2014-01-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I wrote about how ancient covenant makers did so leaving permanent scars or marks to indicate a two-way promise before or with God had been made. This is a serious business, that can’t be forgotten for one’s entire life. H. Clay Trumbull wrote about this in his book, Blood Covenant. We recalled the interchange between Christ and His disciple, Thomas, in JN 20: 24-29 and its significance. We were left with this comment by Christ in (29), “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed.”
Let’s pick up with ZECH 12: 10 [Angel of the Lord speaking], “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and supplication. They will look upon Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child.” Why will these Jews mourn? This prophecy tells us they will recognize Jesus, as Jesus of Nazareth, Lord and Savior—only after they rejected Him as Ruler—abrogated His right to be their Leader in Christ’s physical lifetime. The question arises about why the cross is the symbol of believers in Christ. It is a permanent reminder of what was done to our Lord! Because Christ is the one and sufficient Sin-Sacrifice, we believe that animal sacrifices are no longer necessary [RO 3: 23-25; HE 8: 13; HE10: 4-10].
Since part of this series is for me to share my own experience growing up in a traditionally Jewish home, I will share that persecution for one’s beliefs is another permanent scar that I carry. I am by far not alone in this, and others suffered it even more severely than I did, even to the point of having their own lives sacrificed in places like the gas chambers of the Holocaust concentration camps. My own experience includes having lost part of my family in this atrocity. Personally, I have been beaten and my purse stolen in my middle school gym. When I opened my locker I found anti-Semitic messages left in it. When I finally accepted my Yeshua as my personal Savior, a portion of my family refused to have anything further to do with me. Had my career depended on these people, I would have lost it. I was surely no longer welcome in a traditionally Jewish temple. Voicing or writing about one’s complaints is okay, but our faith in Christ changes our perspective on them. 1 PET 2: 20-21 and 1 PET 4: 16, “But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps…However, if you suffer as a Christian [or Messianic Jew], do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” I’m sure the disciple, Paul, understood this, even through He voiced His suffering in 2 COR 11: 23-33.
There are many reasons why one person or group persecutes another. Often at the bottom of it is fear of the unknown or what is misunderstood. Paul had his hands full when two groups almost came to grips with each other within the early church. The Judaizers felt that all men should be circumcised and all people should practice only a Kosher regime in their homes [RO 2: 25-28]. The Antinomians felt that grace without license [RO 3: 7-8] was perfectly okay. Their very name, anti-against/without; nomia –law, revealed their position. It was up to Paul, after considerable prayer, to address these concerns. In the end, Paul’s message to the Judaizers was that they and the former Pagans should continue to do what makes them comfortable, and “Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” [RO 14: 13]. This was his way of staying that we are not to do anything that injures another’s faith. Even more basic to the resolution of human conflict is this statement Paul made in RO 14: 7-8, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
When Paul was writing to the Galatians, he spoke about circumcision in an effort to put realistic and godly perspective on this practice. GA 6: 15-17, “Neither circumcision nor un-circumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” We can ask: When will mankind learn from the mistakes of his past to stop making them, and when will they learn of their need to submit to God? God is in charge, alone holding the power to “transform us by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]. No physical change carried out by humans will achieve what God can do, but our cooperation with the Lord Jesus will certainly benefit us in a way no human can. Once we submit to our God, we will find ourselves blessed with the knowledge of strengths our Creator built into us we never knew we had. It is our loving God, Who brings about a new creation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord, while not every human experiences the horrific results of ignorance and prejudice, all too many do. It comes as a great disappointment that even those who have lost parts of their families and/or escaped to Israel from the concentration camps have not stopped the practice of ignorance against their Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters. This is not limited to Israelis by far. It must be the innate sinfulness of mankind that even those who believe in You are willing to squabble over human-crafted differences, lose sight of Your bigger picture, and carry out prejudicial behavior over fellow citizens –all leading to the existence of many denominations. Your desire is clearly for us to all be one in the body of Christ. Dearest Abba, if such a prayer is possible, please help us to learn from the mistakes of our past, to put aside prejudices, and to reach out to our unsaved fellow humans. Give us the courage to do this in accordance with Your urging of us to have that courage, mentioned in JS 1: 9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Help us to keep in mind 1 PET 3: 15-17, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” We must learn to have eternal, rather than only earthly perspective. While we can’t solve these problems on our own, we can work for You, following Your direction, toward the unity You so desire. Our gratitude for Your presence and intervention in our own lives goes without bounds. Our desire is to be loyal and true to You and to thank and praise You forever, for Who You are and what You do. In Christ’s holy/mighty name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to return in greater depth to Paul’s suffering as this discussion of “Our Covenant Mark” continues. Paul’s scars were both physical and emotional, but he had the strength not to allow them to become spiritual. Other’s carry emotional and spiritual scars which need healing, just as my own did. I’ll relate more of my own story too. My Covenant Partner had plans for me, just as He does for all of us who believe in Him. My story is nothing special, for, as I wrote previously; others had it far worse than I did. But it does serve to reveal just how deep these scars can be. His love for me went underappreciated for far too long, before I recognized it burns brightly. It is time that we all evaluate our lives for prejudices, trying to uncover ones we didn’t know we had. It is time for age, weight, gender, educational and social discrimination to stop. While we all know it exists, we must each take responsibility for our own attitudes and actions, if it is ever to be resolved. And above all, we are charged with the responsibility of the Great Commission, found in MT 28: 19-20. Are we our brother’s keeper? You bet we are, if God’s will is to be carried out. And we must remember to pray for the Lord’s help with patience and diligence in aligning ourselves closer to Christ and in dealing with others who are behaving with prejudice. HE 10: 35-36, “Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward. You need to be patient in order to do the will of God and receive what He promises.” Remember He gave us His Son on the cross, so that we and all who believe in Him can enjoy a blissful eternal life [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. Praise and thanks be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2013. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives