Treating God as Holy

In the end of tractate Sanhedrin, they ask, "Is a non-Jew commanded to sanctify G-d's Name or not? Here is a statement which proves it: 'The seven commandments of the non-Jews.' If you include this one [i.e. to sanctify G-d's Name], there would be eight!" From this we see that, for Jews, [sanctification of G-d's Name] counts as a mitzvah.

Sefer Hamitzvot
Sanctifying G-d's Name
Positive Commandment 9
Chabad.org

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post and on numerous other occasions, there are many things that non-Jews can learn from Jewish tradition to help us understand the nature of God and our place as disciples of the Jewish Messiah. While there are a number of commonly applied concepts we can find and study, there are also many demarcation points as well.

The quote I posted above from today's small study of the daily digest of the teachings of Maimonides, seems to tell us that non-Jews do not have a duty to sanctify (make holy) the Name of God, or at least, for we non-Jewish disciples of the Jewish Messiah, it's not considered a mitzvah (a religious duty, an obligation to God, or an act of lovingkindness).

The lesson I read includes the responsibility of a Jew to love, fear, and sanctify the Name of God. Do none of these apply to non-Jews?

The 3rd mitzva is that we are commanded to love G-d (exalted be He), i.e. to meditate upon and closely examine His mitzvos, His commandments, and His works, in order to understand Him; and through this understanding to achieve a feeling of ecstasy. This is the goal of the commandment to love G-d.

Sefer Hamitzvot
Loving G-d
Positive Commandment 3
Chabad.org

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” -Mark 12:29-31

While Jesus (Yeshua) is quoting from the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and addressing a Jewish audience, the fact that he commanded his Jewish disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (from Matthew 28:19-20), indicates that the command to love God applies to the rest of us as well. Also, Noahide.org states the second commandment that must be obeyed by the non-Jewish peoples of the world is to "Respect G-d and Praise Him". This doesn't seem to necessitate "love", but it does define an attitude toward God beyond simple belief.

What about fearing God?

The 4th mitzvah is that we are commanded to establish in our minds fear and dread of G‑d (exalted be He); that we not be calm and nonchalant, but be constantly concerned of imminent punishment [for misdeeds.]

The biblical source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "You shall fear G‑d your Lord."

Sefer Hamitzvot
Fearing G-d
Positive Commandment 4
Chabad.org

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." -Luke 12:4-5

That seems to take care of fear. But is there anything Jesus said or a teaching in the Apostolic scriptures that commands non-Jewish disciples to sanctify the Name of God? Before proceeding, let's take a quick look at the definition of "sanctify".

To make holy; to consecrate. Set aside for sacred or ceremonial use; To free from sin; to purify; To make acceptable or useful under religious law or practice; To endorse with religious sanction.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sanctify

Make holy, to reverence as holy, or to give authority to.
www.godonthe.net/dictionary/s.html

I'd probably expand that a bit to include "to honor", "to elevate", "to treat as holy and separate". When we sanctify the Name of God, we perform acts (prayer, charity, righteous deeds) that lift up the reputation of God in our eyes and in the eyes the world. Based on what we find in the Torah and Talmud, no one would question a Jew's duty to sanctify the Name of God. But does a non-Jew, and particularly a non-Jew who has become a disciple of the Jewish Messiah, have the same duty?

Maybe...maybe not. It depends on what translation of the Bible you're using.

The King James Bible translates 1 Peter 3:15 as:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear

This seems to give us an answer that we Gentile disciples have the same, or similar duty to God as do the Jews, to sanctify or to make holy His Name. However, virtually every other Bible translation, at least in English, says something like "But in your hearts set apart (sanctify) Christ as Lord" (New International Version), specifying our duty to sanctify Christ or the Messiah, not God the Father. You can see the list of translations for the verse I'm referring to at bible.cc.

