Buenos dias hermanos! We recently got back from a ten day trip to Israel. It was an amazing trip. We were able to see the sights and visit so many places that we have read about. To see the land that has been at center of so much controversy for thousands of years. From Caesarea to Mt. Carmel, from the valley of Jezreel to northern Galilee. From Galilee to the Dead Sea, Qumran, Masada, and Engedi to Jerusalem. We stood on the Mt. of Olives, the Temple mount, and Zion’s hill. We walked the via Delarosa and visited the church of the Nativity. We saw four of the most historical bodies of water on earth.
The Mediterranean sea, the sea of Galilee, the Dead sea, and the Jordan river. When visiting Israel, especially Jerusalem, you will see many of (what is called) traditional sites. This simply translates that they don’t know exactly where He was crucified, or where the tomb is in which He was laid. They don’t know exactly where the stable was in Bethlehem or where the manger was. They don’t know exactly where the tomb of David is, or the upper room. But there are religious edifices built on just about every location of biblical significance. It’s almost as if orthodox religion has tried to milk every ounces of spiritual significance from every “holy site.” From what I saw of the actions of the church world at large, It’s no wonder the Jewish people have little relish for trading one religion for another. There is a church built over the traditional site of the sepulcher. Tens of thousands of Christians flock here every year from all over Europe, Africa, Asia, and the world. They crowd and push and shove there way just to touch a place on a tile floor where some orthodox priest said he was crucified or buried. Tens of thousands of people make a pilgrimage every year to Israel hope to make some kind of divine connection God. When visiting the church of the Sepulcher and seeing all those people desperate for some spiritual experience it made you want to cry out “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” Lk. 24:5.
If you go to Israel hoping to encounter Jesus there, you may be sadly disappointed. Thankfully my wife and I had already met him years ago and our lives are a consistent living encounter with God.
Finding the presence of God among the old stones of Judea may prove disappointing. Though some seam to accomplish this. At the Wailing wall one of our group commented how she felt the presence of God. Our guide, who was a born again Christian and a Jew, was quick to respond that he felt nothing and was unimpressed with the effort. (Praying at the wall). For those truly acquainted with presence of God you would have to agree. For the orthodox Jew this 65 ft. of excavated foundation wall of the
Temple
site (not to be confused with the Temple itself), has become a most revered
religious edifice among orthodox Jews. This wall has nothing to do with
Solomon’s Temple, but rather the reconstructed temple site of Herod’s day. Make
no mistake the Jews considered the Temple site a holy place as well. King Herod
was a shrewd politician, both with Romans and with the ruling priesthood,
appeased the Jews by building a larger more grandeur Temple site than the one
that had originally existed on Mt. Moriah. It is part of this wall on the south
side of Moriah that the Jewish people resort to for prayers and reading of
prayers. It is an impressive site to see as thousands of Jews come hear for
prayer every day. It has become a point of reference connecting them with their
past. What isn’t as impressive is how fruitless and lifeless there orthodoxy has
become. I can only imagine it is a resurrection of latter day Pharisees. It is
interesting that their point of
Above is the "Dome of the Rock" reference is something that was destroyed two thousand years ago and that there
religion and religious practice is only a shadow of what once was. They are the
people of the law, yet for two thousand years they have been completely unable
to fulfill what they read in the law. I remember as children my brother and I
used play games. No matter what we were doing everything became a competition.
We would set up the rules or guidelines of the competition. But as soon as the
rules became an inconvenience or a hindrance to his success my brother would set
aside or bend the rules to suit his needs, my complaints would be met with the
challenge of his fist. It seems that rabbinical teachers have done the same
thing. Because they can’t (nor ever will) be able to fulfill the requirements of
the Levitical law they simply set it aside, without any inspiration from God,
simply out of necessity, they set up this hollow shadow of orthodoxy that no
longer reflects their own patriarchs. When asked why they do what they do the
answer is Tradition, once again fulfilling the words of the greatest rabbi that
ever lived. “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” Mk.
