Preparing to Sow Part 2 of 4

The continuation of ten areas to consider when discussing the work of Yeshua with a Jewish brother...

(8) Avoid Dividing the Bible In Two: My son has recently has taken the very radical step of ripping two pages out of his Bible. This may sound unorthodox, but the pages containing the words "The Old Testament" and "The New Testament" are not inspired and are offensive to the Jewish person because these terms create the impression that the plan of God changed. The plan has not changed; "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13:8). The Newer Testament is simply the continuation of God’s plan to come down and fellowship with man. God first came down to Adam in the Garden, then to Moses and Israel at Mount Sinai. He came to dwell among men in the wilderness tabernacle and temple in Jerusalem. The LORD then walked among the creation in Jesus, indwells us as the Holy Spirit, and will return one day to set up His Kingdom on the earth.

The text containing Moses, the prophets, and the writings, was the Bible of Jesus, prophesied of His coming, and was sufficient to teach men on the road to Emmaus concerning Jesus (Luke 24:27). The respectful term for the Jewish Bible is "Tanak", which is an acronym for the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Neviim), and the other writings (Ketuvim). This division was recognized by Jesus who said, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms" (Luke 24:44). The biblical pattern for reaching the Jew remains the same and in that order, Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

The nature of biblical translations, at times, complicates the relationship between the Gentile believer and Jew. The inerrancy of scripture in the original language cannot be disputed among Christians and Jews. For if the original message cannot be preserved by God through the inspired men who wrote, what hope does anyone have? However, when it became necessary for men to translate the Bible into their own language, by nature, these men translated the Bible consistent with their own theology. For example, the JPS (Jewish Publication Society) translated Genesis 1:1-2 and Genesis 6:3 as...

When God began to create heaven and earth – the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water.
(Gen 1:1-2, JPS) and

The LORD said, "MY breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh."
(Gen 6:3, JPS).

Did you notice that in both passages, the word that is translated as "Spirit" in most English versions is translated as "wind" in Genesis 1:2 and "breath" in Genesis 6:3 of the JPS translation. The Hebrew root word used, "ruach" can be translated as "Spirit," "wind," or "breath" depending on the context. So why do the JPS authors choose to use the word "wind" or "breath" instead of "Spirit"? Answer that question and you understand a significant consideration about biblical translations. The theological worldview of the JPS authors does not permit a multiplicity of God in creation, based on, among other passages, Deuteronomy 6:4 called the "Shema", which was spoken by Jesus. "Hear O Israel, the LORD God, the LORD is one" (Mark 12:29).

To say that God, the creator, existed with a separate Spirit of God moving over the waters, is unacceptable in Jewish thought because it introduces the concept of multiple manifestations of God that Christians refer to as "The Trinity". The original word of God remains without error, but, when given the option of multiple translations of a word from the original language, men will choose to translate the word consistent with their theological worldview. The alternative is worse, atheists translating the word of God consistent with their worldview.

The Gentile believers who translated the word of God into English also suffered from the same human frailties. For this reason, it is beneficial to consult various versions and the original language when struggling with a difficult passage. For example, the word "baptism" comes from the Greek word "baptizo," meaning "to immerse". Since immersion was inconsistent with the practices of King James England, the translators chose to invent a new English word "baptism", rather than go against the king, and let the reader decide its meaning. For the most part, translation bias is minor relating to names and places and not matters of salvation, but some have a greater impact on our beliefs and our witness to the Jewish people.

In history, as some men falsely came to assume that the body of Gentile believers had replaced physical Israel, they translated the word of God, not consistent with its original intent, but through the eyes of their own theology. For example, the word "ekklesia," which occurs numerous times in the Greek translation of the Original Testament (Septuagent) and is rendered as "assembly," such as in the "assembly of the Israelites" (Josh 18:1), was translated as a new word "church." In doing so, the translators made a conscious decision to disassociate the body of believers in Jesus from the Jewish nation, ignoring the scripture from Paul that "the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus" (Eph 3:6). The translators did translate "ekklesia" as "assembly" in the Newer Testament, but only when the word referred to "the assembly in the desert" (Acts 7:38), i.e., Israel.

The original language strives for inclusion, not exclusion, and "ekklesia" can even be translated as "Synagogue". The early Christians saw themselves as part of the greater assembly of Israel (Eph 3:6), and included in the "citizenship of Israel and…the covenants of promise" (Eph 2:12). These believers never saw themselves as separate from Israel; otherwise, they would be separate from the promises of a Messiah given Israel. Only the translators know for certain why they selected a different word in each Testament for the same Greek word, but in doing so, they introduced a dividing wall between the church and the assembly of Israel, a dividing wall Jesus died to remove (Eph 2:14).

Another example of translator bias is contained in the book of Acts, where those baptized "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). The original Greek word for "prayer" is "proseuche" and is plural, literally meaning "prayers". David Stearns, in the version he authored, translated the word "prayers" in an attempt to capture the original Hebraic nature of the scriptures. Although the addition of a single letter would seem insignificant, it opens the verse up to a more Jewish interpretation. The "prayers" can be seen as a reference to the well known Jewish liturgy of recorded prayers that Jesus drew on when He spoke the "LORD’S prayer" (Matt 6:9-13).

