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.