by J.K. McKee

The Winter holiday season is one of the most difficult times of year for the Messianic community, with many people we have encountered over the years simply wanting to hibernate for the month of December. Messianic Jews often continue remembering Chanukah the way that their families always have, but perhaps look down with a bit of superiority at Christians who celebrate Christmas. Many Messianic non-Jews, who have embraced their Hebraic Roots, have been improperly encouraged to be mean-spirited and spiteful not only toward the non-Biblical traditions of Christmas, but even toward the Biblical account of the birth of Messiah Yeshua in the Gospels. And, many of the same will often unfairly look down at Chanukah as being a vain “tradition of men” that is neither edifying nor beneficial to people of faith.

None of us has the option of just hiding under our beds, or locking ourselves up in a closet, for the month of December. The call upon God’s people is to let their good works and loving attitude shine in the world (Matthew 5:16). We have no choice but to interact with people during the Winter holiday season. While the observance of Christmas by today’s Church may not have been God’s original intention, and nor should it really be encouraged—spiritual Christians today who remember Jesus’ birth are honestly trying to honor the Lord. Similarly, while it can be rightly assumed that our Messiah remembered Chanukah or the Feast of Dedication (cf. John 10:22), many who remember this seven-day holiday think it is only about lighting the menorah or eating latkes. Not enough people are aware of the powerful themes of salvation history present in 1&2 Maccabees—and even more so the influence of the Maccabean crisis on First Century Jewish attitudes toward the nations, affecting our reading of the New Testament.

The recently released paperback edition of the Messianic Winter Holiday Helper is a very unique, and well-needed resource. It tackles some of the difficult issues that a Messianic Believer frequently encounters during the month of December. How are we to properly approach the holidays of Christmas and Chanukah? How do we properly interact with Christian friends and family, not being mean to them? How do we show the love and grace of Israel’s Messiah to a Jewish person during this time, who does not know Him? What important historical and theological lessons are we not aware of from the period of the Maccabees, because of some of the hype and misinformation that have been allowed to circulate in Messianic quarters about the Ancient Greeks?

There is nothing else like the Messianic Winter Holiday Helper and the breadth of subjects that it addresses in today’s Messianic community! Fairness and love toward our Christian friends and family is emphasized, with alternatives to the common “Christmas is pagan!” attitude is encouraged. Information not only about the traditions of Chanukah, but also the Biblical and extra-Biblical data affecting the time of the Maccabees is provided. Application teachings about how the lessons of Chanukah can be considered today, including a few unknown things about Greek philosophy, have been offered. Most importantly, this book emphasizes how the best way to share the Messianic approach is to simply invite people into your home or to your congregation during this time, and make those environments places of Yeshua’s love and true camaraderie in the Holy Spirit. Only by people partaking of a positive, spiritually edifying Messianic experience, will they ever be convinced that this has something to offer them—be that experience expressing who Messiah is to a Jewish person, or presenting the Hebraic Roots of the faith to an evangelical Christian.

Be sure to get your copy of the Messianic Winter Holiday Helper in time for the December holiday season! Have the right resource for the right approach to this time of year!

The TNN Press Book Printing project continues, as all of our publications steadily get produced as standard paperback books. Five of our books have already been printed, with our current rate of production at two books every two months. If you have already purchased some of our current paperback materials, we would like to encourage you to post a review of these books at Amazon.com. This will help our exposure, and enable more people to encounter our fair-minded, scholastic, and loving approach to the Messianic lifestyle (in a place where many of the Messianic materials are anything but this). The links below will take you directly to where you can write your reviews:

by Mark Huey

When it comes to the vagaries of cancer and the treatment thereof, it is difficult to deal with physical pain and mental suffering—no matter what one believes. If one has faith in God, then he or she can turn to the trials of Job and knowingly repeat, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him” (Job 13:15). But did you notice the caveat that indicates how an ongoing argument or defense of oneself, will ensue? Recently, due to my sister’s struggle with a recurrence of breast cancer, the opportunity to dig into the difference between suffering and pain presented itself. In fact, as a result of conducting some due diligence on one of the many oncologists recommended, a website quotation from a patient dying of ovarian cancer (who inspired the Dr. Salem quoted below to become a cancer specialist), was imbedded in my thoughts, as I ministered to my ailing sibling:

At that time, there was no treatment for ovarian cancer and physicians did not discuss openly and frankly with patients those issues relating to diagnosis and therapy; much less, issues relating to life and death. That woman was left in solitude to suffer alone with her pain. Physicians came to see her rarely, and when they did, they rushed out quickly before she had a chance to ask questions. They had no answers for her questions. Because cancer was a taboo, she was left alone. She made me read Tolstoy’s, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and many times she enjoyed repeating this quotation: “Why hast Thou done all this? Why hast Thou brought me to this?” Why does Thou Torture me so? For what? He did not expect an answer, and he cried because there was no answer, and there could be none.”

A few days before she died, she squeezed my hand and said: “Very soon, I will be here no more. This whole ordeal will be over. Would you, however, promise me that you will do something about this disease in the future so others will not have the pain that I have had? And should you ever become a cancer physician, would you remember that the real agony is not the physical pain, it is the non-physical”. I promised, and I remembered. (emphasis mine)

“An Adventure With Cancer: The Joy and the Pain”
Dr. P.A. Salem, Houston, TX

For whatever reasons, when I read this testimony within a few of days of learning of my sister’s condition, I was struck by the final request of the inquiring woman who undoubtedly spent considerable time asking God “Why?” and perhaps dialoguing with Him like Job did. However, when her death was fast approaching, she requested one thing of the young physician considering a career serving cancer patients. She placed in his mind the indelible thought that it is the relentless mental reminder that one has cancer, which is more agonizing than the physical pain. For this woman of faith, understanding at least Scripturally where she was ultimately destined, was one thing—but what about my sister who is still fighting off her illness? For weeks I pondered how mentally and emotionally excruciating it must be for someone to contemplate the possibility of physical death.

What came to mind was the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, and the comparable incessant reality that every morning when my sister wakes up, she has the dreadful realization that some debilitating cancer cells are rapidly reproducing in her body. Just where they were in the body was a relative unknown. But the daily fact remained that unless one of the many cancer treatments or the healing result of many prayers succeeded, this disease was going to be present until the day she expires. Nevertheless, while the physical pain is being treated with a variety of pharmaceutical concoctions to ease the physical discomfort, the gnawing agony of knowing that the cancer is continuing to spread never leaves the conscious mind.

For weeks on end that I spent in Colorado, as I prayed for my sister’s physical healing, I was amazed how she was resolutely and courageously handling her physical and mental trial. I patiently waited on the promptings of the Holy Spirit on how to communicate properly with not only her, but also my parents, brother-in-law, brother, and others. When one is sensitive to the Lord, one is able to say the right things at the right time, but also will enable one to be quiet at the right time. You are there simply to serve the needs of others, and do what the situation requires you to do.

