Discovering The Jewish Jesus

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: When Constantine made Christianity the state religion in the 300s, he carried with his interpretation of the Christian scriptures an anti-Jewish mindset, and it's still having impact today.

Beginning around the year 300, church teaching influenced believers to have a prejudice against anything Jewish, which casts a negative light on our understanding of the Hebrew Bible. You see, the Jewish people living in the Roman Empire during those days were different. Whenever you have a people that don't conform, they oftentimes are misunderstood and disliked. That was the case with the Jewish people living in the Roman Empire in the year 300. They didn't dress the same way as the people that lived around them, they didn't eat the same food, and they were committed to their God. This was a thorn in the flesh to the rest of the empire.

When Constantine made Christianity the state religion in the 300s, he carried with his interpretation of the Christian scriptures an anti-Jewish mindset. This influenced Christian theology, and it's still having impact today. I'm going to give you an example of this now, and I'm going to be going to the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. This particular analogy taken from the King James will show you how there was an anti-Jewish mindset and a bias towards the Hebrew Bible that has been brought into the church and has caused us to have this misunderstanding of who God is in the Hebrew Bible.

As we go to the Gospel of John chapter 1, verse 16 and 17, here's what we read: "And of his fullness have we all received, grace for grace." How many graces? Two graces. Grace we've received from the Lord's fullness, the translator is saying there. We've received from the Lord's fullness grace, there's the first grace, for grace, there's the second grace. It's like the Lord gives you one thing, that's the first grace, and now he's going to exchange that and give you something else. There's the second grace.

Let me read it again, John chapter 1, verses 16 and 17: "And of his fullness have we all received, grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Now let's think about that. When you use the word "but," as is used here in verse number 17, what does the word "but" generally mean? In other words, if your boss calls you into his office next week and says to you, "You know, you did a really good job on this, but..." Do you think they're going to follow up with another compliment? No. "But" sets up a contrast. "But" sets up two opposites.

What we're seeing here in John chapter 1, verse 17 is that the translator is contrasting or setting an opposite up between the law, which was given by Moses, and the grace he says that was revealed through Jesus. It makes it sound like the law of the Lord is opposite the grace of God. It's like if somebody says to you, "Your dress looks really nice, but..." They're not about to say your shoes look good too. They're going to say, "Your dress looks really nice, but did you know that there was a small spot on the back of your blouse or the back of your sweater?" It's an opposite.

So what we have here is the translator having this anti-Jewish mentality, this bias against the God of the Hebrew Bible by pitting Jesus against the law. "For of his fullness we have all received grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace came through Jesus." And so there's this anti-law mentality that's been built into the church, which causes us to believe that the God of the Hebrew Bible was this harsh lawgiver.

But you know what's an unbelievable thing? John was actually saying the exact opposite of what many of us have been taught. The translators of the King James Version of the Bible in this particular instance—and I'm not picking on the King James because we could go to the New American Standard, the New International Version, or any other version and we could find examples there where maybe the translators just got a little nuance off because of the fact that we're translating documents that were written 2,000 years ago. Neither am I saying that we can't rely on our modern translations of the Bible because I believe that we can. I'm just talking about a little point here to illustrate what I'm teaching today.

What John was actually saying was this: the law, rather than being in conflict with the grace of God, the law, rather than being opposite the grace of God, was a manifestation of the grace of God. Rather than saying, "Now the law is opposite God's grace," what John was actually saying was that the law was a manifestation of God's grace. Remember what he began to say: "For of his fullness we have all received grace for grace." Two graces.

What was the first grace? The first grace was the law. Then the second grace was much fuller; it was God himself incarnate. But the law wasn't in contrast to the grace that was revealed in Yeshua. The law was a preliminary administration of God's grace. That's why he says "grace upon grace" or "grace for grace" we've all received. The law itself was a manifestation of the grace of God, but then we really came to understand the grace of God when Jesus came and revealed it to us in much more of a full scale.

This is why the Bible tells us in the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, "Long ago God spoke to us through the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways." In other words, during the time of the Hebrew Bible, God would speak to us through prophets and through fathers in different portions and in different ways. But then it goes on to say in the book of Hebrews chapter 1, "But in these last days, he's spoken to us through his Son, through whom he created the world and who is the exact representation of his nature." That's why Jesus said, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father."

It's like the sun. There's a beam that comes down from the sun, and a beam is like the father or the prophet revealed in Hebrews 1. But if you look at the full sun, that's like Jesus. And so if you think about the King James Version, that was the bedrock of Christian scripture for hundreds and hundreds of years. So it was the place that people were forming their theology from. For years, people read that and they said, "The law was the Old Testament. We're all done with that; it has no relevance anymore because that was a bad thing. But now Jesus came, and he's the grace of God."

