Hosted by Ibrahim

26/09/2022

Hyssop

Hyssop (or Zaatar in Arabic) is a common wild plant in the Levant. It grows up to a foot high and has thin, stiff and straight branches. Leaves are about ¼ an inch wide with light green-gray color. It has a special strong aroma that no local can miss. The past generations of our urban families, farmers, and shepherds were used to collecting the branches from wild areas, bringing them home, taking the leaves apart and keeping them under the sun to dry. After a few days, the leaves are grinded and then mixed with roasted sesame, adding salt. Some add Sumac spice to make it a bit sour and some add a few spoons of olive oil to make it nicely green. The plant was collected during spring time. Today, Hyssop is a protected plant and what you may buy in the market is mainly farmed. It can be found in spice shops and groceries anytime of the year.

The most common recipe of Hyssop is Manaqish: Hyssop is dipped in olive oil and spread over a dough of a pita bread, baked for a few minutes and served mainly as a traditional breakfast together with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and pickled olives. Some mix it with white cheese. Others use it as a spice in some recipes like grilled chicken, spaghetti sauce and more.

But Hyssop is of much more importance in our lives than food. The Bible mentions this plant on several occasions starting with the book of Exodus: “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning.” - Exodus 12:22. So, as the blood of a sacrifice is pure and is meant to cleanse the believer's heart from sins, hyssop dipped in blood is used ”To purify the house (and) he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.” - Leviticus 14:49.

King David mentioned Hyssop in his yearning for forgiveness saying: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” - Psalm 51:7, again, attributing Hyssop to a purification tool.

The Bible also applies a symbolic attribute of humility to Hyssop when it is compared to the cedar of Lebanon: A small one foot high plant compared to a high tree that that grows on high mountains and attributed to haughtiness pride and glamor: “He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls.”- 1 Kings 4:33.

Paul reconfirms the purification attribute of Hyssop reminding that “Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.” - Hebrews 9:19 and right after that, he adds: “...according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (v. 22).

A key mentioning of Hyssop in our Christian believe is when Jesus was hung on the cross: “A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.” - John 19:29. John was the only one to mention this event in his Gospel and meant to emphasize that Jesus represents the doorframe of the Tabernacle, the Gate to Holiness and the only way to Salvation.

11/05/2022

Hello All, The attached picture is the Jerusalem area taken from a plane, from east to west. The quiz of the day is that you identify the biblical sites. Show me please that you can do it 😉

22/03/2022

The Day of The Annunciation

Within a few days, we will celebrate the Day of The Annunciation. It is normally marked to happen 9 months before Christmas. It is when the Angel Gabriel descended from heaven to meet a righteous Virgin from Nazareth with the greeting: “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” - Luke 1:28 in order to fulfill the prophecy: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14.

John reminds of this event with the promise made centuries before: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:14.

Yes, He tabernacled with us once again as when “... a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” - Exodus 40:34-38.

On that day, we celebrate the eternal love of our Lord who despite our sins, came to tabernacle with us again and died for us. So, the promise is still in place and the location that this promise was made again can certainly be seen. It was an unexpected place - Nazareth, a modest town in Galilee that was never mentioned in any Scripture before, exactly as Mt. Horeb was unexpected. The place may bring us to remember and reflect on the event’s meaning but the event itself is our main hope: “For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle …, throughout all their (Our) journeys.” So, let’s do our best in prayers and devotions to keep Him with us “throughout all our journeys.”

Best Greetings from your brother in Nazareth!

13/03/2022

Hello my Dears,

It is ready!

After months of writing, editing, collecting photos, shaping and working with a printing company, my first book is ready to ship. It is called “Scriptures behind Pictures”. The book takes you, while at home and through photos, on a pilgrimage journey with a similar itinerary that you have (or will) experience(d) and much much more. I tried to cover all of the most visited sites in the Holy Land that are related to the Biblical Scriptures with a total of 76 sites, all pictured and shortly but deeply discussed.