Upon returning to Florida, my wife Margaret and I spent a previously scheduled weekend visiting family and attending a friend’s birthday celebration up in Jacksonville. Naturally, after weeks of attending to my sister’s needs, the subject of a few conversations during the visit was my sister’s physical condition. However, it was not until I mentioned the contradistinction between the physical and mental pain to a former college roommate (who happens to be a clinical psychotherapist), that I heard him respond with some illuminating comments:

“Those two aspects of dealing with illness are the difference between suffering and pain. Suffering or agony was the mental side of traumatic illness, while the physical side was just a matter of temporal pain or hurt.”

Almost immediately upon hearing these statements, my mind focused beyond the current situation with my sister, and instead thought about the Messiah Yeshua and the long suffering and pain He endured for all of humanity. For unknown reasons, despite my sister’s current challenges, the dying thoughts of an ovarian cancer patient, or even the suffering of Job, my thoughts instead went to what the Lord endured for us. The Messiah must have known for years how He was to receive not only the punishment for the transgressions of fallen humanity, but perhaps even more excruciating, a short separation from His own Father because of having to one day bear our sins. For a few moments, I wondered about the moment when He realized that He was going to be the substitution sacrifice to receive the righteous wrath of God. Was it as an infant child (Luke 2:40), when He was twelve discoursing at the Temple (Luke 2:42-52), or perhaps when He was approaching John the Baptizer who declared from the Jordan that He was the Lamb of God (John 1:28-36)?

As I momentarily reflected on the length of the suffering thoughts that Yeshua endured, and then mentioned it to Margaret, her succinct reply that only God could handle the magnitude and severity of these things, temporarily satisfied my curiosity. However, when during a sermon the next morning, the gospel passage about becoming a servant and the Lord giving His life as a ransom for many was quoted, I was again reminded of the difference between suffering and pain:

“Calling them to Himself, Yeshua said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’” (Mark 10:35-45).

After hearing this quoted and without much hesitation, the thought of the Suffering Servant came to mind, as memories of Isaiah 53 flashed. So I turned in my Bible and reread the following:

“Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors” (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

I was reminded how this great passage of Scripture so eloquently describes Messiah Yeshua and all of the suffering He endured for sinful humanity. I then considered another passage that reflects on the ultimate service of Yeshua for us. Even though He pleaded before the Father, He still went through the necessary pain and suffering required to redeem us all from sin. As seen during His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane:

“And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:41-44).

Apparently, the stress from this suffering agony was so intense that the author states it was like He sweated blood. No doubt, our Savior knew at this point He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. He knew how He had to freely offer up His sinless self, as the required ransom for the transgressions of humanity. Obviously, the similarity between someone suffering with the knowledge of an ongoing battle with cancer, is relatively insignificant when compared to the suffering of the Messiah. However, on a personal level, the individual pain could be as excruciating, especially for the one enduring the mental anguish.

As I contemplated the agony of the Messiah as contrasted with the rather limited suffering people today experience, I was reminded of a special passage of Scripture that years ago had a critical impact on my spiritual walk as I was seeking to know Him better. In the midst of some personally excruciating emotional suffering and pain—associated with an unwarranted, unwanted, and unexpected divorce from 1991-1993—the Lord was purging me of some of the fleshly inclinations that were present in my life, despite being a born again Believer. While being broken and vowing to the Lord by offering myself as a holy and living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2), I fully embraced the understanding that the Apostle Paul was communicating when he composed these words to the saints at Philippi:

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Messiah Yeshua my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Messiah, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Messiah, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11).

Paul explained that whatever suffering he experienced for the Messiah, is not that much compared to what his Lord accomplished via His sacrificial work at Golgotha (Calvary). In fact, it is the fellowship of His sufferings as we are being conformed to His death—or death to our own will—that actually allows us to get to know Him and the indwelling power of living the resurrected life. Of course, the ultimate blessing is being able to complete the circle, somehow participating in the resurrection in a similar manner that He did.

Additionally, as I perused some texts that further described the concept of suffering, I was impressed by the detailed explanation that Paul gave to the Romans. He explained the forgiveness and release from condemnation that come, as a result of one believing in the atoning work of Messiah Yeshua:

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, he does not belong to Him. If Messiah is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:1-18).

Note the distinctions between those whose minds are set on the things of the flesh, versus who are set on the Spirit. Of course, as a result of becoming born from above by the Spirit of God, one actually has the Spirit indwelling these mortal bodies. In fact, according to Paul’s exhortation, those indwelt and being led by the Spirit of God are actually adopted of God with the privilege of crying out to Him with the intimacy of “Abba! Father!” As children of God, who are considered fellow heirs with the Messiah, we understand that whatever we suffer—whether mentally, emotionally, or even physically—that ultimately we will be glorified with Him. Paul concludes with the statement that he considers that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 6:18).

No matter what it is we have to suffer in this mortal life, nothing can compare to what we are going to be experiencing for all of eternity as redeemed children of the Most High. The challenge is embracing this reality and incorporating it into our walk with the Lord, when it comes to the mundane affairs of life. In the case of the ministering that all Believers are expected and required to do, it means being available to the promptings of the Spirit as God positions each one of us to represent Him in diverse circumstances. It means allowing the incomprehensible love of the Messiah to manifest itself in our thoughts, prayers, intercessions, actions, and if necessary, in the encouraging words He gives us to proclaim.

We need to remember that only about ten percent of communication is the spoken word. The body language coupled with inflection, tone, volume, empathy, eye contact, facial expressions, and a multitude of other manifestations communicate much more than simply words. This is not to say that preaching the gospel is not critical because it absolutely is. But when it comes to showing the love of the Messiah for the world or your family and friends, it could be the soft touch of a hand stroking a forehead, or the rubbing of feet and legs with body lotions, or simply holding a hand that communicates far more than all the words one could muster.

Suffering and pain are a part of the human experience. When we get the chance to experience it—whether as a Believer relinquishing our will to the will of the Father, or simply as a vessel to minister to those enduing one or the other—we should take it to heart that the Almighty has uniquely positioned us to handle the situation as His Spirit leads. We need to be mindful that those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8), but rather it is by faith that we please Him:

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Finally, if you are presented with a trial, dealing with difficult diseases like cancer—whether personally or with a loved one or a friend—stand rest assured that the Holy One is using all of those circumstances to get the attention of those involved. God has always used suffering and pain to draw people unto Himself. Whether it is the ancient example of Job who chose to never curse God, or Abraham as he contemplated offering up Isaac, or David as he dealt with the sins of adultery and murder, or Paul remembering his persecution of the early saints—God eventually used each of these circumstances and a multitude of others to glorify Himself. Of course, the ultimate example of God using suffering and pain to bring glory to His purposes is magnified in the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua. Praise the Lord!

In a like manner, God will use contemporary challenges to receive the glory that only He deserves. May we each acknowledge this inevitable reality. May we continue to offer ourselves up to His service, for the work of ministering to those who are yet to know Him—as He alone offers eternal life!

Perhaps in time as we understand Him and His ways more fully, we may praise Him for the difficult times we have undergone, recognizing that He was at work to accomplish His purposes. For even if we are slain, there is no other hope than in His plan for salvation. To Him be all the glory!

