A Vision
I had a vision.
A vision of our people turning toward the Messiah in unprecedented numbers.
A vision of thousands of messianic congregations spreading across the world.
A vision of a thriving messianic seminary where our young people can be trained to go forth with boldness, wisdom, and compassion.
A vision where we, as messianic Jews and a united movement, stand side by side with our Jewish brothers and sisters and work toward a messianic age of peace and harmony for both Jews and Gentiles.
We all
acknowledge the Proverb, "Without vision, the people will perish." But what
vision, and how do we attain to visionary goals? My vision may not be an exact
replica of your vision, yet there will be points of agreement and the Spirit is
moving us toward a shared vision. One sure way the Spirit will move us together
is through the divine Davar. Through God's holy Word, through Torah, we
can attain a unified vision and be assured that we have found the way to
fulfill it. We must commit to the divine way in order to capture the dreams God
has for us as individuals and as a movement.
Our ancestors were called out of Egypt to embark on a new path to a
land of promise. But left to their devices, the way was not clear. Israel
continued to walk according to their own way in the wilderness. Even at the
start of their journey they heeded the majority report of the twelve spies: "Do
not go forward for the land is filled with giants!" When they attempted to walk
in God's ways, they often stumbled.
On
the precipice of a new land, Israel
remained uncertain. Into this cauldron of confusion and endless wandering,
Moses teaches Israel
the way of the Lord and gives them the law of the Lord. The crown of this
teaching is the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). As God's vision given to Israel through
Moses, Devarim provides the divine template for life. Israel's way
out of a parched wilderness was to behold this divine vision and embark on this
divine path.
Likewise, the way out of any wilderness experience faced by the
messianic movement is through God's ways, expressed through Torah and enfleshed
through mesorah (tradition). These are holy resources for further growth
and blessing. Parashat Reeh begins, "See, this day I set before you
blessing and curse: Blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your
God."1 Blessing
for the messianic movement will not come through an undiscovered formula, a
mystical spiritual experience, or a new prophetic word, but through our
faithfulness to the divine way of life, Derekh Hachaim. This is the way
that is taught in Devarim.
Devarim
Where B'resheet
(Genesis) through B'midbar (Numbers) ends, Devarim continues
and brings Torah to a close. The fact that Devarim follows the book of B'midbar
(in the wilderness) is no accident. Devarim provides the way out of
a physical or spiritual wilderness. These Mosaic messages also show the way to
successfully enter the Land. Set before the Conquest of the Land, Devarim establishes
the moral, political, and spiritual formation of Israel. It becomes the lawbook and
constitution of emerging Israel.
Through the lens of Devarim, God may shed light on where
we stand as a messianic movement. These final words spoken by Moses challenge
all Israel
(past, present, and future) to commit to God and remain faithful for
generations to come. Devarim calls for this spiritual examination by
posing a question that we all need to answer.
And now, O Israel,
what does the Lord your God ask of you? 2
Israel's response begins:
"to fear the LORD your God, to walk only in his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and
soul, keeping the LORD's
commandments . . ." 3
The fuller confessional response is Parashat Hayir'ah
(Devarim 10:12-22). On an even larger scale, the ultimate response is the
recitation of the entire book of Devarim in the liturgical life of Israel, and the
fulfillment of its spiritual ideals and code of commandments (Devarim 12-26)
in daily life.
Israel's history also points to Derekh Hachaim (the way of
life). This story is largely portrayed in the narrative portions of Devarim 1-5
and Devarim 34 that frame the book. Devarim 1-3 retells the
account of Israel's
failed attempts to take the Land first recorded in B'midbar 13-14. Then,
the golden calf incident and the giving of the Law provide the historical
backdrop for the teachings of Devarim 4-11. Interestingly, the
historical flow of Devarim 1-11 moves back in time. This reverse
chronology moves from post-Sinai to Sinai events, from wilderness events to the
giving of Law and Theophany. Devarim's retelling of the journey brings Israel back to
the place where God appeared and spoke at Sinai. This unique event, unlike any
other, binds Israel to God,
and God to Israel.
