World Religions Week 4 (2)

Judaism

1. What is it?

2. What separates Judaism from Christianity?

3. Who bears the responsibility of your sin? Who paid for your sin?

4. What is the Talmud?

Mishnah - first part of the Jewish law based on Oral tradition of Jewish law.

Gemara - The Rabbi commentary on the Mishnah (second part of the talmud).

So the Talmud is a large collection of Jewish laws and the interpretation of those laws by the Jewish Rabbis.

5. What is unique about the Jewish Bible?

Jewish in Practice:

Jews place high value on their heritage.

They believe who they are today was formed by the blood shed by their ancestors from persecution.

1 our of five Jews claim being Jewish is about, “religion, ancestry, and culture.” - According to Pew research.

For the rest, they claim one of these or a combination of these as the reason for being Jewish.

Jews take on their sins for themselves

What are some different denominations of Judaism or different types of Jews.

Think Jew + something else.

One example, Jewish Atheist. Is that possible. Yep!

Many jews are born Jewish, therefore, they affirm that identity, follow certain traditions, and may even give generously to the Jewish community, and yet they also do not believe in God and remain Atheist.

Theology:

Like Islam: for orthodox Jews, it is a religion of practice.

Orthodox Jews also hold to Old Testament Jewish Temple practices: such as, men and women can not sit together in the (temple OT) or (synagogue modern day).

non-orthodox Jews take on many different forms and functions.

There are lots of denominations of Jews.

In general, All Jews reject the New Testament, Jesus, and the gospel.

The one exception are messianic Jews who are essentially Jews by heritage but Christians by faith (accept responsibility of sin, trust Jesus died for our sin, he rose from the grave).

Judaism is very much a religion of do do do, while it also rejects the central aspect of Christianity, Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 “17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Important Days to Jews:

Life Cycle Days:

Birth - On the eighth day of birth all Jewish babies are named and male’s a circumcised.

American Reformed Jews might receive a Jewish name and an American name.

b. Bar Mitzvah (son of the commandment - At 13, you are now responsible to keep the Jewish law.

c. Bat Mitzvah (daughter of the commandment - girls of 13 are also responsible to keep Jewish Law.)

2. The Sabbath - Fourth commandment in the 10 commandments is to remember the sabbath and keep it holy.

Most sabbath days for Jews start on Friday evening and last until Saturday at dark.

3. Rosh Hashanah - Jewish New year occurs in September or October.

This year it was September 25-27

4. Yom Kippur - Day of atonement

In the OT, this was the day that the high priest offered the annual sacrifice for sin. A bull for himself, a goat for the people, and a scapegoat that was sent into the wilderness symbolically carrying away the sins of the people.

5. Sukkot - Feast of booths

Celebrate Israel’s wandering in the dessert. This is a week long celebration where all Jews live in a temporary shelter. Now days, Jewish families may build this in their house over their table and eat under the table intentionally for that week.

There are many more important holidays, but I have a question, are any of these holiday’s bad?

NO.

Ok…

Today we are moving from:

Jews place high value on tradition, heritage, and adherance to law.

Their religion was paid for by the blood of their ancestors.

Christians place a high value on Jesus, the law being paid for by Jesus, and His blood covering our sins. In our sin, we were dead, but in Christ we are made alive.

Key Verses to Explain Differences in Christians and Jews.

Isaiah 53:3-5 “3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Ephesians 2:11-16 “11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

How to Share Christ with a Jew.

Romans 9:3 “3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

Be sure you have an attitude of sacrificial love.

WRAPPING UP:

In Christ alone guys…

John 10:27 “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

I love this verse because it seems backwards.

Shouldn’t it say, “My sheep hear my voice, they recognize it and follow me?”

But it says, My sheep hear my voice… I know them… and they follow me.

We are known by the God of the universe.

We can follow Him because we are infinitely, incredibly, wonderfully known.

As the Song How he Loves us says,

We are His portion and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes.

For the Jew, it is Jesus they reject and turn away from.

But guys… Jesus is everything!

Do we know his voice?

Are we recognizing His voice?

Are we following His voice?