Introduction: A “Blessing” That Bites
I want to introduce this talk with a slice of Jewish (eastern European Yiddish) culture: the “Jewish curse.” It begins with a hopeful “May you…” and ends with a sting. A few examples:
- “May you grow so rich that your widow’s second husband never has to worry about making a living.”
- “May you have a house with a thousand rooms and drop dead in each one!”
- “May you grow so wealthy you can afford only the finest specialists.”
- “May the sun and the spring breeze warm you and caress you like an apple as you hang from a tree.”
Which brings us to this week’s parashah, Ki Tetze (“When you go out”), and a crucial command.
Ki Tetze and the Command Concerning the Executed
“If someone has committed a capital crime and is put to death, then hung on a tree, his body is not to remain all night on the tree, but you must bury him the same day, because a person who has been hanged has been cursed by God—so that you will not defile your land, which Adonai your God is giving you to inherit.”
Ki Tetze includes 70 of the 613 mitzvot. The mitzvot are commonly grouped as mishpatim (judgments) and chukim (ordinances/decrees). Deuteronomy 21:22–23 is a chok—a divine boundary we keep as an act of faith even when we don’t grasp every reason.
What Is a Curse—Biblically?
Jewish curses are one thing. Being cursed by God is something else entirely. As Unger’s Bible Dictionary notes, divine maledictions are effectual—more than mere imprecations; they carry consequences.
Three Ways Scripture Shows God’s Curse at Work
1) Direct intervention. God can act immediately, as when Miriam was struck with tzara’at for speaking against Moses—and then healed after intercession. Adam lost immortality after disobedience.
2) Withdrawal of protection. God withdrew His Spirit from Saul after his disobedience toward Amalek (1 Samuel 15).
“Now go and attack Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have…”
“They cut off his head and stripped off his armor… They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.”
3) Non-intervention. God sometimes allows the natural cascade of consequences when we persist in willful sin. As the Scriptures teach, “transgression of Torah is sin.”
“For the wages of sin is death…”
“Hung on a Tree”: Clarifying the Chok
In the Torah context, being displayed “on a tree” was not the cause of the curse; it signified that the executed person had been judged for a capital crime. The command focused on removing the body before nightfall to prevent defilement of the land.
Redeemed from the Curse (Galatians 3:13)
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”
“The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, ‘Everyone who hangs from a stake comes under a curse.’”
Many Christians and many Messianic believers parse “curse of the law” differently. The law (Torah) itself is not a curse; it is both blessing and curse—blessing to the obedient, condemnation to the transgressor. Paul’s point is that Messiah bore the condemnation due to our violations of Torah.
Yeshua’s Burial Urgency: Torah, Not Only Sabbath
The crowd in Jerusalem understood the phrase “it is written” as an appeal to the Tanakh. While many emphasize the need to bury before Shabbat, Deuteronomy 21:22–23 gives an even more immediate reason: leaving a body displayed overnight would defile the land and the city.
Separation, Forsakenness, and Atonement
Capital punishment in Torah is carried out outside the camp—separation from community and, for the unrepentant, from God’s presence. At Golgotha, outside the city, Yeshua entered that place of separation.
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
He who modeled perfect intimacy with the Father tasted abandonment so that we, united to Him, would never be forsaken.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
Shalom: The End of Chaos
God upholds the world by His grace and the sacrifice of His Son. Shalom is not mere calm—it is the end of chaos. To be without God is to live in chaos; Yeshua stepped into our chaos and bore its curse to bring us peace.
Jewish Voices on Vicarious Suffering
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (the Ramchal) teaches that a tzaddik may bear suffering for his generation, bringing rectification and atonement—an idea rooted in the justice and mercy of God’s governance. This perspective illuminates why Messiah’s perfect righteousness—His being the unblemished Lamb—could atone not only for one generation but for the world.
Failure of Leadership, Faithfulness of Disciples
In Yeshua’s day, elements of the religious leadership were entangled with Roman priorities and neglected Torah responsibilities; thus Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and devoted women stepped forward to ensure Yeshua’s body was removed in accordance with Torah. Within a generation, the Temple fell—a sober reminder of failed stewardship.
Conclusion and Prayer
Paul’s proclamation in Galatians 3:13 is clear: Yeshua became a curse for us, fulfilling the destiny the Father set before Him—enduring separation so that we might be reconciled. The Tenakh points toward Messiah; the Brit Chadashah reveals Him to be Yeshua of Natzeret.
Prayer: Dearest Father, may the many blessings of Your Presence and Your character be enhanced and illuminated through a greater understanding of the sacrifice of Your Son. Teach us to honor Your Torah, to walk as Yeshua walked, and to live in the shalom He secured. Amen.
