Preparing to Witness to a Jew Part 3 of 4

Sometime ago I posted the first two parts of a document written to help a friend witness to a Jewish associate listing ten considerations when talking to a Jewish person. Much of what you read will already be familar to you, but I wanted to post the balance of that document in two parts to complete the process. I included a table, but much is lost in the pasting process.

(5) Understand the Importance of the Jewish Feasts: Central to the Jewish worship of the LORD are the “appointed feasts of the LORD” given to Moses in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus while Israel was in the wilderness. The first feast mentioned and the most frequent of all feasts is the weekly Sabbath day. A nineteenth century Jewish writer said it best, “It was not that the Jews kept the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath kept the Jews”. In other words, the Jews never forgot who they are and the unique relationship they have before God because they kept the Sabbath. When Moses came down off Mount Sinai the second time, he brought with him the instructions on how to construct the tabernacle, the house of God. In case people thought that such an important project would necessitate working on the Sabbath, the LORD reminded Moses just before he descended, “The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant” (Ex 31:16).

The eve of the Sabbath is a time of intense preparation before the Sabbath day rest. As such both the Sabbath eve and day become a picture of this life and the afterlife. Therefore, “make every effort to enter that rest” (Heb 4:11) because, “Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). Further, many Jews believe that the week is ultimately a pattern for the history of the world, with the Sabbath as the “thousand year kingdom”. Yes, many Jews believe in a Millennial Kingdom and were looking for that event to begin when Jesus came to the earth. It appears the Hebrew writer was referring to this future time when he wrote, “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb 4:4-11). The Gentile believer must respect this day and not seek to engage a Jew in any activity on this day.

In addition to the Sabbath, the LORD established seven annual feasts to mark significant events that occurred in the history of Israel. The LORD placed such priority on the feasts that He instructed Moses to change the Jewish calendar making the Passover month of Nisan the first month, after it had originally been the seventh month. The LORD instructed Israel to annually proclaim the feasts at the “appointed times” (Lev 23:4-5). Said another way, the LORD established “appointment times” to come down and meet with His people. These feasts became very important to the Jewish people because no person desired to miss their appointment with the LORD.

We understand from the Greek text that the annual feasts are both a “shadow of the things that were to come” (Col 2:17, NIV) and a “shadow of what is to come” (Col 2:17, NASU). Because “the reality…is found in Christ” (Col 2:17), it is beneficial for the Christian to understand the significance of these feasts since such action will honor the Jew, while giving the believer insight into the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus’ past and future actions on the earth.

The feasts are subdivided into four spring feasts (March-April) and three fall feasts (September-October). The subdivision aligns with the two annual harvests that occur in Israel and are a picture of the two comings of Jesus. The prophet Hosea said of the LORD’S appearing, “As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth" (Hos 6:3). We see from this passage that the LORD’S appearing is “like the winter rains” and “the spring rains.” These rains produce two separate growing seasons that result in two separate harvests. The first harvest began on firstfruits when Jesus was resurrected and the second harvest will occur at the end of the age when Jesus returns.

The seven feasts commanded by God to be celebrated include…

FEAST DATE FIRST/SECOND FULFILLMENT
Passover (Peach) Nisan 14 (March-April) Death passed over blood of the lamb
(Jesus died as our Passover Lamb)
Unleaven Bread (Hag HaMatzah) Nisan 15-21
(March-April) Rapid departure of Israel from Egypt
(Jesus died as a sinless sacrifice)
Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim)
On 1st day of wk after Passover The beginning of the spring harvest
(March-April) (Jesus rose from the grave on this day)

Pentecost (Shavuot) 50 day counting
Sabbath after Passover (May-June) Moses came down off Mount Sinai with
the ten commandments (The Holy Spirit
was given to believers as a guarantee of our
salvation)
Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) Tishrei 1
(Sept – Oct) Marks the day the heavens created
(The day of Jesus expected return)
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) Tishrei 10
(Sept – Oct) Holiest day of the Jewish year
(The day Jesus will judge the world)
Tabernacles (Sukkot) Tishrei 15-22
(Sept – Oct) Remembers the time Israel lived in tents in
the wilderness for forty years (Looks forward
to the time when the LORD will again dwell on
the earth)

The forty days leading up to and including the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is a time for Jewish national repentance with the last ten days referred to as the “Days of Awe”, a time of Jewish national repentance before the LORD finalizes His judgment on the Yom Kippur. These forty days are traditionally associated with the forty days of fasting when Jesus was in the wilderness. The day Satan choose to tempt Jesus was Yom Kippur, the most holy day in the Jewish year, when no work is permitted and everyone is commanded to fast. The temptation was more than a prideful diversion, it was an effort by Satan to cause Jesus to break the fasting commandment of God.

Finally, in addition to the commanded feasts, the Jews introduced Purim (March – April) to celebrate the salvation of the Jews in the days of Ester and Hanukah (December) to celebrate the miracle of the oil in the days of the Maccabees, a feast recognized by Jesus (John 10:22).