The messianic movement also needs to return to the foundations
of its Jewish existence, to the perpetual source of spiritual energy, and to
the perfect pattern of divine order revealed at Sinai. As we retrace the steps
of our ancestors, we are led to the holy mountain where God is manifest. We
return to face God in his holiness as Jews. We return to fulfill the divine
intention of avodat Yisrael,4 "let my people go that they may
serve me." We recapture the essence of Judaism, an encounter with Divinity, and
its resulting impact on our lives and the world around us. One designation for
this life-transforming experience of God is covenant renewal.
Devarim, like all of Scripture,
calls for covenant renewal. As Moses' successor, Joshua confirmed his
covenantal loyalty to God: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
The Messianic Covenant5 also calls
for the renewal of our relationship with God. Through Yeshua, Israel
renews covenant with God. When the Messiah came to our people, he enhanced
their experience of God, and brought them farther on the path of life, Derekh
Hachaim. The Messianic Covenant is the besorah (good news) for our
people. It is the final covenant of fulfillment in a series of covenants that
progress from the Adamic Covenant of haGan (the Garden) to the
Abrahamic, Noahic, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants.
As messianic Jews, we continually renew our allegiance to God
through all of the covenants culminating in the Messianic Covenant. The
messianic movement must commit itself again to God and God's way, and find
renewal in the ancient covenants of our people. Our divine relationship through
the Messiah will then lead us to new depths of divine understanding, and new
heights of obedience.
Between Two Worlds
As a
messianic movement, we find ourselves in a similar place to ancient Israel. We are
also in a wilderness, beset on both sides. On one side, we have a largely
Gentile-oriented church, a place where it can be hard to function as a Jew, at
least in a communal sense. In the church, our friends are non-Jewish as well as
our music, cultural identity, customs, and so on. On the other side is the
traditional synagogue without messianic expression.
Both
parties perpetuate the divide erected between the communities in the fourth
century by Constantine.
This divide does not allow for Jews who are experiencing the life of Messiah to
participate in either community fully as they are. They are asked either to
function as assimilated converts to Christianity or as marginalized heretics
who have nothing of value to say to the Jewish or wider communities. Like our
ancestors, this in-between state places us at a point of decision. At this
point of demarcation, we decide our destiny.6
Since the
messianic movement lives in the midst of these two larger worlds, it has often
adopted their values and concepts. In fact, the present state of our movement
becomes clearer through comparing how Judaism and Christianity have, in
different ways, approached Torah. Against this backdrop, we can form a
messianic Jewish approach to Devarim.
Torah, as a
whole, consists of large portions of law and story. In the case of
Christianity, it chooses story over law, emphasizing the narrative character of
the Pentateuch. For Christianity, Torah is primarily a story of an ancient
people meant to lead the nations to the coming of the Savior. In contrast,
Judaism exalts law over story and focuses on the practice of Torah.
Even the
titles given to the book of Devarim demonstrate these two ways of
understanding Torah. Christian communities tend to view Devarim as a
second law (as Deuteronomy or Deuteronomium) and have stressed
discontinuity with the preceding law code. Jewish communities emphasize the
repetitive nature of Devarim and its continuity with prior revelation,
calling the book, Mishne Torah, or repetition of the (same) Law. Christianity
is interested in demonstrating how "Jewish law" changes and is eventually
outmoded, while Judaism perceives of Torah law as unchanging or eternal.
Is the essence of
Torah story or law? A messianic approach does not accept traditional approaches
as conclusive. For the messianic movement, the adoption of the story approach
would downplay the role of tradition and connection with Jewish community. The
law approach would lead to the practice of tradition without the full force of
New Covenant realities and teaching, and a corresponding disassociation with
the church. Instead, we seek Derekh Hachaim (the way of life) through
Messiah.
The Way Of Life
Devarim is the final word of Torah and, as such, becomes the lens
through which we see the rest of Torah. In other words, as the capstone of
Torah, Devarim functions as a reading strategy for the entire Torah. It
is an interpretive key that teaches Israel how to understand and live
out the first four books.
Throughout Devarim, a revised history, a revised law, and
a revised liturgy are presented to Israel. This program of revision is
displayed in a variety of ways. For example, Shemot provides a law for
the wilderness and Devarim gives a law for the Land. The revised history
reflects the same historical account, yet written in a slightly different way
to emphasize distinct themes for a new social context.7 With
law and liturgy, changes are made to serve a developing social and religious
order. This revisionary program allows Devarim to display continuity
with the past, change for the present, and a glorious vision of the future.
