Who am I?

This is something of a companion to yesterday's blog What am I doing here? but without most of the rant and frustration. Right to it, then.

In traditional Christianity, the Christian is defined as saved by grace and a beneficiary of God's grace through Jesus Christ. The Law, which previously defined the Jewish people, was done away with, and was replaced by grace. Christians who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are defined by grace and not by the Law and behaviorally, are free from about 99% of what used to be required by the Law (that figure might be a slight exaggeration on my part).

In the traditional One Law view, Gentiles and Jews both are saved by grace, not works, but out of faith and grace, adhere to "God's preferred lifestyle for the redeemed community" by their obligation to the 613 commandments, or at least as many as can be obeyed without the Temple in Jerusalem and (for most of us) living in the diaspora.

In the Messianic Jewish/Bilateral Eccelesiology viewpoint, only Jews (Messianic or otherwise) are obligated to the full weight of Torah. Any Gentiles who choose to worship in an MJ/BE context accept that only a small subset of the written Torah applies to them and that, all other requirements of God for believing Gentiles are "written on their hearts" (Romans 2:12-16), although exactly what is actually written there is poorly defined by the MJ/BE movement. The Acts 15 letter is seen as defining the most important requirements for Gentiles, but cannot be the full limit as, for instance, not murdering isn't listed. Yet the letter is viewed as specifically not requiring full Torah obedience from Gentile believers in the Messiah.

That brings me to my topic for today. In my conversations with adherents of MJ/BE, I, as a Gentile, have been defined specifically by who I am not, and what I cannot do relative to the Bible and the Messianic Jewish community. MJ/BE proponents characterize my worship life in terms of a set of restrictions and lack of access. For instance, as a Gentile, I am not allowed the blessing of an aliyah because only Jews are obligated to Torah and thus, allowed to read the Torah in public (I suppose I should say "read the Torah aloud in a Messianic Jewish service", since I'm sure I wouldn't be prevented from reading a Torah portion to myself in a public library or reading out loud from Deuteronomy to my grandson in a public park). I cannot pray wearing tzitzit because that commandment was only given by Moses to the Jews. I might be able to pray from the siddur but this becomes questionable since the siddur was written for a specifically Jewish audience.

I'm not saying this to complain but rather to illustrate that the MJ/BE perspective seems to see Gentiles in their midst relative to who we are not rather than who we are. We are seen by what we are not allowed to do rather than what we can do. We are defined, basically, in terms of the negative rather than anything positive. Is it any wonder that some Gentiles may chafe when asked to cheerfully consider themselves as what amounts to a restricted "species"?

Here's a couple of thoughts:

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 -Rabbi Reuven Hammer of Masorti Judaism

What Paul means is that circumcision and Jewish identity do not elevate a Jew above the Gentle before God. There is a difference in role but no hierarchy of status -Mark Kinzer, Postmissionary Messianic Judaism: Redefining Christian Engagement with the Jewish People

Both Rabbi Hammer and Dr. Kinzer state that the distinctiveness of the Jewish people and the differences in covenant roles between Jews and Gentles do not actually make Jewish people better than Gentiles nor does it make Jews more loved, cared for, or more privileged in the eyes of God than Gentile believers. This would seem to all be evident from Paul's statement here:

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:26-28

Paul isn't eliminating the distinctive differences between Jew and Gentile any more than he's eliminating the distinctive differences between men and women. He is saying though that God doesn't favor the Jewish people in His love over the Gentile any more than He favors men in His love over women.

In other words, I, as a Gentile, am loved by God every bit as much as a Jewish believer. God does not consider me a Jew but neither does He consider me a "second-class citizen" in the Kingdom of God. The question is, does any Jewish person in the MJ/BE movement consider Gentiles to a inferior and further, does MJ/BE encourage this impression?

It's hard to say. When you are only defined by your limitations rather than any positive qualities you may possess, it's difficult to understand how you are viewed by the Jewish leadership and congregation around you (assuming you're a Gentile who belongs to, or at least attends, an MJ/BE congregation).

MJ/BE proponents chafe when Gentiles begin to complain about how we are depicted as negatives and we are told to accept our lot in life happily. If we don't, we're accused of various and sundry behaviors such as envy, racism, and lack of faith. In a sense though, that's like accusing a person who is critical of President Obama's policies of racism just because the President is African-American. Is the President "criticism-proof" on the basis if race? Can I not be critical of the MJ/BE movement, or at least some aspects of it, for any reason other than "racism"? Can I not request that MJ/BE explain their statements more fully, especially if they somehow expect me to comply to their "requests" out of "respect"? I've been accused of "straw man" arguments in the past, but in this particular instance, I think the shoe is on the other foot.

Here's what would help.

