The Triumph Of Early Christianity

The Triumph Of Early Christianity

I recently finished reading a book by Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity, How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement became the Dominant Religious Force in a Few Centuries. There are important sections with useful information for us all.

I first became acquainted with Rodney Stark in 1968 when I was taking the Sociology of Religion at Wheaton. His book was Religion and Society in Tension, by himself and Charles Glock. There were many surveys of the people in the denominations. The book was one of the first that showed that churches with classical confessions of faith and high commitment levels do better. This has continued to be shown in every study of religious organizations since. (Eg. Dean Kelly, What Conservative Churches are Growing) Rodney Stark is now 86 years old. He lived his life as one of our most brilliant sociologists but was exceptional in his appreciation of Christianity. Most sociologists to not have this appreciation. Though an agnostic for most of his life, in 2007 he professed Christianity.

There were three important conclusions from his writing. First, in the first 4 centuries and perhaps even continuing, Christianity was very Jewish in rooting and orientation. Secondly, that Christianity was the greatest force for the liberation and elevation of women that that world had ever seen. Lastly, that Christianity overtook paganism not only due to the conditions of pagan society leaving a vacuum of meaning, but that Christianity provided a far superior world view or superior ideas.

The rapid growth of Christianity was in part due to the presence of the synagogues and Jewish populations in the Diaspora. The Judaism of the Diaspora was more open to Hellenistic ideas than in Israel. This enabled Jews in the Diaspora to be more a part of the larger society. This more flexible Judaism attracted many Gentile God Fearers. Both would be able to entertain the new faith in Yeshua. Yes, there was rejection but enough of a response by both that there was real progress. It was not ordinary pagans that were first attracted to Christianity but those who were influenced by the Jewish people. I would say that the synagogue was the pre-evangelism center for the Yeshua movement.

Secondly Christianity elevated women more than any other religion, far more than paganism and even more than Judaism. Of course, this is very contrary to the received narrative of today’s feminists that see Christianity as oppressive and patriarchal. Yes, later Christianity was more restrictive, but not early Christianity. Let us contrast other cultures. Mao famously said, “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” In other words, physical force determines rulership. In almost all cultures worldwide men have ruled and suppressed women. Sometimes it was very harsh. Men can do so because they are physically stronger and have historically exercised that physical strength as giving them the right to dominate. I have read on cultures form India, China, Japan, Europe and Africa, and it is mostly the same. In the Roman Empire this was also the case. Women were treated as the property of the men, who could marry a 12 year old and have sexual relations, could divorce at will, and could live by a double standard for his own sexual promiscuity. In addition, women were forced to have abortions. It was a common practice. Many women died from this. Girl babies were often not desired and were given up in infanticide exposure. Christianity or we could say the Bible required men to treat women as equally created in the image of God, to give up domination and replace it by love and mutual service. The image in Ephesians 5 of the husband loving and caring for the wife and the other texts exhorting such love are unique for that time. By requiring marital fidelity and in valuing children as created in the image of God, the Church forbade abortions and infanticide. This also elevated women. Finally, women were frequently given important leadership roles in the churches as ordained deacons. Wealthy women were attracted to the faith and were a key to supporting and leading in humanitarian endeavors. Never in world history were women so valued and elevated. The elevation of the worth of children produced Christian population growth while the population for the large Empire was in decline.

Finally, Christianity taught the most attractive doctrine. In a world with capricious gods who wanted sacrifices but did not really care about humans, and gods who did evil to one another and to people from time to time, Christianity taught a unique monotheism where the creator God “so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son.” This was astonishing. Pagan religion did not teach that the gods cared about human beings. Christianity taught that we are to love one another and even to love our enemies. During the great Roman plagues, where some estimate that 1/3 of the Roman population perished (160-260), Christians reached beyond caring for their own to caring for the larger population in nursing and aid. The response of the pagans was to flee the sick while the Christians served the sick. And indeed, Christians survived in larger numbers due to this care but also some Romans thought due to supernatural power. The depth of commitment was a real influence too. Stark shows that high commitment movements thrive and do not allow for free riders. This is shown in the amazing witness of martyrdom by the leaders. Christians in that era knew the teaching of their faith and lived it. They were disciples.

These are important lessons for us as Messianic Jews and Christians if we are to thrive again.