Such an approach provides a model for a messianic approach to Torah.
Devarim reminds Israel of the
lessons of the Wilderness and predicts its future failures. Even so, consequent
judgment would not be final. Moses would depart and Israel would find new leadership.
Then, in exile, Israel
would again re-enter the Land. God, through Devarim, promises that
despite the Wilderness, despite the death of Moses, despite future disobedience,
there would be "grace in the end." Devarim anticipates these hard times
for Israel
and offers a built-in program of renewal. Hope exists through God's promise and
Israel's
faithfulness, through covenant renewal and sustained obedience.
Yet,
what could release Israel
from endless cycles of disobedience and obedience? At the end of the day when
the sun appears to fade into the horizon, Messiah would come to Israel. The
greatest promised renewal to the spiritual life of Israel is Messiah. Devarim points
the way to this new messianic order:
The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for
them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his
mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.'8
Devarim ends with these words
of heightened significance:
Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the
LORD knew face to face, who
did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and
to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the
awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. 9
Devarim promises a future
messianic revision that fulfills and sustains observance, and furthers the
story of Israel
without diminishing God's faithfulness to Israel.10 Traditional forms of
Judaism and Christianity often do not fully appreciate a fuller picture of a
messianic revision that corresponds with Yeshua's Sermon on the Mount. Yeshua
teaches:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the
least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished. Whoever then cancels one of the least of these
commandments, and so teaches others, will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. I tell you the truth, that unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.11
This is also how we understand Paul's teaching of fulfillment:
The Messiah is the goal of the law.12
Messiah is not the goal of the law in the sense of finality, but
a continuation of Devarim's program of revision. Messiah is the
embodiment of Torah and Israel
and ensures the continuity and vitality of both. In fact, the destiny of
Messiah, Torah, and Israel
are all intertwined.
And yes, Yeshua and the Apostle Paul are in harmony. We seriously
question Hyam Maccoby's recent work, The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention
of Christianity. The premise of this book-that Paul was a rabbinic flunky
who rebelled against Messianic Judaism to form his own religion-is itself a
myth.
We return once again to Parashat Reeh. I love the way the
trope begins for Parashat Reeh. There is a revia taam over Reeh
that signifies sustained attention.13 In this way, we have extra
time to consider deeply what we are about to hear.
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse- the
blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey
the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by
following other gods, which you have not known.14
What are we to see? We are to see the way of life. Moses says,
"do not turn from the way (haderekh)."
Derekh can be translated as
"path" or "way." Following God is the way of life, Derekh Hachaim. When
we hold the Torah scroll, we hold it by the handles, by the atsey-chaim (trees
of life). As we touch the handle, the ets-chaim (tree of life), it
reminds us that we are approaching God's living way, Derekh Hachaim. God
throughout Torah tells us to choose life and blessing. God's way is the way of
life.
Yeshua teaches:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.
Yeshua is the way and the life and also the way of life. Yeshua
is calling us to follow him, not in some esoteric spiritual sense of way, but
in the way he lived, applying God's way to the grit and grime of everyday life.
Don't turn from the way the Lord your God commanded you to walk through Yeshua!
Yeshua makes the path of discipleship clear:
He who continues in my word is my disciple.
The messianic movement must not forget its ancient name. The
messianic faith was originally called the Way, Haderekh. Acts records
this name five times. Paul states:
I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of
the Way.15
The Way was a deeper experience of first-century Judaism. Paul
stresses this truth as he continues:
I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way which
they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is
written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men.16
Derekh Hachaim is the
messianic application of the Torah and the Prophets to all of life. It is not
simply a religion or a system of beliefs; it is life. It is the outworking of
divinely-empowered messianic life in all its social, legal and spiritual
dimensions.
The Divine Directives Of Devarim
How are we
to live out the Way? Once again we look to Devarim. As a divine
blueprint, it outlines what our movement and congregations should look like.
It is a book that messianic communities can build upon. It provides us with at
least three divine directives.
These divine directives are for spiritual development. The
intense inner devotion to God that Devarim demands is the essence of our
spirituality. The Shema of Devarim calls us to love the Lord our God
with all our heart, soul, and strength. This zealous devotion will enable us to
carry out these divine directives as individuals, as congregations, and as a
movement.