7:13. Jesus when speaking to the fig tree, that set out side the eastern gate of
the city. The eastern gate lead directly to the Temple mount. He said, “Let no
fruit grow on thee henceforth forever.” Matt. 21:19. His statement is almost
like a prophetic indictment against the religion of the day. Fruitless. Why,
because of their rejection of their one true Messiah. Not only has orthodox
Judaism rejected His Messiah ship, but it adamantly defends its rejection.
Understand that not all Jews are practicing orthodox. Like Americans a great
portion are simply secular. We see in Mexico and central America many people are
Catholic in name only, because the church has made itself irrelevant and
lifeless. The same with orthodox Judaism, many of the people, especially young
people are simply secular. Two thousand years ago the “daily sacrifice was taken
away” according to Daniel 8:11. The Jews are incapable of restoring it. I see it
as an abomination if they were to. Their religious efforts have been fruitless
since the time of Christ and blindness has come over a people. According to
modern Judaism, when a Jew accepts Christ he ceases to be a Jew. That’s a hard
one to figure out, I Know. But what really happens is he becomes a fulfilled
Jew. Preterito! When we used to go to the Indian reservation in South Dakota we would encounter well meaning people who, for lack of better words, had gone native. They felt a desire to become Indian and lay claim to what little Native American blood they had. Participating in any Native American fan fare they possibly could. You will see something like this in almost any culture. To a culture and a people this is sometimes flattering (sometimes it’s offensive). But it almost always diminishes your ability to minister. Christians tend to lose sight of the gospel and the simple gospel message. That salvation is free and Jesus paid for it for you. I’ve seen in the Indian nations Christians become more interested in restoring a lost heritage than they are in the simple message of the gospel. I’ve seen a similar trend among Messianic Christians. They feel a strong need to become Jewish as well as Christians or maybe the need is to become Jewish after they become Christians. (I Cor. 7:19,20, Gal.5:11-13, Gal. 6:5, Eph. 2:15, Phil. 3:3, Col. 2:11, Col. 3:11) They adopt traditional Jewish garb from Jewish caps to prayer shawls. Even if (genetically) their not Jewish. Paul said, “But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart.” Rom. 2:29. I admit I’m indifferent to most of this practice. To each his own. What I am not indifferent to is the assumption that Jewish people operate under a different covenant and can gain acceptability with God out side of Christ. It’s almost as if to say that God has gone through all this effort in sending his Son as an atonement for sin, but it wasn’t necessary, we already have a covenant. The first church in the New Testament was originally made up of entirely Jewish believers, who had accepted Christ as their Messiah. They sealed their testimony in blood, like Stephen, James, Paul, and so many others. Suffering so many things at the hands of their fellow kinsman for the sake of Christ. Paul at one point, speaking of his heritage said, “I count them but dung.” Phil. 3:8. And he went on to say, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” I Tim. 2:5.
Peter speaking before the very same court that had condemned Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost said, “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name this man stands before you in good health.” “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.” “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” ACTS 4:10-12 NASB.
Modern rabbis try to enter a none factual argument that the Jews were not looking for a Messiah in the time of Christ, which is a horrible rewriting of history. The common man and the Essenes were definitely looking for a Messiah. The ones with the most to lose were Herod and those loyal to him, and the religious elite (Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Hasmonean Priesthood). In the Galilean area to the north of Jerusalem and in the Judean desert to the south of Jerusalem were whole communities waiting for the Messiah. No wonder Jesus spent so much time ministering outside of Jerusalem. John 7:31 says that many believed upon Him. And the common mans argument was “When the Christ comes will he perform more miracles than this man has.” My question to those still waiting for a Messiah is the same. When your Christ (Christos means anointed one, Messiah) comes will he perform more miracles than Jesus. Jesus said at one point to the disciples, “Believe me for the very works sake.” Jn. 14:11. Can you live in rejection of the Messiah and still be accepted? No! “He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son hath not life.” I Jn. 5:12