There are a number of verses in the Apostolic scriptures that talk about people being sanctified by God or His Spirit (Romans 15:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Jude 1:1) and that we are sanctified in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 6:11), but we don't see a lot said about us specifically sanctifying or making holy the Name of God in our lives or in the lives of others as non-Jewish disciples of the Jewish Messiah.

I can't believe we aren't supposed to, or that we are somehow forbidden to, treat the Name of God as Holy. Yet it is apparent that, from a Jewish point of view, this duty rests solely in the hands of those who received the Torah from the Prophet Moses at Sinai. This may well be true if you believe that only the 7 Noahide Laws apply to all Gentiles everywhere, but did not the coming of the Messiah and the opportunity Matthew 28:19-20 affords us to become his disciples not change anything for us?

It's probably my poor scholarship that is creating the problem here from a Christian perspective, but where can we see that, as Christians or disciples of the Messiah, we have a responsibility to treat as holy and honorable, the Name of God? I hate to say it this way, but it makes "common sense" that we are supposed to revere the Name of God. After all, we know we are to love Him and to reverently fear Him. But where is the Holiness by which we are to treat Him? Didn't Jesus teach us anything about that?

The road is long and often, we travel in the dark.

Flickering

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu
l'had'lik neir shel Shabbat. (Amein)

Blessed are you, Oh Lord, our God,
King of the universe
Who has sanctified us with His commandments
and commanded us to light the lights of Shabbat. (Amen)

Shabbat Kiddush

For those of you who observe a traditional Sabbath in some manner, you probably recognize the blessing over the candles, typically recited by the woman of the household to welcome in the Shabbat:

At least two candles should be lit, representing the dual commandments to remember and to keep the sabbath. The candles are lit by the woman of the household. After lighting, she waves her hands over the candles, welcoming in the sabbath. Then she covers her eyes, so as not to see the candles before reciting the blessing...The hands are then removed from the eyes, and she looks at the candles, completing the mitzvah of lighting the candles.

Judaism 101

Probably the candle lighting ceremony in Judaism that is best known to non-Jews is the lighting of the Chanukah menorah, which symbolizes the ancient Jewish victory over their Hellenistic oppressors and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple of God.

In Judaism, and in other religious traditions, candles or light represent a state of spiritual illumination and even a guide on the path of holiness.

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path -Psalm 119:105

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16

We see a strong image in these verses that both the Word of God and His living Word, the Jewish Messiah, are our light and our guide on the journey of holiness set before us by our Creator. And while God and Jesus (Yeshua) can never fail to be our light, the light within each of us is not invulnerable. Like any living thing, the Spirit; the light within each of us, must be protected, fed, and nurtured, or it will dim and finally fade away.

We were so close, there was no room
We bled inside each others wounds
We all had caught the same disease
And we all sang the songs of peace
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Some came to keep the dark away
So raise the candles high, 'cause if you don't
We could stay black against the night
Oh raise them higher again and if you do
We could stay dry against the rain

Melanie Safka
Lay Down (1970)

Even in popular songs (from when I was young, anyway), candles are used to symbolize the same things as in the world of faith. Without the light that God gives to each of us, we will "stay black against the night". The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) abundantly warns us against the dangers of allowing our lamps to run out of oil, and both oil and light in the Bible often represent the Spirit of God.

I should be happy that another Sabbath is approaching. Friday is here, the work week is winding down, and tonight, I have the privilege of watching my wife light the Shabbos candles and witnessing a special holiness enter my small home. At once, it's such a simple and yet magnificent event. On many occasions, it is the candle lighting is the biggest joy of my Sabbath experience.

But like some other Fridays, I approach the Shabbat with a mixed sense of anticipation and melancholy. I find that the uncertainty of the future of my faith and the congregation where I currently worship, has cast a shadow over my rest that even the light within me cannot overcome. Then again, maybe it's my candle that is burning low. The wick is almost exhausted and the oil is all but consumed.

