Children
of Abraham
Richard L. Shafer[1]
A Jewish friend said to me
recently, “I was a young adult before I realized that Jesus was a Jew.” I also know some Christians who don’t realize
that Jesus was a Jew. How can that
be? After all, our spiritual heritage is
Judeo-Christian. Perhaps we need to understand Jesus as a Jew,
as that may help us to better understand his teachings. And, in understanding that, we gain insight
into the milieu in which he lived and
worked.
Some Christians apparently
discard the Old Testament as “old,” assuming it’s no longer relevant, or
necessary, and therefore forgettable.
Yet the Old Testament contains both “the Law” and “the Prophets.” We read in Matthew 5:17-20 that Jesus said,
“Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law…not even a period or comma
will ever disappear from the Law…you must obey God’s commands better than the
Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them…”[2] If Christians must obey the Law, then
Christians must know the Law. And
Christians learn that in church, right?
Well…
Every Sunday, Christians hear
one or more readings from the Bible during their church services. The choices of readings usually come from the
lectionary;[3]
and Protestants often refer to the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL)[4]. In the lectionary, selections from the Bible
are included in the reading lists for each Sunday over three years. Much of the Bible and samples of nearly all
of it will have been read.
Jews have a similar triennial
reading list. They read the entire Torah
(the five books of Moses: Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers).
“Many congregations pattern their weekly Torah reading cycle after a
system similar to the one used in ancient
Even if all the readings in
the RCL reading list[6]
were used, Protestants will probably never hear the entire Torah read in
church. They’ll hear some of Genesis and
Exodus, less of Deuteronomy, and one reading each from Leviticus and
Numbers. The books of Samuel, Kings and
the major Prophets are well represented, as are the Psalms. Most minor Prophets are sampled. Of course, half of the RCL readings are from
the New Testament.
But to hear the entire Torah,
as Jesus might have, or to know the Law from which Jesus was teaching,
Christians may well have to attend synagogue, or read the Torah on their own.
Read any good (Law) books
lately?
[1] This is one
of a series of occasional columns in which the author, raised in the Christian
tradition, searches for common ground and common history among the teachings,
beliefs and practices of the Abrahamic faiths -- Islam, Christianity and Judaism
[2] Contemporary English Version
[3] “A lectionary is simply a list of Bible passages for reading, study, or preaching in services of worship. As a general term, a Lectionary can include readings for weekdays, although the term is more commonly applied today to the Scripture readings for Sunday and holidays (Holy Days). Some churches, such as those in the Catholic and Lutheran tradition, have their own lectionaries, while other churches follow a common, shared lectionary. There has been a tendency in recent years to move to more uniformity among the various lectionaries.” (http://www.cresourcei.org/lection.html )
[5] http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/diduknow/responsa/trichart.shtml
[6] See http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=8893&loc_id=733
Copyright
Richard L. Shafer 2005