Is it time for christians to discover their hebraic roots in the Old Testament ?

Question

Why do I feel we have not uncovered the true Jesus and the New Testament words ???

Can you along with me find more strength in knowing something about its environment??

Answer 1

Yes, it would be most beneficial if they understood the difference between our story and their story...

FOCUS: Navigating Antisemitic Encounters
THEIR STORY IS NOT OURS
by Harold M. Schulweis
Out of ignorance of our own sacred story, we tend to see ourselves through another's eyes.
Shortly after the release of Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, a Jewish man sitting next to me at a dinner celebrating a Jewish communal philanthropist asked me nervously, "Rabbi, how do we respond? Did the Jews kill their god? Why do we Jews reject Jesus? Why did we not appreciate his suffering?"
From the depth of his questioning, I knew that something more than fear of antisemitism was at work. His questions reminded me of the one parents used to ask me in my earlier years in the rabbinate: "What do I say to my child who wants to know, 'Why can't we have a Christmas tree?'" Over time I realized that these parents were not concerned about the tree. They were really asking, "Why can't we be Christians?"
This man who asked me about Jesus is not alone in his concern. In conversations about the movie with other Jews, I've heard similar undertones of doubt. And I've come to believe that this doubt is primarily born of Jewish--not Christian--ignorance.
Yes, we need to understand the Christian sacred story, but first we must understand our own. Every religion has its root story which expresses the purpose and meaning of life--who we are, what we hope our children will become, how we regard those who may not accept our story. Without understanding what Judaism affirms, we are left only with what others consider to be our rejection of their religious tradition. Out of ignorance of our own story, we tend to see ourselves through another's eyes.
Asking why we killed the son of God derives from their story, their premises and presuppositions. In our story, the question "What does it mean to torture and murder God?" makes no sense. In our story, God is not a person, not incarnate, not made of flesh and blood. In our story, no one who walks the face of the earth is divine. As it says in the Book of Ecclesiastes: "There is no person who has walked the face of the earth and has done good and who has not sinned." In our story, the struggle is against apotheosis, making of anyone a god. In our story, no priest, patriarch, rabbi is worshiped. In our story, we do not even know where Moses was buried, lest his burial place become a shrine. In our story, God is not visible, not mortal, not victim, not capable of being killed. In our story, God is not a sacrifice; we bring sacrifices in the name of God. In our story, when Abraham believes that God would have him sacrifice his son Isaac, the angel of God intervenes: "Do not raise your hand against this child or do anything to him." In our Passover story, the name of Moses is not to be found in the haggadah, lest we deify a human being. This is our affirmation, not our rejection.
We are asked why we do not accept a savior to save our souls from the burning coals of perdition. This question makes sense from the point of view of their story, which is based on the belief that every human embryo is stigmatized by an original, involuntary sin, like DNA, inherited from conception. In their story, sin is supernatural and therefore cannot be overcome, erased, or expiated by human efforts. In their story, vicarious atonement, the death of God's son, can wipe out my sins. In our story, no sin is original; no sin is supernatural. My sins are not inherited; they are of my doing, and I am responsible for expiating my transgressions. No one else can suffer for the hurt I have inflicted on others; it is I who must bind the wounds.
We must respect the uniqueness of each other's story, but we ought not impose our story upon the other. Am I to respond to the question "Why did you reject Jesus as the son of God?" with "Why did you reject the tradition of Moses? Why did you reject the mother faith?"
When others impose their story upon us by speaking of saving our souls from perdition, it comes from the belief that souls must be saved, that extra ecclesia nulla salus, "outside of the Church nobody is saved." In our story, no one who lives a good and decent life is excluded from the world to come. In our story, hell is not an eternal torture for people who don't believe. In our story, hell is here on earth--starvation, slavery, genocide, prejudice, hatred. In our story, Rabbi Jacob teaches that "one hour of repentance and the practice of good deeds are better than the entire world to come" (Talmud, Ethics of the Fathers 4:22). In our story, the sages declare: "I call as witnesses heaven and earth that be it an Israelite or Gentile, a man or a woman, only according to the deed does the Holy Spirit rest upon him" (Tanna debe Elijah Zutta). In their story, souls are saved. In our story, lives are to be saved.
So how are we to respond to such questions as "Why did the Jews reject Jesus?" We must engage our Christian friends in continued dialogue to understand the sanctity of our respective stories. But first we must understand our own story, our own theology--what we believe, and why.

Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis is spiritual leader of Valley Beth Sholom in Encino, California and the author of Finding Each Other in Judaism: Meditations on the Rites of Passage from Birth to Immortality (URJ Press).

Answer 2

Yes, it is time for them to discover what Judaism teaches and what is centeral at the heart of this faith - true faith and trust in G-d. Not just following the Law for salvation, but instead following the Law out of faith and love for G-d, from a desire to do G-d's will.

It would turn over a new look at Paul's writings and put Jesus into a new life - a understanding of who and what he was before Paul and his "teachings" on the Law.

If you are curious about this, read "Why the Jews Rejected Jesus" It puts Jesus into the light of Judaism and can teach about what Jewish life was actually like during Jesus' life which gives a whole new perspective on the events of the gospels.