Until the restoration of all things…

by Mark Huey

Thanksgiving dinner in 1978 was a memorable occasion for my then-immediate family. Gathered around the table in Annapolis, Maryland were my parents, older sister, new brother-in-law, and younger brother—when I adamantly proclaimed while pounding my fist on the table “You are all going to Hell if you do not believe in Jesus Christ!” This was not a very subtle approach for a two month old new Believer, with a previous track record of pursuing less than righteous activities. But life is funny, because as the prayers for my family’s salvation have ascended into the Heavenly realm for over thirty-one years, my maturity as a follower of the Messiah Yeshua has grown. Nevertheless, with countless prayers deposited in the golden bowls (Revelation 5:8) for my loved ones, with only nominal if any tangible movement of hardened hearts, the Almighty has finally allowed a physical crisis with my sister to get my family’s attention. It is also getting the attention of those who respond to our many prayer requests.

For seven of the past eight weeks, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in Boulder, Colorado attending to my sister who is engaged in a courageous struggle with a recurrence of breast cancer. While the focus is her health recovery, I have been tangentially conversing and communing with her hurting husband, my aging parents, my caring brother, some close friends, and a variety of others associated with hospital work. During these unexpected weeks away from home, which coincided with the thirty days of Elul and the Fall Feasts, I have had the privilege and joy of serving my family by literally putting my life, ministry projects, and work on hold in order to be available for them. Praise the Lord that He has finally gotten me to a place in my walk where the love of the Messiah is simply manifesting itself through my selfless actions—and not necessarily my anxious words! While I am certainly not on the level of a Mother Teresa, at least the words of Francis of Assisi are being fulfilled in my deeds: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”

Of course over the years, my parents and siblings have been distantly curious about the transformation that took place in my life over three decades ago. It undoubtedly confused them that my marriage to a woman I met the first year at the church where I was “born again,” ended in a divorce fourteen years later, despite the birth of two beautiful daughters during the marriage. It certainly befuddled them that I got reacquainted at a college reunion and then married, a little over a year later, the love of my life after a twenty-one year hiatus from our one date in 1972. Then, about a year after our marriage, after adopting Margaret’s three children, our new family was ensconced in a Messianic Jewish congregation. The question naturally arose, “Are you trying to become Jewish?” Still, within four years of our new union and a failed attempt at blending families, when our personal spiritual scavenger hunt required us to liquidate our assets and we moved to assist a ministry venture in Honduras—one could imagine the concerned family conversations that ensued. No doubt there were recollections of me as a rabid convert declaring only one way to be saved. Needless to say, I can now appreciate how confused my natural-minded family would be as they have observed my spiritual journey from a safe distance (1 Corinthians 2:14).

With all of this said, for the past two months with some OIM ministry efforts disrupted, I had much time to reflect on the past, present, and future throughout significant conversations—and during extended periods of silence I was able to pray and meditate upon the current circumstances of life. It was through numerous personal interactions, books read to whittle away the time, and even movies watched in the hospital room, that I was reminded how different people dwell upon a multitude of subjects when the fleeting frailty of life becomes real. For a few days prior to leaving Boulder and returning to Kissimmee, the recollections of how people coped with life and death consumed my thoughts, primarily because of my sister’s needs—but also because I had read books I would not ordinarily consider, viewed some movies I would never choose, and had meaningful conversations that would not have been a part of the normal routine of my ministry life.

To quote my sister, “Getting sick has some benefits, if nothing more than to get to know my brother better!” Of course, I could say the same, because for the first time in over thirty years, I was able to get to know my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and brother on a whole different level over an extended period of time. By just being myself, living and operating in the Spirit with the hope that is within me (1 Peter 3:15), I believe that my family rediscovered that I am pretty much the same person as years ago—but with a supernatural peace that surpasses understanding. While they might not yet necessarily know some of the nuances of what faith in the Messiah means for a Believer, I think they each observed that I was not anxious for anything (Philippians 4:6), but was rather reserved in my conversations. I held the firm, unspoken conviction that the love of the Messiah heals not only the heart, but also the body.

Ironically, the highest compliment I received while visiting days upon days at the hospital came from a wise, senior nurse, who observed my actions. She pulled me aside after a few weeks and told me that she noticed that I was what she termed, “emotionally available.” Without getting preachy, I simply said that it was my personal, willful choice to love—coupled with the innate love of God—that compelled me to just be there for my sister. I elaborated about all of the disturbing things going on in the world today that I have no ability or calling to change. However, simply being with my sister and family was something tangible I could do in the here and now. To me it was a great blessing to be available for her, her husband, and my parents in a time of great need.

Finally, I want to report that on the second night home from the hospital, my sister told me that she was awakened in the middle of the night with a vision of the cancer being gone and that she was healed. Upon hearing this, I told her that I was in complete agreement with her night vision and that I would pray for that hope. She quickly corrected me and said it was more than a hope, but real in her mind. I sheepishly, but wholeheartedly agreed!

She was not coping or even hoping. She believed without doubting (James 1:6). May it be so!
In fact, without saying a word, I want to pray and claim these verses over my entire family:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

If you will agree, may it come to pass, so that the Holy One may be glorified! Please keep praying.

Until the restoration of all things…

by J.K. McKee

The spiritual dynamics in today’s Messianic movement are in the process of changing. I think that this is a very good thing. For a number of years I have thought that if some of us do not take a real, hard look at ourselves and what we are doing, then we will not make the kind of impact that our Heavenly Father wants us to make. I have not at all hidden the fact that much of what I have witnessed the past ten years in the Messianic world has not made me happy. We bear all the signs of a faith community that is still very young, still maturing, and still trying to figure out who we are. We do not have the kind of establishment that we need to have, either theologically or spiritually—even though these things are achievable, if we can step back and consider a few things.

Right now as we stand in the middle of the Fall appointed times, who we are or what we are going to be is very much a topic of interest. Today’s Messianic Judaism, where my family got its start in Messianic things in 1995, often sees itself as not being a worldwide, one-faith-for-all movement. It is rather to be perceived as a Jewish renewal movement whereby Jews can come to faith in Messiah Yeshua, retain their Jewishness, and have the safety of a Jewish-friendly environment. Non-Jewish Believers can be involved if they want to be involved, but in many cases they are not encouraged to be involved, or at least they are encouraged to be involved a on peripheral level.

The independent Messianic movement, which has arisen as many non-Jewish Believers have entered in and have embraced their Hebraic Roots, is all over the board. Some think the end of the world is imminent, and so no time has been spent considering our missiology. Some think that the Messianic movement is to just beat up endlessly on the ills of the Christian Church. Some think that since they could not really do much in terms of leadership or teaching in the Church, that they can actually be “somebody” in the Messianic community. Others think that the Messianic movement is really designed to complete the work of the Reformation, bring all of Israel together, and see a unique faith community of Jewish and non-Jewish Believers emerge. Our ministry has not hidden the fact that this last option is the way that we view things.

Certainly if you were the enemy, and the trajectory of the Scriptures is to have a Grand Commonwealth of Israel of a single, yet diverse people as one in Messiah—where the spiritual heritage of Judaism and Christianity are to be respected, where people are to be diligently obeying God, and most especially where people are to be fulfilling His mission of loving others and expressing His goodness to the larger world—you would want to get it deterred as much as you could. You would send in voices that would get people off on diverse tangents and rabbit trails (or even rattlesnake holes). And we have certainly seen those in the last ten years, from the Sacred Name agenda, the different calendars followed, the phenomenon of Church bashing, not-so-subtle forms of anti-Semitism, end-time hype and paranoia, etc. You would want to keep people away from a comprehensive study of the Scriptures, and having the Holy Spirit empower their hearts and minds to dissect the Word and adequately evaluate where God’s plan of salvation history is taking us.