Restoring Jewish Roots to the church

I have been a shepherd in the Messianic Jewish world for 48 1/2 years now. The primary focus of the Messianic Jewish movement was and should be winning and discipling Jewish people. However, there is a second and important purpose. Our existence raises questions that give us an opportunity to restore Jewish roots to the churches. And what did we mean by that? First of all, it was to see the churches, first with its leaders, to understand the Bible in its original Jewish context. This meant that “replacement theology” the doctrine that the Church had replaced Israel and was the new and true Israel would be rejected and secondly that the election of the Jewish people/Israel would be solidly embraced. This as well would lead to a much better reading of Scripture. We also intended that the Church would embrace the foundational stand of the Messianic Jewish congregations, that Jews who come to faith in Yeshua are called to identify and live as Jews. The Messianic Jewish movement was not against the Protestant Evangelical heritage but affirmed it. We wanted to add understanding to it. Restoring Jewish Roots did not mean destroying the Christian heritage, whether holidays, worship on Sunday, Christmas carols and other Church practices, hymns, liturgy, and holidays which were not contrary to the Bible.

However, some years later, in the 1980s a Jewish Roots Movement began that was apart from the Messianic Jewish world. Some teachers were solid, with very good teaching and some took wrong turns that brought us great concern. At its worst, some promoting Jewish roots taught that Christians, the churches, were responsible to keep the Sabbath and Jewish Feasts according to the Biblical calendar and more. This came close to what we dubbed “One Law Movements,” which the Messianic Jewish movement worldwide largely rejected. What then do we think restoring Jewish roots should entail. I outline here the first two categories which we desire and then two further categories which we think violates the teaching of Galatians and Colossians 2 and Romans 14.

We desire that the Bible be understood in its original Jewish/biblical context. This means that we study the whole Bible. As part of this, we desire that the churches and its leaders would understand the weekly Sabbath and the Feast of Israel including: a. their historical meaning in ancient Israel and the historical events connected to them, b. their ancient agricultural meaning, c. how they were brought to fullness in the first coming of Yeshua and finally, d. how they will yet be fulfilled and are prophetic of the last of the last days and the Age to Come. The patterns of life given in the Bible for Israel have universal meaning that all are called to understand.
We desire that the Church would understand its own heritage in its connection to Jewish roots. The Church celebrates Good Friday as the recognition of the death of Yeshua as the atonement for all. Good Friday is rooted in and participates in Passover meanings and this should be taught and understood by the Church. It is especially fitting that it be taught on Good Friday to bring out the fullness of Yeshua’s sacrifice. Also, Pentecost is celebrated as the anniversary of the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2). The Jewish Feast should be understood as its background and why God chose this Feast for the outpouring with all of its harvest meanings

These first two points are explained in my books Jewish Roots, and Israel, the church and the Last Days. We think it is appropriate and fitting for the churches to pray and be led by the Spirit to join with Messianic Jews during the seasons of the Feasts for celebrations near the days of the Feasts. But this has to be by the Spirit and not by any enjoined rule or sense that it would be superior to others that do not so embrace such celebrations. For us the Fall Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) which Zechariah 14 denotes as the international celebration of the Kingdom of God could be a special time together. On the Saturday night during Sukkot week, we used to have a great interchurch celebration.

The third category is that it is better and so much richer if the churches give up their Christian Holy Days, and embrace instead the Biblical Holy Days since they are the Feasts of the Lord. (On the contrary we believe that embracing such Holy Days is a matter of freedom and the leading of the Spirit.) Teaching a superior tradition for the churches in our view goes over the line of the clear warnings of Colossians and Galatians. These days are a shadow, and no one is to judge for the way gentiles embrace these celebrations or do not. Even the Sabbath is taught as principle (Heb. 4) but is never enjoined as something that should be kept for gentiles during this transitional age.

The fourth category is a more serious violation of Scripture when some teach that all Christians should keep the Torah in the same way that Jews do. Hence Jewish Roots is defined as keeping the Feasts, the Sabbath, and the food laws. Jewish roots is said to be thus restored. Scripture is explicit that this is wrong and that those who are not Jewish and circumcised are not responsible to keep the whole Law but only universal law. Of course, the details of this false view are problematic. What days do we keep? According to the Rabbinic Lunar calendar which we use in Israel? Most scholars today think that the Biblical calendar was a solar calendar and sometimes the Church Feast Days are closer to the Biblical days than the Jewish calendar. It is interesting that there is not one New Testament verse that exhorts gentiles to keep the seventh-day sabbath or the Biblical Feasts according to Biblical dating.

