Light and Dust

The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. -Deuteronomy 7:7-9

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. -Ezekiel 5:5

God chose the Children of Israel as His "treasured, splendorous people" for a reason. It wasn't because they were the most numerous people or the most powerful. In some ways, it may have been because they were few in number and, by demonstrating their ability to have faith in God and overcoming insurmountable difficulties and win against impossible odds, they brought the glory of God to the rest of the world.

Why does God say in Ezekiel 5 that he placed Jerusalem "in the center of the nations.." and what does it have to do with the "chosen" status of Israel. According to the Wikipedia article on "Jews as a chosen people", the Conservative Judaism view point is this:

Few beliefs have been subject to as much misunderstanding as the "Chosen People" doctrine. The Torah and the Prophets clearly stated that this does not imply any innate Jewish superiority. In the words of Amos (3:2) "You alone have I singled out of all the families of the earth - that is why I will call you to account for your iniquities". The Torah tells us that we are to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" with obligations and duties which flowed from our willingness to accept this status. Far from being a license for special privilege, it entailed additional responsibilities not only toward God but to our fellow human beings. As expressed in the blessing at the reading of the Torah, our people have always felt it to be a privilege to be selected for such a purpose. For the modern traditional Jew, the doctrine of the election and the covenant of Israel offers a purpose for Jewish existence which transcends its own self interests. It suggests that because of our special history and unique heritage we are in a position to demonstrate that a people that takes seriously the idea of being covenanted with God can not only thrive in the face of oppression, but can be a source of blessing to its children and its neighbors. It obligates us to build a just and compassionate society throughout the world and especially in the land of Israel where we may teach by example what it means to be a "covenant people, a light unto the nations.."

The phrase "where we may teach by example what it means to be a covenant people, a light unto the nations" (emphasis mine) indicates that God's choosing Israel does not affect just Israel nor does it benefit just Israel. If God placed Jerusalem "in the center of the nations.." it was to uniquely position the Children of Israel so that their light could be seen by the world around them; and so they could, by example, illustrate the blessings of living a lifestyle devoted to the one, true God.

Yeshua said something similar in addressing the Jewish people:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16

Depending on your point of view, when Yeshua says "let your light shine before men..", he could have been saying, let your righteousness be an example to other Jews or he could have been saying, let your righteousness be an example to other people, Jews and Gentiles alike. If the latter and if indeed the interpretation of Conservative Judaism is correct regarding Israel as a light to the world, then the mandate of Israel to be holy as God is holy extends beyond Israel itself. Why would God do this unless He continues to care about the rest of the nations, at least to the degree that we "praise our Father
in Heaven."

The relationship between the Jewish nation being chosen and God's relationship with non-Jews has also been expressed this way:

Crucial to the Jewish notion of "chosenness" is that it creates obligations exclusive to Jews, while non-Jews receive from God other covenants and other responsibilities. Generally, it does not entail exclusive rewards for Jews. Classical rabbinic literature in the Mishnah Avot 3:14 has this teaching:

Rabbi Akiva used to say, "Beloved is man, for he was created in God’s image; and the fact that God made it known that man was created in His image is indicative of an even greater love. As the verse states [Genesis 9:6], 'In the image of God, man was created.')" The mishna goes on to say, "Beloved are the people Israel, for they are called children of God; it is even a greater love that it was made known to them that they are called children of God, as it said, 'You are the children of the Lord, your God. Beloved are the people Israel, for a precious article [the Torah] was given to them ...

Rabbi Reuven Hammer of Masorti Judaism comments further:

The actual intent is to say that we are thankful that God has enlightened us so that, unlike the pagans, we worship the true God and not idols. There is no inherent superiority in being Jewish, but we do assert the superiority of monotheistic belief over paganism. Although paganism still exists today, we are no longer the only ones to have a belief in one God.

If you read all of the different sections of the Wikipedia page I'm referencing, you'll see that there are a number of different ways that different sects of Judaism see their being a chosen people, but in that chosen state, Israel does not disregard or denegrate the non-Jew who also seeks God.

How do we understand "A Gentile who consecrates his life to the study and observance of the Law ranks as high as the high priest," says R. Meïr, by deduction from Lev. xviii. 5; II Sam. vii. 19; Isa. xxvi. 2; Ps. xxxiii. 1, cxviii. 20, cxxv. 4, where all stress is laid not on Israel, but on man or the righteous one.

Rav Meir's statement ..where all stress is laid not on Israel, but on man or the righteous one may hold an important key in that the purpose of any person, Jew or Gentile, should ultimately be to serve other people and to focus on the righteousness of God. As previously stated, Jewish people shouldn't be considered superior over the other people groups of the planet, but rather, the superiority rests in the belief that God is One rather than many and even in that, Jews no longer (thanks to their being a light) are the only people who are attached to God.

That being said, as the previously quoted source material also states, the Jewish people do have unique responsibilities and duties to God that are not incumbant on humanity as a whole and will always remain a distinct people.

God made the Jewish people a light to the nations. Yeshua affirmed that the Jewish people were to be a light to the nations and that they should not hide their light under a bowl, but put it on top of a hill so everyone can see (and Jerusalem physically sits on the "high ground" relative to the surrounding area). Gentiles respond to that light by becoming aware of God and respond by praising God, contemplating God, and obeying God's will.

In Judaism, the responsibilities and duties to God are different than those of Gentiles, but that doesn't mean Gentiles can't serve God or are a lesser quality of human being than Jews.

In Romans 11 Paul defines the "glue" that keeps both the Jewish and Gentile branches attached to the root as faith. Any branch, Jewish or Gentile can be attached to or knocked off the root based on the strength (or lack thereof) of their "glue".

Frankly, this is good news for me and something of a relief that it has always been God's plan to shine a light to all the world so that we would be able to see and acknowledge the light. Lately, I've been reading some statements from certain members of Messiniac Judaism that, on the surface, would seem to indicate that Gentiles aren't quite up to snuff and only exist within the MJ movement to further the interests of the Jewish members of MJ. In other words, Gentile human beings have no intrinsic worth to God just because we're people and created in God's image.

You could say I suppose, that I'm just engaging in wishful thinking, though. After all, Yeshua also said this:

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. -Matthew 15:21-28

While calling the Canaanite woman a "dog" certainly seems to have been a denigrating comment, Yeshua responded to the woman's faith, if not her ethnicity. Of course, there are many times in the Gospels when it is said that "Yeshua knew what they were thinking" and so, he may have not been as critical of her as it seems but instead was offering her a test of faith. In that, we can all take a lesson. No matter how discouraging it may be when people put us down or say we are somehow inferior, it's our faith that God notices and responses to, not our ethnicity.

Here's another example:

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. -Matthew 8:5-13

At the end of the book of Matthew, Yeshua gave a directive to his Jewish disciples that the Christian church calls "the Great Commission" to go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teaching the nations (non-Jewish people) everything that Yeshua had taught the disciples.

It seems then that Gentiles in general and me in specific can have a relationship with God. He desires it. He set a light out so we could follow Him and praise His Name. But is there more to the relationship between Jew and Gentile, particularly in the "Messianic" framework than Jews being the light and Gentiles responding to the light? Something to consider in my next blog.