Such teachings aren't (at least as far as I know) common in most churches, so as much as the church is performing what we might call "the weighter matters of Torah" such as feeding the poor and visiting the sick (something that MJ and OL congregations aren't all that good at), they aren't being provided access to such teachings. Of course, anyone with Internet access can read Eby's blog, but many of the faithful aren't made aware of how to locate such teachings and particularly, aren't encouraged to take such teachings to heart. If you're being taught that "the Law is dead" and "the Pharisees were hypocrites", you aren't likely to seek out alternate teachings and studies.
It's been suggested that the reason Gentiles are "plaguing" the MJ movement and forming OL congregations is that they are dissatisfied and disenfranchised from the church and are trying to "take over" a uniquely Jewish worship venue of Jews who have faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. What if there's another explanation, at least for some of us? What if we're looking for information? What if we're looking for truth?
Often "truth" is in the eye of the beholder. I've said repeatedly in different articles in this blog that how we interpret the Bible is largely determined by our personal point of view and our theological bent. It can often be determined by our attachment to a particular movement, congregation, or school the supports a particular perspective. How do we know who's telling the truth? How do we, Jew and Gentile alike, find what we're looking for? What is the truth about the Messiah and about God?
I'm not trying to replace or take over anything. You only have my word for that, of course. I could be some sort of covert, evil Gentile trying to impose my personal theology or viewpoint on a larger audience. In reality, I have no such ambition, but that hasn't stopped at least a few people from believing so.
What I'm looking for is what I said I'm looking for...a place in the creation of God as His creation. Lots and lots of people have suggested where I should go (sometimes for good, sometimes otherwise), but who should I listen to? Who is right? Where's the truth?
Every morning, the first thing I "tweet" on twitter is a quote from the Bible, usually from the Psalms. This morning, I quoted this:
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. -Psalm 146:3-4
As human beings, when we have a question, we tend to seek out other human beings for the answer. Problem is, even the wisest and most reliable of human beings can be wrong, express personal or group bias, or otherwise not necessarily be the final arbiter of truth. So who is?
God.
That may not be the answer you're looking for, but it has the benefit of being true. Of course, it doesn't mean God is going to speak to us in an audible voice and make plain all those things we may find confusing about the Bible or about each other, but when we get in a position where we feel like our questions are screwing us into a hole in the ground, we do have the option of taking time out, praying, and asking Him for guidance.
Looking for a way to connect to God shouldn't be hard, it shouldn't be complicated, and it shouldn't require graduate degrees in theology, divinity, and metaphysics. While it's really cool to come to a certain intellectual understanding of the Bible, Yeshua did say that we should come to him like a "little child" (Mark 10:15). He probably didn't mean "a little child" in terms of intellectual capacity, and he was likely suggesting we express and experience a certain wide-eyed wonder at the Glory of God. After all, all Abraham had to do was believe and it was "credited to him as righteousness" (Genesis 12:3, Romans 4:3). Wonder, faith, and trust shouldn't be so difficult to come by.
The occasional Gentile leaving the traditional church may be less of a trouble maker and more of a seeker of truth. In the first century, Paul, Peter, and other Jewish emissaries to the Gentiles drew non-Jewish people to the Jewish Messiah. Believe me, these Gentiles probably had a lot of questions about who they were in the Messiah and how all this worked. They probably were hungry for information and I don't believe Paul said they had to go to Sunday school to find their answers. The Gentiles consulted the source information which includes the Bible, the Jewish emissaries, and ultimately God. 20 centuries later, why shouldn't Gentiles do the same thing and not be relegated to recycling traditional Christian theologies and histories that, by design, are isolated from some of those sources and, in some cases, perpetuate myth and misinformation?
I'm looking for a way to get over the wall that separates us as believers, or to get around it, or even just to go through it. People are very good at building walls to define areas and, in the present context, suggesting that we make a few doors in those walls will probably result in me being accused of heinous things like "replacement theology", but what is the problem in being to see our commonalities along with our differences? Most of all, where's the problem in turning to God for the answers and not always having to believe the (human) experts hold all the keys?
24 comments:
Jer. 16:19, "O YHWH, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to You the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit."
And there we are today.
"It's been suggested that the reason Gentiles are "plaguing" the MJ movement and forming OL congregations is that they are dissatisfied and disenfranchised from the church and are trying to "take over" a uniquely Jewish worship venue of Jews who have faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. What if there's another explanation, at least for some of us? What if we're looking for information? What if we're looking for truth?"
