Preparing to Sow - Part 1 of 4

I have a friend who has a friend that is Jewish and he asked me to write a single page containing arguments to a Jewish person why Yeshua is the Messiah. (This is in reference to our discussion the other night at Cracker Barrel.) Although I could never approach the arguments of a scholar who has been praying and working on the task for many years or keep the discussion to a single page, I told Teresa I thought I could gain bonus points because I also periodically run into the person in quesiton. She disagrees, but that's how it goes some times. I have broken the approach into two parts: Preparing to Sow and Sowing the Seed. The first part is further subdivided into four parts, because the document is simply too long for one blog. I will post future parts about every 3-5 days. Here goes...

Preparing to Sow

"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.”
(Matt 10:24-25)

Contained in the words of Jesus is one of the most important insights into why Jews do not readily accept Jesus as Messiah (the Anointed One, Christ in Greek). Absent the physical presence of Jesus on the earth, the character and teaching of Jesus must be determined from the actions of His disciples. Consistent with Jewish rabbinical teaching, “it is enough for the student to be like his teacher.” The life of the Christian is the greatest testimony of Jesus to the Jewish person and actions that demonstrate the true character of Jesus have a greater effect than any spoken word.

Before we can sow any seed, we must first prepare the soil to receive the seed. In order to prepare the soil, we must learn to become farmers. For this reason, I have composed my top ten list of considerations the average Christian must appreciate to effectively witness to the Jewish person.

(10) Understand the Cultural Difference Between the Jew and Greek: Few people I know appreciate the significant difference between Jewish culture and America culture. While American thinking largely derives from classical Greek or Western thought, the Hebrew society is largely based on Jewish or Eastern thought, a distinction recognized in scripture…

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
(1 Cor 1:22-25)

Eastern thinking tends to follow a “both/and” (parallel) model, on the one hand this and on the other hand that. Western thinking tends to be an “either/or” (series) model, either this or that, but not this and that. For example, is salvation based on faith or works? The Western mind only entertains one solution and concludes that salvation is based on faith alone. Eastern thinking permits two, seemingly exclusive, concepts to be held simultaneously, such as faith and works. James, writing to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1), was perfectly consistent with Jewish thought when he said, “a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). Believers, raised in Western society, have difficulty reconciling the book of James with other epistles in the text because the audience of the book is Jewish believers in Jesus and not Greek believers.

Greek linear thinking is very effective for the study of math and logic, but demands a resolution (an answer) for all questions or conflict results. Jews accept the concept of open-ended issues and are not perplexed by unresolved questions, especially when related to matters about God. For example, Greeks believe you can not be perfect because they need a conclusion, while Jews find it acceptable to be on a path leading to perfection… “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14).

Modern Greek thinking often relies on the “scientific method” to state proposition and expected conclusion. Knowledge is sought with the ultimate goal of achieving “wisdom” (1 Cor 1:22). God is a concept expressed in intellectual, but abstract terms such as holy, merciful, loving and just. While in the Jewish mind, truth and wisdom are accepted as givens from God, with value placed on the personal experience, “signs” (1 Cor 1:22). The Jewish mind understands and communicates in concrete and highly visual terms. God is the Shepherd, the Father, the Savior, and the King. The LORD told Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." (Gen 15:1). If Abram had been Greek, the LORD would have said, “I am your protector and provider.”

Western thinking focuses on the head (knowledge) as the way to reach a person’s heart (emotions), while Eastern thinking focuses on the heart to reach the head. In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel (Our Father Abraham), “Greeks study in order to comprehend; the Hebrews study in order to revere.” Accepting Jesus becomes an intellectual decision to the Greek mind, while the Jewish heart seeks the passion necessary to transform a person’s life into the pattern of Jesus. As a result, discipleship in America is too often seen as the memorization of creeds and doctrine, but not the radical form of biblical discipleship required to transform our lives into the image of Christ. No Jewish person will be convinced of the reality of Jesus if he does not see a corresponding passion in the one who professes to know Jesus.

Greeks like to “partake” of their religion, while Jews want to be immersed in their beliefs. This can be seen in the example of Christian baptism, which originates from the Jewish practice of mikveh. While Jewish mikveh requires total immersion, many Christian assemblies practice sprinkling. If the goal of discipleship is to become like the “teacher” (Matt 10:25), simply learning about Jesus is insufficient to qualify as discipleship in the Jewish mind, for knowledge absent action is seen as meaningless. As some have correctly observed, many Christians want to gather at the cross, but few want to take up the cross.

