Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Essenes


our last desert day, and only desert for the first part
We were in Essene country


The Essenes are priests but see them as rebel Saducees
They actually tried to live according to the text:

A voice cries out:
“Clear a road through the desert for Adonai!
Level a highway in the ‘Aravah for our God!

Live obediently in the desert, memorize the text, copy the text
true change - Shuva = repentance

These are the dead scroll people
40.000 fragments only 10-15% translated 

most copied books: Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Isaiah, Psalms

Jesus quotes most often Deuteronomy, then Leviticus, Isaiah Psalms
coincidence? even the sermon on the mount is Essene style

Also John the Baptist shows up very close to this place
and calls the people to Shuva: Repent!
He even sounds Essene 


The Essenes practiced Mikvah, at different times of the day
cover head, heart, hand and feet with water to rededicate
to be obedient

But there is a huge difference between Jesus and the Essenes
they hated Gentiles, wicked and sinners
Jesus included them

The Son of Man came, eating freely and drinking wine — so they say, ‘Aha! A glutton and a drunkard! A friend of tax-collectors and sinners!’ Well, the proof of wisdom is in the actions it produces.”


For the same reason John the Baptist was likely not Essene either
but on many issues they sound the same

Essene practiced baptism
they had a communal meal
missions was important


They dug tunnels through very hard rock to get living water to this place

Todd told us about living with the line:
think of an issue like premarital sex as a line
you can approach it in different ways.
some will try to see how close they can get to the line without crossing
or: stay very far away from the line, this is the Essene way

Especially young people need to see their mentors live as Essenes
everyone who lives in Shephelah needs Essenes in their lives
people who dare to live their faith, even if is costs them,
who stay away from temptations try to live a righteous life


Where are the Essenes of today? are there any?
people that emerge themselves in the text
who live and breath the text
the Essenes hid their scrolls in caves like this one:


We had a choice to go up all the way or go down and explore Qumran
I went up but when it looked like an endless
"one more hill"
I went down with some of the others.
Mainly because the day before I'd run into a "wall"

on hindsight, the morning devos where about regret
regret for not giving it your all

wow, these devotions sure were made for me
I did regret not giving this extra push

half of our group made it all the way up


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