I'm holding out my only candle, though it's so little light to find my way
Now this story's been laid beneath my candle
And it's shorter every hour as it reaches for the day
Yes, I feel just like a candle in the way

Jackson Browne
Song for Adam (1972)

Like most people in the dark, my eyes are searching for some source of light I can focus upon, no matter how faint. I keep looking around me, but my sight is growing dim and my eyes are getting weary. Or is it just that the only light I'm looking vainly for is the one that is supposed to be within me? Where is the "light upon my path" I am trying to find?

Oh people, look among you
It`s there your hope must lie
There`s a sea bird above you
Gliding in one place like Jesus in the sky
We all must do the best we can
And then hang on to that Gospel plow
When my life is over, I`m going to stand before the Father
But the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now

Jackson Brown
Rock Me on the Water (1972)

This is why we can never let ourselves be isolated and alone. Most of us, or maybe I'm only speaking for myself, can't sustain our "lights to the world" very long without support. The ten virgins were ten, after all, and they had each other for comfort and encouragement if need be, while waiting for the groom to arrive.

Melanie Safka's classic lyrics say that we either hold our candles high or we "stay black against the night". The world we live in is dark and the only light we can see by is the one we accept from God. But having accepted it, we must nurture and protect it. For that, we need help. If that help is not forthcoming, we're like a candle in the wind.

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Candle in the Wind (1973)

This song was written in memory of actress Marilyn Monroe, but it describes all of us; it describes me. Jackson Browne's lyrics speak of a hope within each of us, a connection to Jesus "in the sky" and a future standing "before the Father". John's and Taupin's song speaks of a life lived in loneliness and a flame that did not survive the struggle to stay aglow.

Perhaps, knowing all this, the custom of candle lighting to welcome in the Shabbat exists to remind us that we are not alone in the dark. There is a light shining in the blackness and even though it sometimes seems dim and far away, it is always there. Even when the light within us threatens to be extinguished, His light can never fail. If only I can keep my eyes on the light and not give in to the shadowy abyss.

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Friedrich Nietzsche

The road is long and often, we travel in the dark.

Imagining Ourselves

And he set up the enclosure around the Tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen for the gate of the enclosure. When Moses had finished the work, the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, on their various journeys; but if the cloud did not lift, they would not set out until such time as it did lift. For over the Tabernacle a cloud of the Lord rested by day, and fire would appear in it by night, in the view of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys. -Exodus 40:33-38

I've often tried to imagine what it must have been like to stand there with all those millions of people, surrounding the newly constructed Tabernacle. I imagine that the immense crowd is hushed with anticipation. Moses has just finished the last piece of construction, putting up the screen for the gate of the enclosure. Everything is set. We are waiting. And then it happens.

There's nothing in the text that suggests this, but I always picture this scene as happening at night. The "cloud" of fire is descending slowly, majestically, in awesome wonder as three million people collectively hold their breath. The cloud descends and enters the Tabernacle which, up to this moment, was completely dark.

Then suddenly, the structure explodes with light and the weight of His Presence causes the earth to tremble. Three million people gasp and then burst forth in cheers and songs of praise and worship. The Lord God Almighty finally lives among His people!

It would have been the thrill of a lifetime to just have witnessed those few moments when the Divine Presence rested upon the Tabernacle, even if, after it was over, I was asked to leave. After all, I'm not one of the Children of Israel.

It might surprise you to find out that I also imagine myself living in Jerusalem in the time of Yeshua. No, I'm not so bold as to even imagine a personal meeting with the Jewish Messiah. Encounters between Yeshua and non-Jews were rare and he had come for "the lost sheep of Israel".

But I see myself approaching the Temple. I'm only allowed as far as the court of the Gentiles, of course, and I pick out a place for myself at the back of the court, furthest away from where the Jews are able to enter to be closer to "the Presence". I try to stay to the shadows, being unworthy to even be this close. As a non-Jew, I wouldn't be wearing a tallit, but I hope for a hood or a shroud to cover myself in the wings of prayer and then to silently petition and praise the God of the Jews.

