Posted on 03/21/2005 1:36:27 PM PST by 1 spark
ABOUT a month before Easter this year, I received a poignant letter from a prominent Seattle-area evangelical Christian businessman, a passionate activist for Israel. He wrote to invite me for a kosher meal at his home — and to discuss Jesus.
He did not, he promised, intend to evangelize me, a believing Jew. Rather, as a leader in the growing movement of Christians and Jews allying on behalf of the Jewish state, he was puzzled about what we Jews believe about the Christian savior. He was, he said, "ashamed that I never engaged my friends in what is the most important aspect of their lives, their faith, simply because some Christians — not Jews — told me to never ask these questions of my Jewish friends, or risk deeply offending them."
With the approach of the most holy day on the Christian liturgical calendar, his questions deserve answers. As citizens of a largely Christian society, most Americans see Easter through Christian eyes: as a commemoration of Christ's death and resurrection, which won salvation for all mankind. My Christian friend was asking why Jews don't see Easter as he does.
In wondering, he is far from alone. The new political alliance of conservative Jews and Christians has aroused curiosities. Jews like me who work with evangelicals and other Christian conservatives are often asked, by friends and colleagues mustering their courage, how nice people like us could possibly reject the risen Christ.
How, indeed. The best answer may be that what distinguishes the two religions above all is that Jews never saw a need for the sacrifice recalled at Easter.
The apostle Paul, who originated the most distinctive ideas in Christianity, taught that salvation is not something you buy with deeds — in particular, not with the Torah's system of 613 commandments, whose practice he explained could now be discarded. Rather, salvation is God's gift. God gave the ultimate gift in the form of Jesus' saving death.
Later Christian theologians boasted of God's unmerited "grace" as if it were a unique feature of their religion, while Jews were stuck with a discouraging faith where you try to earn your way to heaven by performing commandments. This represents a misunderstanding of Judaism.
As the Bible's book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to King Solomon, advises, "Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a glad heart, for God has already approved your deeds." At the same time, Solomon crystallized the heart of biblical religion: "Be in awe of God and keep his commandments, for that is man's whole duty." How were the two ideas reconcilable?
In the Jewish understanding, salvation came in the form of the covenant given to Moses on Mount Sinai — God's gift. The commandments a Jew performs do not "earn" salvation. They are merely the response that God asks to the fact that the Jew is already saved — "God has already approved your deeds." As a fundamental Jewish text, the Mishnah, puts it, "All of Israel has a share in the world to come." Non-Jewish peoples had their own covenant with God, received by Noah after the flood. It worked the same way.
What about the great Jerusalem temple, often depicted as a mechanism for "purchasing" forgiveness with sacrificed animals — before the building was destroyed 40 years after Jesus died? Surely, this made the need for Christ's sacrifice clear.
But Solomon also said that when the Jews were in exile, without a temple, they "should repent saying, 'We have sinned; we have been iniquitous; we have been wicked,' and they [will] return to you with all their heart and with all their soul — may you hear their prayer and their supplication from heaven and forgive your people who sinned against you."
In Judaism, repentance is always available to people, Jews and non-Jews, who wish to "get right" with God. The temple sacrifices were an aid to this, not a precondition. That was proved by the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE. The first temple lay in ruins for 70 years (before a new one was built). If God saw no need then for a sacrificial Christ, why would there ever be a need?
The offer of Christianity, for Jews, amounts to giving up the unique grammar of our relationship with God, the commandments, in return for a gift that we already had. This is why Easter is a day on which we should wish Christians all the blessings of their faith — a faith, however, that if we understand our own, we can never share.
For study.
I'm a student and lover of truth whereever it may be found. Does Hebrew scripture say that Adam and Eve did not offer sacrifice?
It doesn't say anything about it one way or another.
You can read an awful lot into scripture by arguing from silence.
I'm a student and lover of truth whereever it may be found.
I'll take that as a "yes", then. ;o)
So if I wanted to guess too, I could say that they did.
Nope, not a denominationalist.
God grief!
Why is truth your worst enemy?
You can't imagine it away.
I'm glad He did that for all of us however I am not going to thank mortals (dare I say it? Jews)! for instigating it and ensuring it was carried out. I'm not part of the ridiculous "Christ killer" crowd either.
If your standard of evidence is that low, I suppose you could. But then, I could say that, after Adam's children were grown, he built a spaceship and took a tour around the galaxy. There is equally as much evidence for that.
Jewish Christians are Christians not Jews.
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Jewish people are as much "ethnically" Jewish as they are "Religous". There are plenty of atheist/secular Jews as well as Christian ones.
Your Bible says this. Mine doesn't.
It is the Jews who started all of it.
That seems to be a pretty common theme with you.
Sorry, but in the "who is a Jew" debate, you don't get a vote.