It is intended to refocus the visual memory and allow us “see” the sites through photos BUT more importantly, it “refocuses” our hearts to live the events and messages of our Lord and the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, the secondary title is: “Devotional Memoirs from the Holy Land”.

This project is meant to be your “bridge” to the Holy Land, until our ways cross again. And to make it easy to get it, I work with a US based Printing Company to make it available to you based on print on demand. So once you order it through me, it will be shipped to you within the US saving the transatlantic shipping cost.

It is surely not a commercial project so the book is offered to you at cost. You may buy it for yourself and/or as a gift for your beloved ones. And to be honest, the cost might be initially perceived as a bit high as we had to use a premium quality paper (some 100 pages with quality photos), printed in small quantities (on demand), and there are other associated costs for quality review, ISBN number, sales tax and shipment - all are inclusive. So, the bottom line cost is US$30 including sales tax and standard shipping within the US. People outside the US may contact me to get a quote including shipment to their countries. Payment can be made through my Paypal account ([email protected]). Just leave me a message with your shipping address and I will order it and set the right shipping address under the order.

I hope you will love it and I will be more than happy to get your feedback. Enjoy 😊

15/02/2022

Dear Friends,

It is few days more than 40 days from Christmas and this is the time to remember Simeon the Elder (Simon שמעון). It is he who carried the Lord Jesus in his arms when Jesus entered the temple with his mother, the Virgin Mary, at the completion of the days of her purification according to the Jewish law, on the fortieth day after the birth. In an expression of endless joy and faithfulness Simeon made his unforgettable statement that Eastern Christians repeat till today at the end of every sunset prayer: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” - (Luke 2:29-32). Simeon was considered an old man, although there is not a single word in Luke's account that confirms that he was old. People have been preoccupied with the identity of the man.

Some Christian scholars identify Simeon with Simon son of Hillel - the great scholar Hillel who established the School of Hillel. If this is right, he is also the father of Gamaliel, who is mentioned in the Book of Acts, and the teacher of the Apostle Paul who literally witnessed that he was his disciple (see Acts 5:34 and 22:3).

The tradition says that when Simeon the Elder read Isaiah 14:7: “behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel. ”, it occurred to him to replace the word “virgin” with the word “girl” so he did. When he came back the next day and found the word "girl" erased and replaced back by the word "virgin". He then became certain that nothing is impossible for God. After that, it was revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Messiah.

Simeon the Elder is a very important person in Jewish history. It is said that he was 112 years old when he carried the Lord Jesus Christ in his arms according to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.

He is the first to be called Rabban, that is a high rank Jewish scholar title although the Mishnah and the Talmud do not mention him as such scriptures focused on the theological aspects of the Hillel school versus the Shamai School and not on persons.

We can’t forget his Son’s statements: “Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.” - Acts 34-40.

Another tradition says that when Stephan was stoned to death (Acts 7:60), his body was taken to burial near a mason of Rabban Gamaliel, close to Beth-Shemsh - a place called today Beth-Jimal in the Shefella.

09/02/2022

Guys, We all get troubled from time to time with those who leave us upset with their attitudes. Sometimes, it takes time to relief our bad feelings especially when we have to meet the same people again and again. It becomes even harder to overcome. One of the great pastors I ever met is Nizar Shaheen. Sometime ago, he created a preaching video in Arabic as he was standing on the Mt. of Olives and that was about forgiveness. I penned down all his biblical references in my attached poster. Maybe it is right to print it and hang it on the back of the main door so we will have the chance to read it before leaving every morning. Enjoy!