If you were the enemy, one of the things you would also absolutely want is prejudice to continue. You would want Jewish Believers to look down on non-Jewish Believers, and desire them to make curious Christians not feel entirely welcome at Messianic Jewish congregations. You would want non-Jewish Believers to feel rejected, and while embracing their Hebraic Roots actually become a little anti-Semitic and look down upon their Jewish Roots and mainline Jewish traditions. You would want males to look down upon females, and assert a hardline patriarchy. You would want those who speak the loudest, but think the most scrambled, to be those who were heard and taken seriously. You would want those who look the most provocative and dress up in various costumes, to be the ones who were seen. You would want those who take the extreme positions to be the ones who determine theology and orthopraxy.

As I have interacted with many Messianic Believers, Jewish and non-Jewish, over the years, they instinctively feel that a time is going to have to come where we move beyond these things. Many people honestly do throw their hands up in the air and ask, “What happened to the love and grace of Yeshua? What happened to the work of the Holy Spirit? Where is God really leading us?”

We are certainly not being led to a place by God where there are two sub-peoples of God: Messianic Jews and evangelical Christians, who are intended to remain entirely separate until the Second Coming. God is certainly not leading us to a place where previous generations of Jews and Christians are demonized, and where teachers and leaders consistently violate the Fifth Commandment in denigrating our ancestors. God is not leading us to a place where we are completely neutered from making a difference in the wider world, as though “Torah observance” only includes keeping Shabbat, the appointed times, and kosher—and not helping people through acts of kindness and mercy.

In the past two years I have been really probing the mind of God to try to figure out what things have been keeping the broad Messianic community from accomplishing its full potential. Some of my thoughts I need to keep to myself a while longer. Yet a few of them can be shared. The unity that all of God’s people are to have—either Jewish or non-Jewish—is to be a testimony of the greater redemption to come to the cosmos in the future (Ephesians 3:10). We really do have the capacity to bring people together where the role of the Jewish people in history can be honored and respected, and where the anti-Semitism of the past can be precisely that: the past. We really can see Jewish people come to faith in the Messiah of Israel, and Christian people take a hold of parts of the Bible that they thought were not for them. We have the capability to be a faith community that is a real force of holiness and righteousness. Many more than just Jews and Christians are to ultimately be affected.

The only way you can see or even think about these things is to recognize that the Messianic movement is much bigger than you or I. It is not something that is exclusively this ministry over here, or that collection of congregations over there. No one person or select clique is in control. It is something that the Creator God has started, to ultimately accomplish some extremely important tasks. God does have to use flawed human beings to accomplish these tasks, and some of these people might have much smaller and more limited views of what the Messianic movement needs to be than He does. Finite mortals frequently fail to consider God’s perspective in bringing things together. Even if the currents and eddies of the religious world sway too much during a five year period (cf. Ephesians 4:14; James 1:6), if the Lord has planned things to occur and culminate over a multi-decade or even multi-century period, then that is not very long to Him at all (cf. Psalm 90:4).

Right now there is a whole lot of talk on the future of the Messianic movement, and the involvement of people like myself: non-Jewish Believers from evangelical Christian backgrounds, who have embraced their Hebraic Roots and desire to live a Torah obedient life. Is this a lifestyle that is God’s intention for all His people as the Spirit writes the commandments onto my heart at a steady pace (Ezekiel 36:27), or have I fallen prey to the insidious words of a Judaizer designed to bring me into legalistic bondage? Am I an equal member of the ekklēsia, via the work of Yeshua, who can be just as close to the Throne of God as any Jewish Believer? While surely I am to acknowledge and repent of previous Christian animosity displayed toward Judaism, and high respect and honor is due toward the Jewish people—am I going to receive any reciprocal respect for the good things that my Christian heritage (Wesleyanism) has accomplished and brings to the table? Can we not all learn from one another as we work together, accomplishing God’s mission?

Some of these questions might not be answerable for the current generation of Messianic Jews. Consider the fact that today’s Messianic Jews are still very much wrestling with what it means to be Jewish, and believe that Yeshua is the Messiah. These are people whose families will often hold funerals for them when they come to faith. These are people who are spurned by the wider Jewish community, so wanting a relatively homogeneous Messianic Jewish congregation of almost all Jewish Believers—a “safe place”—is certainly understandable. Many people are still mending wounds of rejection from their family, carrying a great deal of pain. Messianic Judaism is still a first generation movement, and is still having to work through the basic issues of what it means to be a Jewish Believer, and we all need to be very sensitive to this fact. It simply might not be ready for considering a wider view of what Israel is to become by the eschaton.

God is going to accomplish His purposes as laid out in His Word, even if it takes some more time. But if we at all misdiagnose the trajectory of the Scriptures, significantly shifting emphases and policies and teaching styles to fit the changing market, people are not only going to be hurt, but they are going to be quite upset at well. Extreme sides will only be that much more emboldened, and divisions will continue. Reason and sanity will not only not prevail, but the unique work of the Holy Spirit will be stifled. Free will could deter the timing of what the Lord wants to be achieved.

What will we begin to see take place in the 2010s is a clash of two very similar, but very different ideologies. A complimentarian ideology, which permeates most of today’s Messianic movement, advocates that we are all equal before God, but we all have separate roles. This not only pertains to a couple’s marriage relationship and leadership in the assembly, but also separating, albeit subtly, Jewish and non-Jewish Believers with one being superior to the other. In my opinion, it is not the ideal, because it too often encourages rivalry—and surely the curse that was upon Adam and Eve for them to try to best the other, is surely something that does not need to be perpetuated (Genesis 3:16b; cf. 4:7).

An egalitarian ideology, which our ministry adheres to, advocates that we are all equal before God (Galatians 3:28), and we are to all be in mutual submission to one another (Ephesians 5:21) with no one group possessing total superiority (cf. Colossians 3:11). We all have to work together, and in working together we all value and honor one another the same way that God values us as humans made in His image. A high degree of respect and integration of the Jewish theological tradition, particularly in terms of mainline halachah, is by all means to be included. A Jewish leading in the various divisive areas of Torah that we have witnessed in recent history is to be followed (Romans 3:1-2). At the same time, the Christian theological tradition also contributes to the Messianic movement, particularly in terms of how we conduct body ministry. Both Judaism and Christianity contribute to our Biblical Studies. Within the framework of mutual submission, we should all be able to be the “one new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15, NRSV/CJB) that God wants us to be. All of our strengths should be able to be employed.

From a very young age, my parents modeled to me that an egalitarian ideology can work. My parents were both partners in marriage, working together as leaders of the home, working together in the family business, and even working together in ministry activities in our church. My parents would always fight together when a crisis erupted, and they always informed their two children (at the time) about the ups and downs of family life. They were brutally honest to Jane and me about our finances, and were very clear to instruct us not to share “family business” with outsiders. Because my parents were in mutual submission to one another, I can count on one hand the total number of fights that they had in seventeen years of marriage. And because Kim and Margaret McKee were in mutual submission to one another, I have no questions about the fidelity of either one of them. (And, seeing the example of Mark and Margaret Huey has helped me as well!)