The Jewish Roots movement becomes a source of division rather than enrichment when it goes over the line to #3 and #4.

ON FAIRY STORIES: A Little Piece for Chanukah and Christmas

During graduate school, I was fascinated by a presentation by the famous apologist, Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, on J. R. R. Tolkien’s essay On Fairy Stories. Tolkien argued that all great fairy stories, and often great literary classics presented a general pattern that fit the Biblical narrative. Things start well, but then something happens whereby things go terribly wrong with great trials and suffering, but then there is redemption and victory for the good people, and they live happily every after. This, is, of course referring to the Biblical account where the human beginning is in the paradise of the Garden of Eden, but then things went terribly wrong through the temptation of the Serpent. Human life often became a trial of suffering. However, there are harbingers of the ultimate redemption and the great turn around in Israel’s escape from Egypt and entering into the promised land. Then there is the promise of the coming of the Messiah who will bring final deliverance for Israel and the healing of the nations. All will live in peace and joy under the rule of the Messiah. It is the great reversal. The coming of Yeshua began the process that will lead to the completion of redemption and to the “happily ever after.” So many sense that they are made for the happy ever after end.

Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, is one of the greatest fairy stories. Tolkien was firm on his exhortation that we should not see the novel as an allegory of the Gospel. However, that does not mean that it does not generally participate in a Biblical orientation because all great fairy stories do so. Only recently was I able to obtain a copy of this essay which I had read over 50 years ago.

My favorite Christmas Story is It’s a Wonderful Life. In this great classic we find that every good life touches many people, but we don’t often see it. When one life influences for good, that person touches others who touch others. The great thing about this story is that the lead character does find out that his life has been a wonderful one. Of course, he lives happily ever after. Now one does not really ever live happy for forever in this present life. Rather, he lives happy forever only in after the consummation and the return of Yeshua.

Chanukah is a preparatory story, a fairy tale in real life, real history. It tells us how Israel was delivered and re-attained their independence as a nation after terrible oppression under the Syrian Greeks. Without Chanukah there is no coming of Yeshua to a Jewish living nation in the first century. Chanukah tells a proximate fairy tale for the happy forever does not last. Alas, the descendants of the Maccabees become corrupt. Then the nation was then conquered by Rome. Eventually the Romans destroy the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary. The Christmas story brings the most amazing tale of the incarnation of Yeshua that leads to the amazing victory of the death and resurrection of Yeshua. But this is not the end of the story. That ending, the final happy ever after ending, comes about only in his Second Coming. We are in the middle of this greatest of all fairy stories, spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom, suffering, rejoicing, and onward until the final victory. That is the ultimate happy ending forever.

A New Covenant Siddur/ A Yeshua-Centered Messianic Jewish Worship Book

In 1990 I was wrestling with a question. Are the traditional Jewish prayer books, the Siddur and the Machzor, for the annual Holy Days, adequate for the worship expression of Messianic Jewish congregations. I understood that these prayer books were based on Scripture and quote much of Scripture in the prayers. The theology is mostly correct, but from a pre-Yeshua perspective. This has produced two approaches in the Messianic Jewish world. 1. The Siddur is the basic book for the Messianic Jewish gatherings with little besides incorporated in the worship service. This is the minority in the movement. The second is to use the Siddur as is, but then add New Covenant material of a more modern musical style. Often there are two parts to the service, the traditional service, and then the modern music part. They are often fully bifurcated. In the 1980s I was already dissatisfied with this approach and integrated Yeshua-centered modern worship with the ancient liturgy. Yet, we still suffered a bifurcation. Ancient liturgical material was pre-Yeshua. People learned that worshipping in the power of Yeshua explicitly was not in the liturgy but only in the modern musical pieces recently written. Then I believe that in 1989 the Lord began to speak to us about the fact that our worship did not bring out the fullness of fulfillment in Yeshua, and that our liturgy itself should reflect this. We were seeking God at Beth Messiah Congregation.

