Don’t misinterpret or misunderstand what happens this day. Traditionally, in ancient Israel, this was the big day for sacrifices – the Sabbath of Sabbaths. Yom Kippur is literally translated as the day of atonement. It was likely around this time, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that Jesus gave His famous sermon on heavenly rewards and the famous “Lord’s Prayer” (noted in Matthew 6). This is the time of year when we are more united in spirit than any other, and people would want to know how to pray so it makes sense that prayer is on everyone’s mind.

Fasting is a central part of Yom Kippur. For about 25 hours no food or drink is taken – even water. Nothing in this world is to distract us from contemplating how each action and spoken word is a catalyst that sets a series of good or evil in motion and how God commands us to be aware. Even today some Jews will use this opportunity to bring attention to themselves rather than to God. They make a childish scene about how much pain they’re in (either from the fasting or how terrible they feel from some menial act).

This year, I choose to remember that this is God’s time we’re stepping into, and that there’s nothing we do – good or bad – hidden or in public – that escapes His eyes. In retrospect, this is very much the same purpose of the kippot (or yarmulke for my Yiddish friends). The small skull cap is worn to remind us that in the same way in which it rests upon our heads – whether we feel it or not, whether we see it or not – God is above us, watching what we do. It serves as a conscience booster to draw in us a desire to be better.

It’s more than a coincidence that Kippur and kippot look so much alike. Kippur is: כּפּוּר and kippah is: כּפּה – at the risk of over-interpreting the root, Kaph and Pey (כ and פ, respectively) together they could mean “completely redeem”, though I haven’t consulted a learned Rabbe on this matter. I do know, however, that Kippur has several meanings, one of which is frost – frost is a substance required for life (water) that covers everything white (Isaiah 1:18). Another meaning for Kippur is “freezing”, which might have some reference to how the records in the book of life are supposedly frozen on this day as the the book is closed and sealed.

One day out of the year to reflect on the consequences of our inappropriate behavior does not undo our wrongs. The scripture is even clear in Leviticus 16 that without blood there is no atonement. As a believer in the Messiah, I see a direct link between Yom Kippur, God’s righteousness, my wrongdoings, and the Blood needed to atone for them (Matthew 27:51 – Yom Kippur involved the room behind the veil of the temple). The fasting, praying and repenting are more than lip-service, but less than actual compensation for the affects of my sin. Nevertheless, there is a redemptive quality in solemn repentance. We recognize our need for God to show us the way to righteousness and to forgive us. Recognizing that we are made in the image of God, we also reflect on the need for us to forgive others and lead others towards the path of salvation. This is reflected in the book of Jonah, which is traditionally read on this day.

Although this day is filled with heaviness, the premise is to draw us towards the liberty and freedom of forgiveness, peace and love that only God can provide.

Gmar Chatimah Tova (May your name be written in the Book of Life)

For the past decade I’ve been responsible for cooking the Seder dinner. It’s gotten more elaborate over the years – particularly the desserts because we get invited over to a friends house for one of the Seder meals.

Last year I created rosewater meringues dipped in rum syrup. It was delicate, light, kosher and surprisingly good. This year I made two deserts. One to bring to our friends’ Seder and one for fun. The one to bring to their Seder is the famous François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies. To keep completely kosher, I had to grind my own sugar. Although the soft white powder looked good in the food processor when I was done … it was still very coarse. Other than that, the recipe was followed to a “T” (as in “Tanuch”) and came out very, very good. Our hostess will be pleased.

The second dessert I made didn’t turn out so well – Crème brûlée. The cream over-boiled, the custard didn’t set (even keeping it in the oven an extra 1/2 hour didn’t help), and because there was less custard (I lost about a cup of cream to it over-boiling), the sugar ratio was too high and made it too sweet. The ramekins were too small, so the extra 1/2 cup of cinnamon sugar spread amongst the 2-inch tops was too much and I didn’t have a torch.