Nothing could be further from the truth. The law itself was a manifestation of God's grace. That's why the Lord said to Israel, "Look at this law I've given you today, and no other nation on earth has such a holy law as this law that I'm giving you. It's setting you apart and it's lifting you above the peoples of the earth." We have to understand that when the Lord gave Israel the law, Israel was living in a society where they didn't have policemen. They didn't have a fair system of justice. The world was barbaric.

So the God of Israel comes to his people and he says, "Listen, if somebody comes and steals your camel, you don't have the right to go burn down that person's house and murder their wife and children. But we're going to have a fair system of justice: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." So the law, as opposed to being something harsh, in reality, it elevated the children of Israel above the barbaric world that they were living in.

We're seeing today, as we begin to dig a little bit deeper, that the law, rather than being in contrast to the New Testament, was a preliminary manifestation of God's grace.

Dustin Roberts: You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, and Rabbi Schneider will be right back in just a moment. First, though, I want to invite you to explore our Messianic content on our website. You can dive deep into topics like the feasts of the Lord, the prophetic significance of Israel, and how Yeshua fulfilled prophecy. Visit DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com and click on our ministry and Messianic content tabs, helping you understand the roots of your faith today.

Guest (Male): Deception is rising, and many messages today are not the full gospel. But Rabbi's teachings come directly from Scripture, declaring truth with boldness. He's uncompromising. If this ministry has blessed you, would you consider becoming a monthly partner today? To continue reaching the world with God's word, we need committed supporters just like you. To become a monthly partner, call us at 800-777-7835. And now, back to Rabbi Schneider.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: The book of Galatians teaches us that now that Yeshua came, now that Jesus has come, we no longer have the same relationship to the law as we once did. But Paul tells us the law is holy, righteous, spiritual, and good, and that it's good when used lawfully. What I mean by this is that before Yeshua came, Israel was kept, the scripture tells us in Galatians, under the law, that the law was a tutor for them, that the law held them together.

The purpose of the law—listen very carefully—is that it was a temporary administrative covenant to hold the Abrahamic covenant, which is the foundational covenant, in place until the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant came, who is Yeshua. I know that sounds complicated. We're talking about the purpose of the law. We're talking about how the Old and New Testaments connect. We're talking about how the law is not against the revelation that we find in Jesus, but it was actually a preliminary manifestation of God's grace, preparing us to receive Jesus.

Listen to what I said again. The law, as revealed in the Hebrew Bible, rather than being opposed to the person of Jesus, was actually a temporary administrative covenant to hold Israel in place until the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant could come. And the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant is Jesus.

What is the Abrahamic covenant? The Lord said to Abraham, "Listen, through your seed," God said to Abraham, "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." The book of Galatians tells us that the seed that the Lord was referring to when he made that covenant with Abraham—the seed, the writer of Galatians, Paul, tells us, is Jesus. Paul goes on to say that the Lord didn't say seeds, plural. The Lord didn't say to Abraham, "Through your seeds all the nations of the earth will be blessed," but the Lord said singular, "seed." "Through your seed, Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." And what is the seed? The seed is a person; it's the person of Jesus.

The foundational covenant is the Abrahamic covenant because God said, "Through your seed, Abraham, I'm going to bless all the peoples on the face of the earth." Galatians chapter 3 tells us that through Abraham, through the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham, Jesus, the blessing of Abraham has become yours.

What the Lord was doing is he was holding Israel together as a people through the law until the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant came, who is Jesus. Now that Jesus has come, we're no longer under the law, but the law still has application for our life today. Again, Paul says in Romans chapter 7 that the law is holy, righteous, and good. Paul said the law is good when it's used lawfully.

Listen carefully. The law is a self-disclosure of who God is. We're not under the law, but you have to understand that in giving the law, God was revealing who he is. If you think even of the Ten Commandments, the beginning of the law, what does the Lord say? "I am God and there is no other. You shall have no other gods before me."

Then he begins to give us the bedrock of Western civilization through the law in the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments have become once the bedrock of Western morality. It's the bedrock of the moral code in Western civilization—that we shouldn't steal, that we shouldn't murder, that we shouldn't commit adultery, that we shouldn't covet. All these things are the bedrock of civilization, keeping us together as a moral people. It's the code that this country was founded on.

You see, the law is righteous and good. It's not about legalism. It's about understanding that there's a self-revelation of who God is and of right and wrong in the law. I believe that through applying the principles of the law to our life, not out of legalism but out of a spiritual opportunity to grow in our relationship with God, our walk with Yeshua can be strengthened.

For example, when the Lord says, "I am God and there is no other, you shall have no other gods before me," isn't that the same thing that Paul taught us in the New Testament when he said, "Cast down every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God"? It's the same thing. Just think about if we would practice the first and second commandments continually and have no other gods before God. If we would cast down every idol in our life—idols of money, idols of fame, idols of success, idols of beauty—and if we would cast down every idol and have no other god before the true invisible God, the God and Father of Yeshua the Messiah, wouldn't we ascend in spiritual strength, and ascend in victory, ascend in freedom, and grow in God's grace?

