The following is the result of a comment I did not post on “Messianic Jewish Musings.” The original post has been changed as a result of misinterpreting the heart of the matter I was going against.
To begin, I realize that my following comment steers away from the thrust of your post, but please indulge me (nevermind now it’s on my blog!). And I’ll also say that I follow your blog and work with great interest, so I appreciate your efforts.
I just wanted to point out that this statement is offensive in the way I originally interpreted it:
“Why should non-Jews keep a Jewish day that is not required of them and has little meaning for them?” (see here)
It sounded like a cheap shot at those of us who have implemented the Shabbat in to our lives on some level. Derek has clarified that he was specifically referring to Christians who are, for lack of a better term, ignorant of the sacredness of the Sabbath.
We can debate about the Sabbath being “not required of them (non-Jews),” which should factor little into a person’s decision process anyway. Books could be and are already written on the meaning found in the Shabbat. There is meaning in the past, present and future regarding Shabbat. Past meaning (the exodus), present meaning and blessing for the Sabbath-observer (physical rest and focus on God), and future meaning of the Sabbath and what the 7th day represents regarding the millenial kingdom and the “rest” and peace that the world will come to know. Here are four bullets of important meaning.
- Hashem rested on Shabbat and declared the day holy. It’s a holy day for God, and as followers of God we can choose if it will be a holy day for us.
- Yeshua rested on Shabbat and participated in synagogue services. If it’s a holy day for Yeshua, as His disciple I would do well to imitate him.
- Further, Yeshua taught at length about compassion and often healed on Shabbat to teach priceless lessons about Godly virtues and weighty mitzvahs.
- Isaiah the prophet says that keeping the Sabbath is a sure sign of a foreigner who loves the LORD.
I know that some Messianic Jews reject just about any reference made to Christians being any part of “Israel,” whether the buzzword is adoption, grafted in, fellow heirs, or what have you. However, in Messiah Paul does teach that we do become part of the people of God, whether I am a “grafted-in” Gentile or just a Gentile. As believers in Messiah we do have a connection to “the root.”
Any honest, humble Sabbatarian will tell you that their lives have been blessed as a direct result of ceasing labor on Shabbat. For non-Jews, I would say that declaring and participating in the holiness of Shabbat does indeed further God’s agenda of revealing his kingdom to the wold. I dare say that there will be more than only Jews observing Shabbos in the kingdom to come! Why not in the kingdom now?
Further, being a righteous person just doesn’t happen. We need boundaries, limits, rituals. Speaking personally, Christian Sunday traditions, Christmas and Easter did not cut it for me or leave me feeling sanctified and encouraged in my faith. Sunday found me wanting to sleep in, Christmas found me desiring video games and toys, and Easter left me sick of chocolate bunnies. Yes, there was emphasis on Jesus in our house. It was fine at the time, but it is only through a more disciplined, biblical, and even Jewish lifestyle of prayer and practice that my morality and ethics have changed dramatically. According to what I would call a more radical bilateral ecclesiology, I should not be doing this. For example, I am encouraged to implement neither the Shabbat or the other biblical holidays in my life. I ask rhetorically, what is the 21st-century Judeo-Christian left to do?
Along with Shabbat and Gentiles, there has arisen a dialog of obligation to the sign commandments of Torah. And for the record, I do not have a problem with the basis of this idea. Recognizing the obligatory nature of signs and commandments for different groups of people is fine, and I see it as valid, and necessary for recognizing and including Jews and Gentiles in the body of Messiah, so I don’t take issue with that here. But whether or not I am obligated to something, whoever I am, should not be the sole reason to actually do or not do said commandments. Pure obedience results from love. Being spiritually-minded is more than robotic, mechanical observation of required rituals. Loving God today often results in what I would call a more biblical lifestyle. It so happens that this lifestyle, if done with respect to Israel and history, will look Jewish. It is the biblical lifestyle that, again personally, has made all the difference in my life to help change my mind and transform my heart to repentance and good deeds.
Cliff:
Clarification: when I said “a day that means nothing to them,” I meant Christians in general, for whom Saturday means nothing sacred. It did not occur to me anyone would think I was criticizing Judeo-Christians who draw near to Israel and observe the Sabbath out of love. Note that Paul says something similar to what I did: “One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike” (Rom 14:5).
Still, I will edit my post and change that line to read “a day that means nothing to most non-Jews.”
Derek Leman
Ahh, sorry I misinterpreted it. Thanks for letting me know. I’m going to have to edit the post a little bit.
I’m not sure in context if Paul was referring to Torah-prescribed days for Israel in Romans 14. We do have the reference in Colossians however that is valid.
Cliff:
You make an excellent point, from Exodus 20:11, that God hallowed the seventh day. While, as you know, I do not think it follows from this that gentiles must keep the Sabbath (I don’t think you are saying that either), it nonetheless raises an issue: what should it mean for Christians that God hallowed the seventh day? Romans 14:5 suggests to me there is no imperative here for gentiles who follow Messiah. But there is something special about the seventh day. Maybe it is not necessary to observe it in the way God commanded Israel but is enough to remember and respect it.
Derek Leman
Thank you. And Exodus 20:11 can be backed up by Genesis 2:3. I think you could say it is enough to remember and respect it. But you can correct me: to remember means something entirely different in Hebrew. If you remember, then you act on that memory. You do something more than a thought-exercise. God “remembers” things in scripture, and then He moves on behalf of the thing or person that is remembered.
Cliff:
About Romans 14, yes, I think it overwhelmingly refers to Jewish-gentile differences. I suggest Mark Nanos’ book, The Mystery of Romans (or my chapter on Romans in Paul Didn’t Eat Pork, which draws on Nanos).
Derek Leman
You’re right, I’ve had Nanos’ book on my wish list for a while.
The new HaYesod program went in to Romans 14 and brought out neat stuff about idolatry in the markets. I need to refresh on that material.
For what it’s worth, I read Derek’s post the same way you did: as a shot at gentiles who keep shabbat.
Also, FWIW. I was a bit heated in my first posting of this. For the record, I don’t like doing that. I tried to tone it down but it came out harsh. Needless to say, I don’t blog much so it’s hard to gauge how it sounds until re-reading it again. I have since toned it down to the extreme. I know that no one reading this cares, but I am trying to “be at peace with all men” and not poke at anybody unnecessarily.
The way I read Derek’s post at first sounded over-the-top arrogant by his typical standards, but I am concluding based on his follow-up that is not how it was intended.
No worries, it didn’t come across as an angry rant, but a legitimate concern.
By the way, I’ve sent some folks your way.