Seeds of Life

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

John 12:24  

The story of this painting starts from the beginning.....in the book of beginnings.  The setting was a garden, the garden called Paradise.  There was, in that garden, a seed of promise that was given shortly after the "Great Divide", the time when the sin of God's firstborn brought a disastrous separation between a holy God and the man and woman that He loved so much. 

It was at this time that God pronounced curses and a promise in these words that He spoke to the Adversary of man;

" And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; 
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15


The biggest teardrop shape you see in this  painting represents the seed, or the offspring, of Adam.  It was a seed of promise.  The promise of the seed was that somewhere down line in Adam's family tree, there would be a Seed that would crush the enemy of all mankind.  This was a promise renewed by God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to King David.

Within the large seed is pictured Jesus, the Seed of that ancient promise, the one whose very name, in Hebrew, Yeshua, means "The LORD's Salvation".  He would be the one who would save His people from their sins.  He would take the curse of Adam upon Himself, and in so doing He would reverse the curse.  He would conquer the enemy.  He would brings seeds of Hope.

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."  Galatians 3:29 
 

How ironic that in order for this Promised Seed to impart Life, He must endure death!  It is the lesson of the seed.  If you look carefully at the texture in the painting, you will see that there is a difference in the texture above the wavy  horizon line and the surface below it.  On the lower portion of the painting, I added sand to the paint.  It is just one more representation to show the division between Life and Death.  Above the ground represents Life, while below the ground represents Death.   

 

The Son of Man took the curse of humanity upon Himself, when He was crucified upon the cross.  He then, was buried in the heart of the earth where He rested like a seed that "sleeps" under the ground.  Then, after three days and three nights, according to prophecy, Jesus sprung forth from the tomb, like a seed that burst forth from the ground.  Death gave way to Life.  
  

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."  
1 Corinthians 15:20

 A life for Life.  The Firstborn over all creation, gave His perfect life to restore the fallen firstborn man to Life forevermore.  As a seed produces many seeds through its "death and resurrection", so too, Christ became the Firstfruits of many who would be raised to eternal Life after dying with Christ to their fleshly, fallen, Adamic natures.

Pictured in Christ is a seed, representing all believers who are rooted and established in Christ.  Not just Adam, but all Adam's seed, who are in Christ through faith, will rise again to new Life.  The seed of Yeshua, "The LORD's Salvation", is multiplying to produce a great and bountiful harvest!  
 

 

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 

he is a new creation; 

old things have passed away; 

behold, all things have become new." 

 2 Corinthians 5:17 

"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."  1 Peter 1:23  

Inspired by:  The Divine Romance by Gene Edwards

Unleavened Living

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, 

just as you are in fact unleavened. 

1 Corinthians 5:7

I recently marked the completion of my first Feast of Unleavened Bread.  For seven days, I had committed to refrain from eating anything that included yeast or leaven.  Now I am free once again, to eat bread!   Seriously though, I was very happy to make this "sacrifice", although I will say that I did get a little creative in order to make it through.  After all.....it is supposed to be a feast! 

I discovered in my studies, that the day prior to the Feast of Unleavened Bread was designated as both Preparation Day and Passover Day.  On this day the Israelites would have been busily preparing their homes for the high holy day ahead, by removing the last traces of leaven.  They would have been mindful of the story of the Great Exodus from Egypt, as they made preparations for roast lamb and the rest of their Passover dinner, which included bitter herbs and the bread of haste, matzah (unleavened bread).   To my surprise, I found that the Passover dinner would actually coincide with the first day of Unleavened Bread, which began at sundown.  

 

 " But he was pierced for our transgressions"  

 Isaiah 53:5

For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  
Therefore let us celebrate the feast, 

not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, 

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:8

I was convicted to observe this celebration, because it was a practice of Jesus himself, who followed God's instruction, given to Moses: 

Leviticus 23:6.  "Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread", 

also in verse 14, "It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places."  

The biblical feasts days are typically thought of as Jewish feasts, because the Jews have been the main observers of these appointed days.  However, the feasts are actually called by God Himself, "my appointed feasts,  the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the LORD's appointed feasts. 

 Since the biblical feast days are clearly, very important to God, and since they were practiced by Rabbi Yeshua, who taught His disciples by His example, I decided that I would make a point to value and celebrate these special days.  I'm not Jewish, and this hasn't been part of my tradition in the past, but I do think that these holy days are not obsolete.  I have found far too much value in them.  I know that my observance of these appointed times is time well spent in loving and pleasing my King, who deserves to be 

loved in the way He wants to be loved.  It's my belief that it is time for the church to resurrect the practice of the holy days that were celebrated in the early congregations.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, 

and when he had given thanks, 

he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,  

“Take and eat; this is my body.”  

Matthew 26:26

So, I take hold of biblical days and His appointed feasts, while at the same time weeding through the traditions and doctrines of men, and I proceed with caution in things that God has not ordained.  I believe that one Reformation was not enough.  Reformation in the church and in our individual lives, is something that should take place every time we are convicted of where we don't line up with the Word.   

The purging of pride, by examination of false thoughts, and unbiblical practices, is truly the heart of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  While pride puffs up like air-filled bread, and false teachings are invasive like leaven, humility and truth are like incorruptible, unleavened bread.  All of the symbolism of the week points to this concept of reformation.  

Yeshua, "the LORD's Salvation", was the incarnation of the pure, true Word of God.  He followed every jot and tittle of the Word.  He obeyed everything His Father directed.  He didn't add or subtract from truth in anything He did or said.  There was nothing of corruption in His thoughts or deeds.  His life was a true interpretation of the Word.  Born in Bethlehem, "The House of Bread", Yeshua was the perfect example of unleavened living.  May you and I gratefully accept the Savior's sacrificial offer of Himself to us:

"I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; 
if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. 
Furthermore, the bread that I will give is my own flesh; 
and I will give it for the life of the world.”  
John 6:51

*Pictures by Kevin Brown 2013