When we read the Gospel witness through "Jewish glasses", many of the oddities and conflicts disappear. Jesus addressed fellow Jews who understood not only the Old Testament Law called "Torah" and the Prophets, but also the rabbinic or Pharisaic interpretations and applications of that Law. The more we understand about Judaism, even the traditions of the Jews, the more depth and richness the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles can convey to us. In this process, the Gospel message is also "purified" of many false assumptions passed on to us through our "Christian" traditions. When Jesus came to earth, he came in fulfillment to God's promises to his chosen people, the Jews. Some have made the claim that "Because some Jews rejected Christ, God rejected the Jews." Some Jews rejected God's Messiah, to be sure, but scripture does not support the idea that God abandoned those of his people who had faith. (Rom 3:3-4). God was not turning his back on his promises. He was fulfilling those promises.
Because of this contention that Jesus ended the "age of the Jew", mainstream Christianity usually ends the story of Israel, and begins the story of the "Church" on the day of Pentecost. This is a mistake and leaves a false impression. First this approach leaves an artificial wall between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Modern Christianity focuses on the Epistles, then the Gospels, then adds the Old Testament as "supplementary" material. Second it leaves the impression that Christianity was created by God as a new religion which "replaced" the faith of the Jew. An honest evaluation of scripture shows this to be a false doctrine. The Gospels and Epistles "prove" all things by quoting the Old Testament Torah and Prophets. It is clear Biblically that Christianity is Judaism fulfilled. It is Judaism perfected and brought to completion, not a new replacement religion.
It should be remembered that "Pentecost" was (and is)NOT a festival of the Jew, but a festival of God called Shavuot, Feast of Weeks or Harvest or Firstfruits(Lev 23:15-16, Deut 6:10, Ex 23:16, Nu 28:26). You cannot understand the significance of the events of Acts chapter 2 outside the context of the symbolism of the "Jewish" feast day. The apostle Peter understood this miracle to be a fulfillment of God's promises, not an introduction to new theology.
He says "These men are not drunk ,as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel..." Acts 2:1
On Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 Jewish believers. These in turn convicted and baptized thousands of Jews who believed that Yashua was the long awaited Messiah. (Acts 1:3,2:1-4)
The "assembly" of believers, first known as "The Way", did not consider their faith "new" but simply a logical extension of Jewish hopes long foretold in prophecies of the Law and Prophets. The number of Jews who believed that Yashua was Messiah grew daily (Acts 2:47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1, and 6:7).
Unlike so many Gentile "converts", who would later join the Church, the Jews already worshipped the one true God. They already knew the promises made in the scriptures.
"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:39
There is little room for debate that the first "church" was entirely Jewish and composed of Jews. It was estblished as an "extention" of the one true faith God had desired from the beginning. Jesus made that faith much easier to access by his blood but there is no evidence that he started a new religion. For the faithful Jew, there was no drastic change to religious practice or theology.
It is true that there was misunderstanding about the expectations of God and matters of politics often outweighed matters of faith, but the Jew had "converted" long ago at Mt. Sinai. The Jews were waiting for the Messiah. The hope of the "unbelieving" Jew today is still the hope of Messiah's coming. The faithful Jew only needs to "recognize" Jesus is Messiah.
But someone might counter, "Then why was Jesus so hard on the Pharisees? Why did he repudiate their practices? Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Why were the Jews scattered?" These are reasonable questions.
During his ministry, Jesus only repudiated those things, which had corrupted the original faith God gave Israel. The Pharisaic hypocracy was challenged. The temple sacrificial system was fulfilled by Jesus' own blood. The Jew "as a nation" was punished for their rejection of Messiah but they were not destroyed. Jews are still around today as a remarkably cohesive community. Considering the amount of persectution they have endured, one might consider this a "miracle".
During his ministry, Jesus said of many Jewish teachings "You have heard it said, but I say..." Many Christians interpret this set of teachings to be a repudiation of the Old Testament statutes and the introduction of new commands by Jesus, the Son of God. This interpretation is a false doctrine. Jesus is pointing out the Father's original intent, not a new understanding
For instance, the Jewish teachers had used Moses' commandment (which God gave him) on divorce as a license to divorce. Jesus simply puts the commandment into its proper (original) perspective. He puts the life back into it.
"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'" Mark 10:2
Jesus' "commandments" are already to be found in a properly interpreted Old Testament Torah. Jesus did not come to redefine God's law but to properly interpret it. The best commentator around is the author of the "Law", the word of God himself. Who is more qualified to interpret the Law than the Son of God, the "Word" who was with God from the beginning?
Jesus, again and again, corrected misinterpretations and misapplications made by the Jewish teachers of the law. He did not,as is so commonly assumed, make a new list of commands to replace the "old" law and prophets.
"So Jesus said,'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.'" John 8:28-30
Jesus gave only one new commandment. That we should love each other even as he loved us (John 15:12). Even this love can be found in the Torah. The stranger, and fellow Israelite alike were to be shown mercy and justice but we truly see the extent to which that love should go in the suffering of our Messiah. |