Surprisingly, the top sugar melted perfectly in the oven at the high broiler setting. And other than it being to sweet, the flavor was spot-on. And they looked cool. At least they’re kosher. So I learned the following – watch your cream carefully … once it starts to boil, it can overflow or burn within seconds. I used 5 yolks … next time I’ll use 6 or 7 to help it set better. Some potato starch would have helped it to set, too. Finally, when adding the sugar on top, skip what the directions say and make the portions fit the ramekin size. A thin layer of sugar is better than a thick one.

“Live Faithfully, Fight Bravely…”

“Be Faithful, Be Pure…”

“He who serves … [their country] … serves God.”

“[To] my magnificent youngsters! Are there any finer ones in the world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them, I can make a new world. This is the heroic stage of youth. Out of it will come the creative man…”

“…youth must be slender and supple, fast as a greyhound, tough as leather, and hard as Krupp steel. He must learn to do without, to endure criticism and injustice, to be reliable, discreet, decent, and loyal.”

What happened to faithfulness, bravery, purity, grace, dependability, responsibility and loyalty? They should certainly be taught, but parents are mistaken if they think the school, typical Sunday school or material synagogue/schule takes this effort. Let me shed some light to the aforementioned quotes by filling in their ellipses.

“Live Faithfully, Fight Bravely, and Die Laughing! We were born to die for Germany!”

“Be Faithful, Be Pure, Be German!”

“He who serves Adolf Hitler, the Führer, serves Germany, and whoever serves Germany, serves God.”

“I begin with the young. We older ones are used up. We are rotten to the marrow. We are cowardly and sentimental. We are bearing the burden of a humiliating past, and have in our blood the dull recollection of serfdom and servility. But my magnificent youngsters! Are there any finer ones in the world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them, I can make a new world. This is the heroic stage of youth. Out of it will come the creative man, the man-god.”

“The German youth must be slender and supple, fast as a greyhound, tough as leather, and hard as Krupp steel. He must learn to do without, to endure criticism and injustice, to be reliable, discreet, decent, and loyal.”

Oops! Doesn’t sound so Utopian, anymore, now that we know the source of the statements.

Hitler certainly had a masterful influence over people. He convinced them through his charisma, education, grace, talent and diplomacy to unite and wreak havoc on the world, not excluding attempted genocide. Many politicians looked to him, his influence and his failures as examples of how to control the masses. People were dazzled and blinded by the hateful intent and destructive force this leader was spewing… not least of them were teachers.

So what makes teachers, or anyone for that matter, think they are impervious to the same forces taking power in America and across other world power governments today? All adults from the past three generations have been raised and educated in such a way that it systematically strips our independence and self-sufficiency, making us dependent on the government. Furthermore, it’s been done in a way that, for the most part, we don’t know what we’re missing.

Education – TRUE education – isn’t about reading or writing or arithmetic. Those aren’t goals. Those are tools and we should think of them as such. True education is about exploring, experimenting on our own, making mistakes and learning from them. It’s about acknowledging the individuality of people, respecting them and respectfully disagreeing with eloquence. It’s about mastering graceful behavior on our own bodies as an outward expression that we are elite creatures by creation and can master other things as well. It’s about knowing your ground, debating civilly, and assisting others gallantly. It’s about becoming the best person you can be.

The government thinks the best you can be, in the government’s system’s point of view, is a resource … a tool. If the government needs more waiters and waitresses in the future, guess what kind of education you’re children are going to be given. I heard of an interesting society – another experimental system – that molded the western culture. But this system had real education as its underpinnings. They would drop the names of all civilians in a bowl and have lottery-esque drawings for careers. This was not a lottery of children to determine what career to train them for, as the Soviet Union’s communistic government donned out, but a lottery of adults. It was expected of all adults to be completely capable and self sufficient of any task that if the city needed a new army captain or master chef any adult had already risen to that capability and only needed to exercise it. This was ancient Greece.

Hitler, as much a beast as he was, was right about the power of government managed education. If you send your child to Caeser, Kaiser, or der Führer… don’t be surprised when they come home as Romans, Germans or Nazis. Start by being surprised at what the leaders are saying.

Look through history at all the greatest inventors … even at the wealthiest people today … they either didn’t finish public school or they didn’t go to public school at all. Schooling does not equate to education. It is mostly for government indoctrination. Teachers have been used as pawns and most don’t recognize it. The same could be said for any American (or anyone raised under a Prussian-inspired school system).