(4) Avoid the Things That Are Offensive: Some of the words and the actions of people are offensive to me. As a result, I discount any message they may have to speak to me. The Christian message is often discounted before we ever open our mouth because we have set stumbling blocks in front of Jewish people. Often, we are unaware that we have introduced obstacles that compromise the message. Most people will not tell you directly of the offense, they will just use the offense as a reason to ignore the message. Remember the words of Paul…

Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. (1 Cor 10:32-33)

Hear me out. Many Christian like to display their belief by wearing symbols that include a cross. I have a cross hanging on the wall in my home. No matter what the meaning may be to you, the wearing of a cross or the depiction of a cross on your clothes or Bible is extremely offensive to the reverent Jew. A history of persecution and death is associated with the cross beginning in the days of Caesar when the Roman empire would literally line the streets with thousands of Jews crucified for rebellion or crimes against the empire. The cross was a common symbol of the crusaders who killed thousands of Jews who refused to “convert” often executing them in front of a cross. Under the banner of the cross, Jews were driven from their homes in the Spanish Inquisition in the timeframe when Columbus sailed to the New World. From the standpoint of scripture, there is no precedent to wear a cross as a symbol. Through the eyes of a Jew, wearing the cross might be the modern equivalent of wearing a miniature gas chamber complete with a smokestack if Jesus had died for the sins of the world at Auschwitz. No matter what it means to us, six million Jews were killed in this manner and one would ever find peace and comfort by such a reminder.

Be careful about all symbols you wear or display. An orthodox Jew is careful to follow the commandment…

Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars — all the heavenly array — do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. (Deut 4:15-20)

In addition to symbols, avoid words that, in the Jewish mind, derive from a history of offense and injustice such as “crusade and conversion”. The Jewish Bible should be referred to as the “Tanak”, not the “Old Testament”, “those Jewish writings”, or “your Bible”, which immediately establishes a separation between us and any Jewish person. Jewish terms should be used when possible such as “Messiah”, instead of the Greek “Christ”. Festivals should be called by their Jewish names and Jesus should be called Yeshua. Such steps are not only more scriptural, but reflect the proper sensitivity toward the Jew.

Always remember that the plan of God from the beginning has been “to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” How can that be accomplished? “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” (Eph 2:15-17). All expression and communication with a Jewish person must, at its very foundation, reflect an attitude that seeks to make peace between the Jew and the Greek.

(3) Do Not Convert a Jew, But Welcome a Jew as a Brother: For over 1800 years, many Christians have held to a belief that a Jew must leave behind the lifestyle patterned after the commandments contained in the text and conform to the lifestyle of a typical Gentile. This process has been referred to as “conversion” and thought necessary because, “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile…” (Rom 10:12). Standing alone this statement would seem to support the proposition that Gentiles and Jews in Christ should possess uniformity in beliefs and actions. However, this verse is proceeded by one that qualifies how Jew believer and Gentile believer are equal; each comes to a righteousness from God, “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Rom 10:11).

In a like manner, Paul told the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28). Does this statement of Paul mandate equality of belief and action among Jew and Gentile who believe in the same Messiah? Certainly, not! For the statement itself contains examples that we know in the physical realm are not equal. Slave is not the equal of free and man is not the same as woman. For equality does not mean uniformity. For example, God is a unity, yet there are three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, distinct in position and function. The Jew and Greek, slave and free, and man and woman are equal only in the aspects of “faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26).

Therefore, is a Jewish believer required to act as a Gentile believer or a Gentile as a Jew? Only if a slave can act as one who is free and a man can become a woman (Gal 3:26) should a Jew be obligated to act as a Gentile. For “each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called?” (1 Cor 7:20-24). And why remain as called, because “the body is not made up of one part, but of many…(whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free)” (1 Cor 12:13-14). God needs witnesses for Christ everywhere in the world among Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, men, and women.

Contrary to popular belief, Paul remained a Jew in word and deed. He prayed at the Temple (Acts 22:17), participated in Jewish ritual purification (Acts 21:24), and sought to celebrate the annual feasts when the opportunity permitted (Acts 20:16). When Paul was accused of telling “telling Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses…not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs” (Acts 21:21), the elders in Jerusalem told him to take four men and “join in their purification rites…Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.” (Acts 21:24). Unless the elders were deliberately creating a deception, do not be ridiculous, the actions of Paul demonstrated that he continued to live in accordance with Jewish customs. Upon his arrival in Rome before the Jewish leaders, Paul testified, “I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors” (Acts 28:17). The word “customs” even goes so far as to imply that Paul followed aspects of the Oral Law, in addition to the written law.

We remember that Gentile believers became known as “Christians” at Antioch (Acts 11:26), but what escapes our notice is that Hebrew Christians were separately called “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5) because they maintained the traditions of the patriarchs. Therefore, the same freedom which allows the Gentile to participate or not, in the things which are considered “Jewish” cannot prohibit the Jewish person from participating in that which uniquely identifies the Jew with covenant promises given to the Jewish people by God. How did Gentiles ever conceive that a Jew, who accepted Jesus as Messiah, was mandated to give up the unique nature in which God created him? Or as one in my church has said, “Spanish believers, celebrate Cinco de Mayo and other Mexican festivals, and eat cultural foods without getting grief from anyone. Jewish believers, however, are expected to give up all of their festivals, kosher foods, wine, and the Sabbath if they want to be ‘one of us’. My brothers, this should not be.”