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Light Shines Brightest

in the Dark
The day of Tisha B’Av serves as a lesson in both
sorrow and hope.
 Illustrative: Man walking towards the light. (Image: Adobe Stock)
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BY MATAN

T he role of discipleship is the greatest honor and purpose a human being

can accept. Discipleship means living a life dedicated to God, carrying out
his purpose and will on earth as it is in heaven.

This path of discipleship has existed since Adam walked with God but has been enhanced and
enlightened as God has revealed himself more and more intimately. This culminated in the
coming of Yeshua as the Messiah of God. Thus, when we decide to partake in this incredible
journey and follow after our Master, we take part in an incredibly difficult but rewarding life.

What does Tisha B’Av have to say for

disciples of Yeshua, and what can we learn
from the three main events that occurred on
this tragic day?

Why start this blog describing discipleship? Because we will soon commemorate a very somber
and sorrowful day. That day is Tisha B’Av, a day that has been associated with every great tragedy
that has befallen the Jewish people. What does Tisha B’Av have to say for disciples of Yeshua, and
what can we learn from the three main events that occurred on this tragic day?

Many tragic events happened to the Jewish people on this day throughout history. Still, three
stand out as the worst: the rejection of entering the land after the return of the twelve spies, the
destruction of the First Temple, and the destruction of the Second Temple. Each one has an
important lesson to teach, so let’s take a closer look.

The first tragedy followed after the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah. These amazing
events displayed God’s incredible power and his grace and mercy in choosing the Jewish people
and faithfully carrying out his promise to the Patriarchs. He brought them all the way from Egypt
to the border of Israel, kept them safe, and delivered them to the edge of his great promise of
giving the land of Israel to the offspring of Abraham.
 The people had taken on the Torah and chosen to do all that God had said, but then in this final
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moment, when they were called to carry out his purpose and will, they failed to choose God. At
that moment, they displayed a failure of faith and a blindness to the divine. Instead of placing
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their strength and hope in God to destroy their enemies, they trusted only in the physical.

God did not create us to be robots. He can

display his power and might, but he cannot
force us to act.

However, let us not forget those who chose to trust in God. Joshua and Caleb displayed a
different spirit and knew that God was more than capable of carrying out his promise. God did
not create us to be robots. He can display his power and might, but he cannot force us to act. He
requires effort from us to rise above and be the vessels of light he knows we can be. Every person
of faith faces constant choices. There are always times in one’s life when doubts become
overwhelming, and we must make a choice. We can choose to place our faith either in God or in
man, in spiritual or physical.

Tisha B’Av represents this choice. It is a day that represents times when a majority of the Israelites
failed to place their trust in God and turned toward the ways of the world. The destruction of both
Temples also represents this choice. Reading through 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings displays
the complete ups and downs of the Jewish people and their constant rejection of God and
repentance. This is mostly influenced by the kings at the time, and we all know of the rampant
idolatry and sinfulness that culminated in the destruction. There were times when destruction
was postponed when a righteous king would rise up and lead Israel back to faith in God, but even
that was only temporary.

Even during that period, there were still those who placed their faith in God and lived the path of
discipleship. They were willing to risk everything to carry out the will of God in the world and
display him in their lives. These individuals maintained faith despite exile and eventually returned
to Jerusalem and rebuilt the Holy Temple.
 The destruction of the Second Temple is one
of the most important and tragic events as it
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marks the beginning of the current exile in
which we are still languishing.

That brings us to our final tragedy of historical Tisha B’Av. The destruction of the Second Temple is
one of the most important and tragic events as it marks the beginning of the current exile in
which we are still languishing. The Talmud records that the signs of the destruction actually
began forty years prior (b.Yoma 39b).

Forty years prior was the death of our Master Yeshua and another important moment for the
Jewish people. However, it is critical to note that these rejections of God do not mean God has
rejected the Jewish people. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11: 29).
In fact, exile and punishment are actually confirming signs that God is still very much in a
covenantal relationship with them (Deuteronomy 28: 15).

Yeshua came into this world to offer the coming Messianic Kingdom and called the people to
repentance. He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Although many accepted and heeded his call, a majority of the religious leaders rejected it. Many
of them even believed they were doing God’s will by fighting against Yeshua and his followers:
“For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently
and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13). Although they were still practicing the Torah, which is
right and good, they had lost sight of proper shepherding of the people, as Yeshua pointed out
(Matthew 23:1-36).

The people did not accept Yeshua as the Messiah and did not repent. As a result, Yeshua was put
to death, and the kingdom did not come. The next forty years were filled with the growth of the
assembly of believers in Yeshua, and many Jewish and Gentile people turned to God and his
Messiah. They had taken up the ultimate calling in life and lived for God, but this was not enough.
The main body of the Jewish people did not take on the call, and after forty years, the Temple was
destroyed.
 Simply calling ourselves disciples is not
enough; we are just as susceptible to failure
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as the generations before us.

Now, 2,000 years later, we arrive at our own world. Today on this day, we have an opportunity to
reflect and evaluate our own lives. Simply calling ourselves disciples is not enough; we are just as
susceptible to failure as the generations before us. We must strive to resemble those faithful few
who overcame their own doubts and pressure and rose up to fulfill God’s will in this world and to
be the lights in the darkness.

We as disciples are people of a “different spirit” who choose God and not man. We set our sights
on preparing this world for Yeshua’s return and doing our part to present God to the world
through the light of our Master Yeshua. Tisha B’Av is the perfect day to sorrowfully reflect on the
tragedies of the past and refocus our lives on what matters most. Even when the majority
chooses to abandon God’s will, almost always, some remain faithfully dedicated to his purpose.

We are those few. We are disciples who strive for God’s will despite the consequences. We must
truly reflect on this day in sorrow and mourning and stir our hearts, souls, and minds to influence
the world for good. We are all called to take on the mantle of discipleship and live purposeful
lives. May everyone have an easy and meaningful fast, and may our Master’s return be soon and
speedily in our days.

TOPICS:

DESTRUCTION (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-BIN/MT/MT-SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=DESTRUCTION&LIMIT=30),
DISCIPLESHIP (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-BIN/MT/MT-SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=DISCIPLESHIP&LIMIT=30),
FIRST TEMPLE (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-BIN/MT/MT-SEARCH.CGI?
INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=FIRST%20TEMPLE&LIMIT=30), REPENTANCE (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-BIN/MT/MT-
SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=REPENTANCE&LIMIT=30), SECOND TEMPLE (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-BIN/MT/MT-
SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=SECOND%20TEMPLE&LIMIT=30), TISHA B'AV (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-
BIN/MT/MT-SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=TISHA%20B%27AV&LIMIT=30), TRAGEDY (HTTPS://FFOZ.ORG/CGI-
BIN/MT/MT-SEARCH.CGI?INCLUDEBLOGS=90&TAG=TRAGEDY&LIMIT=30)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Matan is part of the Jerusalem based staff of First Fruits of Zion. Matan supports in the
development of Torah Club materials and is part of the support staff at the Bram Center for Messianic Jewish
Learning in Jerusalem.
More articles by Matan  (https://ffoz.org/discover/author/matan)