MJ/BE proponents are attempting to convince Jewish and Gentile elements in related fragments of "the movement" (One Law, Two-House, and other forms of Messianic Judaism) of the correctness of the MJ/BE perspective and the error of everyone else's view point. If MJ/BE wants to be at least listened to if not actually heard, it might be helpful if they took a more even approach to their presentation. MJ/BE is very good at defining who is Jewish within their context but extremely poor at defining Gentiles in a way that would make any Gentile anywhere want to be a part of their framework.

What would help would be for MJ/BE proponents to define the Gentiles in their midst in terms of their contributions to the community of faith (beyond the mere financial offerings, which only serve to make people feel their only worth is material, with no spiritual components involved). Is MJ/BE able to say why God gives a rip about non-Jews and deliberately has grafted them in to the same Olive Tree as the natural branches, side-by-side, so to speak? If MJ/BE could do that, they might actually get other people to listen to them rather than argue with them and they might avoid the appearance of being elitist. When pressed, MJ/BE can extend itself in this direction, but it's a bit like trying to pull a horse's teeth:

James, Gentiles can GIVE everything that Jews can give. They can teach (although matters pertaining to Jewish issues / Torah / education of Jewish children, preparations for Bar Mitzva should be taught by Jews), visit the sick, tend to the widows and orphans, give to the poor (all poor, and especially the poor of Israel - per NT precedent), share the Good News of the Kingdom with everyone, etc. and etc. I can go on! -Gene Shlomovich

Keep in mind that I don't think that MJ/BE has the ultimate interpretation of the Bible at their fingertips and I don't believe that any one group has a 100% correct insight into the meaning of God's Word and Will. I do believe that we all, each and every one of us, struggle all our lives to find our place with God, as we journey step-by-step on the path of righteousness. I believe that each person individually negotiates his or her relationship with God. We all have individual paths to walk and no two people walk the same road. We also are each at different points in our roads, relative to closeness to God, understanding, insight, and faith, so developmentally, no two people are at the same spiritual level.

Also, keep in mind that we continue to labor under the weight of just a ton of tradition and interpretation in our worship lives which sometimes gets in the way of seeing each other. This is probably why no two MJ congregations are exactly alike. One may pattern themselves on the Orthodox and another on Conservative or Reform movements. Naturally, each one will think their interpretation is "better" and maybe even more "Jewish", but then, what did all this look like at the time of Yeshua or in the day of Moses, when the two tablets brought down from Sinai were still warm with the freshness of God's finger upon them?

All monotheistic religious forms invariably drift from source, at least a little, over time. We can see this in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (after all Sharia Law is more an interpretation of ancient Arabic tribal laws and less anything you'll find in the Koran). While each congregation is within their rights to choose their tradition, it's a mistake for them to apply their tradition as the only "rightness" onto individuals and communities outside their immediate confines.This accounts for the variability we see in different Messianic Jewish congregations (that are populated mainly by Jews) and explains that, to be a valid MJ, you don't necessarily have to be MJ/BE.

So who am I? First and foremost, I was made in the image of God and no person or group can take that way. Secondly, I am loved by God by virtue of my being a human being and am accepted into the Commonwealth of Faith by the blood of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. I can consider Yeshua my shepherd. My prayers are heard by God and Yeshua is my intercessor, sitting at His right hand. I have the intelligence and skill sets that God gave me and those are not devalued because of my ethnicity nor because my covenant standing with God is different (not better or worse) than the Jewish people.

Here's another way to put it. I heard a story once:

Many years ago, there was a very learned Rabbi who would periodically take a trip on his donkey to another town to converse and exchange knowledge with other Rabbis in his region. He had a reputation for being particularly intelligent and a skilled debater, often proving his peers and contemporaries in error on some Talmudic interpretation. He was on his way back home from one of these conferences one day, when he saw a figure in the distance walking towards him. As the figure drew closer, the Rabbi was able to make out he was a man and as the man came closer, he noticed that the man was greatly deformed. Aghast and without meaning to, as the man came up alongside the Rabbi's donkey about to pass, the Rabbi blurted out, "What a hideous person!" He was immediately embarrassed by his outburst but the deed was done and could not be taken back. The deformed man stopped, turned, and looked up at the Rabbi. The Rabbi was well known in the area and the deformed man immediately recognized him. In a slow, soft voice, the man replied, "If you don't like the way I look Rabbi, take it up with my Creator."

This is an actual Rabbinic tale I read once, but I cannot recall its source. I do not tell this story to put down anyone, but to illustrate that, if I am different from you in any way, it doesn't mean that I'm worse than you or inferior than you...it just means I'm different. If you don't like the fact that I'm different, take it up with my Creator. He's the one who made me who I am. I'm only responsible for what I do with what He created.

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.