What should you do to break away from this indoctrination? Put yourself through the type of elite schooling that our politicians and other powerful world leaders receive:

Hone your skills and learn skills that really matter:

• Educate yourself by reading classic literature, philosophy, poetry.
• Exercise yourself through puzzles.
• Expand what you’ve learned through practicing debate, reason and logic.
• Execute your skills by critical examination of the media (they’re mostly wrong … and on purpose, too) and by listening carefully to what world leaders are saying.
• Know what makes people tick.
  • For those who want to learn, show them the way.
  • For those who don’t want to learn, know how to control/seduce/entice their desires to direct them to do justice and righteousness.
  • You’ll find more people want to learn as the unrest continues.

Prepare for the worst, but work for the best:

• Just like the boy scout motto.
• Prepare your hearts – Master your world view. Get right with God
• Prepare your mind – learn survival skills … at least learn to milk a cow
• Prepare your pantry – store food for yourself and others
• Prepare your arsenal – get ready to hunt for and defend your family
• Prepare your finances – save and invest in hard goods and precious metals

Start now. Time is running out. If you have these skills then you can question the world around you to recognize the signs. The red stallion is ready.

When I first got into Judaism I was surprised that, as guests invited over to a family’s house for dinner, the prayer occurred after the meal. I’ve asked several Jews about this and have gotten back several responses ranging from the comical to the over-analytical. For example, one Jew told me that you thank God for the food afterwords to factor the rare situation that it was poisoned … in which case you could thank God personally to His face. Some Jews start to recite laws and commandments, which is fine… but then why would God command us to pray after the meal instead of before?

I read on a blog that a Rabbi had been consulted in the matter and answered “It is easy to eat the meal and then forget God’s blessings on a full stomach, so the Jews ate first and then stopped to thank God for the blessing.” I like that. I like it a lot. I’d add to it, though, that many Jews pray before and after the meal. Before the meal, you’re forced to stop and reflect on the goodness God provides. It turns out to be good for digestion, too, since it forces the people at the table to calm down and relax. After the meal, you’re faced with remembering God after being satisfied and brings a nice, formal closure to the event.

Thinking about this also reminds me of the account of Jesus and the ten lepers mentioned in Luke 17:11-19. Ten men with a fatal disease plead with Jesus to help them. Instead of giving them money or sprinkling pixy dust, he orders them to go see the priests. That’s it. But they knew scripture well enough to know what that meant. In Levitical law it states that when someone has disease and goes to a priest, it’s for examination. These lepers knew that a medical examination would be pointless unless they were healed of leprosy. That faith drove them to the priests who announced them clean and clear of the disease.

Only one of the ten came back to Jesus and the LORD makes a point of it.

Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

We need to be that 10% who thanks God after providing for us. This is especially true since, as His people, we set the example.

Just as important, let’s strive to thank our neighbors and the strangers who do small things for us. How many times have people slowed down in a parking lot to let you cross in front of them, or swept the floor after a meal so you wouldn’t be stepping on sticky crumbs, or opened the door for you… anything big or small should be recognized, appreciated and thanked since they took the time and thoughtfulness to recognize and show appreciation towards you. We need to make our gratitude known, too. A hearty smile with a look in their eyes while you say the words mean much more than mumbling “thanks” while you look at the ground. Don’t forget the classic hand-written thank-you notes and cards. With all the junk mail we get in the post box, a kind letter rekindles a feeling of humanity and warmth.

Praying before a meal instills patience and praying after a meal instills gratitude; these provide critical lessons in life we have the opportunity to practice to perfection three times a day.

*sigh*

It’s a pretty nasty slap in the face of America overall, and even to Muslims who slobber all over the advertisement because of the recognition it claims to give. Any time commercialism grabs a holiday, no matter what the religion, the occasion becomes bastardized in an onslaught of commercials and advertisements. In this case Muslims are just another flock to fleece. I could only imagine how long it will be before we have an “It’s Eid Al-Adha time, Jareer Brown” or “How the Grinch stole Ramadan” special sponsored by seasonal Hajj flavored Coca~Cola with the slogan “Tastes like you were there!”