The Sabbath Cycle Of Life
Our first
divine directive is to keep the Sabbath cycle of life. The way out of the
wilderness is through ordering our lives on moedim, God's appointed
times. God lays out the whole year for us and provides us with the cycle of
life. Devarim is like a yearly planner with all of the most important
dates already filled in for us. This should be of great comfort. God has
structured time and ordered the chaos of our lives. In our families and in
community, our daily, weekly, seasonal, and yearly existence corresponds to the
living way.
The smallest building block of this division of time is the
Shabbat-work cycle. I have yet to find a better introduction to Shabbat than
Abraham Joshua Heschel's classic work, The Sabbath, written some fifty
years ago.17
Heschel teaches that a day of worship and rest is essential to our
spiritual lives and everything we do.
As we seek to follow Derekh Hachaim, our work must be set
in the context of rest. God commands:
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six
days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to
the LORD your God, in it you
will not do any work.18
This commandment actually contains two commands. The commands
are to work for six days, and to rest for one.
As we experience life, it may seem as if our work never ends.
Yet, each Shabbat we are to be completely at rest. We stop our striving, and
calm our innate desire to cultivate the world and our relationships. We enter
God's Sabbath, for even God rested from his labors on the seventh day of
creation.
On our journey from the wilderness to the land, we are moving to
a better place. But we will never get there unless we stop, rest, and become
spiritually refreshed at the oasis of Shabbat. Even though right now you may
feel lost in the wilderness, the way out is through the Sabbath cycle of life.
We follow the divine pattern: create, create, create, create, create, create,
for six days, and then rest from our labors for one day, the day that the Lord
sanctifies. We need to fully enter Shabbat, to return to Derekh Hachaim,
and come out transformed to work with spiritual vitality.
A New Song: Messianic Jewish Liturgy
Devarim also uses liturgy encompassing worship, prayer and song to lead
us on Derekh Hachaim. Through its program of revision, Devarim offers
a revised liturgy. Such liturgical revision is not new to Judaism as the
findings of Qumran demonstrate. Diverse liturgical
developments at Qumran reflect a Jewish
community with messianic aspirations and ideals distinct from the majority
voices of the community.
Our need, like every generation before us, is to religiously
reform our people. This purpose was fulfilled throughout our history as the
entire book of Devarim was utilized as part of Israel's
liturgy. Today, we continue this ancient liturgical tradition of teaching and
singing Devarim with Torah cantillation and musical settings of Devarim.
We also further this tradition through our ongoing development of messianic
liturgy. Compelling liturgical development is one of the most important things
we can do for successive generations, for a renewed liturgy shapes how we look
at Jewish worship, Jewish spirituality, and all of life.
In order to further stress the immense significance of Jewish
worship and liturgy, I appeal to you in two ways. First, this has been our
liturgy as Jews for thousands of years. Our siddurim preserve Devarim's
original intent as a text for worship. Parts of Devarim are used in the
Sabbath and daily liturgy and on special occasions: Devarim 6:4-9 and
11:13-21 are recited daily as part of the Shema; the first paragraph of
the Amidah begins with a citation from Devarim describing God's
attributes; and the declaration of monotheism in the Aleinu is drawn from Devarim
4.39. These three prayers are central to the ongoing worship of Israel and
reflect the deep imprint of Devarim.
The second reason is that the Divine presence manifests itself
in a special way when we worship and pray. When we stand in prayer in
anticipation of a theophany, a revealing of God, there is a charge in the air.
The community has been called together by God, our sacrifices of praise have
been offered, and the Spirit of God falls upon us. For all of us who have
experienced this, I need not give any more reasons for the importance of
worship and liturgy.
Let us also not forget that Devarim ends with the
liturgical declaration of song. Devarim 32 is Parashat Haazi'nu,
the Song of Moses. Thus, another way out of the wilderness is through song. We
leave the wilderness and enter the land singing.
Redevelopment: A Renewed Messianic Community
The third
divine directive of Devarim concerns redevelopment and community
renewal.19
One way of defining redevelopment is the reorientation of ministry
to reach out to a group of people that the congregation has previously been
unable to reach. What applies to our congregations, applies to our movement as
well. Devarim offers at least five dynamics of redevelopment.