It would be an honor just to touch those stones and walk the ground on which the Temple was built, even for a few moments. I think I would wonder what it would be like to go in. What a moment it would be if someone like me could offer a sacrifice and have it be accepted...even just one time. But that wouldn't be possible and after my prayers, I would have to leave.

I sometimes imagine being in a small synagogue in the diaspora, worshiping in the back on Shabbat with other goyim God-fearers. I have trouble picturing this part, because as far as I understand it, people memorized the prayers in those days. Would I have learned Hebrew prayers from the Jewish worshipers to offer the King or would I only speak my thoughts and my heart in my native tongue? How I would tremble in wonder at the realization that we could pray to the One God, even though as a non-Jew, I'd be separated from the more formal worship that was occurring at the front of the synagogue.

While I could never approach it, let alone read from it, I imagine the removal of the Torah from the ark as the highlight of my Shabbat worship. In a way, its appearance in the congregation is an echo of the initial moment when the Divine Presence inhabited the Mishkan, those many centuries ago.

I wonder what it would all have been like?

I sometimes imagine myself being among the Gentiles accompanying Cornelius and his household and listening to the words of the Apostle Peter, a man who had walked with the Messiah himself, as this happened:

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. -Acts 10:44-48

We take so much for granted today. Who we are. What we believe. The condition of our faith. The nature of God. But we are all supposed to be connected to these people and these events and most of all, though the Messiah, we are supposed to be connected to God. I was thinking about this piece of dialog between Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) in the Star Trek, The Next Generation episode Samaritan Snare:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard: There's no greater challenge than the study of philosophy.
Wesley Crusher: But William James won't be on my Starfleet exams.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: The important things never will be. Anyone can be trained in the mechanics of piloting a starship.
Wesley Crusher: And Starfleet Academy...
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Takes more. Open your mind to the past - art, history, philosophy. And all this may mean something.

We blog about so many things but in the end, just as Picard says to Wesley, it takes more. While we obsess over our own versions of "Starfleet exams" and "Starfleet academy", the important things aren't going to be on those "exams" (or in many cases, in those blogs). It takes more.

In our case, we must open our minds (and our hearts) to God, His Word, the Messiah, His Glory, His Honor, and the unimaginable opportunity we have been offered just to be a small part of it all.

Blogging creates the illusion that we're very important people in the greater scheme of things. Yet anyone can create a blog in just a few minutes and start publishing his or her words and "wisdom" into the blogosphere for any one to read. But in all our blogging and posting (and I'm just as guilty of this as anyone...probably more), does it matter so much what our opinions are or the concepts we're trying to convey? Are we missing the point?

When Moses had finished the work, the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

Aren't moments like these the real point? Isn't quietly sitting in the back of the synagogue, or in a corner in the court of the Gentiles at the Temple (for me) contemplating God and His awesomeness really what's supposed to be happening?

I hope that, blogging and commenting on blogs for six days of the week, that on the Shabbat, we can find a small, quiet shadow to visit and, standing before His Presence, we humbly realize truly who we are, and who He is and ask ourselves why we treat people who are sacred to God as profane.

The road is long and often, we travel in the dark, ignoring the light of the world. Look for the lamp to light the path.

"A Jew never gives up. We're here to bring Mashiach, we will settle for nothing less." -Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh

What Did Jesus Change? Sons of Abraham

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. -Matthew 3:7-9

I'll say upfront that some of you reading this won't like what I'm about to say and certainly will argue against my opinion, but I've been considering this for quite some time and today, I gave it a voice.

I've been trying to identify what specifically has been bothering me about the various comments in the Messianic blogsphere since I started involving myself in this environment. While there have been blogs seeking to establish unity within the Messianic realm posted lately, such as Dan Benzvi's Is a meaningful dialoge possible? You bet! and Judah Himango's Some things we agree on, the question is, have the discussions been agreeable? Not really.

