converted to Judaism. Herod the Great became king of Judea through a combination of political maneuvering, military force, and Roman support. When the Parthians invaded Judea in 40 BCE, Herod fled to Rome, where he gained the backing of Mark Antony and Octavian, who had the Roman Senate appoint him “King of the Jews”. After returning to Judea with a Roman army, he defeated his rivals and officially took the throne in 37 BCE.
However, this Herod at Yeshua’s crucifixion was Herod Antipas, who was the son of Herod the Great. Herod’s (the Great) slaughter of male Jewish infants is known as the “Massacre of the Innocents” in Bethlehem. He feared the newborn “king of the Jews” would grow up and overthrow his rule. And here in Luke 23, by chance, Herods’ son is in Jerusalem when Yeshua is accussed, the son whose father tried to kill Yeshua. And this Herod Antipas, couldn’t find Yeshua guilty, but instead made a mockery out of Yeshua and sent Him back to Pilate.
Even back in Luke 2:1,4-6 we read that by “chance”, when Yeshua was born a degree was sent out to take a census. Click here for previous posts on “Census” in the old testament, and the amazing meaning behind it. The word Census in Hebrew doesn’t just mean to count people, but also means : appoint, punish, visit, commit, judgment, oversee, govern. Apart from the amazing meaning, if it wasn’t for the census that took place, Joseph would not have taken Mary to Bethlehem and record history of Yeshua’s lineage, but also prophecy to be fulfilled according to Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times”.
After Yeshua was born, two other prophecies were also fulfilled with Herod the Great. Jeremiah 31:15 says, “a voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more”. And Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt have I called my son”
Barabbas, two Yeshua's, the scapegoat, and son of the Father
Luke 23:18 “And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas””
Before we look at Barabbas, let’s quickly step back in time to where it all started, with Abraham and his beloved son Isaac. The story is told in Genesis 22, where Abraham puts his son on a donkey, put the wood on his shoulders, and goes with him to Mount Moriah, which is Jerusalem. YHWH provided a ram, a male goat, to stand in the place of the “son of father Abraham”. Genesis 22:16 YHWH says, “By Myself I have sworn, says YHWH, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son”. In Hebrew culture it is custom, that if one makes an oath, the other party must make the same oath. Because Abraham committed to give up his son, YHWH makes an oath by Himself to do the same.
YHWH institutes 7 important Days of the Year as prophecies of this oath. Passover is one, where a lamb is offered in the place of every firstborn son, and it’s blood on the wooden posts of each door. But from Numbers 18 we know that for every male firstborn, a redemption price needs to be paid at the Temple. Joseph and Mary did their duty according to Luke 2:22-46 “Forty days after the birth of her son, Mary’s time of purification had completed, so she came to the temple with a sacrifice, according to the law of Moses.” In the only time in history, the High Priests paid again this silver back in exchange for the son’s life, when they gave the money to Judas.
Another important Appointed Day of the Year is the Day of Atonement (click here for a list and explanation of the 7 Appointed Days to be kept every year according to Leviticus 23). On this day, two goats are involved. The goats must look exactly the same, that you can’t tell them apart. A lot is thrown and decided which goat will be sacrificed for all the sins of Israel. The second goat is to represent freedom, despite the sins (click here for the post on the goat and the meaning of Azazel from Leviticus 16). There has to be a second goat, as the first goat that dies, cannot be freed. Yeshua plays the role of both these goats.. He dies, but He also takes the sins away and provides freedom.
Yeshua and Barabbas are exactly a picture of these two goats standing before the council. Did you know, that Barabbas firstname was also Yeshua! It appears in Matthew 27:16, “And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Yeshua Barabbas“. This translation is according to the early Greek manuscripts, but most translations do not even include the name “Yeshua” or “Jesus”. Yeshua means Saviour or Salvation. But not just that, the name Barabbas G912 – barabbas is two words, “Bar” H1247 – bar meaning son, and “Abba” G5 – abba meaning father. So Barabbas’s name is also Yeshua, son of a father.
Here we have two goats with the same name, a sinful son and a sinless Son. Barabbas represents all of us (sinful children of the Father).
Joseph
Luke 23:50 “Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.”
- Yeshua’s father, was also called Joseph G2501 – iōsēph, from the root word Yasaph H3254 – yāsap, meaning “Yah (YHWH) has added“, but also means to “join”.
- Joseph was also one of the beloved sons of Jacob, that was sold as a slave by his brothers to Egypt
- Yeshua had a half brother, also called Joseph
- And then this Joseph of Arimathaea, a member of the Jewish council Sanhedrin, who buried Yeshua.
How amazing is it that there was a Joseph when Yeshua was born, and took care of him as a baby. And a Joseph when Yeshua died, and took care of His body.