As to political correctness, I wish Best Buy kept it “Happy Holidays”. At least that way each person can leave it up to their own imagination what holiday is implied. That’s the way people want it in schools. Let the parents raise the children in the traditional way and make public education stick with the basic “R”s. As it currently stands, children are being indoctrinated about the Quran and Muslim faith while the Bible and Christianity are constantly under attack and there’s very little mention of Torah and Judaism in the schools because that might bring up a dirty Natzi past that, if discussed openly, could embarrass a few German exchange students.

BAH HUMBUG TO IT ALL! (Scrooge is both a hero and anti-hero; commendable for his disdain towards self-indulgent waste while reprehensible for his disregard towards humanity.)

The government should get out of the business of religion, stop promoting it and stop attacking it. The strict morals that coincide with the Muslim, Judaic and Christian faiths are similar enough that consensus could be made without compromise. I doubt any Muslim would argue against the 10 commandments even if they don’t accept them as word from God. Their precepts are reiterated throughout their scripture. If only they could stop executing jihad on every non-Muslim and nay-sayer we would get along muuuuuch better.

References
Snopes on Best Buy and Christmas
Snopes on Best Buy and Eid Al-Adha
Best Buy Bans Merry Christmas But Wishes Customers a Happy Eid Al-Adha in a National Advertisement
Best Buy Stands By Message Of Happy Eid Al-Adha Ad
Thanks, Best Buy for 2010 “Happy Eid Al-Adha” Wishes

Quran’s Message For Muslims Regarding Other Religions:
2:191 And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.

2:193 And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah.

2:216 Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.

2:244 Fight in the way of Allah, and know that Allah is Hearer, Knower.

5:33 The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom.

In baseball there’s a term called “sacrifice”. A batter deliberately hits the ball in a direction that will likely get caught, but far enough away from the other basemen that members of his team can advance to the next base. There’s also a religious term “sacrifice” which could involve killing an animal or human to pour that blood over something to appease a deity.

Since God forbids human sacrifice, and Jesus constantly referred to himself as the Son of Man (not Son of God), could it be that Jesus was giving us a message throughout his teachings that his death wasn’t for atonement or as a human sacrifice, but rather to advance people to God? Would I be at this point today, seeking out what God wants if it weren’t for someone hanging up for execution nearly 2000 years ago?

So what is spiritual success? For a teacher it’s leading people to God and enlightenment of the truth and a better life. For the individual it’s to live out the truth, to live a better life now and have an even better eternal life later.

How does anyone get spiritual success? John Macarthur Jr. said “Spiritual success requires commitment to others.” but the scriptures indicate it has to do with commitment towards God. People were committed towards the priests during Jesus’ day, but Jesus didn’t condone the acts of those people and even condemned the acts of the priests. Commitment towards the wrong person isn’t a path to success. So that brings me back to my search for God. The key to spiritual success is finding Him and being obedient to what He has to say. More often than not what I hear is theology and philosophy that people taught over the years directing towards self-inflicted suffering, which doesn’t equate to denying one sense to accentuate another. Fasting, for example, for the sake of suffering through it doesn’t get anyone anywhere but hungry. Fasting to deny that physical element of comfort that can impede on our search for the spiritual can make people more observant of the spiritual world around them.

I still have more searching to do… On a final note, is it possible to prosthelytize myself?

There are some issues with this that Jews have. First, God forbids human sacrifice of any kind so – why would He go against His own law and sacrifice someone? Second, there are plenty of blood sacrifices that aren’t for sin atonement but merely for thanksgiving. Third, there are plenty of atonement “sacrifices” that don’t involve blood or killing an animal. Consider Abram giving his tithe to Melchizedek. Consider the laws of a peace offering in Leviticus 3. Also consider the offering of the first fruits. The point I’m making is that there is more than one type of sacrifice. Some require blood and others don’t. What we need to look at are the different types of atonement.

• Kippur (כִּפּוּר) as in Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר) (http://www.ulpan.net/yom-kippur) represents an atonement with God that involves making your heart right with others.
• Kapparah (כַּפָּרָה) represents certain types of sin atoned through animal sacrifices – usually birds (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_0_10735.html).
• chet’ (חֵטְא) [rhymes with "hate"] (http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2399&t=kjv) represents more of harsher need for atonement: sin that we are guilty of. This type of atonement can also be translated as “punishment”.