One of the issues for me is that the representatives of the Bilateral Ecclesiology "branch" of Messianic Judiasm (though this isn't the only expression of MJ), seem to equate the idea of them needing to be treated with respect as needing to be agreed with all the time. Of course, we all want everyone to agree with us. That's human nature. Most of us realize that this is an unrealistic desire, though.

I recall Gene Shlomovich saying that there have been One Law and Two House representatives who have "repented" and have since agreed with his position. Does that mean if I disagree with Gene or more generally with MJ/BE I have sinned and need to repent? Is having a difference of opinion a sin?

It seems as if MJ/BE is saying that, because they are "Sons of Abraham", they should automatically be respected (and perhaps agreed with), regardless of anything else including what they say and how they behave towards others. While I agree that Jewish people (Messianic and non-Messianic alike) have a unique covenant relationship with God, that relationship doesn't entitle said-Jewish people automatic respect and deference in any debate, discussion, and encounter, simply because of their status as Jews.

Consider what John said in the above-referenced quote to the Pharisees and Sadducees when they presented that argument. Also, consider the words of Paul:

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. -Romans 11:17-23

No, I didn't miss the part that says the Jewish people are the natural branches and the Gentiles are the "wild olive branches", nor the part later on that says all of Israel will be saved, but look at the "glue" that keeps both the natural and wild branches attached to the root. It's faith. Any of the branches can be glued in or knocked off depending on their faith status, not their ethnic status and not even their covenant status. Righteousness isn't a matter of who you are but a matter of your faith and what you do with it. This goes all the way back to Abraham.

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. -Genesis 15:6

Paul confirms this in Romans 4:3

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Respect isn't automatic, even in the sight of God. It's what we do, our "fruits" that make a difference, not just our covenant status. How you tie your tzitzit or if you do or don't wear tzitzit, while important within its context, isn't as important as the weighter matters of the Torah. It's these weighter matters, love, kindness, justice, charity, that are never mentioned in any of our blog conversations and comments. While One Law is most often accused of lacking these characteristics, I haven't seen them discussed significantly by MJ either.

Naturally, we must have a relationship with God in the first place, but once that's established, it's what we do with that relationship that counts. We can't simply wear our status like a t-shirt or some other garment and expect that's the length, depth, and breadth of our responsibility to God and to other people.

No, we don't earn salvation, it's free, but we still have to make the choice to accept an active relationship with God and then accept the lifestyle that goes along with it. For instance, how many religious leaders expect to be automatically obeyed and respected just because they're religious leaders, not because they're necessarily leading a holy and Godly lifestyle? I'm not comparing the individuals or the groups associated with MJ/BE with such leaders, but only offer them as examples of folks who thought their "status" earned them respect and entitlement, not their behavior.

Respect can't be demanded. You can't insist I respect you and seriously believe I'll roll over. Even children don't respect their parents beyond a certain point unless the parent behaves in the child's and family's best interest and not just in their own.

In Judaism, you have a position relative to God in the merit of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but that diminishes or even deletes any personal responsibility. It's why a Jewish man, even if he is a Buddist or an atheist (but not a Christian or Messianic) can go into any synagogue in the world and still get an aliyah and read from the Torah.

So what did Yeshua change in terms of the Sons of Abraham? How about this:

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. -Galatians 3:29

Paul was specifically addressing Gentiles in this letter and so was affirming that non-Jewish believers are also Sons of Abraham, and not merely Sons of Noah, as rabbinic Judaism would consider Gentiles.

While we can say that Yeshua came for the lost sheep of Israel and not for the Gentiles, most of these arguments specifically ignore (as I've mentioned before) John 10:14-16 when Yeshua says he is the Good Shepherd of both the Jewish and Gentile flocks, and Matthew 28:16-20 when he commands his Jewish disciples to also make disciples for him from among all non-Jewish people on Earth.