I think this is a good point, Gentiles are flooding in even as we speak, the question is what are we going to do about it...
Will we accept the Sojourner as a native born, or will we turn them away back to where they came from? Does Torah teach us to turn away the sojourner? Yet there are some who advocate such.
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.
Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!"
"Therefore I will teach them—this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the LORD.
Jeremiah 16:19-21
James,
I have been through the same kind of seeking that you are undertaking, but within the “church”. And from my brief glimpse into the world of Messianic fellowships I can see the same or very similar issues causing problems across the board.
Those problems have one primary cause: the traditions of man.
Man loves to go his own way, even if it means ignoring or twisting God’s word. When a plain reading of scripture challenges us we feel free to “interpret” what we read and we “spiritualise” it to make its meaning less confronting.
We get so caught up in this kind of activity that bible study becomes a very man-centred intellectual, carnal exercise.
The whole question of whether gentile and Jewish believers should fit together in fellowship has its foundations in carnality. There should be no separation. We are one in Him. However, due to the actions of the gentile church for at least 1700 years, a division has been created. The theological error and bigotry of a dominant, apostate, gentile church has helped to harden Jews against the gospel of THEIR Messiah.
In the present day, when Jews are coming to faith in Messiah in growing numbers, they are still kept at a distance from the majority of the church which is either blinded by the lies of replacement theology or blinded by their own apathetic ignorance regarding God’s purposes for the Jewish people. Centuries of hostility and forced assimilation are difficult to overlook, especially when present day theologies show no real evidence of repentance.
Jewish believers are therefore understandably suspicious in their relationships with gentile believers. I’m sure they want to avoid a repetition of history.
Where does the answer lie?
Scripture reveals that salvation came to the gentile to make Israel jealous.
How would that happen?
Clearly not through hostility and bigotry towards Israel.
But then again, is it likely to happen through gentiles envying the Jew and trying to blend into a Jewish cultural expression?
Those are just some thoughts. I would add that we should not fear breaking away from traditional religious expectations and don’t be too attached to traditional expressions of “church” or fellowship.
I have been “out of church” for about 9 years now (apart from a couple of years with two local churches), but I am in very regular contact with many others in a similar position to myself via email, forums and blogs. While I miss frequent face to face fellowship, these years have been the most beneficial time of spiritual growth in 35 years of faith in Jesus. This has mainly been because I relied upon and trusted man’s teaching too much in the past.
James - you are on a mad blogging hot streak. Keep it going. :-)
>> I'm not trying to replace or take over anything. You only have my word for that, of course. I could be some sort of covert, evil Gentile trying to impose my personal theology or viewpoint on a larger audience. In reality, I have no such ambition, but that hasn't stopped at least a few people from believing so.
Hahah.
>> If you're being taught that "the Law is dead" and "the Pharisees were hypocrites", you aren't likely to seek out alternate teachings and studies.
Good point!
>> It's been suggested that the reason Gentiles are "plaguing" the MJ movement and forming OL congregations is that they are dissatisfied and disenfranchised from the church and are trying to "take over" a uniquely Jewish worship venue of Jews who have faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. What if there's another explanation, at least for some of us? What if we're looking for information? What if we're looking for truth?
Bingo. You nailed it there -- my experience with our Messianic congregation is the same: the gentiles that are part of our congregation are doing so because they're seeking after God, looking for truth, and God has led them into the Messianic movement, Torah life, and the Jewishness of Yeshua faith.
Thanks for articulating these truths so eloquently.
Thanks, Judah.
I was conversing with a Gentile fellow who attends an MJ (and probably BE) congregation in SoCal. He seems positive about the experience, says Gentiles are welcome, and that Gentile and Jewish standing in the congregation is not equal, reflecting the "grafted in" status of Gentiles into the olive tree and that Jews and Gentiles worship together in peace.
While I still think the jury is out relative to the issue of equality/inequality before God, it was the "worship together in peace" part that got me. That would be tough to do if the sign at the door said "All Gentiles, please wait 24 hours and then attend the church around the corner".
I bought Kinzer's book out of fairness and when it arrives (by August 2nd, I'm assured), I'll start reading it, then write a review. I'm still determined to try to be open about all this, but like any person on the jury, the burden of proof is not mine.
"That would be tough to do if the sign at the door said "All Gentiles, please wait 24 hours and then attend the church around the corner"."
