A Hebrew Surprise in the Flesh

The power of the Gospel is vividly illustrated through a Hebrew word Jesus often used. Messiah spoke on countless occasions about “eating His flesh.” The word in Hebrew for flesh is “besar.”

During His last Passover meal, often called the Last Supper, Jesus lifted the matzah and said, “this is my besar / flesh that is broken for you.” He said unless you “eat of my besar / flesh and drink of my blood, you have no life in you,” John 6:53. Even in Isaiah 9:19, the Hebrew word “besar” is translated “flesh.”

What is interesting is that like most Hebrew words, “besar” has several meanings. The word besar not only means “flesh” but also “good news” or “gospel.” This is alarming! Even in the Old Testament the good news was foretold to be the message of God in the flesh. Besar is translated “good news” in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news / besar, who publishes peace, who brings good news / besar of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

The besar, the good news of Jesus, is that the Lord has come in His flesh to offer salvation. So, to eat of His flesh is to eat of His besar. To eat Jesus’s besar is to believe His good news and experience life eternal! “If you shall confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved,” Romans 10:9.