The law, Paul says, is good when used lawfully. Summing up my comments here, the law is not contrary to the grace of God; it's part of the plan of God. The scripture also teaches that the law became a tutor to lead us to the knowledge of God. For example, when the Lord tells us we should not do these things and then we ask ourselves if we've ever lied, if we've ever had an immoral thought, and then we say, "Yes, I have," then it prepares us indeed to receive the grace we know that's in Yeshua Messiah.

I hope you see that it was tragic when we had the error that I just pointed out to you in that early version of the Bible that tended to pit Christians against the law. In reality, the law is a gracious manifestation of the Lord in our life, and it comes to us through the same person that Yeshua comes to us from.

Also in comparing the law with the revelation that we see revealed to us in Messiah Yeshua, remember Yeshua brought things to the next level. Even as the law pulled the Israelites out of barbarianism, the Lord said, "If somebody steals your camel, you don't have the right to go burn down their house and murder the man's wife and children, but we're going to have a fair system of justice: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Even as the law lifted Israel out of barbarianism up several levels higher, so when Yeshua came, he took us from the law into God's grace way, way higher.

Yeshua said, "You've heard it said, but I say unto you that if you look after a woman to lust after her, you've committed adultery." So Yeshua brings everything up to the next level. Just as the law brought Israel out of barbarianism up, so Yeshua's revelation brings us up from the law to the next level of walking in God's grace. The grace of God is seen so much more fully and is revealed so much more clearly in Yeshua because he's the exact representation of God's nature.

When we look at the law and compare it to the fullness of God's grace that's revealed in Yeshua, we're really looking at two different approaches to the way we handle people in life. The law says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Again, it was God pulling Israel out of barbarianism. But Yeshua said, "I say to you, forgive those that persecute you, and if someone steals your shirt, you know what, let them steal your shoes too."

Yeshua's taking us to the next level. Yeshua is saying, "Listen, if somebody does evil or harm to you, I say to you, forgive them. For if you don't forgive them, neither will you experience the forgiveness that I want to give you." So Yeshua's saying, "Now I'm calling you to a higher level than the Mosaic law. I'm calling you to walk with me in forgiveness and grace."

We have the choice. We can either hold people to the Mosaic law conceptually, or we can give them the grace that Yeshua extended us and he's calling us to extend other people. Some of us, when we do something wrong, we want the Lord to forgive us. But when someone does something wrong to us, we want to hold them under the principle of law and say to them, "You did this to me, and now because you did this to me, you owe me." We want vengeance.

We kind of live by two different standards. We want to hold others that have hurt us under the principle of the law, making them pay, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But for ourselves, we want grace and mercy. But the Lord says to us, we can't have it both ways. The Lord said, "By what standard you measure, it's going to be measured back to you." The Lord said, "If you forgive others, so also your heavenly Father will forgive you." We need to recognize that God has called us out of the principle of living by the law to a higher grace in Jesus.

I've always liked a very simple approach to ministry in both my preaching and in helping God's people understand why it's important to support ministry with our finances. I'm reading a very simple portion of scripture I've referred to before, but I love it because it's so simple and so authentic. Listen to what John says in the book of 3 John, verses 7 and 8, speaking of those that are sent out to preach the gospel.

He says this: "For they went out for the sake of the name." And then he continues in the eighth verse by saying this: "Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth." You see, not everybody's called to do what I do. Not everyone's called to travel to Africa, Israel, etc., but you can have a part in the lives that are being changed through my ministry by supporting this ministry. I want to ask you, if you believe in the word that I'm preaching, if you believe in me, if you believe that there's authentic fruit and if you're being helped, I want to ask you to support this ministry financially. You're going to be blessed and have a reward for the lives that are being saved and changed.

Dustin Roberts: Amen. And to respond to Rabbi right now, visit us online at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com or give a gift of any amount over the phone by calling us at 800-777-7835. You know, your giving makes a huge impact through this ministry all around the world. With your loyal financial partnership, Discovering the Jewish Jesus took a monumental step several years ago that I want you to know about today.

We began producing this program in full Spanish for our TV audience and online, and it's allowed us to break through language barriers and touch lives of Spanish people all around the world on a daily basis. We're committed to sharing the gospel, just getting it into people's hands in all sorts of languages. We also broadcast in Russian, and your support enables this. So thanks for giving. And if you haven't given and you'd like to, call us at 800-777-7835 or go online to DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. And now here's Rabbi to speak God's sacred and special blessing over your life today.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: The Aaronic blessing in the book of Numbers chapter 6 is not a blessing that comes from an impersonal being out there somewhere in the heavens. This special blessing comes from a person, Yahweh, God Almighty, our Creator and Maker. So receive God's blessing into your life right now.

Yevarechecha Yahweh veyishmerecha.

Ya’er Yahweh panav elecha veyichuneka.

Yissa Yahweh panav elecha veyasem lecha shalom.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.

Dustin Roberts: I'm your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider explains what the Tanakh is and why that's important for our life. That's Friday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.