Some of you know that something big is going to click sooner or later in the Messianic movement, where we begin to achieve what the Lord has determined that we achieve. If this movement is to be something bigger than just a Jewish renewal movement, and something bigger than Christians having Passover sedars in their churches and a more positive attitude toward Judaism, then it is going to be achieved by the sovereign hand of the Almighty. Not too many of us like to hear that the positive fruits of the Protestant Reformation did not begin to manifest in significance until the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries—at least 200 years after the time of Martin Luther!

I do not believe it will take two to three centuries for the Messianic movement to sort itself out, but it will take more than weeks or months. It will not be achieved with blogs, YouTube, nor will it be achieved by a teacher writing a single book. It will be achieved with a great deal of work, study, and sanctification via the steady pace of the Spirit. It will be achieved by us making a positive difference in the lives of others. Perhaps most importantly we will accomplish God’s mission when we can each have an internal peace—that even though human people might fail us—God Himself is ultimately on our side!

During this Fall holiday season, the last one of this decade, things are being stirred around. Hegemonies are being removed. Some are falling, and some are rising. People are talking, speculating, and theorizing what is next.

Between all of the talk and banter, not enough people are inquiring of the Lord as to what is next. Too many people in the past decade, I think, have failed to consider that this whole Messianic “thing” is bigger than a single person or a select few people. What this means is that time is going to fix many of the complicated circumstances in which we find ourselves. Can we wait it out?

What might we do to see His objectives achieved? Take this before the Lord in prayer, as He refines His people for what lies ahead…

by J.K. McKee

What is the problem with holding to a low theology of sin (hamartology), and how do we see this problem fixed?

I had a very interesting dream the other night, but before I begin, let me say something: I don’t have dreams. This does not mean that I am not spiritual, it just means that the Lord usually communicates to me through prayer or His Word. This dream, however, was pretty interesting. It involved me consciously picking up various books and commentaries in my library, and closely examining and re-examining a passage of Scripture which is very important to us understanding the proper role of the Torah in the life of Believers: Galatians 3:23-25.

What does Galatians 3:23-25 say? Appearing in the New American Standard Update, it reads,

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

Some immediate questions jump out at us when we see this verse: Who are the “we” being spoken of? What is “under the law” to mean? In what regard is the Torah a “tutor”?

Some other questions may be asked when we compare this with some other versions. There are Bible translations that describe the Law as a “custodian” (RSV), “disciplinarian” (NRSV), or “guardian” (ESV). But most notably what jumps out at you is the clause in v. 24: “until Christ came” (RSV/NRSV/ESV).

The majority interpretation that I have encountered in Galatians commentaries and other writings on Paul reflect the view that in Galatians 3:23-25, the Apostle is only reflecting on a Jewish experience of having to be subject to the Torah. “We Jews,” Paul would say, “were locked up by the Law of Moses until the time of Christ. We Jews do not have to follow any of this Law any more, which means that it is surely not for you Galatians…”

Fast forwarding to today, the implications of this could be that not only have non-Jewish Believers such as myself been wasting their time for the past fifteen years being Messianic—but that today’s Messianic Judaism, as well, probably needs to just close up shop and fold back into the greater Christian Church with its Law-free gospel and Law-free lifestyle. The Law of Moses was for a previous age, and salvation history has progressed forward. The Torah was only until Messiah, and now that we have Him we no longer need its commandments to regulate our lives…and so on.

Is it at all impossible to view Galatians 3:23-25 differently?

There is always debate among commentators of Paul about who the “we” and the “you” are in various parts of his letters. When he talks about the “we,” is he referring to himself as a member of the Jewish people? Or, is the “we” referring to his collective audience?

I believe there is another way of looking at Galatians 3:23-25, which upholds the significance of the Torah for all of God’s people, aligns with the New Covenant ideal of His commandments being written on the heart by the Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Ezekiel 36:25-27), and above all recognizes the centrality of Yeshua the Messiah.

“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed” (Galatians 3:23).

The “we” Paul is talking about is himself, his party in Antioch, and the Galatians. In v. 23 Paul talks about their common state as human beings subject to sin, being under the condemnation of the Torah pronounced upon sinners, being shut up as prisoners until the truth of the gospel would illuminate their lives at the right time (cf. Galatians 4:2). The Torah is something that Paul considers the whole world to be accountable to (Romans 3:19b).

What is the role of the Torah for those who are sinners, locked up as prisoners, deserving nothing more than its full brunt of condemnation?

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Messiah, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Paul labels the Torah as a paidagōgos, which in a classical sense was a slave or household servant, who guarded young boys to and from their academies. It would be a very strict disciplinarian, sometimes beating or chastising them, until the time when the young men would come of age and the services of the pedagogue would no longer be required. The boys would be mature, and would know foundational life principles as second nature. The fact that Paul is having to use a classical Greek term, to describe a function of the Torah, is a very good indication that this is something that affected the non-Jewish Galatians equally as much as it affected Paul as a good Jew.

The real debate is what is meant by the clause eis Christon, which could be rendered as either “to Christ,” or the more common “until Christ.” Did the Torah only serve as the Jewish pedagogue until the arrival of Yeshua? Or, does it serve as individuals’ pedagogue until a person receives Yeshua into his or her life? Many conclude the former, but if the Torah is to be likened to some kind of child trainer—beating important principles into a person prior to salvation—then it is not unimportant to consider the fact that the Galatians were certainly taught about the Messiah from the Law and the Prophets during Paul’s visit to Galatia in Acts 13:13-14:28.

Paul spoke to both Jewish people and non-Jewish people when he traveled throughout Southern Galatia. It is safe to say that when examining Luke’s record, the Apostle Paul delivered the same basic message wherever he went on this journey. At Pisidian Antioch, he proclaimed on a Shabbat,

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).

The non-Jewish Galatians were certainly taught this basic message from Paul, no different than those Jews who were attending Sabbath services as they always did, as he declared the good news from the Torah and Prophets. Many of the non-Jewish Galatians had already been involved with a local synagogue in some way or another, and had a basic understanding that the Creator God condemned them for their disobedience to His righteous standard in the Law.

Paul’s message in Pisidian Antioch is no declaration about the Torah being abolished; it is a reflection of how the Torah cannot free a person from all of the condemnation or guilt of sin. The Torah is not enough. The Torah’s standard of holiness and righteousness is quite important. Yet the Torah as a pedagogue can only harshly beat its commandments and standard of righteousness into a non-Believer, who will often feel condemned because he or she is not doing enough. The non-Believer, trying to keep God’s Law, will inevitably fail at times and will be condemned by God’s commandments when they are disobeyed—because we are only human.

This is why, in Galatians 3:24, the Torah is a pedagogue that is to lead us to the Messiah. Having disciplined us enough, showing us that on our own we will carry guilt for disobedience to God’s commandments, we are to be driven to the feet of the cross and plead for redemption. As the gospel of salvation changes our lives, the Torah’s role as a pedagogue for individuals, harshly condemning them, is over:

“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:25).

