Some Things that I Have Learned from Judaism (Continued)

In my last post, I said that I would share some of the things that I have learned about God, the Bible, and Christianity from Judaism. Well, here goes. The list is fairly long, but I think that it is entirely appropriate to be thorough in this matter.

First, I have been reminded that Christianity is not an individual affair, and that community is vital to the faith. Many of the New Testament writers stressed the importance of the church, and Christian pastors often preach about its importance as well. However, in practice, many Christians give little thought to the church per se. Christianity has largely become a private religion, a religion in which Christians seek the salvation of their individual souls without much thought for the souls of others. We are not pilgrims on a journey with others; we are solitary travelers who sojourn alone. That is wrong, and it needs to change. Judaism can help us here. Attend one Jewish service, and you will immediately realize that while Judaism can focus on the individual believer, it never loses sight of the corporate notion of Israel. That corporate notion is something that Christians need to recapture.

Second, I have learned the importance of claiming one's history. Few Christians today may be ethnically Jewish, but the history of the ancient Israelites is the history of all God's people, and this includes everyone who follows Jesus today. It doesn't matter whether you were born in Zimbabwe or Canada - if you follow Jesus, then you are part of the people of God, and everything that happened in the Hebrew Bible concerns you. God didn't just send the prophets for the ancient Israelites - He sent them for all His people. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, and the rest of the prophets still speak to us. Their message was addressed to ancient Israel, but it was also addressed to all God's people, including gentile Christians today. The same is true of the entire Hebrew Bible. When Deuteronomy commands the reader never to forget the exodus, that command isn't directed only at ancient Israelites - it is directed at all God's people. My family hails from Germany and Italy, and no Germans or Italians stood with the ancient Israelites at Sinai. But my God is YHWH, and YHWH has called me to join His people. YHWH didn't rescue my physical ancestors from slavery in Egypt, but He did rescue my spiritual ancestors. If you are a Christian, then He did the same for you too. And that is incredibly important.

The exodus is one of the most significant events in the Hebrew Bible, but for many Christians today it is a distant event that happened to someone else. We think of the exodus as something that God did for other people, not for us. The same is true for most of the events of the Hebrew Bible, including the exile, the restoration, and the long, tortured histories of the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Even the call of Abraham. We think of these events as things that happened to other people, not to us. And this is wrong. When we think of the Hebrew Bible in this way, we reject our rightful heritage as people of God. We ignore what God has done for us. And this isn't just ungrateful - it encourages the mistaken belief that God does not act in the world, that God is absent. This belief characterizes the faith of far too many Christians today (including myself). If more Christians understood that God didn't just act through Jesus, and that He has acted on behalf of His people for many thousands of years, I suspect that fewer Christians would doubt that God continues to act today. I could go on, but I won't. Suffice it to say that when Christians forget that the history of the Hebrew Bible is their history too, bad things can result. Judaism can help us remember what it is like to claim that history as a reality.

Third, and related to the last point, I have been reminded that the Hebrew Bible (aka "the Old Testament") once stood on its own. I will not go into great detail here, but I will say that while it is entirely appropriate for Christians to look for prophecies about Jesus in the pages of the Hebrew Bible, there is far, far more to the Hebrew Bible than such prophecies. When Christians treat the Hebrew Bible as nothing more than a series of prophecies about the coming of Jesus, perhaps with some tedious ancient history mixed in, they really miss out. The Hebrew Bible is long, and it can be difficult, or even strange. But it is also beautiful, wonderful, and stirring. It contains the very words of God, and it is no less Scripture than any part of the New Testament. Finally, by reducing the Hebrew Bible to a string of prophecies about Jesus, we lose out on so much of the message of the Hebrew Bible that we actually gut the entire Bible - the New Testament doesn't make sense without the Hebrew Bible, and if we ignore everything in the Hebrew Bible that doesn't qualify as a clear prophecy of Jesus, then there won't be enough of the Hebrew Bible left to provide the necessary context for the New Testament. The Hebrew Bible once stood alone, but the New Testament can never stand alone; and, though we should read the Hebrew Bible as Christians, we should also try to read it as ancient Israelites. I will write more about this in the future.

Fourth, I have been reminded that it is possible to be mindful of God always, and that every aspect of our lives can reflect our faith. Think of the kosher laws, for example. Or the Jewish laws concerning dress. Not every Jew keeps these laws; and, of course, many Christians will be concerned about any attempt to keep the purity laws of the Torah, especially as they are mediated by the Talmud. But I am not advocating that Christians try to keep these laws. Instead, I simply want to draw attention to one aspect of these laws - namely, that those who observe them mindfully will be naturally led to think of God throughout the day, including when they eat and dress, but also at other times. In fact, I would guess that many Orthodox Jews think about God nearly every moment of the day in their attempt to observe the laws of the Torah. Do Christians need to keep these laws in order to be mindful of God? No, they do not. But knowing Jews who observe these laws can remind us that it is possible to be mindful of God throughout the day, and that it is possible for us to display our faith even in the humblest details of our everyday lives. How exactly should Christians go about cultivating that mindfulness and displaying their faith? I don't have any concrete suggestions other than praying, studying Scripture, and leading a Christian life. That may be pretty vague, but it's a start. At any rate, I think that the question definitely merits further attention.

Fifth, I have learned much about the importance of the Sabbath. Few Christians today honor the Sabbath, but many Jews do. Here again there is much that Christians can learn from their Jewish brothers and sisters. I should add that Jill and I have been trying lately to develop a tradition of Sabbath observance, and though our progress has been slow, we have already benefited greatly from our efforts.

This post is already quite long, and I need to close soon. There is so much more to say. Let me mention a few things briefly.

In addition to the previous points, my exposure to Judaism has also taught me the importance of the following things:

Praying the words of Scripture (e.g., the Psalms).

Following the Psalmist in frequently praising and thanking God.

Beauty in worship. (Jewish services are often incredibly beautiful).

Hospitality toward visitors and strangers. (I have experienced great hospitality at every synagogue that I have visited).

Bearing with evil. (The Jewish people have suffered incredibly, but they have maintained a robust faith in God.)

The willingness to question God's actions, and to express anger at God. (Christians are often very reluctant to do this.)

I am sure that I will have more to report in the future. In the meantime, I am going to continue my exploration of Judaism. I will let you know what I find.