Once again, "church' is not EVIL nor is attending a solid church a "second best" choice for a Gentile. In fact, in my observation over the years, far less insanity is going on in a average church (and more love and works of love, as you James pointed out earlier) than in your average OL place. Much of OL's anti-Christianity (as well as anti-Jewish MJ) stance is/will be its own undoing. Many OLers' rail against anti-Torah / anti-Jewish teachings and Replacement theology of [some] churches as the reason they left "Christianity", but from a Jewish point of view, OLers' insistence on Torah / Jewish lifestyle being required for Gentiles, hatred of "rabbinics", and insistence that Gentiles are now spiritual Israelites (or for MIA branches of OL, the actual "Lost Tribes") who should live exactly as Jews do is simply another side of the same coin (actually worse and more offensive, as far as Jews in MJ are concerned).
Is leaving a church because you don't agree with "Replacement theology" so much better than going to an OL place and switching to railing again Jews' supposed "discrimination/racism/oppression/second class treatment" against/of Gentiles in MM?
Gene, your assumptions are showing.
While some and maybe even most OL congregations more or less resemble the dysfunctional dynamics you describe, you've missed the point of this article. I'm trying to express the idea that at least some of us want to extend our understanding and knowledge of the true underpinnings of our faith, which we can't always do in a traditional church setting for a variety of reasons.
I don't hate the church and I don't hate the people who go to church. I thought I was abundantly clear on that point. However, any religious group has its biases, contexts, and parameters, and some information and learning is not available in most church settings.
My point is that, if in the first century, a gentile believer could go up to Paul or Peter and learn of the Jewish Messiah from that point of view, why can't Gentiles do that today?
"My point is that, if in the first century, a gentile believer could go up to Paul or Peter and learn of the Jewish Messiah from that point of view, why can't Gentiles do that today?"
Who says that they CAN'T LEARN? That's not the problem at all.
The problem today is that some Gentiles who at first were coming into Messianic Jewish congregations as guests and supporters of Jewish believers continuing as Jews in a Jewish environment now demand what some of them term "equality." By equality they do not mean "equal worth before G-d", but rather they mean that this "Messianic Judaism" thing that Jews set it for themselves and their Jewish children really belongs to ALL believers (and in fact, it should replace "paganized" Christianity as the true faith for ALL) - anyone should be eligible for rabbinical and other leadership positions, anyone should be able to participate in congregational direction & decision making, anyone, Gentilesshould equally participate in Jewish ritual and lifestyle events, bar/bat-mitzva their kids, etc...
People want to learn and worship together with us? By all means.
Jim,
I've been meaning to get back and finish my thought. We had a temp power outage when they changed our meter and I haven't had time until now. Had to get my last post out.
As far as going "back" to church, that is quite out of the question.
The reasons for leaving are rooted in the scriptures and to continue to compromise after understanding what YHWH is expecting of His children would be sin for us and many others.
We are seeking to worship and serve YHWH in a way that is acceptable to Him. I do not need to "Jewish" to walk in a manner prescribed by YHWH for His people as I, and my family are part of His people.
I am not particularly interested in attending an MJ congregation. I don't need the aggravation at this point. When my brother Judah changes his tune, perhaps then we can dance together.
Exploring these issues is essential at this time for many who are no longer within the "church system" and who are looking for solid ground.
But looking for solid ground and longing for the stability of Egypt are two different things altogether.
Gene. I can't wait for you to get your blog up and running. Maybe you can explain your point of view in more detail so I can understand the apparent inconsistencies and get rid of my confusion. Here's what I mean.
1. You say that MJ congregations are for Jews and Churches are for Gentiles. Two separate but (more or less) equal houses of worship, divided along covenant/ethnic lines.
Result: Jews in MJ congregations receive teaching that supports the Jewishness of Messiah and brings a clearer accuracy to the relationship between God and all people as seen through that Hebraic lens. Gentiles in the church receive (for the most part) the standard theological education stating that the church has replaced Israel, and so forth. Information is compartmentalized between the two groups. Maybe "interfaith" conferences allow the two populations to occasionally interact, but MJ does their thing and Christianity does there's. Never the twain will meet.
2. You say that Gentiles actually are welcome to worship and learn in your congregation as long as they understand that they will have no contribution to make in the congregation (except for donations). They can pray, they can go to classes, they can fellowship (don't panic, I just mean talk, form friendships, and share a meal together), but they're only "equal" in the sense that everyone is aware that God loves all human beings in the same manner or fashion (and I'd love you to point me to where in the Bible it says Gentiles can't read the Torah in a worship service).