This does not mean that the Torah no longer plays a role in the lives of redeemed people! Redeemed people empowered by the Holy Spirit are to have His commandments written on the heart, as the power of the New Covenant is enacted. Such a redeemed person, filled with the Holy Spirit and with a new nature desiring to obey the Lord, understands the message of 1 John 5:3 very well: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Following salvation, the Torah functioning as pedagogue is over for a born again man or woman. What follows is the Torah functioning as the mission statement of a person’s new life in Yeshua, where one can be a part of “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), fulfilling God’s mandate to be a blessing to the world (Galatians 3:8; Genesis 12:2-3). Having the Torah’s principles imbued into the man or woman empowered by God’s Spirit makes the Torah even more important following salvation—not less important. It helps us learn about the character of God, and how we need to learn to act toward sinful humanity with love the same as He has acted toward us (Romans 5:6-9).

In examining various commentaries on Galatians, I certainly saw how interpreters had to engage with the thought that the Torah could serve as an individual’s pedagogue, but then they all pretty much rejected it. The Torah only serving as a Jewish pedagogue until the time of Christ was instead vastly preferred. The Torah serving in any kind of an educational role for people on the path to salvation, being shown their sin nature from the high standard of God’s commandments, was not really welcomed.

I have spent more time in prayer and contemplation than you can know ruminating over this issue, asking myself: Why is this the case? The answer is one that really does grieve me, because I have a huge amount of respect for people who dedicate their lives to teaching and expositing God’s Word—in some cases spending five to ten years writing commentaries on texts like Galatians. These are not immoral or God-less people by any means, but in some places they are misdirected.

Consider how we all get really upset when we encounter various Messianic individuals and ministries who finally come out of the closet and say that they hold to a low Christology, failing to acknowledge the foundational declaration of faith “Yeshua is Lord” (Romans 10:9). Yet the problem with much of today’s evangelical Church is not too dissimilar. Rejecting a view that Galatians 3:23-25 relates to individuals condemned by God’s Torah as sinners, needing to be led to the Messiah, is a reflection that too many of today’s Christians hold to a low hamartology.

Hamartology is the study of sin. Romans 3:20b is clear: “through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” God’s Torah contains His gold standard of what He considers sin to be, and it begins with us contemplating the severity of the Ten Commandments. But how many Christians today are really taught what God’s commandments are, much less that disobedience to them brings the condemnation of the Creator down upon them? How many of us have completely misdiagnosed what “under the Law” really means as being subjected to the condemnation of the Torah, a consequence of sin being someone’s master (Romans 6:14)? How many Christians still sit under the Law’s condemnation as (unredeemed) sinners—and may not even know it—because their salvation experience had nothing to do with confessing their violation of even just a few of the Ten Commandments (cf. 1 John 1:9)?

Today, the fact that much of the contemporary Church holds to a low hamartology is evidencing itself very clearly. Entire denominations are splitting over the issue of homosexuality. Now I am the last person who is going to say that gays and lesbians should not be treated as human people, deserving of respect and basic rights. They deserve our love, and not harsh treatment. But if the Church held to a high, or at least a higher, harmartology, then this would not be a debate. Homosexual people would not be ordained clergy, and we would not relegate the Torah’s instructions on sexuality to the dustbin. I look back at the two dominant religious traditions in my family, Wesleyan-holiness and Reformed, and neither one held to the low view of God’s Torah as is often held in the contemporary Church. Yet the denominations that adhere to these ideologies either have already split, or are on the verge of splitting sometime soon.

I think that the reason today’s Galatians commentators do not want to see the necessity of the Torah as ultimately leading people to the Messiah (Romans 10:4, Grk.), is because of a low hamartology. Discounting the role that God’s Torah is to play is condemning sinners, but ultimately having to drive them to the sacrifice of Yeshua for forgiveness, is a severe indictment against much of the contemporary Church. It has failed in its proclamation of the gospel. And then, when people do supposedly get saved by its “Law-free gospel,” God’s Torah plays no role in discipleship, or sometimes even Bible study. It is just an interesting part of archaic Biblical history to them.

Now you can see why I believe so strongly that the Messianic movement possesses great potential to be a force of God’s holiness and righteousness. While many of us have been blessed by having a more hands-on and interactive faith, by remembering Shabbat or the appointed times—we have the responsibility of restoring a high hamartology to the ekklēsia. Keeping God’s Torah is by no means what saves us; the Prophet Isaiah says that our human righteousness is but “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, KJV). God’s Torah shows us how sinful we are, and how much we need a Savior. But as Believers empowered by the Holy Spirit, following God’s Torah as redeemed people gives us the ability to demonstrate good works and conduct in a world marred by sin, enabling us to show others His love and compassion (Matthew 5:16ff).

Today, we do not know what the emerging Messianic movement is going to emerge into. There are huge debates going on about whether all of the Torah is a standard that all people are affected by, or that only some of the Torah affects non-Jewish Believers like me (and I am not talking about the natural divisions of the Torah’s commandments, nor about the difference between its apodictic and casuistic laws). The Messianic movement cannot at all agree about the equality of all people in the Lord, including not only Jews and non-Jews, but also women (Galatians 3:28). The Messianic movement is behind the curve in much of its theology and scholarship, and its engagement level with various issues and subjects where both Judaism and evangelical Christianity are far ahead of us.

Yet in spite of some of these challenges, I believe that our Heavenly Father has chosen us to do some important work in the days to come. The internal issues will subside and we will see His mandate accomplished. In future decades, our faith community may be some of a small few who hold to a high hamartology, not having relegated the Torah as important only to the time period prior to the Messiah. But neither will we make the mistake of discounting the good Apostle Paul’s instructions as being irrelevant as some do. We will be able, just as he did, to proclaim to everyone how the Lord Yeshua “is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4, TNIV).

My friends, please join with us so that we can finally move ahead with what we need to be doing. There is much work, study, and research that needs to be accomplished—and it is high time that we align our objects with His objectives! Our ministry represents a perspective that now needs a wider hearing, one which can help all Messianic Believers be all that the Lord has called them to be.

If you would like some more teaching on the Epistle to the Galatians, you can consult my article “The Message of Galatians” or commentary Galatians for the Practical Messianic.

 

P.S.: I want to assure those of you who are waiting for my lead article for September 2009 that I am diligently working on it. It is a thorough exegesis paper of Ezekiel 37:15-28, that looks carefully at the Hebrew text, as well as a wide array of commentaries and opinions across the spectrum.

by Mark Huey

Now this might sound silly, but the obvious fact that one cannot keep the commandments of God unless he or she knows the commandments seems fairly elementary. After all, how can a person keep God’s commandments if one does not know them, or for that matter, has never spent any time reading and studying them? This reality came into focus recently, while I was reviewing parts of the Epistle of 1 John. This letter includes the words of someone who was seriously concerned about the walk of a Believer with Messiah Yeshua.

In this first passage, the beloved John is simply trying to explain to his readers that truly knowing the Risen Savior will be evidenced by keeping commandments:

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6).