In 1991, I sensed a leading form the Lord to create a liturgy that was a response to a question. What would the Jewish liturgy/prayer books have been like had the prayers and hymns been created by followers of Yeshua? That summer, at my wife’s childhood home in upstate New York, I believe I was led to write a prayer book based on this question; based on the Siddur and Machzor content but with New Covenant Content explicitly in the liturgy. This included singable Hebrew and English. When it was first presented at Beth Messiah in the 1991 services for Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur, it received an amazing response. There was clapping and hallelujahs in response to liturgical prayer! The liturgy continued to receive a strong enthusiastic participation. Since then, off and on, we have been refining the work. Dr. David Friedman in Israel translated the English written Messianic Jewish liturgy into modern Hebrew. Then we paid for it to be pointed with the Hebrew vowels. We added references to the traditional prayer source in the Jewish prayer books. We included prayers for the annual Holy Days. We now have it complete in hardback and at a good price.

I recommend this book to you for your personal devotional life, for all Messianic Jewish congregations and churches with Messianic Jewish services. I believe this is a special publication for you, a conclusion of a 29-year project. Do order this and God bless you.

The Talmud Part One: The Mishneh

As a new leader in the Messianic Jewish world, 1972, I wanted to learn much more about Judaism. I began reading many books. One project still amazes me, and that was going through the Soncino English version of the Talmud. How deep was my understanding? I cannot evaluate it. I will say that such an exercise does give a person much more of a sense of Talmudic Judaism than many would think possible without years and years of study with Rabbis. Some years later, I studied other books on Rabbinic Judaism and especially Rabbi Jacob Neusner’s large volumes summarizing Rabbinic literature. Neusner, in my view, was the greatest scholar of Rabbinic Judaism who was not an Orthodox Jew (he was conservative). Then some months ago, I began to ask if I needed a review of the original source and decided to go through the Mishnah. I wanted to refresh my memory. The English version can be read and is just over 800 pages.

The Mishnah is the first part of the Talmud. It was passed down orally until written down by Rabbi Judah the Prince at the end of the second century. It is amazing for us moderns to realize how much was memorized and passed down, and this includes the Talmud part two. The second part of the Mishnah which covers more than 300 years after the Mishnah, is called the Gemara. It explains and expands on the content of the Mishnah.

The Mishnah is invaluable for describing both the Judaism of the first century Pharisees, but one has to be careful here and not read too much back into the first century. It also gives the consensus of practice from the end of the second century. It provides details on Israel’s Temple services, sacrifices, Feast celebrations and practices, Sabbath laws, and the basic practices of Synagogue prayer from that time. It also gives us applications of Torah, the laws of Moses, and how Rabbis of the time sought to apply the Torah including tort law, penalties, and capital offenses. Sometimes the applications are very wise and sometimes I scratch my head.

The largest amount of material in the Mishnah deals with laws of purity and holiness. This was a major emphasis of the Pharisees and sometimes was a source of conflict with Yeshua. The details of law upon law are stunning. It is building a fence around the Law so the law will not be violated, but then it builds a fence around the fence. So many of the decisions as to what counts as making one unclean and to what degree seem arbitrary and cry out for the greater explanations given in the Gemara. The level of legal hair-splitting in the Mishnah astonishes anyone who looks at it objectively without an overarching ethnic prejudice. Surely much in the Jewish heritage is good and beautiful and true, but in these legalistic pages upon pages, the question naturally arises. Is this what God wanted for our people: to give their primary attention to pages upon hundreds of pages of legal arguments and conclusions over matters that do not seem consequential and go way beyond the text of the Torah. The arguments often focus on what if questions? The Biblical law on what makes one clean and unclean and hence qualified for Temple involvement can be readily understood for 98 or 99% of the cases. The genius of the Rabbis is to focus on those 1% or 2% of questions of possible contamination with arguments of what does and does not contaminate. They want to cover every possibility of contamination even if remote. Once a conclusion is given, then the new question of a new 1% or 2% that arises from that can continue a new argument.

It is hard to not ask a question. Is this really what God is concerned with and what he really wanted our people to spend untold hours studying and arguing about, day after day, year after year, and century after century. Of course, outside of Orthodox Judaism, now a minority of Jews, Jews today take a much more flexible approach to these traditions and generally do not live by the strictures of the centuries past. Certainly, this did produce a great separation of our people and was used by God to preserve our people. But was this the necessary way of preservation? I do not believe that this reflects the ideal will of God. Is such focus a result of the failure to recognize Yeshua and his approach to Torah in the first century and the failure to recognize the post-resurrection apostolic witness? That is my conclusion. When Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel or America say they are studying Torah, they mean the Talmud and the Rabbinic traditions that continue the debate to this day. Rarely is Torah studied, though it is read through every year.

