Christmas in Israel, 2012

Christmas in Israel is different in so many ways, mostly because it isn’t different from any other day in Israel.  Few people get the day off,  few people go to any sort of religious service and I don’t think anybody leaves out cookies for or dresses up as Santa.  And although Christmas is almost like every other day in Israel, this Christmas is a day I will never forget.  This Christmas my wife Judith and I met someone truly amazing.

Many Messianics try to live according to the law of Moses.  Most Messianics understand that the law given to Moses is a bit different than the law the Orthodox Rabbis follow today and many Messianics make an attempt to follow the law as they believe God meant it to be.  Some Messianic believers follow Rabbinical traditions where they don't believe it contradicts Torah.  The particular gentlemen I met today, Levi, has made an attempt to study the scriptures and religion is such depth, that his intellectual insights are truly astounding.  I can honestly say that I believe there is no person presently on the face of this earth that comes closer to following the law of Moses, as it was originally given to Moses, than this man Levi does.  Through this man’s insight into God’s laws, I was given insight into God’s grace.  

I understand many Jewish believers struggle to find their identity in Yeshua, just as many non-Jewish believers who find themselves in Messianic congregations, struggle to find their identity as they try to come along side their Jewish brothers.  I was in a unique situation, where I married a Jewish believer from Israel.  Secular Israeli believers do not seem to struggle as much with their Jewish identity as American Jewish believers do.  Secular Israelis have already come to terms with who they are as Jews outside of Rabbinic Judaism.  Still, Judith, upon going to the States, choose to attend a Messianic congregation as it was more comfortable for her than most churches, even though it was a little too traditional for her tastes.  

When I met Judith, I began attending the same congregation with her and I struggled to find my place in this community.  Although I didn’t dive into the scriptures to study the law and torah at that time, I did find myself following many Jewish traditions as I understood them.  Some of my christian friends thought this was problematic while others made their best efforts to understand.  

As Messianic believers, we have both the old covenant and new covenant scriptures. If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you have been privileged to get a small glimpse into the inner workings of my mind as I have tried to reconcile Christianity, Messianic Judaism, grace and law.  Lately, I have been seeing my identity as a Messianic believer the way most Israelis see their identity as Jews apart from Rabbinic law.  Perhaps I am just a product of my environment, distancing myself from Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism as secular Israelis do.  But today I saw a man following the law of Moses to the best of his ability, a man who had argued the law and the scriptures with the Rabbis in this country and has had to deal with a lot of trouble here because of it.  Nobody likes when you prove them wrong, especially a Rabbi who holds their own opinion above God.  Yet, in all his wisdom and intellectual capabilities, Levi still falls short of God’s perfection.    

In Galatians 3:10, Paul wrote:

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Judith and I choose to keep kosher because we feel called to do so, not because we feel that it makes us any more saved. We do not keep the Jewish holidays to earn our salvation, or to earn God’s love and acceptance.  We are not trying to be more righteous by keeping the Shabbat as we understand it.  If I find that someone unknowingly put bacon in a dish they served me, I do not get upset or drop to my knees asking God’s forgiveness.  I carry on as usual because I know all my sins have been forgiven.  This does not mean I don’t try to live a righteous life, but I don’t “rely on the works of the law” for my salvation.  It’s a concept christianity refers to as grace.  

If there is only one thing you get from this blog, let it be this: You are a child of God.  God loves you. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is no sin you can commit that Yeshua didn't die for. Whether or not you keep kosher, keep the Shabbat or celebrate Jewish holidays, that is between you and God.  Either way, all your sins have already been paid for, he loves you, and accepts you for who you are. You are like the pearl of great value in Matthew 13:46, God has sold everything to purchase you, just as you are.