Musing – Do Christians and Jews think alike?

 Hebraic Musing – Do Christians and Jews think alike?

The bottom-line answer is “NO”; and the list of differences is long, but very interesting! This is a strange musing coming from the author of a book “Hebraic Insights, a series of messages explaining the Hebrew roots of Christian faith.”   Christians who are frustrated trying to explain their faith to Jewish friends might find this one to be either a “musing” or “amusing” (pun intended).  Let’s explore four areas:

1.      Scripture interpretation.

2.      Salvation and Evangelism.

3.      Commandments and Laws.

4.      Customs and Traditions.

After stating the traditional Christian (C) view, consider the common but contrasting Jewish (J) or Hebraic view or thought process.  Each topic could trigger a whole discussion, so for the sake of brevity we will state simple one-liners, recognizing that a simple statement of tendencies does not describe the entire population.  And I confess that I am not always sure which view is the correct one!  What can we learn from each other?  Could some of these differing views make good discussion topics?

1.   Scripture interpretations:    We have a Common bond – We share a Book and a Hope; however, the book that unites us, also divides us, because we interpret its meanings and terms in different ways.

·      (C) Christianity believes its interpretation of the Written Word is correct.
(J)  Jews are willing to acknowledge there are different interpretations of the Written Word.

·      (C) Bible or written word contains all we need. Oral tradition emphasis is seen as nullifying the Written Torah.  And Christians have the Holy Spirit providing guidance.
(J)  Oral tradition is necessary since written word does not interpret ‘how to’ honor God’s commandments.  Oral tradition explains unclear things in the Written Torah, like how to keep the Sabbath Holy.  And since the temple is gone and the era of the prophets has passed, the Rabbinic laws provide guidance.

·      (C) Jerusalem/Israel belongs to the Jews, so it needs to be claimed & defended for Christ’s return.
(J)  Israel is homeland to Palestinian and others, so we need to provide for our moral responsibility to Arab peoples.

·      (C) Christ’s return requires restoration of the Land to Israel.  We must reclaim the Temple Mount in order for Yeshua to have a place to return to.
(J)  The Messiah does not need the land in order to return. The Messiah will come where-ever and when-ever and how-ever God wants him to come.

·      (C) Jews believe we need to rebuild the temple and resume the sacrificial atonement rituals.
(J)  The exact location of the original temple is uncertain, so rebuilding it to God’s specification is impossible and the ‘third temple’ will appear supernaturally in a pillar of fire from heaven.

·      (C) Replacement or ‘fulfillment’ theology puts the ‘Christian church’ as the ‘apple of God’s eye.
(J)  The Jews, Sons of Israel, have not been replaced by the Christian Church.  God has not changed His mind!

·      (C) Belief in the Trinity – triune nature of God.
(J)  Cannot conceive of God incarnate in a human being.

·      (C) Isaiah 53 is about a man, Yeshua’s coming. The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52-53 is Yeshua.
(J)  Isaiah 53 is about persecution of a Nation “All that is hostile to the godly and the goodly will be hostile to you.”

·      (C) After the destruction of the temple, Jews no longer have opportunity for atonement for their sins.
(J)  He sacrificial rites had been replaced by a higher form of divine worship, prayer and repentance.

·      (C) Jesus is the Redeemer; thus, He started the Messianic Age.  Jesus, as Son of God, is the hoped for Messiah.
(J)  The definition of Messiah is a person appointed, and thus anointed for a specific task – a man! God is the Redeemer, the Messianic Age will mean the end of foreign oppression, bringing universal peace.  The issue being raised is about the definition and/or function of the Messiah?

 

2.   Salvation: This word has a variety of definitional interpretations.

·      (C) Christians are duty bound to evangelize Jews.
(J) Jews are not evangelizing, they are already chosen!

·      (C) Saved by Yeshua's sacrificial death on the cross. Salvation comes only by accepting Yeshua as the incarnate Son of God.
(J) Salvation comes through genuine repentance and returning to Adonai.  There is no atonement without meaningful repentance.  The sacrificial system was temporal and secondary to ‘repentance.’

·      (C) You are condemned if you do not share my faith.
(J) You are not condemned for not sharing mine.

·      (C) There is one path to salvation.
(J) There are parallel paths to God and salvation – united by common origins, but profoundly divided by their development.

·      (C) Faith in Jesus determines the future state of my soul.
(J) God wants me to live my life here & now.

·      (C) Personal Salvation is permanent – Eternal Security without regard to the life one lives.
(J) Salvation is a corporate or community issue (for Sons of Israel and Jerusalem); not a ‘selfish’ individual issue.

·      (C) Christians are saved individually, with focus on the individual relationship.
(J) A Jew is saved because he/she leads a way of life in keeping with God’s commandments.

·      (C) Christians often say they want Jews to “Convert.”
(J) Jews interpret that, justifiably, as being asked to give up their Jewish heritage and traditions.

·      (C) All who do not accept Jesus are condemned to Hell.
(J) God’s nature will not punish someone for incapacity due to lack of knowledge.

·      (C) Man is inherently ‘bad’; because of ‘original sin’ man is born a sinner.
(J) Man is ‘good’; but has capability to sin via freedom of choice and is inclined to make mistakes.

 

3.   Commandments/obedience/good deeds:  Are we looking at good deeds or mandated ‘Laws’?

·      (C) Keeping commandments is a chore.
(J) Keeping commandments is not a chore, but a source of joy and beauty ennobling our lives.

·      (C) Faith in God is more important than our deeds.
(J) Halakah (‘way of walking’) is more important than belief in God.

·      (C) Sunday is the Lord’s Day, our Sabbath.
(J) Sabbath was given by God in His Word as the seventh day of the week, starting at sunset of the sixth day (not at midnight at the end of the seventh day).

 

4.   Traditions:

·      (C) Jews who believe in Jesus, Yeshua, as the Messiah are still Jews or “Messianic Jews” or “Completed Jews.”
(J) If a Jew accepts Christian concepts of Incarnation, Salvific Sacrifice of Crucifixion and the Trinity then they cannot be Jews – these ideas are incompatible with normative Jewish teaching.  Therefore they become and should be called ‘Christians’.

·      (C) Pharisees are the ‘bad guys’ of the bible.
(J) Yeshua was aligned with the Pharisees, and was respected by many Pharisees.

·      (C) Strive for Prosperity and Health.
(J) Strive for Holiness.

·      (C) Holidays are to be celebrated as time-honored traditions.
(J) We need to celebrate the Feasts as God commanded.

·      (C) Separate views - God of O.T.  and God of N.T.
(J) Same God.

·      (C) Taught to ‘love our enemies.’
(J) Taught not to have enemies.

·      (C) Man is inherently evil – heart is evil thus we require cleansing to go to heaven.
(J) Man is good, thus repentance is needed to return to holiness; no need to deal with ‘original sin.’

 

Points to ponder

Would some of these differing views make good discussion topics?

Interesting -- both Christians and Jews have so much Love and Respect for one another!

Similarly, Churchill said “The British and the Americans represent
 two great nations separated by a common language”.

♫  Jew and Gentile, one in Messiah, One in Yeshua, one in the olive tree. …  One in Yeshua's love.
Help us Father, to love one another, With humble hearts, Forgiving each other, Heal our wounds, bind us together, So the world might believe.…  ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                       November 19, 2024
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Notes – Reprint of a July 2011 Hebraic Musing. 
This list was first assembled in 2007 and has grown with inputs from multiple sources.