Kippur is a root for other words such as frost or washbasins (כְּפוֹר), asphalt or village (כּוֹפֶר). These are all things that cover. In that similar fashion, atonement means to cover. Frost covers and destroys the plant in doing so. Asphalt and villages cover the harsh landscape making them habitable. There are different meanings and purposes. Sometimes that atonement comes in forgiveness and sometimes it comes in discipline which can range from paying for damages to death.

I’ve read some Jewish sites that claim blood has never been a requirement for atonement, but that there are other ways to get the atonement without involving an animal sacrifice. Depending on your definition of atonement, that’s true, and in Biblical standings there’s more than one type of atonement. The King James translation often uses the phrases “sin offering for/of atonement”, “atonement money” and “[a levite does something to] make an atonement for them/him”. Atonement may be achieved through repentance, animal sacrifices, money sacrifices (for census), confession, restitution, Yom Kippur, tribulations (suffering), corporal or capital punishment sentenced and executed by a court system, and death. The type of atonement is based on the need. Atonement and sanctification are intended to bring the people back to God and to keep order amongst the people. Noxiae poena par esto – Cicero (let the punishment fit the crime).

Jesus took the laws one step further and made it a matter of the heart. When we think about sin we’re guilty of it. If you hate your brother, you’re a murderer. If you eye down a woman, you’re an adulterer. When you imagine taking something that isn’t yours, you’re a thief. Not just that, you’re guilty of sin if you don’t do your duty. If you don’t base yourself to help those in need, if you don’t seek out the widows and orphans to provide for them, and if you don’t plan ahead to take care of your parents in their old age you’ve committed a crime. Suddenly everyone is guilty according to Jesus.

Having some lower-class bastard from the ghettos telling people that schoolteachers, government officials and the judges in the courts are all wicked wouldn’t make a good impression in any society at any time yet that’s exactly who Jesus was known as. Strangely, through his execution He proved himself right. The priests of His time performed the role of teachers, government officials and judges. Having banded together for His execution, they only proved Him right. So then the question is – was Jesus simply stirring up the hornets nest to prove a point, or was he really sacrificed by the hand of God, unbeknown to those involved and acting out predestined roles?

One born a Jew can become a Wiccan, Buddhist, Athiest, and any other imaginable religious zealot other than Christian and still be considered a Jew; yet any Jew who believes in Jesus as the Christ and Messiah is no longer considered a Jew – he dies to his Jewish heritage according to recent man-made ordinances and laws. But there’s another twist. Christians who come to understand more of God’s intent in all of us following His laws, and start following them are shunned by other Christians. Those who were born Jew get to still consider themselves Jews even if the world denies it. The Christians who live out Judaism, on the other hand, are a sort of amalgamate nobody. Jews won’t allow them to become Jewish. Christians consider them to have “left the faith”. Either way you look, both the Jews and the Christians who move towards Messianic Judaism are screwing themselves socially. It becomes a continual sacrifice and the atonement of tribulation is always nearby.

You can read more about Jewish atonement here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_in_Judaism

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. – Colossians 2:16-17

The writer of Colossians wrote this well after Jesus died and rose again. Notice, however, that he states a future tense: “shadow of things to come”, not “shadow of Christ”. Most commentaries that allude to how Christians should not celebrate the feasts and holy days commanded by God misuse this verse to state that the laws, feasts and sabbaths were merely shadows of Christ. Although I agree with how each law, ordinance, rule and especially each festival outlined in the Torah reflect both the behavior of God and the fulfillment that comes through Jesus, they are not suddenly without merit because they reflect the Messiah who came and left. Since we anticipate the Messiah to reappear to save His people from destruction and to rule over the world, these festivals hold even more weight than ever because the substance of them has been revealed to us. Knowing Christ is the meaning behind these festivals makes them even more important to participate in.

