As I search for a place to commune, I have reached out to a couple traditional synagogues. I’ve asked, as a believer in Yeshua, if it is still possible to attend their synagogue. The response has been more welcoming than I expected. But, I’ve only reached out to reformed and conservative congregations and for obvious reasons, not the orthodox.
The response from the reformed synagogue was “Everyone is welcome in God’s house.” But there is not much else in the response to the lengthy email I sent. The Rabbi from the conservative synagogue had a five paragraph response to my email. My email had 5 sections
- I’m Aaron, I’m not Jewish.
- We live a Jewish lifestyle and I explained what that entailed.
- We been to Israel, my daughter a Bat Mitzvah, we know a little Hebrew, etc.
- We believe in Yeshua, but we don’t follow Christianity’s holidays.
- Then a lengthy “What do you think?”
After explaining that, he understood where I was coming from. He told me we are welcome to visit but he ended his email with the following question:
Given the essentially Jewish life you live, and non-observance of Christian holidays, I am certainly intrigued on some level as to why belief in Jesus remains such a fundamental part of your belief system.
Well… that’s a good one. And that’s the number one question, right? Why believe?
I’ve been trying to think of the perfect answer, but when I look at what Yeshua did, he seemed to have been the only one who has gotten close to what was required by the Messiah. Yes, not all of the prophecies were fulfilled by Yeshua 2,000 years ago when he appeared as Mashiach ben Yosef, aka the Suffering Servant. Then he will appear as Mashiach ben David, the Conquering King.
It sounds like there are two main points to deal with.
1) Why does belief in Yeshua remain? Because we (Christians) are persuaded that He *is* the promised messiah, proven most powerfully by his resurrection. He claimed to be the single path to spiritual communion with the Father, and His atonement for our sin is the foundation of the new covenant.
2) I get that a rabbi might well see neglect of Christianity’s holidays as abandonment of Christianity itself if he sees religious practice as the path to salvation and the way to demonstrate devotion, but you and I understand that neither our salvation nor our sanctification rely on our Christian practice. We have recognized Yeshua as Christ and have placed faith for both justification and sanctification in Him. He *is* our righteousness, and it is more out of love than duty that we observe His command: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Every law, every good practice comes out as a natural result of loving others with the love the Spirit lives out through us. It’s all Him, and we trust His love in practice, overflowing in us, to do His work.
I think an effective reply to this very generous rabbi would need to clarify both these points in his mind for him to understand your theological position (unless I’ve misunderstood it myself). You’re not rejecting Yeshua as the promised Messiah and sole avenue to salvation. You’re simply drawn to Jewish tradition and prefer to include those practices in your own worship. Does this make sense?
What an interesting question! This is a question/perspective that I have been wanting to discuss with other believers, though the occasion for such a deep conversation has not shown itself. I remember your saying that our lives would never be the same after a trip to Israel. This has been true in my life, for sure. After our trip to Israel I began to reevaluate my liturgical practice, the “shoulds” of religion, and holidays (and celebrations, in general). I think I’ve been clawing at an answer from the opposite direction of the Rabbi’s question: Given my belief in Jesus as the Messiah, why does the legalism I grew up with in church and the pagan observance of holidays remain a part of my life? I love the meaningful ritual apparent in the Jewish lifestyle and how Jewish tradition honors our Father. Among other things, my eyes have been opened to the paganism of many holiday celebrations. As a believer in Yeshua, I have sought His answers because His ways and thoughts are higher than mine. Interestingly enough, my small group has been studying Hebrews & is starting Romans. Yeshua is teaching me more of what He meant when He said, “It is finished.” As priest, Yeshua sat down (Heb. 10:12 among other verses) – something that previous priests never did because there was always something else to do. I am seeking His answer for appropriate/meaningful ways to acknowledge/honor Him everyday, and too, if there are special celebrations He values; the Passover Seder being one example. Questions are ever present – the more I know, the more I realize there is to learn…
I so appreciate your blog that presents profound questions and thoughts that I don’t often face.