Also, while we may argue about which commands of Yeshua do and don't apply to Gentile believers, consider these examples that go to the very core of our faith:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:34-35

Yes, Yeshua was speaking to his Jewish disciples, but are we to truly believe this doesn't apply to the later Gentile disciples? Does it mean that Jewish disciples are only supposed to love other Jewish disciples and Gentile disciples are only supposed to love other Gentile disciples, in some sort of "bilateral" way? If we only show love and kindness to those who are like us and disrespect those who are not, to quote Yeshua, "..even the tax collectors and pagans do that".

Of course, the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40, for example) contain what I consider the two "big buckets" for all the commandments. We are to love our God with everything we've got and, out of that love for God, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. When Yeshua said All the Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments, it's as if he were saying that they were the containers for all of the Torah and the writings of the Prophets. While we can all take these directives at face value and run with them, we can also dig into the buckets and explore what they contain...a wealth of God's wisdom, justice, and mercy for every disciple of Yeshua. If the words of Yeshua are not obeyed by all his followers, Jewish and Gentile alike then the little minutiae we argue about doesn't amount to much.

Those commandments are at the heart of the "stuff" we argue about (food, tzitzit, etc...). The "stuff" is just the interface by which we operationalize our encounters with God, they are not a means unto themselves. Just like the sacrifices didn't save, though they had meaning and purpose.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise. -Psalm 51:16-17

It's the inner man who matters. Yes, Judaism says that even a good deed committed with a bad motive "counts", but it doesn't mean that having bad attitudes and going through the motions is desirable. It's just a place to start.

In dealing with my walk and with the MJ/BE/OL communities, I have considered walking away for it, usually due to the lack of unity I experience, not within my local group, but with the larger body of Messianic believers. I don't mind disagreements and discussion, it's the name calling and the snide, (and sometimes) behind the back remarks I find unworthy of followers of the Messiah. You may all be Rabbis and have advanced religous degrees and places of leadership within your own congregations, but that doesn't make it right to violate the command of Yeshua or the dignity of others.

In Judaism, the concept of Lashon Hara (the evil tongue) has much thought and literature dedicated to it, yet few if any of us pay any attention to it and feel free to violate this tenet whenever we please.

In our zeal to find a movement or person to follow that gives us an "edge", we've forgotten these words of Paul.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. -1 Corinthians 1:10-17

If we have one shepherd, how come we're not acting like one flock. It's not like we're even acting like two flocks (Jews and Gentiles) but half a dozen flocks or more, each with our own priorities and requirements that we adhere to, regardless of the impact on others. I don't care who you are, Jew or Gentile, Messianic or One Law, Rabbi, or Pastor or whatever other label you attach to yourself. Messiah is all or he is nothing.

It's not about having all the answers, it's about continuing to ask questions. Our study of the Word, along with our walk with the Messiah isn't just something that happens once and then we're done. It's a journey we take all our lives. Sometimes we find we've made a wrong turn and have to change direction, but that's part of the journey

The greatest single thing for which I admire FFOZ is their courage in admitting they believe they made a mistake and then taking steps to correct it, no matter what the cost. I may not always agree with everything they say, but they have the courage of their convictions and a sincere desire to serve the Messiah.

You may think you have all the answers and I know that I don't. I know I'll pursue God all the days of my life, looking for how he wants me to serve Him better.

Being holy is a process, not an event. Don't imagine you've arrived. Once you stop questioning your assumptions and believe you are right all the time, you've stopped growing in God. You may impress the people around you or you may hurt or damage others, even to the point of preventing people from coming to faith, but are you truly listening to God?

That's how you teach...not as an expert...but as a student. Someone who expects to continue learning throughout life. As I said, it's not so much having all the answers, but being able to ask the right questions.

What did Jesus change? He brought the Gentiles into the family of God. I'm not sure there was agreement in the original Messianic Jewish movement about what to do with us and I'm sure there isn't agreement with what to do with us now. But we're here because God wants us to be here and because Yeshua is our shepherd and we, just like the Jewish flock, are also his sheep...and sons of Abraham.