Hoshana Rabba

The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshana Rabba in Judaism. I am sending this out to you since this day begins. I previously sent a post on the meaning of Sukkot in general. Now I want to concentrate on this Seventh-day. Remember the 8th-day celebration that follows, a day of new creation. This is also an important Sabbath day.

This Feast is connected to prayers for rain and good crops for the coming year. As we have just celebrated the end of the year’s harvest, we look forward already to the new harvest that will come at Shavuot or Pentecost. The key to that harvest is rain and hence the prayer for rain with the hope that the early rains will start soon after the Feast and then continue into the Spring where we will see the latter rains. We are so much more conscious of this living in Israel. It is was on this very day of the Feast that Yeshua stood up and said,

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Now He said this about the Ruach whom those who trusted in Him were going to receive; for the Ruach was not yet given since Yeshua was not yet glorified.”

As rain produces fruitfulness and both satisfies our thirst and brings increase, so the Spirit satisfies our spiritual longing and brings increase, for by the Spirit we are able to see the harvest of people into the Kingdom. It is again fitting to remember the harvest themes of this season.

Scholars tell us that this might have been spoken in the context of the water-pouring ceremonies at that time. The priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and put this out in the Temple as an offering, signifying both giving our lives and calling for rain as well.

A great miracle was also connected to this time; the healing of the blind man in John 9. We again have a Sukkot theme, namely that Yeshua is the light of the World. This statement of Yeshua in John 8:12 promises those who follow Him will have the light of life. Thus the blind man is healed as an illustration of the physical of being healed of our spiritual blindness. His words, “I was blind, but now I see.” John 9:25. The context is the glory of the lamps that were lit in the court of the women that produced a grand glory over the Temple and the City.

As we celebrate Hoshana Rabba, let us remember these wonderful themes and renew and pray for the renewal of the power of the Spirit in us so that we may have inner satisfaction, walk in His light, and be part of the great harvest. It is fitting to pray for revival indeed.

Sukkot (Tabernacles) is Coming

Friday evening begins the Feast of Sukkot. In some ways, it will be sad here because the wonderful joyful harvest feast will be nothing like normal due to the virus shut down. Sukkot has great meaning, not only for Israelis and for all Jews, but for all committed Christians.

The command in Lev. 23 notes that this is to be a 7 day festival with the 8th day as a special assembly, Shimi Atzeret. Historically we recall the time in the wilderness before Israel entered the promised land. This was a time of supernatural provision despite the judgment. Those who experienced that judgment who were under 20 years of age when it began, would have survived that judgment of almost 40 years and would have had great memory. There was supernatural manna, meat, and water. Their clothes did not wear out. The Feast, therefore, is the supreme testimony from this memory that the LORD is our provider. This is why the directions for remembering the desert period were given for the largest and final harvest festival of the year. Can you imagine being a parent and not having your kids’ clothes wear out? Israel in the Land, now living in stable houses, with stable seasons and harvests, is not to think that their provision is any less from the LORD. To drive this truth home, Israel is to dwell in tents as she did in the wilderness, to know that all provision is from God. It is a testimony of the New Covenant Scriptures that for those who walk with God and live in generosity that “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Messiah Yeshua.” (Phil 4:19)

Probably, Yeshua was born during this Feast. The evidence is not absolute. If so, according to the calculations from the division of Abijah’s time to serve in the Temple, the division of the father of John the Immerser, one probable calculation leads us to the time of Sukkot. Since this is a pilgrim festival and families traveled to Jerusalem, it would explain why there was no room in the Inn. It indeed, would be so fitting and appropriate for Him to be born on the first day of Sukkot and then circumcised on the 8th day, Shmini Atzeret. He tabernacled among us.

The Feast is chosen by God to be the Millennial Feast for international celebration, for all nations in that age will send their representatives to celebrate the Feast. Therefore, it is the Feast of the Kingdom of God. In wonderful anticipation, organizations like the Christian Embassy, bring representatives of the churches from the nations in anticipation of that Age. It is therefore in Judaism and should be in Christianity, the Feast of the Kingdom of God International under the rule of the Messiah. If one adds the idea of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that takes place after his return, which is rooted in the symbolism of the High Holidays, Rosh Hoshana to Yom Kippur, then it could well be that the Feast is the reception gathering of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We also cannot overlook that the largest and final harvest is a fitting symbol of the great harvest of the nations at the end of the Age.

