Hebrew Highlights 21 – MEAT

Shalom, this is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

ROM 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Let’s take a look at the word “gospel”. You probably already know that the word, translated from the Greek, euaggelion, simply means “good news”. Now, most people would consider it basically a New Testament word. However, its roots are well established in the Old Testament.

ISA 40:9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

ISA 52:7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

ISA 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners;

NAH 1:15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; Pay your vows. For never again will the wicked one pass through you; He is cut off completely.

Obviously, when Yeshua said in MAT 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come”, His followers know what he was talking about. After all, Israel had been waiting for the “Good News” of Messiah to come for a long time. Although not all of God’s chosen people recognized Him at the time, probably tens of thousands did. Today, Israel is again beginning to recognize Him as the fulfillment of their ancient promises.

The root word for “good news” in the Hebrew bible, is “basura”. This word is still in common use today. People will often say to someone, “Ma habasura?”, in the same way which we might say “What’s the good word?” in English. An example might be an expectant new father waiting outside the delivery room who stops every nurse who walks out and says “Ma habasura?”. In other words, do I have a new baby yet?

The root word for “basura”, made up of the letters bet, sheen, and reish, is “basar”, which, interestingly, means “meat”. Can there possibly be a connection between meat and good news?

Let’s read JOH 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Yeshua had to become flesh in order to be anointed to bring the good news. He is Himself the good news, in the flesh.

Think about it a minute. A once famous hamburger commercial in the USA used to ask “Where’s the beef?” If there is no meat to our gospel, it is worthless. Is it only hearsay, or theory, or an idea. Because God sent His only Son, in the flesh, to carry His love, performs signs and wonders, to die on the cross, and yes, to gain victory over death, our gospel is food for a hungry world.

When we say we are not ashamed of the gospel, we really should mean that we are not ashamed of Yeshua, Jesus, Himself. We are not ashamed of His name, of His deeds, of our responsibilities to Him, of the lifestyle He has asked us to walk, of His friends, of praying in public, or studying His word.

If we claim to be preachers of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, He may one day say to us, “Where’s the beef?”

Shalom, Shalom from Jerusalem.