The first dynamic of redevelopment is to enhance spiritual
energy.20 Without
growing spiritual power within congregations and the daily practice of
spiritual disciplines, nothing else can be done to affect community
development. Spiritual leaders, by example and through mentoring, must do all
they can to increase a con-gregation's spiritual vitality.
The second dynamic is to come to terms with history. 21 Once we understand where we have come from, we will be less
likely to try to do things just because that is the way it has always been done
before. We must reckon with the fact that the world has changed and will never
be the same again. This also means casting off any romantic notions of the past
and grieving that we will never relive the past. Coming to terms with history
also means envisioning a new future.
The
third dynamic is to expand the leadership and ministry base and to empower
leaders for ministry. This means extending leadership across generations and
gender, and engaging in team models of congregational leadership and service.
Intergenerational and team leadership is not only the way of the future, but it
was the way of Torah. Parashat Shof'tim is a good place to interact with
this dynamic.22
The fourth dynamic is to re-enter the community. First, we need
to understand our community and its needs, struggles, and hopes. Then, we must
overcome the fear of leaving our comfort zone and stepping into a community
where we may not be fully accepted and valued. Finally, we must tangibly and
persuasively befriend and serve this community.
The fifth dynamic is to plan for ministry. Planning includes
events, classes, projects, and programs. Yet, we cannot simply tack on an event
or program to our congregations and expect long-term results. The first four
dynamics of redevelopment must be dealt with before we can provide effective
programs and services.
Re-Entering Our Jewish Community
Now, we
turn again to the fourth dynamic of redevelopment: re-entering our Jewish
community. Ancient messianic Jews were a vital part of their community. They
worshiped in the Temple
and local synagogue, shopped at the Jewish market, and resided in Jewish neighborhoods.23 They
were a voice and a presence in their community. But eventually, our ancestors
were forced out of deeper community involvement. We have a responsibility to
return to our community. Through re-entering Jewish community, the place where
our people dwell, we begin to fulfill our calling to serve our people. We find
another way out of the wilderness through entering Jewish space.
At
the same time, we can build constructive relationships with the church and
share in mutual blessing. The church, however, must recognize our need to
express our Jewish identity and to develop our messianic faith. We can never
become less messianic or less Jewish, but must bring our messianic Jewish
community to new levels of growth and maturity.
Our messianic community must increasingly overlap the lives and
communities of our people. Each of us should feel that we are experiencing
community and then offer this community to others. This does not mean that we
wear our messianism on our sleeves or become more zealous for tradition than
the rest of the Jewish community, but that we serve and live with our people,
and share in the joys and heartaches of our community.
In the summer of 2002, I attended the National Jewish Choral
Conference in the Catskills with my family. I was having dinner with a cantor
from a conservative synagogue in the south. When it came up that I am a
messianic Jew, he immediately had a story to tell me. The cantor said,
We have a messianic congregation very close to us and have had
messianic Jews come and visit us with no problems. Then, one day, we had
someone come to our oneg who kept sharing about Jesus. Of course, we were
upset.
At that point, I was thinking to myself, "Oh no, not again." But
the rest of the cantor's story got better. The cantor continued,
My Rabbi and I eventually met with the leadership of the
messianic congregation. To my surprise, the leaders apologized for what had
happened and assured us that this would not happen again. I now have a
new-found respect for this messianic congregation.
I was able to find a friend in this cantor because even though
one of our messianic congregations made a mistake in how they entered
traditional Jewish space, they were humble enough to admit it. Later, I told my
new friend that I was planting a messianic congregation in Philadelphia and having trouble finding someone
who could serve as a cantor. I also shared that we as a movement struggle in
this area and need help in developing a liturgical tradition and style that is
faithful to traditional nusach. My friend thought that this was a
positive direction for our movement and was happy to see our progress.
{josquote}If the only relationships and friendships
you have are with messianic believers and not with members of the larger Jewish
community, then you have failed to re-enter the community. You have not made the
kind of aliyah that Yeshua calls for when he sends us to our people. {/josquote}
As we enter Jewish space, we should not
begin by questioning traditional forms of Judaism and inferring that it is
spiritual degenerate. Let others see how Messiah transforms your daily life-how
Messiah makes us good friends, and co-workers. If people respect you for who
you are, you will be surprised how well they listen.