The celebration of this Feast by all believers in Yeshua therefore is a prophetic act of intercession in longing for its fulfillment.

The High Holidays

People connected to the Messianic Jewish movement and Evangelicals with passion for Israel often have a significant understanding of the High Holidays in the Bible and in Judaism. This is the period between Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur. Some have a depth of understanding. However, it amazing how many have no significant understanding at all, maybe the majority.

The High Holidays are the holiest time of the year on the biblical Jewish calendar. Sadly, in my view, the name Rosh Hoshana and part of the theology of the day in Judaism obscures some important meanings. It was not wrong for Israel to adopt the New Year date of the ancient Near East just as we in the West celebrate January 1st. However, the idea of that the date is really the anniversary of the creation of the world is speculative. By calling this the first month, we obscure the meaning that stems from Nissan, Passover month, being called the beginning of the year in the Torah. So yes, we can have new year meanings for the 1st of Tishri, but this should be secondary, and the emphasis should be on Tishri being the seventh month, the primary meaning. Seven is the time of perfecting.

In the seventh month on the first day, we hear the sound of the shofar, hence the Biblical name Yom Teruah, or the blowing of a trumpet. Teruah is the sound of that blowing. The Bible also notes silver trumpets at this time, but this has also been obscured. We do have a new beginning due to the meanings of these holidays. The blowing of trumpets means that we are to get ready, for we are entering into a time judgment by God and seeking forgiveness and atonement whereby we will not fall under God’s judgment but his mercy, forgiveness, and grace. This is why we have the trumpet emphasis in the book of Revelation, and the last trumpet emphasis in I Cor. 15 that is sounded at the return of Yeshua. Rightly, in Jewish tradition for this season, we are reminded of the last judgment and the Age to Come. The day is fraught with eschatological meanings. The trumpets are connected to Passover and exodus as well, the trumpet was heard at Mt. Sinai. Therefore the book of Revelation includes both meanings. Following this day, a Sabbath, we have the intermediate days leading up to Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishri. The Sabbath in that mid-period is called Shabbat Shuva, the Sabbath of return and repentance. Repentance is a daily exercise but is especially emphasized now so that all will repent.

The holiest day, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a time or fasting, of self-searching, repentance, recommitment, and receiving of forgiveness/atonement. The prayers of the synagogue are mostly corporate. We pray for the sins of Israel since the sin of any is part of the corporate sin of the nation. Lists of sins are comprehensive. Unless one understands this corporate dimension, he or she will not think that all of it is relevant to them, though the lists can point of individual sins. Westerners are so individualistic. We need to learn the importance of corporate intercession. We especially thank God for the book of Hebrews which shows us the great fulfillment of the meaning of Yom Kippur in Yeshua. He is both our High Priest and our sacrifice. He enters into the most holy place in heaven with his own blood procuring the fullness of our forgiveness and the perfecting of our conscience. The sacrifices of old in themselves could not take away sin. Their meaning is participation in the sacrifice of Yeshua who is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World. We can see an anticipation of this in the Jewish teaching that all the sacrifices were only efficacious because they participated in the sacrifice of Isaac who was offered in the place where the Temple would be built. However, Isaac is not divinity and is only a type, a foreshadowing of the great antetype, Yeshua our High Priest and Sacrifice. All the images of atonement in the Torah find their fullness of meaning in him.

There are also last days (eschatological) predictions of atonement that show Yeshua’s sacrifice will be provided for the sins of the whole world. In John, we read, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World.” The vision of the conversion of the nations who all go up to Jerusalem in Isaiah 2 is only possible if the sacrificial atonement of Yeshua is applied to them. In Zechariah 13 we read that a fountain will be open to Israel for her cleansing. From this text we get the famous hymn, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.” I also believe optimistically in interpreting Rev. 1:7 when all the nations see the returning Yeshua and morn. I think they mourn for their sins and rebellion against Yeshua, the King. This is why the survivors of the last wars can go up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem to worship the King every year, a fitting parallel to Isaiah 2. Yom Kippur looks toward the future application of the blood of Yeshua to all the nations on earth.

Jewish Ministry: Why all Should Care

Two very large megachurches have made Israel and joining together in support of Messianic Jews a key foundation of their ministries. Some of their megachurch leadership friends think that they have gone overboard in their emphasis. They do not have a vision for this as an important part of their vision. Sadly, in my view, these churches that don’t agree with this Jewish emphasis are missing it and need a revelation of from the Spirit of what the Bible says.