The crux of these statements regarding keeping the commandments is whether one truly knows God, or does not truly know God. If a person knows God, or has come to know God but does not keep His commandments, then one of two things is missing. Either the person (1) does not really know God, or (2) he or she does not know the commandments. Consequently, if a person claims to know God, but does not keep His commandments, then John’s conclusions is that the person is a liar and the truth is not in him.

But is this a reflection on people who are ignorant of God’s commandments, and do not have a fuller picture of them—or people who claim to know God but have no desire to obey Him?

John’s conclusion could be a very strong indictment against those who simply believe that keeping God’s commandments begins and ends with love for Him and neighbor. Yeshua did list these as the greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22:35-39). This is not in dispute. But few really try to comprehend what He means by “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

Many faithful Christians believe that they are keeping God’s Law, because they love Him and strive to love their neighbors. This is good. The problem is that too many preachers and teachers have told them over the years that these are the only two commandments that matter. Too few are aware of how they are derived directly from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18), and not enough try to understand them as they were originally given to Ancient Israel.

When asked more specifically what that love entails, the answers one might hear from today’s Christians can be somewhat nebulous, theoretical, or downright superficial. After all, how does one define love for an intangible, unseen Creator? Is it a fervent prayer life? Is it reading His Word? Or could it possibly be seen by obeying Him? Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) taught:

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Once again, the willingness to keep God’s commandments is strong evidence that someone loves Him. Yet it is improper to assume that keeping God’s commandments is just all about “love.” Many people need to be liberated from a circular thinking that you love God, which in turn means that you have just kept all of His commandments, which then means that you have fulfilled the Law. Something or someone has to wake up many of today’s Christians from the stupor of believing that “love” for God is all that is required to obey Him. Just vaguely “loving God,” with what can be perceived as no concrete responsibilities, has not at all aided today’s Christian Church—which is rife with moral and ethical problems. A return to actually knowing and implementing God’s commandments in one’s life is definitely in order.

When you consider the essence of what it means to truly commit all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of you mind to the Lord—you should soon realize that it is much more than a token, seemingly heartfelt statement of commitment. If you are really serious about loving God then you will look into His Word and discover those other passages which amplify what it means to love God with all of your being. The command to love is an essential part of the Shema, which declares the Lord as the supreme object of one’s devotion, worship, and obedience:

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Later in Deuteronomy, Moses teaches how the love God’s people are to display toward Him is evidenced by keeping His commandments:

“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

As you seek out more about what it means to love God, you read further in Deuteronomy 11:1, 13, 22; 30:6, 16. God’s people are admonished to love Him, often with the reminder that those who love Him keep His commandments. The Apostle John’s words, seen in 1 John, are very consistent with the message of Deuteronomy, and what is required of an obedient disciple of Yeshua. Consider these two passages and notice the obvious parallels:

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment that we believe in the name of His Son Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:21-24).

“Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:1-3).

If you analyze what it means to really love your neighbor as yourself, you might be able to think of some tangible actions, beginning with how you show basic courtesy to others. The Golden Rule, doing to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31), surely comes to mind. While this is an excellent rule to follow, where does this axiom originate? It actually comes from a series of commands that deal with those you live in close proximity to—your neighbors—as outlined in Leviticus 19:9-18:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God. You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning. You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:9-18).

When you begin to study out the concept of loving the Lord and your neighbor, you are certain to find that what is stated throughout Scripture defines and clarifies what God’s commandments truly are. Love for God is not an intangible concept, but does manifest itself in specific actions. A serious, sober minded escape, from some of the circular thinking that often prevails in our generation, allows you to realize that the mission of the Messiah was not to abolish the Torah, but rather show His followers how to live it out properly. Fulfilling the Torah by no means implies doing away with it!

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19).

Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah, but fill it up with understanding. The commandments of God the Father were upheld by the Messiah, and compose the Messiah’s instructions for living a life of love. Of course, discovering what those commandments actually are requires time and study. It requires us to mature in our faith, perhaps retrain some of our thinking, and for us to sincerely desire a heart and mind that is focused on serving the Lord—not just lip-service.

Once you have the dots connected for you, in your desire to love the Lord and your neighbor as yourself—you could find yourself positioned between the Rock and a hard place. You can either ignore the words of Yeshua, Moses, and John—or you can begin evidencing your love for God by keeping His commandments. This starts by actually learning how you can truly love your neighbor.

If you have a problem with demonstrating God’s love via obedience, then you just might check to see if you truly know Him. Inevitably, it always circles back to how we show we are His people via our actions in the world!

Until the restoration of all things…

The new paperback edition of Introduction to Things Messianic is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. If you have been really blessed by this publication, we would like to encourage you to post a positive review. This book has helped build on the foundational material expressed in Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study, where many Christians can be exposed to the Messianic movement in a very non-confrontational way, with a more detailed, scholastic presentation of the relevant material. This publication expresses a great deal of respect for our shared Jewish and Christian spiritual heritage, while also emphasizing the significance of God’s Torah and living like Messiah Yeshua. Your feedback will help aid the exposure of Introduction to Things Messianic on Amazon, and in allowing others to see some of the things that the Lord is doing in this hour!

Introduction to Things Messianic

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And please, if you haven’t purchased your copy of Introduction to Things Messianic yet—do so today!

by Mark Huey

In reading a recent obituary of a renowned playwright and novelist of the Twentieth Century, I was struck by the profundity of a closing quotation about how he wanted to be remembered:

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who used their ability as a novelist or as a dramatist to say the things he felt needed to be said about the society” while being “as entertaining as possible,” he said in the 2006 interview. “Because if you don’t entertain,” he said, “nobody’s listening.”
Tim Weiner, “Budd Schulberg, ‘On the Waterfront’ Writer, Dies at 95″
06 August, 2009 edition of the New York Times

This man obviously understood human nature and the tendency for minds and hearts to be engaged in a subject matter primarily when individuals are stimulated by an “entertaining” approach. If you are not able to get people to listen to the dialogue of the play or read the words of the novel, you are not going to impact your society.

In the deceased man’s profession, he wrote plays and novels that communicated critiques of societal ills, recognizing that in order to make his revealing points palatable, he needed to subtly feed them to audiences in compelling doses. Casting light on the darkness of human depravity takes skill and is best achieved when the target is unguarded and unknowingly open to an indirect reprimand. Entertainment’s ability to enrapture listeners is why great American story tellers like Mark Twain and Will Rogers were able to write and/or speak to their respective generations, in ways that made people think deeply about societal issues ranging from slavery to government abuses.

In the modern information age, with the advent of radio, television—and now the Internet with YouTube and social networking websites proliferating (not to mention the growing mobile Internet bonanza)—similar rules of thumb apply to impacting a culture. The increasing challenge for those desiring to change society is to get people to focus on their message. Information is now being coupled with entertainment, developing the “infotainment” models of communicating bits and pieces of knowledge, to the attention deficit beleaguered hungering masses. The key for most of these purveyors of bite size information is to disseminate the news or opinion of the news in a fast-paced, entertaining way. This method must allow for income generating advertisements, either invading every six minutes, or incessantly flashing or popping up on the screen of your computer monitor.