The community needs to see us as we
really are. Often we are viewed as proselytizers-someone who gets in your face
and treats you as a "soul to be won," a person who, with unrelenting force of
will, puts a pamphlet in your hand, tells you to repent and believe in Jesus,
all in the space of one minute. This prevalent perception of messianic Jews is
perpetuated by aggressive and grandstanding efforts. I am not saying that there
is no place for messianic outreach. All branches of Judaism and Christian
denominations have some type of community outreach. But if this is all we are
known for as a community, then we are presenting only one facet of our Jewish personality.
Direct outreach is too often expressed and perceived as unrelenting chutzpah.
Too much of one thing is not good.24
We need to
realize that we are no longer living during the Jesus Movement of the late
60s. Our Jewish communities are not college campuses or city streets.
Approaches and methods that are effective and received by one generation at one
period of time should change with the times. Messianic congregations need to
find ways to serve our people, especially those who are spiritually searching
or intermarried, without intentionally distancing the rest of the community.
If we stay within our messianic communities, then we will allow
a misconceived view of messianic Jews to persist. Though more direct messianic
outreach will continue just as with the Lubavitchers in traditional circles, we
will deeply connect with more of our people as we live with and serve the
larger community.25
With this in mind, consider adopting a 2+2 approach to community
involvement. This approach calls for membership and service in both the
messianic and larger Jewish community. The first two refers to membership in a
messianic congregation and one area of congregational service. The other type
of membership refers to membership in a traditional Jewish organization. It
could be Hadassah, the local Jewish Y, becoming part of a study group or
regularly taking classes at a Jewish community center or school. Second, it
means regularly serving through some kind of Jewish volunteer work and giving.
If this level of community involvement does not already characterize
your life, pursue it until you are fully engaged as a messianic Jew in your
community. Develop a concern for your Jewish community and find shared causes
and goals. We can stand together in our concern for the assimilation and the
secularization of our people, our love for Israel, and the need for Jewish
education.
As
much as possible, we need to live and work in the midst of our Jewish
communities. I'll be blunt. Think seriously about making potential changes in
your life context. No one is off the hook here; we all have a responsibility.
This includes messianic Gentiles who have joined messianic congregations. If
the only relationships and friendships you have are with messianic believers
and not with members of the larger Jewish community, then you have failed to
re-enter the community. You have not made the kind of aliyah that Yeshua
calls for when he sends us to our people. You have remained in the wilderness,
while the land is overrun by atheism and agnosticism. Entering Jewish space
may mean selling your home in a largely non-Jewish community and moving into
your Jewish community. Membership in a messianic congregation is only one way,
among others, to live as Jews.
The theme of the 2002 UMJC National Conference is Behold Your
King Has Come. The "your" of your king refers to the Jewish community. This
is our place to prepare for and work for the coming of the King. This is where
our King already is. He is where our people are. He is at the heart of the
Jewish community. We tell our people, hine melech shelcha, behold your
King, remembering that Yeshua was already there long before we re-entered our
community.
It is a sign of maturity when we as a movement can return to our
community and take our place at the city gates. At these gates, we remain
messianic Jews. In many cases, our Jewish presence and lifestyle will be no
different than the rest of the community, but we must also dare to be
different. We cannot allow our desire to enter the mainstream community to
undercut our positive distinctions as messianic Jews.
Yes, we receive the traditions passed down to us for millennia,
but we also messianize them. As each generation that transmits tradition, it
becomes responsible to change it for the better. As a messianic community, this
means that we deepen our experience of Jewish spirituality and tradition
through Messiah, that we become more zealous in works of charity and social
justice through Messiah, and that we unite Tanakh with the Brit
Chadasha through Messiah.
Messianic congregations do not function in a diminished capacity.
This ancient messianic movement spread Jewish messianism to the nations and
changed the world. Once again, through us, the Messiah is presenting to the
world a messianism worthy of world renown. Our movement goes against the stream
of secular, individualistic, and anti-messianic thought, and becomes a
catalyst for the spiritual transformation of our people. This is a powerful
spiritual force at work within the larger Jewish community that is breaking
forth to capture the hearts of our people.
A Way of Life
In closing, let us consider how Derekh Hachaim relates to
the life of our Messiah, the prayers of our people, and the wisdom of our
ancestors. First, Yeshua perfectly models Derekh Hachaim. Shabbat after
Shabbat, Yeshua served, taught and healed his people. The gospel of Luke makes
this clear:
Yeshua went to Nazareth,
where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the
synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
Then Yeshua went down to Capernaum,
a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to
teach the people.