In the first century, the Jewish hope for those who believe the prophets was that Israel would get it right in regard to holiness and purity. This would lead to the coming of the Messiah, Israel’s deliverance from her enemies, and then the redemption of the nations, the whole world. The amazing prayer of Zechariah, upon the circumcision of John the Immerser (Baptist), makes this theology very clear and can be well understood as fitting that first-century Jewish context in Israel.

“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David

Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ages past,

Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

So, He shows mercy to our fathers and remembers His holy covenant,

The vow which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us—

Rescued fearlessly from the hand of our enemies—

to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”

For Paul, the mission to the nations was a new piece of the puzzle not before revealed. It was that salvation coming to the nations would be a key to fulfilling the promise to Israel, the fulfillment of the hope voiced by Zechariah. “Salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.” This is part of the purpose of world missions.

In verse 14 Paul points to himself as a Jewish disciple of Yeshua called to magnify his ministry (the supernatural work of the Spirit, “to provoke to jealousy those of my flesh and save some of them.” However, Paul uses his example as one for the gentiles to follow. They are to join him in this task resulting in a growing number of Jews coming to faith in Yeshua. This growing number of Jews, called the “remnant saved” in v. 5 and the first fruits that sanctify the rest of the nation in v. 16 are a key as well to Israel’s salvation Why is it so important? Because it will lead to Israel turning to Yeshua. ”What will their acceptance be but life from the dead.” This little phrase is shorthand for the rapture, the resurrection, and the salvation of the nations. And so, ”All Israel will be saved.” (v. 28)

The New Covenant does not change the hope of the prophets, that Israel will be the instrument of God that will lead to the salvation of the nations. Every Christian is given the charge by Paul to embrace the concern of Israel’s salvation, for he says, “I am speaking to you who are Gentiles.” He says this as one who has given his life for them, as an apostle to them. His example is for everyone.

Therefore, my friends in the two megachurches which I reference have not gotten off balance. They have simply discovered the Biblical emphasis. Scripture Quotes from The Tree of Life Version.

Torah in Messiah and the Present Crisis

Michael Rudolph and I wrote a book on applying Torah entitled Torah in Messiah. It is our view that Torah is practical but must be applied according to New Covenant fulfillment, primarily through the teaching of Yeshua. Messianic Jews and Gentiles should have something to say to the difficult social justice issues of our day. And it must be based on a Biblical definition of justice, not Marxist or socialist which come from a wrong worldview. This is why I wrote a book on Social Justice.

I do not have much hope for attaining progress in society without the influence and believers and the transforming power of the Gospel. So, if you are putting trust in mere human efforts you will fail. Many books have been written on the history of progress in social justice since the first century. Progress has come from the influence of believers and the Bible, first of all, due to the unheard-of idea that every person is created in the image of God and is due love, respect, and justice on that basis.

What is love and what is justice? If you study the whole Bible, you can conclude the following. Love is the passionate identification with others that seeks their good guided by Law. Their good is defined by God’s intended good destiny for them. This must always be our motive. Then justice is seeking an order of righteousness that maximizes the potential of people to fulfill their God-given destinies or that maximizes the fulfillment of love for all people. We seek an ordering of society that maximizes love and justice. However, unless there is a great influence of the Gospel by a significant number of committed disciples of Yeshua, history does not give much hope that much can be attained. I want to now apply this to the life and teaching of Yeshua and what he has to say about the issues of racism and the violent riots. Richmond is a historic center for the pain of these matters and the Confederate monuments are controversial. Z how do we bring healing? I approach this message assuming the definitions.

