Hermeneutics: Where did I put my glasses?

When we consider the Jewish people and how they fit into God’s plan, the first step is to locate the right glasses. Just as I wouldn't want to drive with my reading glasses or read with my driving glasses, I want to make sure that I am using the appropriate hermeneutic when I form my thinking about God's chosen people.

Hermeneutics is just a fancy word for method of interpretation, the glasses we use when we want to examine the Bible. Wearing the wrong glasses means that we're not seeing as precisely as needed in a given situation. Seems simple enough, but the hermeneutic we use is not always a conscious choice. Our upbringing, education, denomination, the books we’ve read, our experiences with others--even our ethnicity all influence how we decide what is true. This lens shapes what we encounter by filtering, coloring, even limiting raw facts before they are slotted into our thinking. As Christians we rightly strive to align ourselves with the Bible, so we’re used to thinking about whether or not our faith is biblical. We are less accustomed to thinking about whether or not it is Gentile. 

This is important because part of hermeneutics is knowing the author’s historical and cultural context. That way we’re not accidently imposing a 21st century meaning on an ancient text. Or overlaying Greek definitions on Hebrew words or ideas. This is especially important with regard to Israel and the Jewish people. The context of Jesus’ life and  teachings is first-century, second temple, biblical Judaism. That isn't readily apparent from our perch way out in 21st century Christianity. So commonly-held beliefs about the Jewish people we assume are tried-and-true, approved-by-scholars-everywhere, aka ‘biblical’ have in fact been filtered through the thinking of thousands of mostly Gentile men and women who’ve gone before us. Like a really long game of Telephone, it’s understandable that some ideas have become distorted over time. Greek philosophy, gnostic mysticism, historical events, personal prejudices and sadly, outright anti-Semitism have all subtly insinuated themselves into our theology, sometimes blurring the lenses we peer through. 

Did the Jewish people really have to perfectly obey all the laws to go to Heaven? Did the disciples really teach that Torah should be thrown out as irrelevant after Jesus came? Is God full of of judgment and wrath in the Old Covenant, somehow becoming loving and kind in the New? Did Paul actually proclaim a new religion, disconnected--even opposed to the one he knew so well? Questions like these can be disconcerting, at least they were to me when I first considered them, because I thought I already knew the answers. But locating a better pair of specs led me to a great treasure, hidden in plain sight. Learning about the soil in which our faith grows helps us “clean the glass.” This will not only aid our understanding of God’s chosen people, but it will also begin to clear away ideas that have cluttered the writings the Jewish Disciples wrote to the mostly Jewish church of the first century. This is part of being good Bereans. It is also part of our call to help the Jewish people “see” their Messiah--something the church mostly hasn't done well. They were the imperfect vessels called to bring the good news of God to the (Gentile) nations; now we (imperfect vessels, all) have been mandated to bring the good news of Yeshua to them. Too often the Jewish people have been reduced to helpful sermon illustrations of what not to do. Judaism is portrayed as the bad cop God took off the force when Christianity arrived. Many sincere believers think the Jewish people had their chance and are now just an unwelcome reminder of how God somehow got it wrong the first time. But consider that nothing God sets up and sets in motion is superfluous or disposable (especially people!). He specializes in rescue, redemption and restoration, and His big plan for the end of the age is a show-stopper. All Israel will be saved is not pie-in-the-sky optimism, God will have what He originally intended...a family made up of Jew and Gentile. As we clean the mist off our glasses, the intricate tapestry God is weaving becomes clear. When finished, we will stand amazed how He worked all things He made into a beautiful display of His power and love. Don't be surprised if it looks a little more Jewish than you thought it would. Maranatha! Romans 11:25-29 In The Message is particularly good.

The Shalom of Jerusalem

 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

May they prosper who love you."

Psalm 122:6

I love Psalm 122:6. It's a command that comes with a blessing, and who doesn't want a blessing? Israel is frequently in the news--usually as a result of violence done or done to her--so it sounds like a no-brainer. This morning I read the news of new rocket attacks from Gaza and I'm praying for that to cease, but Psalm 122 means more than that.

The Hebrew word here is shalom which does mean peace, but shalom is much more than a cessation from hostilities. Shalom is God's peace, so it's the deluxe package deal which includes health, well-being, sufficient provision, mental and emotional balance, security, contentment and completeness. Shalom is peace between man and man, man and the land and most importantly man and God. So praying for Jerusalem to have peace is a big deal...bigger than getting the rockets to stop or redrawing boundary lines. It's perfection. The perfection we had in the Garden--what God planned for us in the beginning. 

The shalom of Jerusalem is the consummation of all things. It is the return of Jesus to rule and reign over planet Earth as King. We're accustomed to thinking of that in fuzzy metaphysical ways...kind of a comforting allegory. But He is physically coming to take control of the world He died to save as its rightful King. He will govern physical Earth from a physical throne in physical Jerusalem, literal King of the World. 

Shalom is the banishment of evil, sickness, injustice, poverty--even death. It is the inauguration of a ecological restoration project like we've never seen before...the entire planet scoured of all the injuries inflicted upon it. The land will become healthy and whole, restored to Eden's primordial splendor. We will see the world free from blight, made beautiful as it was in the beginning. We will experience Man relating to Man as he was intended to. We will see God face to face. Selah.

The peace of Jerusalem is not something the U.N. can implement through committees or letters of censure. It isn't something that peace missions from the U.S. can accomplish. It's not a matter of getting the right people to sit down together, nor of finding the right words to massage each side into compliance. It's not that Jews and Arabs can't play nicely together; humanity is incapable of playing nicely. The shalom God has for Jerusalem can only come through God's agency because it's God's peace. It will only fully arrive when Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, arrives to put all things right. Hallelujah, He has promised to do just that! When we ask for the peace of Jerusalem, we ask for the return of our perfect, faithful, just and loving King.

Oh Lord, light a fire in my heart for Your will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Inhabit my prayers and grant me the gift of urgency to pray and long for the peace of Jerusalem. Maranatha, come quickly Lord Jesus!