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching:
On a Sabbath Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues . . .26
Yeshua also survives his wilderness experience through close
attention to the teaching of Torah. In resisting temptation, he quotes three
times from the book of Devarim. He says:
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.
Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.27
The
power of Yeshua's life is displayed in his dependence on Derekh Hachaim.
Interestingly, Devarim is quoted in the New Covenant more than any other
book from the Torah. Following Yeshua's example, every messianic leader and
those aspiring to messianic leadership should master the book of Devarim (or
be mastered by the book of Devarim). Get to the point where the words
of Devarim flow freely from your mouth and your heart and you will
overcome any wilderness experience.
Derekh Hachaim is also
portrayed throughout our worship. After the Torah reading, we pray, Baruch
ata Adonai elohenu melech haolam, asher natan lano torat emet (Blessed are
you Lord our God, King of the Universe, who gives us true Torah). Then we say, vechaye
olam natah betochenu (and God planted within us eternal life). What does
that mean, that God has planted within us eternal life?
Torah keeps us Jews. It links us to all Jews, past, present, and
future. For those of us who have families who have been directly touched by the
holocaust, you might identify with one of my former Torah teachers. She says
that when she teaches Torah to a student, she feels as if it is one more for
us, and one less for Hitler. When we transmit Torah, we extend the chain of
Jewish life for generations to come. But this Torah blessing can have a deeper
meaning. Does not Yeshua say that salvation is of the Jews? So, if Torah is
life and Yeshua is the ultimate embodiment of Torah, then we as Jews can have
the greatest experience of obedience and life through Messiah. Messianic
prophecy bears witness:
‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after
that time,' declares the LORD. ‘I
will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.' 28
The
messianic new covenant is about a deeper spirituality that keeps us from
exalting Torah over God, and ourselves over Torah.
Pirke Avot offers us wisdom for
fulfilling Derekh Hachaim. Chapter 2 closes with these words:
Rabbi Tarfon says: the day is short, the work is plentiful, the
laborers are sluggish, and the reward is abundant, and the Master of the house
comes.
He used to say: it is not your duty to finish the work, but you are not
at liberty to neglect it. If you have studied much Torah, you will be given much
reward: faithful is your Master to pay you the reward of your labor, and know
that the rewarding of the righteous is in the age to come.
"It is not
your duty to finish the work." With these words, Rabbi Tarfon challenges the
person who tries to do it all, and stumbles because they are running the
marathon of life at a sprinters pace. Tarfon then discloses another way
contrary to Derekh Hachaim: "but you are not at liberty to neglect it."
In this case, he refers to a person who determines that since they do not have
to finish the work, they may offer a half-hearted effort.
Instead, we are called to persevere on Derekh Hachaim (the
way of life). Even though we may not fully realize our vision in our lifetime,
we press on, knowing that, "The reward is great in the age to come and the
Master of the house comes." Behold, your King comes.
Notes:
- Devarim 11:26-28.
- Devarim
10:12.
- Devarim 10:12b-13a.
- Avodat Yisrael (the service of Israel), originally intended to refer to the Temple’s sacrificial service (e.g., the 17th blessing of
the Amidah), may now refer to the all-encompassing service of Israel including
avodah (worship), gemilut chasidim (acts of kindness) and talmud torah
(biblical study) [Mishnah, Peah 1.1]. These aspects of service should also
guide the individual and communal life of messianic Jews.
- Messianic Covenant is an alternative
rendering to New Covenant or New Testament. Although the latter is derived from
a single scriptural reference in Hebrews, covenants are primarily identified with
a preeminent individual. The designation “Messianic Covenant” meets this
qualification and also counters a supersessionism that has been associated with
the qualifier, “new.”
- Messianic Jews and congregations should
not have to choose sides, but should be able to flourish in both worlds as long
as they maintain their identity and passion to serve their people. For
messianic Jews who are members of traditional churches and stress their
bloodline identification as Jews, their choice of communal identity should be
respected. Yet, caution is warranted. Models of assimilation tend to constrain
minority and ethnic groups within some churches. These churches become a place
for Jews to believe in Jesus and remain functionally non-Jewish. As a result,
messianic Jews who identify with Jewish culture, religious music, prayer, and
customs tend to feel displaced. This reductionistic approach to societal,
religious, and communal identification reflects a colonialist tendency where
the dominant culture mandates the standards of a minority group.
