My third lesson

It was finally arranged for me to give a weekly seminar to the Biblical studies faculty and Masters students.  We had the first meeting on Thursday afternoon.  There were about 10 students and 5 faculty.  I was surprised because one of the former Principals of the College (they don't call them Deans) had passed away that morning and there was much discussion about who was going to attend the home visitation at 12:30 or the funeral at 2:00.  So I wasn't really expecting any of the faculty to be at a 1:00 pm seminar, but they were all in attendance.  There were the requisite number of post-lunch coma heavy eyelids and the students refused to interact during the meeting, which I found a bit frustrating.

I think the seminar is billed as covering a Jewish view of Scripture, but of course I am teaching a Hebrew roots view of Scripture.  I am covering what is strictly in the Bible, Old and New, contrasted with what is practiced by traditional rabbinical Jews. I leave them to figure out for themselves what they are practicing.

I started with the firm belief that Torah, the five books of Moses, is the foundation and everything else must line up with those teachings, that Torah means 'teaching and instruction', that we do not worship as the nations, that if we have questions we are free to discuss, bring scriptures, and agree to disagree.  That the commandments are not the goal of the religion but a means for experiencing God, that circumcision of the heart is from the beginning, that relationship precedes commandments.  That the word of God is in harmony with all creation and that science will prove the word of God, that we seek patterns in scripture, that history is prophecy.

From there, I explained that the 'paths of righteousness' in Psalm 23 are really 'cycles of righteousness' and that this specifically refers to the feasts of Leviticus 23, starting with Shabbat.

I explained how Shabbat is typically celebrated in Jewish homes and the difference between the Biblical requirements and the rabbinical requirements, and the various places where Shabbat appears in the New Testament, about Yeshua and Paul having a custom of being in the synagogue on shabbat, about Yeshua healing on shabbat, about Paul preaching until Eutychus fell out of the window.  I also talked about Shabbat as a prophecy of the 7th millennium.

I talked for about an hour without stopping.  At one point I asked if I was talking too fast, but the faculty member who had finished his PhD in California a few years ago assured me that it was fine.  I guess I was breathing during all of it because I am still here.

Finally, I got to the end of my notes, and the professors asked a few questions.  They wanted to know how the Jews view keeping Torah in relation to getting into heaven.  It's just such a different mindset.  One said he was glad that I was able to show that Yeshua never broke Torah, that he only conflicted with the traditions of the religious leaders.

Then one of the students asked my opinion about the sabbath, since I had been converted to Christianity.  So we had a little talk about that. (I think I will take up the subject of conversion first thing in my next session even though I really want to cover Passover and Unleavened Bread.) But what he really wanted to know, and it was his own thought, was that it seemed like Christians should still be keeping Saturday sabbath and what did I personally do?  I said that I do keep sabbath on Saturday but he would have to talk to his professors about general practice.  And in fact, one of them immediately jumped in and steered the conversation in another direction.

Bingo!  You know it just doesn't take too much deep thought to figure these things out.  You are grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel.  What is a commonwealth?  A form of government.  A government has laws.  The Torah, the five books of Moses, is the body of that law.