When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” – Luke 22:14-20

This was unlike other Seder dinners. It was performed the night before the day that Passover is generally prepared, the 14th day of Adar. During Passover, the first and the seventh day are sanctified as sabbaths (Exodus 12:15-16). So Jesus’ Last Supper and Communion happened on the 12th, He was scourged and killed on the 13th (the day the lambs were slaughtered for the feast – the day of preparation) which means the mention of the Mary’s coming to the tomb on the first day of the week so as to not profane the Sabbath (capital “S”) does not include the first Passover sabbath. Jesus was in the tomb for two sabbath days as well as the day he was buried (Matthew 27:57-66,28:1-6). That means it was Thursday, not Friday, that He was killed. Evidence that Christ was in the grave for three days and three nights aside, why would He have such a strong desire to eat the Passover with His disciples if He were only being held back from eating it for a few days unless the Passover hasn’t been fulfilled in the kingdom of God through His death alone? The secret of the Passover fulfillment lies in Communion.

This Seder dinner was a training Seder conducted by a teacher to students. Jesus didn’t drink any wine throughout this Seder, though He blessed it (Luke 22:18). The bread He broke is referred to as the Afikomen. The Afikomen is one of three special matzos that are set aside. Unlike the other two, it is broken in half and half of it is placed in a cloth and buried somewhere in the house for the children to find at the end of the Seder. The one who finds it gets a reward, then the Afikomen is divided amongst the partakers of the feast. Nobody seems to know how this ritual came about, but as Christians we see the symbolic significance. Jesus, one of the holy Trinity, was broken, shrouded and buried. All those who seek Him will find Him, and everyone who’s saved from death (that’s what the Passover dinner represents) partakes of Him. This is how Christ fulfills the feasts. Without Him, many of the symbols have reduced meaning. With Jesus, however, the symbols have even stronger importance. The cup after supper is the third cup, known as the “cup of redemption” or the “cup of blessing”. This third cup literally represents the blood of the lamb that redeemed them from death in Egypt. Jesus said “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:20) So the blood no longer comes from the lamb that saved the Jews from death in the tenth plague, but from the Son of God personally.

When Jesus told His disciples to “do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19) He hadn’t yet been handed over for crucifixion. Passover lasts a whole week. For seven days we’re commanded to not eat any leavened product, but to eat matzo throughout its duration. We are to continually remember Jesus until His grand return on the LORD’s Day. It’s on that last day when all of God’s people are delivered from death and given the Land God promised Abraham that the Passover will be fulfilled. Jesus’ fervent desire is to savor a special moment with His disciples because He won’t be back for a while.

Now a question arises on whether or not those under the new covenant also partook of Passover and whether or not Christians should today. Consider that Paul was wise and addressed people in context of what they lived and understood. When addressing Jews he would talk about their heritage, and when addressing Gentiles he would mention customs that Jews wouldn’t have any connection to. Then why, in I Corinthians 5:4-8, would Paul write about the Passover to Gentiles? He even states “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Why would he say to Gentiles “our Passover” unless they were already celebrating it and understood the meaning? When Paul addresses believers in Romans, he calls the Jew (Rom 2:17) because they have both adapted God’s law into their hearts and have been grafted into Judaism through Christ.

There was one other bit of advice Chava shared with me before I left her store. “Don’t listen to anybody. But read. Read a lot.” Her point couldn’t be more clear as I read blog after forum after commentary on what makes a Jew, on how Jews aggressively attest against Christians, on why a Christian can never be a Jew… but in Scripture I see otherwise. I see God telling even the Christians that there’s benefit in celebrating His Holy days, on observing the Sabbaths, on recognizing the time that God created for us to share His love with each other.

Finally, consider this. If God doesn’t intend for us to keep his celebrations, why does he command it from the survivors, Gentile and Jew, after defeating the world at Armageddon? God is the same now as he was 3500 years ago. A new covenant, like a Persian law, can only supplement the laws already made. It never voids the foundations already set.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. – Zechariah 14:16-19

There are 613 commandments outlined in the Torah. We’re often just told about the main ten, and more often assume that only those ten were written on the stones God gave Moses. Each law we break is a mark against us. Jesus painfully takes those marks on Himself.

