I do mosaics and was here working on a piece in my room and just sort of on the spur of the moment was looking through Youtube to have something to listen to as I worked. I somehow came across Dr. Micahel Brown videos of him debating rabbis and I clicked on one out of curiosity. It became very intriguing as I listened and I ended up listening to about four hours worth of debates between Dr. Brown and two notable and influential rabbis.
The rabbis were very interesting people and respectful who knew the Old Testament and the New Testament pretty well also. Obviously, who is Jesus was at the center of the debates. One of the rabbis, in reaction to "Jews for Jesus", has spent a third of his life leading a organization titled "Jews for Judaism." His main goal has been to convince Messianic Jews to return to the faith of their fathers and again embrace the Torah and its practices and leave behind the faith that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. It was respectful dialog even though at times the rabbis became a bit brazen. But whatever. I found myself appreciating Dr, Brown preparing himself through his education. I know we need the anointing of the Spirit more than we need education but Dr. Brown has immersed himself in Hebrew and Messianic studies and knows and can speak and write nine different Semitic Middle Eastern languages. He has done well. The Rabbis could not go anywhere that Dr. Brown was not familiar with. He's a champion and this is the first time I have ever listened to him in depth. I listened to one of the debates twice and I will attempt to summarize the main points of the debates that Dr. Brown focused in on.
Pointed out by Dr. Brown, here are some of the main Jewish roadblocks to acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah:
1) A reliance on the Torah but a oral tradition as well. The Talmud and other works, but the Talmud especially, is seen as a oral tradition handed down as well as the written word. Both are supposedly authoritative and compliment each other. Brown pointed out that some things in the Talmud (commentaries and opinions of the rabbis over the centuries) contradict what Moses wrote in the first five books of the Bible but this didn't seem to sink in to the rabbis. Brown pointed out that NOWEHERE in the Old Testament is a oral tradition supposed to be able to have the same authority as the written word. One grievous example is that the Talmud says one can be forgiven by confessing their sins and being contrite but Dr. Brown pointed out the Torah says that the shedding of blood was the only way to have one's sins forgiven and eradictated.
2) An over relaince on the teaching ministry of rabbis as being the final word. "I have never considered that" or "The rabbis have never taught us that" is a common refrain among many orthodox Jews. The interpretation of the word starts and ends with the rabbis and many are afraid to or have never considered thinking outside of the box. It's mush like the teaching magisterium of the Catholic church. What it says is the final word. Jews many times have never been taught that they can read the scriptures and come to their own conclusions outside of a "final" word from the rabbis.
3) How could Jesus have been God? The sovereign God of the universe becoming a man through a "miraculous experience with Mary" is a major stumbling block in Judaism. We are not to worship idols and false Gods and if we worship Jesus the man as God we are worshipping a false god and idol according to Judaism. In Judaism, when the Messiah finally appears he will be many things but NOT GOD!
Also, how can there be a Trinity if God is one?
4) Jesus basically left things unchanged in the eyes of Judaism and if Jesus were the Messiah many things would be different. Israel's enemies would be finally and irrevocably vanquished and Jesus would be ruling from sea to sea and world peace would be global and nature would be renewed. All the nations would recognize Him. And when the Messiah comes he will:
- finish the transgression,
- make an end of sin
- make atonement for iniquity (not necessarily blood atonement in Judaism)
- bring in everlasting righteousness
- seal up vision and prophecy
- anoint the most holy place. (Daniel 9:24)
According to Judaism, if Jesus was the Messiah where are these things? Did Jesus bring and end to sin? Did Jesus bring in everlasting righteousness? Where are these things orthodox Jewry and Judaism asks. Christianity has conveniently thrown these things into the basket of, "Well, those things will happen at His second coming." Dr. Brown poined out that the second coming will only be sucessful and glorious because of what Jesus did at His forst coming. The second comong will not mean anything without the ground prepared and the work done at the first coming. The Jewish resonse was that nowhere did God promise that the Messian would come twice.
Plus a profound disagreement over the meaning of Isaiah 53.
5) The church's treatment of Jews over the centuries. Like it or not or acknoweldge it or not the Jews have a very vivid consciouisness of the way they have been treated many times by the followers of the Prince of Peace. The breach is not healed yet. Dr. Brown rightly pointed out that it is a Jewish myth that the Nazis were Christians. They were not and were actually against the church but it is a fixed perception in the minds of many Jews that the holocaust was perpetuated by practicing Christians. Not true.
That's the main points I can remember from watching these debates. Salvation is of the Jews and to prepare an answer for the Jew is to prepare an answer for every man because every man's need of salvation is the same as the need the Jews for salvation. If we can answer them we can answer every man regarding the hope within us.
None of these points are worth fighting about among ourselves. I just happened to watch these debates and wanted to share a little of the content. Very eye opening.
Blessings.