The Western mind is primarily concerned with the end of an endeavor or the destination, retirement for the average American and heaven for the Christian. Success or failure is based solely on achieving the desired end result. As the popular church song goes, “this world is not my home, I am just passing through…” If the end result cannot be achieved, such as complete biblical knowledge or perfection in our daily walk, the Western mindset tends to limit the effort devoted to the endeavor or chooses to delegate it to a “paid professional”. “Do not start what you cannot finish” is the understood mantra. The Eastern mind values and rejoices in the journey, sees struggle as the opportunity for growth, and praises GOD for each new insight along the path. The often spoken toast is “l’chaim”, “to life”, which is reflected in the words of Jesus, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The Jewish perspective dwells little on the afterlife, but trusts in the hand of GOD who will judge righteously (2 Tim 4:8) and faithfully.

Greek thinking tends to compartmentalize a person’s life. I can act and treat people one way at work, a different way at home, and a third way at church. Jewish though allows for no such distinction. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col 3:17). Further, Jewish action is taken with a focus on the long-term benefit for future descendants. When Abraham was old, he planted a tamrisk tree to benefit his grandchildren since the tree takes 70-80 years to grow. Greek thinking directs a person to expend energy for what will achieve the greatest benefit to self in the near term. Greek thinking seeks individual achievement above the collective good, exhorts an individual to “be your own man”, and rewards the individual achievement. Consider this, there are no teams in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only individual players. Jewish thought sees the greatest achievement as that which benefits the family and the community.

In Jewish tradition, people place rocks on tombstones of close relatives or friends, as depicted in the movie Schindler’s List, to say, “I will continue to build on the good work you accomplished”. The individual is always identified with the collective community because salvation came to the nation, not the individual at Mount Sinai. Common salvation is expressed in the words “Our Father” (Matt 6:9) and “Forgive us our debts” (Matt 6:12). The expression “my Father” (Matt 7:21), which was spoken numerous times by Jesus, would have been seen as a radical and even insulting departure from Jewish thought because it placed Jesus in a unique position relative to every other Jew. Of course, He was unique.

Finally, the Greek is concern about the “meaning of life”, while the Jew is focused on the “purpose of life”. Rick Warren had the right perspective when he authored The Purpose Driven Life. Understanding the “meaning of life” provides no catalyst for action, while understanding the “purpose of life” provides motivation to fulfill the calling of God in each believer’s life.

(9) Place the Jew First in Salvation: A Christian will have no success in approaching a Jewish brother apart from the humility that recognizes the faithfulness of Abraham as necessary to open the door for the promised Redeemer to be given to mankind (Gen 18:18). Without Abraham and the Jewish people, the promise of a Redeemer could not have been fulfilled. For this reason, the Jew has always been placed in scripture at the forefront. Salvation both came from the Jews (John 4:22) and the continuing commandment for the spread of the gospel is directed to be “first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom 1:16). This commandment was never revoked, yet how many evangelistic efforts proceed with this priority in mind?

The historical attitude of the Christian toward the Jewish person is properly rebuked by Paul to the church in Rome, “consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you” (Rom 11:18). Scripture is clear, salvation comes from the process of adoption “as his sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5) into, not separate from, the covenants given to Jewish nation (Eph 2:12-13). In the words of Paul, Gentiles “have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root” (Rom 11:17).

Too often, in pride and ignorance, the Gentile believer forgets that the Jewish non-believer remains to this day, “loved on account of the patriarchs” (Rom 11:28). “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!” (Rom 11:1). “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!” (Rom 11:11). The rejection of Jesus as Messiah by the Jewish nation was part of God’s plan (Rom 11:25) and does not negate the promises made by God, “for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29) or the future role of the Jewish people in God’s plan.

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" (Zech 8:23)

Since “Immanuel” means “God with us” (Matt 1:23), the passage from Zechariah could be translated, “Let us go with you because we have heard Immanuel”. In other words, the passage looks forward to a future time when the worship of the Jewish nation is turned toward Jesus.

God in His infinite wisdom made me a Gentile, maybe for the same reason he made me a man, I did not have the toughness to be made any other way. But if I could have chosen, might I not have chosen to be a Jew because they had the blessing of being “entrusted with the very words of God” (Rom 3:2) and “if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (Rom 11:12).

To be continued...