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. – Colossians 2:13-14

The risk any person has by attempting to live out the laws is pride, or as the writer of Colossians puts it, “false humility.” What is the benefit of following any of the Judaic law?

Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. – Colossians 2:16-17

The first benefit is that we don’t have to accept the judgment of anyone other than Christ. The next one is that God provides for the “Head”. Something I’d like to point out before moving forward is that the book of Colossians has controversy as to who actually wrote it. Nevertheless, whether it was dictated directly by Paul or was written by one of his disciples under his authority is not really the issue, but that this group of churches was struggling with legalism and asceticism. Legalism is when the letter of the law is more important than the law’s intent. It makes any law burdensome. In the case of God’s law, legalism puts focus on the law itself rather than on God. Christ put down legalism several times, pointing out that more often than not the person pointing at the letter of the law justified not following it himself. Lawyers were called vipers for a reason. Asceticism is the philosophy that through living a terribly restricted and debased lifestyle one could attain a higher order of spirituality. Jesus confronted this matter, too, when he talked about making a big deal when we’re fasting. There is something spiritual that occurs during a fast, but that spiritual experience doesn’t give anyone a larger bandwidth to God. It’s not a gateway into mysticism. So when it’s later written”

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world , do you subject yourselves to regulations – ‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,’ which all concern things which perish with the using – according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

Notice that the commandments and doctrines that are being addressed are not the ones from God, but those from other men. Which means, as Colossians 2:16 states, when other men, Jew or Gentile, start getting uptight and judgmental because one decides to take a day of rest or doesn’t execute one of the feasts in just a certain way, one can accept the freedom that Christ offers and disregard the legalism of man’s influence on the law in favor of loving the Creator who ordained the law.

If all the Prophets and the Law hang on the commands to Love God with all our heart, mind and soul… and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40) then Jesus doesn’t void the Prophets or the Law. In fulfilling the Prophets and the Law, Jesus does two things: 1. Attests to the deity of God on behalf of the Prophets and 2. Pays the atonement on behalf of the Law. Doing so doesn’t discredit the Prophets or the Law, but reinforces them. Why, then, would a leader of Christ play God in deciding what is and what isn’t pertinent today? God is the same today as he was when giving the Law to Moses. The new covenant justifies the old one; it doesn’t nullify it.

This apologetic is not about turning a hand up against Christ, but about the merits of incorporating the Jewish lifestyle with all its blessings and curses as a Christian. It’s a journey of a man towards the God that accepts and loves despite our grievous nature, but also about a God of Law and justice that lays out the rules in life and the consequences of disobedience.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:8-10

Most pastors stop before talking about why we were created. That’s where my journey begins: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Workmanship is the quality of integrity applying to the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture, people, or artisan. We could apply that definition directly here. Those whom God has called are to demonstrate love and righteousness to the the world as evidence of the fruit of the spirit that God provides. In short, we are defined as the goodness of the hand of God on the Earth. It’s important, though, to recognize the pretext because it humbles us and defines our relationship with God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. – James 2:20-26

What happens to Ephesians 2 if faith is dead? This is not intended to open a debate between Calvinism and Armenianism, but invariably does so anyway. Instead I’m just going to point out three fundamentals presented in these two texts.

• It’s grace through faith that saves us.
  • Faith without works is dead.
• We are created for good works that God has already prepared for us to do.

What I see is an obvious statement. Those who have the faith for God’s grace to save, are also compelled to do good works. But “good” in the human psyche is relative. Fortunately, Christ recognized this when presenting a profound statement to a young (unmarried), wealthy merchant.

Now as Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. – Mark 10:17-22

Only God is good. That sets a very high standard. That means for us to do good, we must be as righteous as God. Although this is an impossible achievement from man alone, we have righteousness in faith provided it is demonstrated by our works.

This is how living faithfully is like a ritual. There are moments when after fall short of expectations we’re given the chance to try again (and God is a teacher who tests us). Each successive attempt only emphasizes the righteousness accounted to faith because we have faith that God continues to be our teacher. Righteousness is defined throughout all of God’s word, including the Laws of Moses (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Deuteronomy 6:25). As we act righteously, denying ourselves for our Creator, we further establish that faith.