Answer 3

"My name shall be great among the gentiles"-Yaway=Jesus Christ.

The Law (The mosaic System) represented by Moses could not enter into the promise land because of 1 offense.

But the Children of Israel entered the land despite many sins when they followed Joshua (Yahshua).

Abraham is a picture of God and Issac a picture of Christ-Christ inherits the sons of men. They come in only 2 manners Jacob or Esau you will chose which manner of man or women you choose to be. For Moses said that whosoever will not follow that "prophet" shall be put to death.
I pray that your eyes will be opened to his truth and that you might be found in him at the day of judgment.

Answer 4

Christianity is a web of confusion packed in nice warpper marked 'dont ask just follow blindly'. Nothing really hold up just a bunch of excuses upon excuses period.

Answer 5

You need to read the bible with your spirit, not with your mind. First you have to call on the Lord to wash you with His precious blood. Every day we sin. Every day we need to be washed . You need to ask the Lord to show you the Life in the bible. He will definitely show you. God bless

Answer 6

yes, and a good place to start would be to read AJ Levine's new book called "The Misunderstood Jew".

Answer 7

Because you haven't.

You can only understand the scripture when you accept the Holy Ghost into your life to direct you, to comfort you and to teach you.

Answer 8

Because you chose not to see it.

Answer 9

you chose not to see

Answer 10

I was born a Rabbinic Jew, one who bought the words of the rabbis, but who now sees the truth. The truth the church hides by going against the ways of the Jews--worship on Sunday, changing the day Jesus was born to correspond to the date that they already were honoring a Roman god-12/5-even though it would be impossible to be born that day during the time of the census-taking.
The Jews put together the Tanakh-the name comes from the Torah (Law)< the Nevi'im (Prophets), the Ketuvim (Writings)....T-N-K. There are no vowels, so it comes out Tenakh.
Jesus said I did not come to abolish the Law (T) or Prophets (N)-and the K was the history, the Psalms, the Proverbs, so He came to fulfill the Old Testament.

In Matthew Mat 15:24 Jesus answered the gentile woman, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Why is that?
Look at Ezekiel 34:And the word of HaShem came unto me, saying:
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'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, even to the shepherds: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that have fed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the sheep?
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Ye did eat the fat, and ye clothed you with the wool, ye killed the fatlings; but ye fed not the sheep.
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The weak have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought back that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force have ye ruled over them and with rigour.
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So were they scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered.
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My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill, yea, upon all the face of the earth were My sheep scattered, and there was none that did search or seek.

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Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of HaShem:
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As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, surely forasmuch as My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not My sheep;
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therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of HaShem:
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Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver My sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.
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For thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, here am I, and I will search for My sheep, and seek them out.
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As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are separated, so will I seek out My sheep; and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness.
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And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the habitable places of the country.
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I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
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I will feed My sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the L-rd GOD.
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I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice.

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And as for you, O My flock, thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, even the rams and the he-goats.
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Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the settled waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
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And as for My sheep, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
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Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD unto them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and the lean cattle.
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Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the weak with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
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therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
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And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
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And I HaShem will be their G-d, and My servant David prince among them; I HaShem have spoken.

So, what about the Jews having killed Christ? There were 3 main branches of Jews in those times...the Sedduccees who went only by the Written word, and the Pharisees, who had been separated by G-D when the Jews were wandering. These were the rabbis, they were the Levites, the Teachers of the Law..But, then there were the Essenes, who believed in a messiah, and divine providence.
Who did Jesus speak out against in Matthew 23? The scribe and the Pharisees.
Not the Essenes.
Pharisee means "separated."
Look at Isaiah 59:2...see where G-D HImself says "But your iniquities have separated between you and your G-d, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."
Read Isaiah 59, and see how they would trreat the servant sent by G-D, the servant David, --in other words, Jesus.

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And a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith HaShem.
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And as for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith HaShem; My spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith HaShem, from henceforth and for ever.

G-D made a covenant, that He would send a Redeemer to Israel, to Jerusalem, and those that followed the Redeemer would be freed from sin, and those that did not even though they had been able to have their prayers heard by G-D would be heard no more.

Look at Isaiah 52, and you will see how this Redeemer would be one who was without sin and died for the sins of others. He would make intercession for the sinners, as he would die for them.

Jesus came to fulfill all of this..He came to tell us that we would no longer be judged by how we were in the flesh--it would not longer matter if we actually killed another, we would be judged by our spirit--if we even hated one enough to want to kill them.....He tried to show that being in the spirit, loving the neighbor, and loving G-D was the only way to be....and all of that started in the Tenakh.

Those who deny the 1st book and changed how we worshipped-who do not recognize that Jesus died during Passover, are of the church.
Those who denied Yeshua was the Messiah ben Yoseph, and denied He was who He is, are the rabbis.
Compare the books...read the books...see that Messianiic means believing in one who was anointned. A Messiah is an anointed one in the eyes of G-D. Messiah is Hebrew?
Know what Christian means?--THE EXACT SAME THING, BUT IT COMES FROM THE GREEK....Two words mean the same thing. It is man who changed it...Not G-D.