Category Archives: The Blood of Christ
The Bridal Response to the Mohar
We have already discussed how Jesus went through the Kiddushin, the ceremony and period of sanctification or a time of setting oneself apart for another. As we said the Kiddushin consists of the Ketubah (marriage contract), Mohar (bridal price), Kiddush (the cup), the seal (The Holy Spirit), and the removal of the veil. Remember that for us the order is a little different and this post will begin the process of us looking at our part of the Kiddushin.
Our first step within the Kiddushin is our response to Yeshua’s Mohar, His bridal price. We must accept His acquisition, His payment, in order for it to be applied to our lives. We see this played out in Genesis when Rebekah had to be willing to accept the price offered for her and go with Abraham’s servant to her husband Isaac.
Jesus has bought us with a price and it was not a price of money, yet it cost Him everything. Remember, we have already looked at Isaiah 52:3, which tells us we were redeemed without money.
In Hebrews 9: 12 & 14-15 it says, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption…How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance–now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”(NIV)
When we went through these steps as Yeshua our Messiah went through them we spoke of the communion cup that He gave to His disciples and that it was the third cup, the cup of redemption. We are all guilty of breaking the first covenant with our sin and so there needed to be a new covenant for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. I Peter 1:18-19 told us that He redeemed us with His blood and Romans 3:22-25a again said, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”(NIV)
We must have faith in His blood. We must accept His Mohar. We must believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We must believe in Him!
Galatians 3:14 says, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”(NIV) Also, in Romans 10:13 it says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(NIV)
Therefore, when we accept His Mohar it redeems us and cleanses even the filthiness of our conscious. We then receive the inheritance promised to those who believe and are saved. Never forget, that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22 & Leviticus 17:11). So that by faith, by calling on His Name we (both Jew and Gentile) might receive the Spirit. The Spirit is our seal. This leads us directly into our next post where we will be discussing The Seal.
The Mohar – The Bridal Price
There are two things that speak of the blood of Christ in the Kiddushin, the first was the cup (the Kiddush) and the second is the Mohar. We looked at the Kiddush as part of the last post. This time we are going to concentrate on the Mohar. The Mohar is the bridal price or literally the acquisition of the bride. Jesus paid this on the cross.
As to the history of the Mohar we can go all the way back to the Garden of Eden where God provided a bride for His son Adam. For Eve Adam had to pay a Mohar. He had to be put to sleep and have surgery, a shedding of blood, to remove a rib in order to have a wife. If that’s not a bridal price I don’t know what is. My husband has had surgery before, but it wasn’t to get me. We see Isaac paying a Mohar when money and gifts were sent along with a servant in order to acquire Rebekah. Jacob paid a Mohar, in fact, he paid it twice for Rachel. When he came to his father-in-law he did not say, “OK it is time for me to get married, give me my bride.” He said, “Give me my wife”.
Jesus did not pay with silver and gold, He paid the ultimate price. Isaiah 52:3 states, “For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.””(NIV)
We sold our selves at the Fall. We didn’t get anything out of it. We lost. “Without money you will be redeemed” the LORD said. That’s Isaiah 52, the next chapter is Isaiah 53, the chapter of our precious suffering servant.
Starting in Isaiah 53:5 if says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”(NIV)
That is holy ground. That is the sacrifice of our beloved Bridegroom, His bridal price. The price it took to acquire us.
Let’s look at Luke 22:19 which says, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.””(NIV) Here Jesus’ body is being broken for us, it is being given for us. That’s Jesus at the last supper. So His body was broken, while we know that His bones were not broken, His body was broken. Not a joint remained in place. Then, of course, we have the blood since with that broken body came blood.
In Leviticus 17:11 and Deuteronomy 12:23 we are told that life is in the blood. Do you believe that? Life is in the blood. So His blood needed to be shed. We see in I Peter 1:18-19 that scripture states, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”(NIV)
Did you catch it, “Without money you will be redeemed.”(NIV)
In Revelation 1:5b we read, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”(NIV) Then in chapter 5:9 we are given this about Jesus, “And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”(NIV)
Yes, it is His blood that redeems and it redeems completely. He didn’t just pay part of the price, He paid all of it.
At the crucifixion in John 19:30 it reads, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”(NIV) It is finished! Tetelistai is the word in Greek. It means paid in full.
He paid His mohar completely. He purchased His Bride and He paid for her in full. He purchased her for His Father and she is His.
The Mohar was paid by Yeshua Himself as yet another part of the Kiddushin and His responsibility in it. In our next post we take a look at the final part of the Kiddushin, the giving of the seal. Is not our Lord and His gift of salvation marvelous.
Paid For In Full,
Vicky
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The Kiddushin (estherslegacy.com)