One wonders if these technologically enhanced communiqués (sound bites, speaking points, editorials, opinion articles) will have the impact on society that a two to three hour play—interrupted only by a solemn, thought provoking intermission—had in previous eras. Similarly, can you remember when a lengthy read of a novel, undisturbed by obsessing distractions about inane topics, actually moved you to reconsider your opinion on a given subject? I certainly can, and perhaps that is why the adage that the pen is mightier than the sword is apropos—when it comes to peaceably moving societies in new and different directions.

On the other hand, is it possible that market-tested sound bites, developed by those seeking to influence or control society, have knowingly created internal indigestion and angst in the public arena? Hearts and minds do frequently get bounced from one extreme to another. Is there a reason for this madness? Certainly, understanding human nature and exploiting its proclivities are key to influencing or controlling any society.

When ostensibly competing media sources generate anxiety in a culture, people will innately react with a natural tendency to want some stability in their life. The discomforting feeling of unrest in the soul, screams for the mental escape of a novel, or perhaps a night at the play, or even movies (a play captured on celluloid). Many thinking people will do something to avoid what appears to be a world out of control, and a good read or a night on the couch watching the television “plays,” works for most.

With all of that being said, imagine a political leader writing a book that was part autobiographical, and somewhat philosophical—with the knowledge that cleverly written words with some entertainment value, can actually move people to accept or at least consider his or her leadership (i.e., Hitler, Mao, Churchill, Kennedy, Bush, McCain, Obama). Historically, politicians have generally written their autobiographical or political philosophy books in the years just prior to their attempts to gain or enhance power. In this day and age, the speaking tour, promoting the book, is a seemingly harmless commercial approach to getting their message out. With the growth of cable news and radio talk shows vying for material to fill their 24/7 broadcast requirements, these interviews work for both interviewer and interviewee.

What if an autobiography were so compelling, primarily because the life of the protagonist was so exotic, that people would be drawn to read it simply to understand a perspective that was so foreign to them? Is it possible that such a book, as an escaping read to quiet the soul, could actually communicate a solution to the turmoil raging in the hearts of those simply wanting a peaceful life? Of course, the solution, from the point of view of the protagonist, is to lead regular people out of the darkness of despair and into their peaceful light of understanding.

Take a minute to think about some of the great books you might have read down through the years, which may have profoundly impacted and perhaps changed your thinking on a particular subject. Whether it is Charles Dickens, Herman Melville, Sinclair Lewis, Joseph Conrad, Charles Darwin, or the Holy Bible—you know that the written word has made you think about topics ranging from societal conditions, to evolution, to the eternal destiny of a person. In one way or another, whenever one takes the time to ingest the written thoughts of another, or watch and listen to the actors performing a play or acting in a movie, the thoughts of the originator are being recorded in the mind of reader or listener. The impression communicated in words or actions may be greatly intensified by the entertaining aspects of the book or play. So, if the work is very entertaining and memorable, it will not only be partially committed to memory—but will perhaps be passed on, expanding and extending the life of the work.

In the past, society’s book and play critics wrote their critiques and comments on various works, and even developed sophisticated awards for attaching accolades to those writings. With positive comments from those respected in their literary fields, appreciated books and plays received much broader readership and/or attendance to the performances. Today, however, with the ability to simply forward attached articles to e-mails, the promotion of not only books and plays—but also various ideas or thoughts at relative lightning speed—is changing the dynamic of trusting only the respected critics.

Now, with time such a premium because of the plethora of information available at the click of a mouse, societies are being influenced by people who understand human nature. These are people who can get the most entertaining sound bites and thoughts out into the marketplace of ideas. The more entertaining, or let us say thought provoking, the idea or concept, the more chances the recipients will pass the information along to their respective circle of intimates. Demonstrations can be instigated (Iranian elections), or tax protests or healthcare protests can be coordinated simply by the ability to rapidly communicate with e-mails and cell phones. Now you know why people labor over the 140 characters for the most entertaining “tweets” to be passed along as text messages, instant messages, or online e-mails.

There is no doubt that those who want to influence and control society know that all of these technological advances are definitely changing the way people are getting their information—processing that information and making decisions. This is a far cry from going to the theater or relaxing with a novel. The reality is that “entertainment” could very well be the key component to growing followers, because it is so appealing to human nature. But what about igniting the spiritual side of humanity? Is there perhaps a different approach?

As a Bible teacher and exhorter trying to speak life into the souls who will listen, the basic principle of entertainment generating listeners was intriguing for me to contemplate—but not something we should emulate. When considering entertainment as a vehicle for enhancing popularity and thus willing listeners, I am reminded of a very serious admonition given by the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy in the waning days of his life. Consider this as not only Paul’s final instructions to his faithful colleague, but us as well. Also consider the contrast to an end of life interview as quoted above by the deceased playwright.

Understand that Paul was not interested in being remembered for his entertaining skills, but rather how his life was focused on directing people to Messiah Yeshua through his enlightened preaching and letter writing:

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Messiah Yeshua, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

Note that Paul warns Timothy that in the future, people will not endure sound doctrine. They will actually prefer to have their ears tickled, or entertained by teachers who will turn people away from the truth, speaking about fascinating myths or fables. Apparently, Paul was aware of this problem as he more explicitly warns another disciple, Titus about certain rebellious ones, who are empty talkers and who have turned away from the truth:

“For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers…who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain…They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:10, 16).

All who believe in Yeshua today are required to share the good news that has changed their lives! A life of faith is not about being an entertaining “empty talker,” but rather about being someone who can faithfully explain the basic doctrines of the Bible that are able to make us more like Him. While it certainly is beneficial if one can eloquently articulate the message, the fact remains that God’s truth does not need embellishment—being turned into an entertaining exercise. In fact, the gospel message is supposed to be an offense (Matthew 11:6; Luke 7:23; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8), or a stumbling block to people (1 Corinthians 1:21-25).

Preaching, teaching, or speaking about the Lord Yeshua is not about entertaining people, in order to gain audience approval and listeners. It is rather doing your part, as Yeshua promised that He would be lifted up, and draw all to Himself (John 12:32).

People with a nature—or even base nature—will always want to be entertained. The Scriptures teach that there is a distinction between those who are natural and those who are spiritual. The Apostle Paul instructed those in Corinth,

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Yeshua the Messiah and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, ‘THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM’ [Isaiah 64:4; 65:17]. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? [Isaiah 40:13] But we have the mind of Messiah” (1 Corinthians 2:1-16).

Seek the Spirit of God, and pray that you be given the mind of Messiah. Recognize that receiving His power is far more entertaining than anything a human can muster! As you move on in life, you may want to ask yourself what you want to be remembered for as death approaches:

1. Do you want to be remembered as someone who was entertaining, so as to be heard, in order to move (or manipulate) people according to what you perceived to be right?

2. Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Paul, Timothy, Titus, and countless others who directed others to the saving gospel of Messiah Yeshua?

Friend, you need to have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as He uses you in His master plan. It is an awesome privilege to be a part of His people—and yet a sober responsibility to bring the enlightened words of truth to the world. If we are all up to the challenges, then perhaps we will be able to replace the modern-day “infotainment” model, with the ancient tried and tested “infolightenment” model. This is a model that gains followers one heart at a time, according to the Lord’s perfect design.

Until the restoration of all things…