Can you be Jewish and believe that God became flesh? |
The following article
draws upon the book by Dr. Michael Brown, The Real Kosher Jesus, and has been adapted
for this use with his permission by Scott Nassau of Chosen People Ministries.
The words "God" and "Lord" include the letter
"o," which is counter to the practice of some religious Jewish
people. If this applies to you, please forgive us, as we are writing to a
very mixed audience. Thanks for your understanding, and we hope you
appreciate the article. Traditional Judaism
rejects Yeshua's deity. Some rabbis have even argued that faith in Yeshua as
God is more objectionable than idolatry. However, the deity of Messiah is not
simply an inconsequential belief; it is an indispensable component of the New
Testament message. Although many rabbis
think belief in Yeshua's deity is abhorrent, the concept of a divine Messiah
is in fact consistent with Jewish thought. Leading Messianic scholar Dr.
Michael Brown, in The Real Kosher Jesus, demonstrates how the deity of Yeshua as described in the New
Testament Scriptures does not conflict with traditional Jewish thinking. Traditional Judaism and the Life of Yeshua Brown shows that
according to Judaism, it is not idolatrous to envision that God, "who is
complex in His unity," can "sit enthroned in heaven, filling the
universe with His presence, infinite and uncontainable in His majesty, and
yet at one and the same time manifest His glory among us in the tent of a
human body."1 In building his case,
Brown cites the Midrash (an expanded interpretation of the Bible) on Psalm
91, which explains how it is possible for the walls of the Tabernacle to
contain the presence of the Almighty, while God’s presence simultaneously
inhabits the heavens.2 The Midrash reads, "The Master of the
Universe Himself explained, 'the entire world cannot contain My glory, yet
when I wish, I can concentrate My entire essence into one small spot. Indeed,
I am Most High, yet I sit in a limited refuge—in the shadow of the
Temple.'"3 Brown argues that
throughout Jewish history, God reveals Himself to His people and allows His
invisible presence to become visible in such a way. Therefore, it is
reasonable, from within Jewish thought, to hold that if God allows His
presence to occupy a specific location within the Temple, it is also possible
for God to allow His presence to inhabit human flesh. Throughout the Hebrew
Bible, God's people continually encounter the presence of God in visible
form. In Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham near the entrance of his
tent. When Abraham looked up, he saw three men standing in front of him. The
Talmud states that during this encounter, Abraham saw the "Holy
One" at the door of his tent (Baba Mesia 86b). Brown explains how this
passage "explicitly tells us that Abraham and Sarah talked with the
Lord, that He appeared in human form to them, dusty feet and all (Gen. 18:4),
and that He even sat down and ate their food. Yet all the while, He remained
God in heaven."4 Three Key Concepts Dr. Brown cites
concepts within Judaism that illustrate why a divine Messiah is consistent
with Jewish thought. The first concept focuses upon Memra. Rabbinic writings
explain the revelation of God's presence in the Hebrew Bible as the Memra, an
Aramaic expression for the divine Word of God. The Hebrew Bible frequently
depicts God's Word as an extension of Himself.5 For instance,
"The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself
to Samuel through His Word" (1 Sam. 3:21). This is why the
Targums, which are amplified Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible, speak
of God's interaction with His people through the Memra (Word). Isaiah 45:17
presents just one example of how the Targum substitutes the term Memra for
the Name of God. The Hebrew reads, "Israel will be saved by the Lord,"
while the Targum translates the Hebrew to say, "Israel will be saved by
the Word of the Lord."6 When reading the
introduction to John's Gospel, one of the four biographical accounts of
Yeshua's life, in light of the Jewish concept of Memra, it is evident that
John's depiction of Yeshua is traditionally Jewish. Since Memra is the Divine
Word, John's introduction actually proclaims, "In the beginning was the
Memra, and the Memra was with God, and the Memra was God. He was with God in
the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made
that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men"
(John 1:1-4). John is not inventing a concept foreign to Judaism, but rather
demonstrating how Jesus is the anticipated Word of the Lord spoken about
throughout the Jewish Targums. The idea of Shekinah
is another concept addressed by Brown. John states, "The Memra became
flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of
the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth"
(John 1:14). This introduction to John's Gospel refers to the Jewish concept
of the indwelling of God's presence within Israel, known as the Shekinah.
Judaism teaches that God came down from the heavens to dwell amongst His
people, Israel. This occurred when the Lord's glory filled the Tabernacle
(Ex. 40:34). The Targum explains God's presence in the midst of Israel as
Shekinah (Targum Onq Ex. 25:8). Brown cites noted
Jewish scholar and professor at Jewish Theological Seminary, Benjamin Sommer,
to say, "God is the same as the Shekinah, but the Shekinah does not
exhaust God, so one can refer easily to 'God' and subsequently to 'God and
the Shekinah.'"7 Sommer argues that Christianity's belief in
a God who took on human form is a perfectly Jewish concept and consistent
with the Jewish idea of Shekinah. Although the manner in
which God is able to inhabit the entire heavens while simultaneously dwelling
in a specific location on earth remains a mystery, it is clear this concept
is consistent with Jewish thought. Therefore, it is possible to remain
faithful to Jewish traditions and believe in a Messiah who is the Incarnation
of the Deity. What Do You Think? While some within the
Jewish community might want to minimize the importance of the topic of the
deity of Messiah, those who have understood the Bible in this way have found
their lives filled with profound meaning and purpose. Yeshua is now no longer
merely an itinerant Galilean Jewish prophet who came to revolutionize
first-century Judaism, but God Himself, taking on flesh and fulfilling the
ancient prophecies of a Messiah whom Isaiah said would be called a wonderful
counselor, mighty God, everlasting father and prince of peace (Isa. 9:6). Can you be Jewish and
believe that Yeshua was God in the flesh? Dr. Brown and many thousands of
Messianic Jews who have had their lives dramatically changed by his power
would say YES! Why let others make up your mind for you? We have made the
case that the issue is far less clear-cut in traditional Judaism than you may
have thought. Now, study the evidence... and reach your own conclusion. .................................................................. 1 The Real Kosher Jesus, p.
125 2
Ibid, p.126 3
Ibid 4
Ibid, p.129 5
Ibid, p.129 6 See
The Real Kosher Jesus for many other examples. 7
Ibid, p. 135 |
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