I'm quite familiar with the Christian mistranslations and misinterpretations of Isaiah 53
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You raise an interesting point aboput the translations of the Bible that are available. I do not think them completely accurate in regards to the Old Testement and I also think that the New Testement has parts that have been ommitted and lost. I hope that one day I can have the time and the money to read through all the arguements and the main documents to asses what is correct and what is misinterpreted.
In the mean time I am happy to accept Jesus's teachings as my road to salvation and would encourage people of all faiths to follow the strengths of Jesus's lessons in life.
I am pointing out the fact that people are genetically and racially Jewish as well as religously.
No, it isn't. In your own particular interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures, perhaps (you probably think Isaiah 53 supports your position). But what you said was, "His people would not find Him acceptable". Which is a pretty staightforward paraphrase of John 1:11, not part of the "Old Testament".
In any event it's a known FACT.
It is a "known fact" that Jews rejected Jesus's messianic claims. Anything beyond that (including your belief that Jesus is the messiah) is a matter of faith, not "fact". If you disagree, then PROVE it.
Be in denial, if you must.
Believe whatever you wish since the truth is NOT something you plan on accepting anytime soon.
Believe pigs fly too!
Jewish Christians are Messianic Jews, and fulfilled Jews because they have found their Messiah. That does not make them any less Jewish.
I am not changing any rules... I am telling it what is written in the Holy Scriptures. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is the "miracle" of the birth. Jesus had to be born pure, without sin, and this is the way God through His Spirit atoned for sin of the world once and for all.
"Either Jesus was the Son of God or of the Davidic line."
HE IS BOTH.
In Hebrew almah means "young woman". Mary was a young woman, and also a virgin, and had not yet married Joseph, according to the scriptures.
"Are you suggesting the Jesus was born before the Babylonian conquest."
Jesus always was. He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He came down from heaven to atone for the sin of man through the disobediance of Adam and Eve.(Genesis). For that all have sinned and all will die.
Genesis 26 reads: " And God said, Let US make man in our image. Who is God talking about? Who is US. It is Jesus, of course. Jesus has always been with God. This is fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John Ch 1, (1) In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, (Jesus) and the Word(Jesus) was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (Genesis 1:1) (3) All things were mad by him (Jesus, God); and without him (Jesus, God) was not any thing made that was made. (4) In him Jesus, God) was life; and the life was the light of men.
I do not know the exact year that Jesus came to earth, but he definitly was alive and around (with God) during the Babylonian conquest according to the foregoing scriptures. He always was because He himself is God.
Thank you, I shall.
since the truth is NOT something you plan on accepting anytime soon.
Funny, because I think my beliefs are true, and yours are false.
"Either Jesus was the son of God or of the Davidic line."
HE IS BOTH.
Jewish Christians are Christians not Jews.
Jewish Christians are fulfilled Jews and Messanic Jews. Being a Christian Jew does not make them any less Jewish, You do not lose your Jewry, you become a fulfilled Jew with your Messiah Jesus Christ.
I am not changing any rules, I am giving you prophetic scripture.
"The Hebrew word almah means "young woman" not "virgin".
Mary was a "young woman as well as a vigin.
2. For a marriuage to be proper, the man and woman must consumate the relationship.
Joseph was betrothed to Mary, but had not yet married her, according to the scriptures. Jesus had to be born of a pure blood line, (virgin) without sin so He could be the atonement for the sins of the world, this is why the marriage had not yet been consumated. This is the miracle of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, who came of God.
3. Are you suggesting that Jesus was born before the Babylonian conquest?
Jesus always was. He and God are the same. I do not know the exact date Jesus came to earth as the Son of God, but he was with God at the time of the Babylonian conquest.
In Genesis, Ch. 1 v. 26, God said, Let 'US' make a man in 'OUR' image., after 'OUR' likeness.
Who is the "US" God is talking about. This implies more than one person, right? So someone had to be with God at the time He creataed man. He said let us make a man in OUR image, NOT my image. Again, this signifies more than one person with God at the time of creation. This is none other than Jesus himself.
This is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John, Ch. 1
In the beginning was the "Word and the Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God. (2) The same was in the beginning WITH God. (Genesis 1:1) (3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
The "Word" is Jesus, whom John is talking about.
(10)He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
(11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
(12) But as manyh as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
(14) And the "Word" was made flesh, (Jesus) and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotton of the Father, full of grace and truth.
I thought it logical that if Cain and Abel offered up sacrifice, why would not Adam and Eve? Was not their transgression responsible for the institution of sacrifice to begin with?
Are you an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ancient manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures. Because if you are, you would not say such a thing.
Not to my knowledge. There have been up dated studies on the ancient manuscripts to verify the authenticity.
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