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One Plus One

Friday, September 25th, 2009 | Author:

These are the statutes and the judgments and the laws which YHWH has given between Him and the sons of Israel, in Mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses. Leviticus 26:46

Laws – Did you realize Yeshua and all His followers believed in more than one Law? There was the Law of God, written by the hand of Moses. We call this Law the Torah. But in the time of Yeshua, that wasn’t the end of the matter. The “canon” of Yeshua and the apostles wasn’t confined to the books we call the Old Testament (the Tanakh). There was more – a good deal more – most of which we have never heard.

Consider this quotation from Sifre Torat Kohanim, an ancient rabbinic commentary. On this passage from Leviticus, the rabbis taught:

“These are the rules and judgments and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the children of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.” The “rules” refer to interpretations of the text, “judgments” refer to the principles of jurisprudence, and “laws” [torot, plural] teach that two laws were given to Israel on Mount Sinai: one written, and the other one was given orally.”

When Rav Sha’ul asserts he believes everything that is in accordance with the Law and the prophets, he positions himself among the Pharisees who accepted both the written and oral Torah as God’s holy word. Rabbi Sha’ul says he is a follower of the Way which some call a sect. Notice that he does not consider it a sect of Judaism. It is the real religion of the Jews, firmly set on the Law and the Prophets, hoping in the one redeemer Yeshua who lived and died in Sha’ul’s own experience. There can hardly be a stronger case for the absolute unity of the Torah in the Tanakh and the Ketuvim Netzarim (the writings of those who follow the Nazarene).

Have we settled the issue? “Paul” is not a Greek-thinking convert to a new religion called Christianity. He is a rabbi who follows Yeshua, holding fast to all that YHWH has revealed to His people Israel. What does this mean for us today? It means we need to re-read, re-think and re-evaluate everything “Paul” says in light of his rabbinic commitment. He isn’t the man the Church has pretended to find among the pages of the New Testament (the Ketuvim Netzarim). He is much closer to Moses than Martin Luther, much more like Amos and Aquinas and a thinker like Solomon, not Schleiermacher. Everything he says has to be filtered through the eyes of a Jewish rabbi who encountered a Jewish Messiah on that road. It’s time to go back. Maybe then we will discover that some of those difficult passages in his letters aren’t quite so strange after all. Are you ready to look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear?  Are you ready to sit at the feet of rabbi Sha’ul and hear him in his own worldview?  Or do you still think Paul is the first “Christian” missionary?

Topical Index: Paul, Sha’ul, rabbinic, Ketuvim Netzarim, oral torah, Acts 26:46

cited in Brad Young, Meet The Rabbis, p. 82.

Acts 24:14

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Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 8 Comments

The Logical Implication

Monday, April 20th, 2009 | Author:

 

“therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them.”  Matthew 23:3

All – David called YHWH Lord.  King David put himself under the rule of his God, proclaiming that he was the slave of his Master.  Because David obeyed the commands of his Sovereign, he was able to seek refuge in the household of the Most High.  Masters care for their slaves.  Slaves are known by their fidelity and obedience.  That seems pretty clear, doesn’t it?  So, what happens when we apply the same logic to Yeshua’s place in our lives?

Here is a statement by our Sovereign Lord.  “Listen to the teaching of the Pharisees.  Do what they tell you.  Just don’t be a hypocrite.  Actually practice what they preach.”  Here are some of the implications:

1.     The Pharisees taught that both the written Torah and the oral Torah expressed God’s requirements for holy living.

2.     The Pharisees passed the oral Torah from one generation to another through personal training.

3.     Jesus tells his disciples to practice and observe all that the Pharisees teach.

4.     Yeshua endorsed both the written and oral Torah – and he upheld both in His actions.

5.     If we are servants (slaves) of our master Yeshua, we must follow His instructions.

6.     Yeshua instructs us to observe the teaching of the Pharisees.

7.     Therefore, we are to follow both the written and the oral Torah.

8.     In this way, we will be recognized as “zealous” followers of our King.

Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?  If there’s an error in the logic, please point it out.  Yeshua does not say that the teachings are set aside.  He says that the hypocrisy that characterized some of the Pharisees must be eradicated, but we are to observe and do everything they taught.  That means scrupulous adherence to the written Word of God and the body of traditions that accompany it.

Can this be right?  Do you think that Yeshua will say to us, “I never knew you,” when we protest that we did all kinds of wonderful things in His name, but simply didn’t follow His direction in this case because we decided that it wasn’t for us?  Who’s the slave and who’s the Master?

Do you even know what the Pharisees taught, or have you swallowed the Christian “tradition” that the Pharisees were the enemy?  It certainly doesn’t seem as though our Master thought that way, does it?

Oh, yes, and by the way, the Greek word here is panta, and it really does mean “all.”

Topical Index:  Matthew 23:3, all, panta, traditions, oral Torah, Torah, slave

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | 21 Comments