01/02/2022

31/01/2022

The Last Judgment Scene

Let us start from the end, or perhaps from the new beginning. We all have been reading in the Scriptures about the last day, but it is always difficult for us to imagine as it is not a common earthly event. It is a prophet's symbolic dreams and visions meant to reveal God's heavenly perspective. Among the several mentioning of the last day, John has given us guidance about how he wants us to understand his book - The Revelation. He communicated his apocalypse through symbolic imagery and numbers. And here is another attempt to make it even more clear: A large wall painted scene in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Disciples in Capernaum. Many, except the orthodox pilgrims, do not visit this site, and therefore I thought to mention it in my first post under my new page “Hosted by Ibrahim”.
Understanding all the details in the scene takes a lot of time, but here are some guidelines, which can be used for deciphering the painting of the Last Judgment Day: Upwards the vertical axis in the center, Jesus sits on the throne of judgment - He is in his heavenly essence, in blue-golden colors. One hand goes down to the side of hell (our right), the right hand (our left) is directed up - to heaven. On both sides of Jesus his mother, and John the Baptist who ask God for mercy for the believers.
Beneath Jesus you see a river of fire (in red), which separates hell from heaven. The fire should resemble for us the Kidron Valley, as the last trial will take place in Jerusalem, for Jesus will come from the Mount of Olives (see Acts 1:11). To the west of the Kidron Valley is the Temple Mount - The House of God. And to the east is the Mount of Olives - the Kidron Valley is also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The wicked will fall into it and not enter the heavenly Jerusalem.
The river of fire burns the wicked who go to hell. In dark colors you see the devil and there is a figure inside that burns in hell: This is the figure of Judas Iscariot who has long been in hell and is burned there according to the Orthodox tradition.
Following the river downwards there is a table to the left with the book wrapped in a light blue cloth. The table symbolizes the altar, with a cross on top and a crown of thorns on it and also the rod with the sponge with the vinegar that was given to Jesus to drink while on the cross, and the spear that was stabbed in His side. Below we see the right hand of God holding the ring of the scale of judgment and within the merciful hand of God - souls whom God saves to reach heaven. The firsts are Eve and Adam.
We can see the seraphim, according to Isaiah's vision, as he saw God: “Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” - Isaiah 6:2 (KJV). The seraphim symbolize the closeness to God. There are scrolls on the scale of each of us. There is optimism, because there are more who go to heaven, however the devil tries to pull the scale to his side and take some to hell - these are the ‘souls ties’ (see comment below). The angels come to take as many souls as possible to heaven, which is on our left, with a gate and a guardian angel with the flame of the overturning sword. People had already entered heaven during the three days when Jesus was in the tomb. Mary, his mother, is already in heaven and she represents the souls who are allowed to be in heaven. She enters them to heaven. Abraham, our father, is already there, and also the good thief - holding his cross. After all, Jesus said that he would bring him to heaven.
In the last trial, on the way to heaven, one should open the locked door of heaven and lead the souls - Peter with the keys will lead and open the gate of heaven.
On the right side is hell. It does not look so good: boiling tar, predators. Monsters, all that's there - an expression of the horrors of hell.
Upwards, a man falls asleep - this is Daniel. In his book it is written that an angel tells him to blow in the shofar because it is time for souls to wake up to be judged on the Day of Judgment. All souls beg before God, Jesus and Mary: Saints, martyrs, kings, clergy - everyone should be judged. Beside Jesus sit the 12 apostles, among them Paul (Saul), and a row of angels in the background.
In summary, some brothers might be reluctant of such an attempt to image biblical scenes, especially this one. My goal is no more than ignite our thoughts on our earthly lives and what comes next.

Comment:
The phrase “soul ties” is not in the Bible; rather, the idea of soul ties is a man-made speculation which some teachers superimpose onto Scripture in an attempt to explain certain human behaviors. Soul ties are said to be connections from one person’s soul to (or into) another person’s soul, a concept that has no basis in Scripture. The Bible does speak of close friendships, such as that of David and Jonathan. “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” - 1 Samuel 18:1. This is simply a way of expressing Jonathan’s total commitment to, and deep friendship with, David. To try to make this passage teach a mystical binding of the actual soul is unwarranted.

30/01/2022

"Hosted by Ibrahim" is a page made to connect with folks who seek a friend to show them around and more important, to share life and cultural experience as well as faith. It is meant to make you feel at home even when being on travel. It is joining someone, not only with a wide knowledge, but also make you live the stories of the Holy Land. Welcome to "Hosted by Ibrahim"!

30/01/2022