Salute! Knowledge-hungry Messianic internet lurkers!
The weekly bracha – highlighting the gems this past week (or three!) in the Messianic blogosphere, has plenty of bits to satisfy, albeit temporarily, your otherwise insatiable appetite for wisdom.
- Haaretz journalist: Israel Will Crucify Moshiach – A rather scathing article in Haaretz, calling out the Israeli religious right. Lots of non-kosher stuff here, but an interesting read nonetheless:
When the Messiah comes, rabbis will treat him like Jesus.
They will brand him disloyal, diseased, Reform.
In wall posters, Sabbath sermons, ritual decrees and signed petitions, careful not to use his title, chief rabbis of cities and towns will warn of an existential threat to the essential Jewish character of the state. Under no circumstances are Jews to sell or rent homes or lots to someone like this. The rabbis’ wives will vilify him as a carnal threat to Jewish girls.
The rabbis’ declarations will divide the Jewish people and bring wrath and dishonor upon Israel. The rabbis will continue to draw large civil service salaries, as well as generous tips, in cash, goods and services under the table and off the books.
When the Messiah comes, the Right will crucify him. Im Tirzu will roll out ads and billboards showing him with a tail to go along with his horns. A blogger from Commentary will call him a whiny, petulant boob. In Maariv and the Jerusalem Post, seven columnists will all have at him in the same three day period.
- Unrecognized Messiah – If Yeshua really was the Messiah, wouldn’t it have been unavoidable for Jews to recognize his messiahship? Messianic Jewish rabbi Russ Resnik answers,
Not only do I not think that it would be unavoidable for Jews to recognize Yeshua, but I believe our corporate (but not permanent) Jewish non-recognition is an essential part of the story. It’s consistent with Jewish understandings of the Messiah to see him as hidden and rejected before he is fully revealed.
- The End of “Just Jewish” – Ovadia, a young gentile guy who converted to Judaism and was a voice for Bilateral Ecclesiology on the web, is calling it quits on Yeshua, saying, “Succinctly put, Judaism is more important to me than Jesus is.”
- A Far, Far Better Thing – James, a gentile who helps run a One Law congregation in Idaho, is calling it quits on his congregation after several months of questioning his beliefs.
- As Many As Touched Him Were Healed – A Messianic leader explains his exhaustion, and how he nearly lost his first love:
There have been times in my faith walk when it became more of an intellectual exercise. Although I am still committed to learning, the never-ending learning created in me a creature not of spirit but of routine; as Paul wrote, "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
All of this will wear one out. At a point I was worn out entirely. I was not being refreshed or renewed and then a Scripture caught my eye which scared me, nearly to death. Messiah said in Revelation 2:4, "But I hold this against you, that you have lost your first love." I am not implying that theologians, scholars, one law groups, two house people, Messianic Jews or Gentiles, Hebrew roots Christians or any other group who may read this have lost their first love; but I nearly did from exhaustion and I should have known better.
- New Liturgy: the Lord’s Prayer – Messianic music artists Roman & Alaina Wood have put together a new melody for the Lord’s Prayer, both in Hebrew and English.
- Hebrew Background to the Lord’s Prayer – A glimpse at the Hebrew characteristics of the the Lord’s Prayer.
- Not Jewish Yet Drawn To Torah, part 8 – Derek Leman offers new and better ways to divide up Jews and gentiles in Messianic congregations.
- Torah and Non-Jews – How did the Jewish sages handle gentile Torah observance?
- Is Sabbath a Ceremonial Law? – Christians, and many Messianic Jews, claim the sabbath is a ritual law, not a moral law, and as such, it can be safely ignored. But the author draws attention to passages and scholarship that suggests the sabbath is really a moral law.
Enjoy the tasty bracha bits, fine blog readers, and be filled.
I find the talk of the "moral" vs "ceremonial" theological slight of hand. Nate's blog is likely focused toward our Christian brothers. Someone needs to ask the simple question: Does HaShem act in a "moral" or "ceremonial" way?
ReplyDeleteFace it, the traditional division of the commandments serves one purpose: to negate some of them for at least some of us. The "rich young ruler" asked which one's he should keep. "Which ones?" is a question that lacks essential faith.
B"H
Yeah, I'm not on board with the division of the commandments between moral and ceremonial. At most, it's a superficial division.
ReplyDeleteI thought Nate's short post on it was worth noting, if only for our Christian brothers who use the division as a reason to buck certain commandments.
To me it's quite simple - if you are commanded by G-d to observe a certain ritual, however minor, and you fail or refuse to do so, the sin of disobedience is always a moral failure, regardless of whether one calls a specific violated law ceremonial or moral.
ReplyDeleteThe division of Torah commandments between moral, civil, and ceremonial largely came during the Protestant Reformation. While I personally think that the division of commandments along the categories offered by the Mishnah is much better, let us remember that theologians like Calvin and others came up with moral, civil, and ceremonial basically only using the Biblical text. They did not benefit from the interreligious dialogue of later centuries.
ReplyDeleteIf we had been in their place, we might have done the same.
Like the civil, and ceremonial commandments are immoral.....
ReplyDeleteDoes lehman come to the conclusion that gentiles should sit towards the back of the bus? LOL!
ReplyDelete-Jesse
I have not been searching the Messianic blogosphere since the notorious "Frum Goy Incident." It's sad to see what has happened to some's faith since then.
ReplyDeleteShalom,
David
I would have logged on, but I forgot my stinking password again.