The Circumcised Jew

A Messianic Conundrum

In Christ, the social divisions mentioned before are non-existent. They belong to the old order. I know there are many Messianic Jews who still set great store by their Jewish identity. They want to stand in their faith in Messiah while glorying in their Jewishness, as though it carries something extra special in it. In truth, most of this Jewishness is nothing but Pharisaic, rabbinic traditions. It has nothing to do with true Biblical faith and practice.

Many in the Messianic movement still rely heavily upon rabbinic tradition instead of the unadulterated teaching of the New Covenant. They attempt to hold onto two polar opposites. The moment we begin to set up any fleshly distinction, we begin to build again the wall of separation that Christ demolished on the cross. If we build up what God has torn down, we find ourselves working against Him.

In a speech entitled, “The Unique Place of Gentiles in Messianic Jewish Congregational Life,” given at the Borough Park Symposium, October 22-24, 2012, Dr. Richard C. Nichol said this,

“The challenge we face as Messianic Jewish leaders is that Jewish particularity — the uniqueness of the Jewish people and our obligation as leaders among Am Yisrael to uphold that uniqueness — demands that we cannot accept everyone into our synagogues equally. This can and will produce resentment among some people toward us. How could it not? They at times will feel rejected and unappreciated. How could it be otherwise, even despite our very best efforts to honor and love them? So, lying within our hearts and minds are two opposite impulses, both worthy, both essential. The particularity of the call of the Jewish people to live as God’s segullah, his precious possession from among the people groups of the world, stretches one of our arms to the right, and the universality of Yeshua’s message stretches in cruciform fashion to the opposite pole. We are thus, crucified with Messiah as the bearers of a conundrum which proves almost beyond our ability to bear.”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines conundrum as, a problem difficult to deal with. The conundrum Dr. Nichol describes, is how do we hang onto the exclusivity and specialness, that is our Jewishness, while still attempting to be true to the inclusive Gospel of Christ. He struggles with how to maintain Jewish particularity, described as “the uniqueness of the Jewish people,” while appearing to love Gentiles, who in reality, have no place in their synagogues. Notice he refers to their assemblies as synagogues. He makes this a very determined point,

We are a synagogue. (A church, by definition, is a multi-ethnic community of believers and is therefore, different from a synagogue) (ibid)

By using synagogue to describe his assembly, he aligns himself with the ancient Babylonian Pharisaic tradition, instead of the New Covenant Ekklesia of Messiah. He refers to his assembly in this way, “This synagogue is deep Jewish space – a place where Jews gather.” 

 

He is arguing, that just as Trix are for kids, synagogues are for Jews. What would happen to his Jewish particularity and deep Jewish space, if Gentiles were allowed to invade their space?  Would it become less deep and less Jewish?

He interprets this conundrum as being “crucified with Christ.” If this is how he understands being crucified with Christ, then it would seem that the true gospel has evaded his attention. When Paul spoke of being “crucified with Christ,” he spoke of dying to the Law [Gal. 2:19-21], not having to worship with Gentiles. Where did Jesus command His Jewish Apostles or any leaders of His Ekklesia, to “uphold the uniqueness” of Jewish particularity? This comes not from the Messiah’s instructions, but from Pharisaic rabbinic tradition.

One of the results of the crucifixion of Jesus was the unifying of Jew and Gentile together into one body. If those who say they are Jews want to have their own special "deep space", where only their kind are welcome, that’s fine. It’s America and they certainly have the right to have a place to celebrate their Jewishness. However, don’t do it under the guise of the Faith of Christ. It is not a conundrum he describes but a deprecation of the cross of Christ. This deprecation is the work of the Talmudic rabbis, not of those who profess faith in Him.

What Dr. Nichols just described is an attempt to reconstruct the wall of partition between Israel and the nations. God tore it down, but those enamored with their own Jewishness, appear busy rebuilding it to preserve their “particularity,” at the expense of the unity of the Ekklesia of Christ.

This particularity he speaks of is betrayed by the very word he uses, segullah. This term, segullah, is Hebrew for treasured possession, as used in Exodus 19:5,

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure (segullah) unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Notice, Israel being God’s segullah was conditioned upon their obeying His voice and keeping His covenant. Did they do this? No, they did not. They broke their covenant with God [Jer. 31:32].

This term was not just offered to Sinai’s Israel. It is also used of New Covenant Israel, found in Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9.

So, what is “The Unique Place of Gentiles in Messianic Jewish Congregational Life?” Apparently, after being kicked to the curb, it is being on the outside, looking in. Having been on the inside of several Messianic assemblies, I have seen it is not much more than a worship of all things Jewish. It can be a place where Jesus is just one of a myriad of rabbis they might quote from. The Gentile is really not missing out on anything. They separate themselves from the rest of the Ekklesia of Messiah, because they want to make their Jewishness an object of veneration. They build a wall around their deep Jewish space. That is the simple truth, as I have experienced it.

In his book, The Israel of God, O. Palmer Robertson makes this observation,

“No worship practices that place Jewish believers in a category different from Gentile believers can be a legitimate worship-form among the redeemed people of God.” (p. 194)

Much of what Messianic congregations practice, comes from Rabbinic Tradition and not the Bible. A quote from a world expert on Rabbinic Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Professor Avigdor Shinan, states the truth concerning modern Judaism,

“Our theology isn’t that of the Bible. The traditions we follow today are not from Old Testament Law but they are traditions of the Rabbis. Shabbat laws, keeping kosher and so on it’s not in the Scriptures. Not in the Bible. There are no synagogues, no ritual blessings or specific prayers, bar mitzvahs or prayer shawls. Anything you think is Jewish, if you check its source, it’s not the Bible. It’s from Rabbinic literature. That’s where it all starts.”
(https://youtu.be/4Hdl0qj3U78 @ 5:14)

I leave you with this confession of Paul.

2 Watch out for “dogs,” watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.
3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh —
4 although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee;
6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.
8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ — the righteousness from God based on faith.
[Phil. 3:3-9, HCSB]

Paul counted his identity in Christ to be more excellent than his Jewish identity. I pray that those in Messianic circles would follow his example and pursue Christ, even at the expense of their Jewish particularity.