- Devarim provides a revision of
the history and Covenant Code of Shemot (Exodus) and other portions of
the first four books. One resulting legal change is from earlier laws
associated with a moveable sanctuary to Devarim’s demand for temple
worship in one place.
- Devarim 18:17.
- Devarim 34:10.
- Increasingly, Protestant and Catholics
are reexamining the effect of supersessionism and replacement ideology on their
perception of Israel.
For example, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has determined that supersessionism
demonstrates a disregard for Jewish people even to the extent that they are
viewed as “cursed by God.” “We believe and testify that this theory of
supersessionism or replacement is harmful and in need of reconsideration as the
church seeks to proclaim God’s saving activity with humankind.” [Statement of
the 1987 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)]. For
further exploration of the impact of supersessionism on Christianity and
alternative theological models, see R. Kendall Soulen, The God of Israel
and Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996).
Soulen states his objective: “Taking the contemporary churches’ rejection of
supersessionism as its starting point, the book asks two questions: how deeply
is supersessionism implicated in the traditional fabric of Christian theology? And
how can Christians read the Bible and articulate their most basic convictions
in ways that are not supersessionist? In short, how can Christians be really
Christian without being triumphalist toward Jews?”
- Matthew 5:17-20.
- Romans 10:4.
- The musical shape is descending
stepwise motion from dominant to tonic, i.e., two sixteenth notes (G), followed
by a descending triplet (F, Eb, D, with tenuto on F), and ending on a quarter
note (C).
- Devarim11:26.
- Acts 24:14a.
- Acts 24:14.
- For a recent review of The Sabbath,
see Elliot Klayman’s review in Kesher 15 (Summer 2002), 101-06.
- Devarim 5:12-14a.
- 19 In the area of redevelopment, the
author is indebted to the workshop leaders at a conference for spiritual
leaders (TASTE 1, August, 2001).
- See Devarim 3-11.
- See Devarim 1-3.
- Devarim 16:18-21:9. Devarim’s
call to appoint cohanim, shof’tim, and shot’rim (priests, judges,
and officials) demonstrates the divine intention for plurality and diversity of
leadership. Congregational leadership based on the solo-model tends to be
top-heavy and places too many demands on an individual that should be
distributed throughout a leadership team and congregation. Furthermore, the solo-model
limits accountability and may inhibit the growth of a congregation.
- These communal realities applied both
in the Land and the Diaspora for most of the early history.
- Many messianic congregations do not
have enough educational and social outreach programs that serve the needs of
the larger Jewish community. I have served on the UMJC Outreach Committee for a
number of years and we are trying to come alongside congregations to encourage such
development.
- The specific dilemma facing the
messianic movement is that messianic congregations and Jewish missions are
indistinguishable to the vast majority. Larger Jewish missions with
multimillion-dollar budgets have dominated mass media, church relations, the
press, and the streets, and in these ways have formed the public image of
messianic Jews. The congregational movement has a variety of options to
distinguish itself, including:
1. Engage in a positive image campaign through media,
Christian relations, and service programs for the Jewish community.
2. Make clear the distinctions between Jewish missions and
messianic congregations in the public arena.
3. Develop closer working relations with Jewish missions who
are willing to creatively engage and relate to messianic congregations. Jewish
missions have historically been more adept at serving the needs of churches in
their development of programs and operating procedures for staff.
4. Call for a symposium of congregational and mission leaders
to clarify differences and determine means of mutual support or cooperation.
As messianic Jews continue to unite for
worship, service, and outreach, diverse views and approaches are a natural
development, yet differences should be resolved through open dialogue without
accusatory or irresponsible exchanges. Whatever trajectory the messianic
movement takes, it should not be taken haphazardly or without a careful
consideration.
- Luke 4:16; 4:31; 6:6; 13:10.
- Devarim 8:3; 6:16; 6:13.
- Jeremiah 31:33.
Andrew Sparks (M.DIV.,
Westminster Theological Seminary, S.T.M., Yale
University) leads Congregation
Avodat Yisrael of Philadelphia,
PA, serves as Executive Director
of Messiah Now and is Editor-in-Chief of Kesher.
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