I can accept all that in a non-Messianic Jewish synagogue without a problem because non-Messianic Jews do not have a mandate to share the message of salvation to the Gentiles and graft Gentiles into the Jewish root. There's no directive from God, from the non-MJ Jewish perspective, to share a common "shepherd" with non-Jewish. Such a mandate exists in the MJ world.
This brings up a question I've been trying hard to resolve without success.
If a Gentile is treated and considered in an MJ congregation identically to how they'd be treated in a non-MJ synagogue (which is what you describe), what difference does the Messiah make? What difference did the Messiah's coming make?
James, great points and questions. Not to suggest that I have answers for everything, I've already thought about many of the issues you raised in your last comment and will try to lay out my thoughts soon (when I get a bit more time).
"I'd love you to point me to where in the Bible it says Gentiles can't read the Torah in a worship service."
I would love it answer your question. It doesn't, but only because even synagogues themselves are not commanded in the Bible - they are a development of the Jewish people themselves (so, they make the rules). However, the thinking that went into Jewish sages creating the format of the service is that since Torah was only given to the Jewish people and only THEY are bound to it, it's their inheretance, and in their synagogues only those who have submitted themselves to Torah and Mosaic Covenant can publicly read (or teach) from it (first Kohen, then Levite, then Israelites, in that order).
This is why even the UNsurcumsized born Jews (!) are NOT allowed to read from the Torah during a traditional service (or children before bar-Mitzvah age).
Synagogue services are modeled after the Temple and King's/Jewish leaders reading of the Torah to the Jewish people. The synagogue itself is a an extra-biblical development of the Jewish leaders and people which started in exile (Babylonia) when Jews were away from their Temple, a development which Yeshua seems to have recognized as valid/matter-of-fact, since it was his custom to attend/worship there on a regular basis (and later, teach.) Therefor, synagogues are Jewish places where Jews are homeowners and non-Jews are guests. As homeowners, we make the rule of what's permissible and what's not.
I like your points, Gene. If the synagogue service is interconnected with the Temple service (in the absence of the Temple), what you say makes a certain sense. One thing to consider is, given your homeowner/guest metaphor, is that the homeowner (I prefer "host", actually) usually extends themselves to the guests, making them comfortable and being hospitable rather than saying, "It's my house and my rules". The net result may be no different, but the guest will feel more like a guest and less like someone who had to come in through the back door.
Ironically (and you'll probably disagree with what happened), I was once offered an aliyah in the Reform synagogue. I was scared to death, had no idea what I was doing, so I declined, but the offer was there. I say this because it illustrates that the model you describe isn't completely set in stone. I'm not telling you how to run your house but only saying that other, similar Jewish synagogues can be different and still be totally Jewish.
I think if the Jewish/Gentile relationship in the MJ/BE synagogue could be better defined, as I see you doing, it wouldn't immediately trigger lots of negative responses from the non-Jews reading it. In the first century, much of this model was probably a given, so not so many Gentiles squawked (at least at first).
As I have been saying, I think the jury is still out, but there's a lot for me to think about.
"I prefer "host", actually"
Yes, "host" is a much more preferable term, thanks, James (although my use of "homeowner" was to emphasize the rules/ownership part).
"I'm not telling you how to run your house but only saying that other, similar Jewish synagogues can be different and still be totally Jewish."
My personal level of "tolerance" of how far away from Torah/traditionalism a congregation can drift and still be "totally Jewish" is probably a bit different from what's commonly found in many liberal Jewish temples. However, similar your example, recently a Gentile acquittance of mine was given an aliyah in local Chabad when the main rabbi (who knew him) was away. The proper thing for that person would have been do decline the invitation.
"In the first century, much of this model was probably a given, so not so many Gentiles squawked (at least at first)."
I think that the services in synagogues in the First Century, even among many different Jewish groups, may have had much more uniformity that what is seen today among liberal temples vs traditional synagogues. Also, I think that Gentile believers in First Century synagogues (either of Jews who were Yeshua-believers or not) just continued to follow the model of G-d Fearers (since many of them came from their ranks anyway) - that is of very friendly, involved, yet indirect and respectful of Jewish customs participation.
Jim,
Your point is well taken. What difference does Messiah make? Is there a difference that Messiah brought to His people that we should be practicing in our efforts to fellowship across cultural/ethnic lines?
Did He leave those lines in place or did He remove them?
The answer to that question would go a long way towards all of us being able to work together for the purpose of His kingdom.