Love and Justice begin with a call for repentance. Mark 1:15. Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, or available to you. What does this mean? God’s Kingdom order of love, justice, and miracles is breaking into this world and you are called to repent and enter into it. Repudiate selfishness and hatred, and vengeance and give yourself to the power of the Kingdom. The Kingdom influences all of life. Note the ending of slavery largely came from Evangelicals. Many books on progress in history show this. Rodney Stark’s The Victory of Reason and British historian Tom Holland, Dominion, How the Christian Revolution remade the World.
Yeshua calls for submission to the Torah teaching of Yeshua. This is most clear in the Sermon on the Mount near the beginning, Matthew 5:16, 17, and the end Matthew 7, were we are told to build on the rock of his teaching.
1. The context of Luke 4 is important. Yeshua said that “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim liberty.” To whom? The Gospels is first to the outcast, marginalized, and oppressed. The year of Jubilee is the context of Luke 4. It is the year when the slaves go free. Mennonite J. Howard Yoder in The Politics of Jesus is brilliant on this.
2. The Sermon on the Mount’s Beatitudes proclaims the end of victim status. You cannot claim victim status and know the power of God and your life is now in his hands. Matthew is about the great reversal because the kingdom has now invaded earth.
Our approach to change must include the rejection of violence: The Zealot movement and its attempts to overthrow the Roman government by violence was the context of Yeshua’s teaching against violence. The Romans did practice terrible oppression and racism. I am not saying that there is no place for just war, but this is far secondary to the way we seek change.
1. Yeshua councils turning the other cheek and volunteering to carry a load a second mile when a Jewish person was conscripted by a Roman soldier to carry his load. This response to Roman oppression and shaming was unprecedented. It is the way of love. The oppressed shows love to the oppressor, the enemy.
2. Satan comes not but to rob, steal, and destroy. The false shepherds of John 10:7, 10:10 were the ones seeking violent revolution.
3. When Yeshua wept over Jerusalem and predicted its destruction it was because he knew the zealots would gain control and ultimately go to war. The chose the false shepherds instead of the Prince of Peace
4. Romans 13 speaks of submitting to authority during the days of Nero! Now there are limits to submission and the Apostles made it clear that this did not include obeying sinful commands or shutting down the spread of the Gospel.
Our approach calls for reconciliation and forgiveness based on the Gospel. We are to attain a heart of love for the enemy: Matthew 19:21 councils us to forgive 70 X 7 and teaches this forgiveness on the basis that the debt we owe to God far outstrips any debt another might have to us. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation to God and one and other. II Corr. 5:18
A successful movement that pursues justice has to be driven by reconciled believers. Jonathan Blanchard (founder of Wheaton College), revivalist Charles Finney, EvangelicalHarriet Beacher Stowe, The Pastors Beachers, William Ward and Henry, and Wilbur Wilburforce show this witness. A Marxist humanistic movement of violence will lead to destruction and greater suffering. A true movement begins with reconciliation, with the Body of Believers with the repentance, reconciliation, and unity of all races and ethnicities. In this time of anti-police rhetoric and black offense, the best way forward would be a movement led by Christian Policemen and Black Christians, pastors, and members. These kinds of people can lead a non-violent movement of justice. Martin Luther King led just such a movement with Christians and Jews, blacks, and whites. His themes were Christian or biblical.
The history of 20th century white churches is one of the saddest chapters. I am not speaking about southern Christians who had a racist or segregationist theology which was terrible. I am speaking about the non-racists who would sing with their children, “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.” The sin was in neglect of their responsibility to first focus their efforts of the Gospel and their works of love to the poorest communities. An escapist theology as fostered and they, therefore, did not see pursuing justice as a central part of the Gospel.
You can know that the violence, destroying, and killing is not from God and is like unto the zealots and will set back the cause of justice.
However, pursuing justice and reconciliation has to be based on finding the truth and not based on lies. The claim of systemic racism is not helpful. Being guilty on the basis of being born white is anti-biblical. Rather we need to pursue the issue of specific areas of racism. In education, housing, family, business, and policing. The black experience is not that so many are killed unjustly, but that so many are mistreated. Why does the government allow 7,500 black on black murders per year? Where was the Church on mass? The Church should be there, preach the gospel and its members should be willing to lay down lives? Just where does racism show itself? It is in the heart. Is it in corporations? Which? Real discrimination has to be proven. I note public school disaster and the black underclass and the need to escape this system. Anecdotal evidence is not going to help solve this. There has to be objective social science studies by people without a Marxist agenda. A vague broad claim will just be denied. I know that only a Gospel effort for the poor and massive investment of our lives will turn around the poor of the cities. This is why we support every month the Richmond Ministry CHAT and its high school. It is one example of the Gospel in action. There should be thousands of examples. I am not thinking the government will solve it. By some measures, 22 Trillion has been spent since Johnson’s great society legislation. Much was squandered and did not work. But If we identify with and support violent revolutionaries or sympathize with it, we have abandoned the Gospel way and the power of God.