An old guy working there, probably in his mid 70s, saw me and asked, “Try a sample of pizza? It’s only $5.99 for the whole pie.”
Spotting the sausage, I said, “No thanks, I don’t eat sausage.”
“Are you vegetarian? We’ve got a veggie pizza here if you like”, he asked.
“Heh. No thanks. I don’t eat pork, so sausage and pepperoni, that sort of thing, are out.”, I responded.
“Oh, are you Jewish?”
“Hahah, yeah.”, I laughed.
“I love Jewish people. I mean that.”, he says.
“Oh, thank you. I really appreciate that.” I respond.
He continues, “And I don’t care what happens over there. Israel is going to remain, and they’re going to win. It’s what the book says”, he points down to his hand, as if reading the text, “and I believe it.”
I smile. “I believe it too!”
Now, maybe the old guy was trying to sell more pizza, but I think there was some truth in there. And I think God’s put in gentiles, especially Christians, a love of Jewish people and Israel unlike any other time in the history of the world.
Why now, at this time in history, remains to be seen.
"I think God’s put in gentiles, especially Christians, a love of Jewish people and Israel" <-- It would certainly make sense that Christians would love the Jewish people. Our Savior is Jewish. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Christians see the savior as Jewish. I think they know that He is but I don't believe they know what that entails. I know from personal experience that I did not see Him as Jewish until quite recently and even now do not have a full understanding of what that implies. I believe his Jewishness has been obscured for whatever reasons. This needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteI came across an online book written by Rabbi Moshe Reiss that does address it in part:
DeleteAt a pre Christmas service in 2001, Father Dr. Reimund Beiringer, also of the Catholic University of Leuven, began his sermon with the following opening remarks: ‘when Jesus comes back he will be circumcised, he will not be able to eat at my home because it is not kosher and will look at this church and ask the Rabbi where can he find a synagogue’. The above remarkable statements confirm that Jesus the Jew continues to accept the symbol of Jewishness – the circumcision – by eating kosher he continues to observe Jewish ritual law and by attending a synagogue he continues his Jewish persona. This embodies the total antithesis of Rejection theology. Father Reimund personally asked me to attend this church service and pointed me out as the person Jesus would ask for a synagogue and at whose home he could eat.
I can only hope and pray there are many more Christians out there like Father Beiringer.
"“Are you vegetarian? We’ve got a veggie pizza here if you like”, he asked."
ReplyDelete“Heh. No thanks. I don’t eat pork, so sausage and pepperoni, that sort of thing, are out.”, I responded."
Cool story, Judah! However, one particular part of your exchange (quoted above) didn't make sense - why did you say no to a veggie pizza by saying that you don't eat pork? Unless of course you, commendably, now keeping "rabbinic kosher" and wouldn't trust your veggie pizza made in an non-kosher place, with a non-kosher cheese, and in a non-kosher oven where pizzas with pork products are also being made:)
You and I disagree about kosher stringencies placed on food today. I would have no qualms about eating cheese or vegetarian pizza, whereas you would.
DeleteIt's because you believe Orthodox Judaism's kashrut standard is the ideal, whereas I believe it is excess.
Busting in here. If it were a cheese and veggie pizza, why wouldn't it be acceptable? There's no meat products. Just like a cheese and mushroom pizza.
DeleteAs a side note, my daughter hates cheese, so her pizzas are strictly dough, pizza (tomato) sauce, and turkey pepperoni.
Some Jews won't eat certain cheeses unless they've been certified kosher by Orthodox Union. Example.
Delete"It's because you believe Orthodox Judaism's kashrut standard is the ideal, whereas I believe it is excess."
DeleteJudah, that's not what I was asking you (I know that you believe in "biblical kosher"), but rather WHY did you turn down the VEGGIE pizza by saying?
"We’ve got a veggie pizza here if you like”.... Heh. No thanks. I don’t eat pork, so sausage and pepperoni, that sort of thing, are out.”, I responded."
James is apparently wondering the same in his comment.
Also, do you believe that Yeshua would have no qualms dining in Pizza Hut?
The man asked if I was a vegetarian. I responded I don't eat pork.
ReplyDeleteShould I have placed this information in the nitpicker's corner?
Thanks for clarification. English is not my first language, you know.:)
DeleteNo worries. :-)
Delete