My personal level of "tolerance" of how far away from Torah/traditionalism a congregation can drift and still be "totally Jewish" is probably a bit different from what's commonly found in many liberal Jewish temples. However, similar your example, recently a Gentile acquittance of mine was given an aliyah in local Chabad when the main rabbi (who knew him) was away. The proper thing for that person would have been do decline the invitation.
Within the Chabad context, that's probably true, but as a Gentile, he may not have known the proper etiquette or, in such a public setting, he may have gotten flustered and operated on automatic pilot, so to speak. I wonder in that single instance how much (if any) harm was done.
You speak of your "personal level of tolerance" which is of course, "personal". You and your synagogue operate out of that personal standard as well as the body of Jewish tradition that has been in place for hundreds and even thousands of years.
All I'm saying is, even within a Jewish context, your personal level of tolerance and tradition isn't the only one that exists that can be considered authentically Jewish. While you may disagree with the Reform Rabbi's offer of an Aliyah to me, you can't say he isn't Jewish or that his synagogue isn't Jewish. You can only say that it's liberal and doesn't conform to the personal standards to which you hold yourself and your synagogue.
"While you may disagree with the Reform Rabbi's offer of an Aliyah to me, you can't say he isn't Jewish or that his synagogue isn't Jewish. You can only say that it's liberal and doesn't conform to the personal standards to which you hold yourself and your synagogue."
I would says that Reform/Liberal Judaism doesn't conform to traditional Jewish relationship to both G-d and Torah of Judaism throughout the ages because it doesn't consider Torah as authoritative, nor does it view Messianiship and future Kingdom of G-d as reality to look forward to. is it Jewish? Yes! Is it Judaism? Historically speaking it's more of a German Jewry's rebellion against the established Jewish authorities and worldview that thought was archaic, with a foremost goal to better assimilate into the surrounding Gentile culture, to be like the nations.
There were multiple Judaisms in Yeshua's day. They disagreed with each other. They were still Judaisms. They didn't deny each other's Judaism. While the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements may not agree with each other, they likely don't actively deny that they are Judaisms.
In this sense, MJ is fighting an uphill battle because to the best of my knowledge, none of the aforementioned Judaisms accept MJ as a valid Jewish expression.
In all this, what does God have to say about all of that, as well as you and me? Ultimately, regardless of how we choose to categorize the larger communities of faith, it comes down to our relationship with God.
While I can appreciate and even practice various traditions, faith is the glue that keeps us connected to God.
"There were multiple Judaisms in Yeshua's day."
I don't think that there were "multiple Judaism" in the fashion there are today. Rather there were multiple sects within the same Judaism, each placing an emphasis on some unique position or their leader. Certainly, there was not a rebellion against Torah or Jewish traditions or societal norms as one sees in Liberal Judaisms of today. Judaism itself was much more uniform, because (apart from some renegade sects) it was still centered on Torah and the Temple and there was the main Sanhedrin that unified all sects (since it had representatives from various ones) and made rulings for all Jews. I think Liberal Judaism can be best compared to the worldview of some Jewish Hellenists of that era.
"While the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements may not agree with each other, they likely don't actively deny that they are Judaisms. "
http://truejews.org/Igud_Historic_Declaration.htm
I have to jump in here, I grew up attending a Conservative Synagogue that not only practiced Torah, but also allowed for the practice of Rabbinic and Reform(liberal, usually anti-Torah as Gene mentioned and which makes up majority of world Jewry today which is the form of Judaism that my family still holds too, even eating pork sandwiches, :P)... a mixed bag for sure, but it at least needs to be acknowledged that there is and can be a middle ground. Which is definitely more or less where I stand, somewhere in between Conservative and Orthodox.
I agree with James on the point that no one today can claim a rightful walk or "this is the correct form of Judaism" without an existing Temple cult, as today I would think that even many who are part of Conservative Judaism would participate in the Temple.
Then consider that there are even major divisions between Chabad and Orthodox Judaism, many Orthodox claim that Chabad is simply no better than a Christian organization, lol, go figure!
I just happened upon this post by chance, and I feel a note of clarification is in order:
The article entitled "The 'Hypocrisy' of the Pharisees" on jerusalemperspective.com was written by David Bivin, not by me.
I linked to it from my blog at messianicsfortorah.wordpress.com. People gave me credit for finding and reporting on the article, which seems to have been misinterpreted as credit for actually writing it.
However, I also wrote a similar article in 2007 entitled, "Let's Be Fair to the Pharisees."
I apologize for my error, Aaron. The source I took the article from referenced you as the author. Thanks for the links. I'll read the content the lead to when I'm more awake.
Post a Comment