10 Things You May Not Know About Jesus

Like me, you may suffer from a lack of complete understanding when it comes to some of the most revealing facts about Jesus. How can we grasp the fact that God sent His only Son to give us His salvation?
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I believe it takes contemplation over time to touch the meaning of Jesus' life...His life of teaching, His willingness to be crucified as the blood sacrifice for our sins, and His death and resurrection. So it's toward that valuable goal, I'm giving these 10 things for you to consider. Yes, they're short and unexplained, but as scripture, you may use them as a source for meditation and reflection, or as a beginning point for further study. The main idea is to study and understand more about Jesus and the gift of salvation. Each point is awesome!
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1)   Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

"But while he (Joseph) thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:20-2

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2)   Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil." Luke 4:1-2
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3)   Jesus is the Light of the World.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12

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4)   Jesus is the Door.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:7-10
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5)   Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'." John 14:5-6

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6)   Jesus is the True Vine.

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me. and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." John 15:1-7

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7)   Jesus Is A Priest After the Order of Melchizedek

"For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated 'king of righteousness,' and then also king of Salem, meaning 'king of peace,' without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually." Hebrews 7:1-3

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8)   Jesus Christ Himself Is the Word of Life

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." 1 John 1:1-4

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9)   Jesus is our Advocate with the Father.

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2

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10)  Jesus is the Bread of Life.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35

As I said, these descriptions of Jesus are awesome in their scope and power. I pray that many of you will be blessed by a new look at these attributes.

Blessings...Mimi

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Challah: A Traditional Jewish Bread

Challah, pronounced "hallah" and meaning literally "a loaf of bread," has special meaning. This braided bread is eaten by many Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. I make it for special occasions--usually at Christmas--but it's so beautiful and easy to make that it should be made more often.

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According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals on Friday night, Saturday at lunch, and Saturday late afternoon, as well as two holidays meals--one at night and then lunch the next day--all begin with two complete loaves of bread. This "double loaf" commemorates the miraculous manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt. (Ex.16) The manna didn't fall on the Sabbath, a day of holiness, but a double portion would fall the day before Sabbath. This bread, whether braided or not, is called challah.

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Each morning the Israelites found the manna on the ground with the dew, encased in two layers of dew to preserve its freshness. To represent the two layers of dew, the challahs are placed beneath a challah cover and over a tablecloth--or perhaps a challah board, thus re-creating the miracle of the manna in the desert. They gathered enough manna for one day except on Fridays, when they picked up enough for two days.

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In Exodus 16: 14, manna is described as hoarfrost in size--about 1/8 inch in diameter. It had to be collected before the sun melted it, and was white like coriander seed or pale amber, tasting like wafers made with honey as described in Numbers. The Israelites were to gather only enough manna for one day, about an omer (two dry quarts), and if they gathered too much, it bred worms and stank. Only the manna gathered on Fridays did not spoil. It could be ground up and used as flour for baking into cakes of bread. The manna was a sign of God's continuing provision for His people.

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An omer of manna was placed in a jar and kept in the tabernacle as a physical reminder of God's care--the total dependence of the people on God. As Moses reminded the children of Israel in Deut. 8:3: "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." These same words were quoted by Jesus to the devil in the book of Luke, when the devil tempted Him to turn stone into bread after fasting for 40 days and nights.

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Traditional challah recipes use a large number of eggs, fine white flour, water, and a little sugar. Modern recipes may use fewer eggs--or even no eggs--and whole wheat, oat, or spelt flour. Sometimes honey or molasses is the preferred sweetener. The dough is rolled into rope-shaped pieces, braided together and brushed with an egg wash. Challah is usually non-dairy--no milk--unlike the French Brioche that calls for both milk and butter. And since many Jews do not eat meat and dairy together, this bread can be eaten with any meal.

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The term challah may also refer to a small piece of dough that is traditionally separated from the rest of the dough before braiding. In biblical times, this portion of dough was set aside as a tithe for the Jewish priesthood, or "kohanim," as found in Num. 15:17-21. In Hebrew, the ritual is called "hafrashat challah." The challah was a means of sustenance for the priests, who had no income of their own.

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Today separating a piece of the challah is often a symbol for an act of kindness, and is referred to in symbolic terms. Separating the challah is traditionally a mitzvah (an act of kindness) performed especially by women. It is one of three mitzvot which women perform, the other two being the lighting of the Shabbat candles and family purity. Before the meal, there is a blessing said over the two loaves: "Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth."

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This is the tradition of the challah. I have given a recipe for challah on my blog at http://memosfromimi.blogspot.com/. It is a delicious, light egg bread that makes wonderful French toast. It's easy to make, not much kneading at all, and the result is rather spectacular. If you want to lift your ordinary holiday bread into the extraordinary--try making challah. You can find many good recipes online and lots of beautiful pictures.

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Have a great week. Remember your Creator, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit every day of your life. Be thankful and humble as you move through this world!

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Blessings...Mimi