When witnessing to the Jewish person, the believer needs to appreciate that an indictment can be delivered against the English translators who systematically and methodically removed many Hebrew aspects from the Newer Testament scripture to set the church apart as a separate entity from Israel. Even names were changed to protect the innocent. The mother of Jesus became "Mary", like Queen Mary, and not the correct translation of "Mariam", identical to the sister of Moses. In a similar manner, "Yaakov" became "James", coincidentally, the name of the king who authorized the major English translation, but the correct translation is "Jacob".

Whereas English names are selected for their sound or relationship, Jewish names are chosen to reflect the specific calling of God placed on the heart of the parents for the child. The English name "Jesus" has no specific meaning, while the original Hebrew name, "Yeshua", means "the LORD is Salvation". With this understanding, the words of the angel to Joseph now take on a new meaning, "you are to give him the name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins " (Matt 1:21). In other words, "Salvation, will save his people from their sins". Some translations, such as that by David Sterns, are attempting to restore the proper names and Hebraic expressions to scripture.

(7) Recognize the Importance of the Oral Law, Rabbinic Tradition, and the Sayings of the Jewish Sages: In the Jewish mind, the words of Moses have the highest priority because Moses spoke with the LORD "face to face" (Ex 33:11). The Prophets wrote based on "visions and dreams" (Num 12:6-8), while the Psalmist are considered to be Godly men reflecting on the attributes of God. Completely off the radar screen of the Christian are other Jewish writings that have similar importance to the Jew. These include the Oral Law (Mishnah) and the Rabbinic commentary on the oral and written law contained in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. In simple terms, the Oral Law is seen as the steps to implement the written law, for example, what specifically must a person do to "remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (Ex 20:8). In the Jewish mind, the Oral Law is understood to have been given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and is therefore inspired. A Christian must not be ignorant of these writings for they can benefit us in understanding the culture of first century Israel and are useful in demonstrating that Jesus was the Messiah.

The Rabbinic writings contain many recorded sayings from the famous rabbis in Jewish history including Hillel, Shammai, and Akiva. The former two lived in the days preceding and during the life of Jesus and many of the questions asked of Jesus in the gospel accounts were attempting to determine, where he stood on the significant rabbinical questions of the day. (In fact as a note of trivia, both were living in the days when Yeshua visited the temple as a boy and one wonders if these two men were included among the "teachers" (Luke 2:46) that Yeshua amazed.) The Talmud provides an important resource to understand the custom and position of rabbinical thinking during the time of Jesus. For example, from the Talmud we know that the often referred to prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah chapter 53, was seen as a reference to the Messiah. Because of persecution, Jews in the middle ages began to interpret the suffering servant, not as one man, but as the nation of Israel. This interpretation continues until today, but was not the original position of the sages.

(6) Understand the Significance of the Exodus Story: Ask a Jewish person what "salvation" is, and chances are, he may tell you the Exodus story. The Exodus is God’s ultimate picture of salvation for the Jewish people. The Bible devotes twenty-eight chapters to the one-year of the Exodus story compared with nine chapters in Genesis for the first 2000 years of history through Noah and the flood. The story was frequently referred to in scripture by God (1 Sam 10:18), is retold every year by each family that gathers around the Passover meal, and, in my opinion, foreshadows events to come in the Book of Revelations.

So significant is this event in history, that afterwards, God would fix the Jewish month of the Exodus (Nisan) to be the first month of the religious Jewish calendar year (Ex 12:2). In fact, the feast schedule was established to remember the events that occurred at the time of the Exodus or during the forty years Israel wandered in the wilderness. Because the Exodus is salvation, Moses becomes the ultimate Redeemer of the nation. "Out of Egypt I called my Son" (Matt 2:15) should also be seen as one of the many connections of Jesus to Moses in scripture. The connection is important because Moses prophesied that "God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him." (Deut 18:15).

On the Mount of Transfiguration, God is making a specific reference to this passage when He said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matt 17:5).
In the gospel account of Matthew written to Jewish people, the events of Jesus’ early ministry are arranged to draw a comparison to Moses. Jesus baptism (chapter 3), the forty days He spent in the desert (chapter 4), and the giving of the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5), can be seen to parallel the experience of Moses passing through the Red Sea, spending forty days in the desert on Mount Sinai with the LORD, and giving the law to the nation of Israel. In picture form, Matthew is telling the reader that JESUS is the second Moses and the Sermon on the Mount becomes the Newer Testament equivalent of Mount Sinai where God gave HIS word to HIS creation. Unlike the original Mount Sinai where the people failed to approach the mountain out of fear, people eagerly climbed the mountain to be with Jesus as He gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Just before the crucifixion, Jesus declared to His disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:15-16). Coming just prior to the cross, the meal became a time of fellowship and encouragement to Jesus. During the meal, Jesus celebrated the greatest story of salvation ever told, before He became the greatest story of salvation ever told.

To be continued...