My Brother Claimed to be God by David Brickner, executive director

Transcription

1 My Brother Claimed to be God by David Brickner, executive director Ever imagined what it was like to be Jesus sibling? I ve written a story* that does just that, and I ll tell you why at the end! *** I am Joseph, named after my father. I grew up with four brothers and plenty of sisters in a mid-sized town in Northern Israel called Nazareth. We were in the construction business: He wasn t actually my father s son. My older brother James and I got into quite a few fights to defend my mother s honor. She and my dad didn t do much to quash those rumors. And later, my mother calmly accepted it when Y shua left the family business to become an itinerant rabbi. Soon He had quite a following. Many began to claim He was some kind of a some of His fans and said, Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother. As though they were His real family. I d never been more hurt or humiliated. And what was all that about His father in heaven? It sounded as though he were claiming to be... well, God. And some people actually believed it! Of course those who didn t either laughed at Him (and us) or got mad. Really mad. Either way, it was incredibly embarrassing. James and I just wanted Him gone. Even though we knew He would have trouble if He tried (continued on page 2) stone masonry, wooden farm implements; you name it my father taught my brothers and me to build it. And we were fairly successful. Unfortunately, Dad died when I was still fairly young. Normally in our culture the oldest son takes his father s place in the family business but our family wasn t exactly normal. You see, my oldest brother Y shua was different; I mean really different. There were rumors about Him, stories that miracle worker, or even the Messiah. To me He was just the guy who didn t step up when Dad died, the brother who left the family business for something I couldn t understand. One day we heard Y shua was back in town and a huge crowd had gathered around Him. My mother asked us boys to go with her to get our brother, to bring Him home. He knew we were just outside the crowd but He wouldn t even come talk to us. He just turned to In this edition October 2013 Imagine what life was like for Jesus half brothers...1 Prayer prompters, Hello, Israel!, cartoon and onlinextras...3 Jewish Core Values, Jesus and You: Part Six...4 Pit Stops on the Road with Jesus...6 You Are Here, a spiritual mall map...7 Bits from the Branches in Budapest, Paris, Los Angeles and Israel...8

2 (continued from page 1) His act in Jerusalem, one year (when it came time for the Feast of Tabernacles), James and I taunted Him to go there anyways. Well, Y shua wasn t going to let us push His buttons, but eventually He did go to Jerusalem. If James and I thought life would get easier, we were wrong. One day we d hear how the crowds loved our older brother and the next how some of the religious authorities were accusing Him of being in league with demons. Springtime came, and He was finally arrested. Of course we were all upset, especially my mother but I m ashamed to say that deep down, I was actually relieved. I d been avoiding Jerusalem, even though it was Passover time, even though I knew that my brother was risking His life by going back there to celebrate the feast. Later I heard how quickly things turned ugly. Within hours of His arrest, my big brother was tortured and executed on a cross. I was horrified. I never wanted Him to suffer and die like that. And yet, there was part of me that couldn t help feeling, Maybe life will get back to normal now. But it didn t. My mother never came home. As she was watching Y shua die, He told her and His friend John to consider each other mother and son, and John would take care of her. To my astonishment, she accepted the whole thing. It seemed like even in His death Jesus was messing up my life and my family. But then came the ultimate betrayal. My brother James who d always stood with me, always shared my anger and frustration over Y shua left me, left the family business. Why? He d heard the same crazy rumor I did... that more than 500 people claimed to see our brother alive after His death. Unlike me, James went to check it out for himself. Incredibly, he, too, said he saw Jesus alive again! As much as I lamented James seeming delusions, as much as I hated his leaving the family business, it God drew near to me right then, in the midst of my pain and sorrow and loss. wasn t long before I found myself admiring who he had become. Y shua s followers made James a leader in their community and they called him James the Just (which, if you knew my brother growing up, is more than a little ironic). I guess the most amazing part of it all was the way James had joy, even in the midst of many great difficulties. He was no longer angry and quicktempered. He became incredibly kind, even to those who were angry and self righteous yes, even to me after I spat at him and called him a traitor. James was always trying to talk to me about Y shua, but I would push back, Hey, I believe in God, that s enough for me. James would just shake his head and tell me anyone can believe in God but that wasn t the same as having a relationship with God. He insisted that would only happen if I called on the name of Y shua. One of his favorite sayings was, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. And then one day James was arrested. The religious authorities demanded he stop his blasphemous preaching. I went to visit him in his jail cell. I pled with him to stop talking about our brother, to please, please, save his own life. But James just smiled at me sadly. The very next day I went to the Temple to watch as they brought my brother out to the crowd. Instead of renouncing his faith, James testified to his love for Y shua. In a rage, his accusers grabbed him and threw him down from the parapet of the Temple. Before I could get to my brother s side, someone had beaten the last bit of life out of him. As the final blow struck my brother James, I heard my voice scream out, Y shua! I thought I was screaming out for my brother James, but the shock of hearing myself call on the name of Y shua, made me realize I d been running from the truth for too long. James had been truly transformed. He was not the one who was delusional. His words kept coming back to me: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. When I called out to Y shua that awful day, that is exactly what happened. God drew near to me right then, in the midst of my pain and sorrow and loss. I knew He was real. I knew (continued on page 3) We exist to make the messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide. Jews for Jesus international headquarters: 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA ; jfj@jewsforjesus.org; web: jewsforjesus.org; also working in: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom; editor: Ruth Rosen; art director: Paige Saunders; design and illustration: David Yapp; Volume 2: 5774, October 2013; 2013

3 onlinextras Check out the expanded edition of our newsletter at j4j.co/xtras1013 to find: This month s So What? in which David s article becomes an opportunity to overcome a problem that most Christians face at some point A free mp3 of Susan Mendelson singing In the Sanctuary Bonus bits from our Israel branch prayer prompters Please pray for: our upcoming Behold Your God Israel campaign God s blessing as we invest in the next generation of Jews for Jesus Sergio s continued ministry to Robert in Rio (p. 6) opportunities (for you as well as us) to speak up for Jesus even when we don t see the effects of our witness (p. 7) Péter (in Budapest) to grow in grace and faith, and the same for Howard in Los Angeles; (continued from page 2) He was true. And now I, too, follow in the footsteps of my brother James and my half brother, the Lord Jesus. I guess it s become our new family business. *** I hope my imagining about Jesus siblings has helped you empathize with them, and to understand that to Jewish people today, Jesus is still one of us and yet strangely other. Just as His family faced ridicule because of His mysterious birth, Jewish people who didn t even exist during the crucifixion have been taunted and worse over His death. Jesus refusal to do and say what tradition and religious authorities dictated put His family and friends at risk back then... and it still puts His followers standing in the Jewish community at risk now. And yet when we do embrace Him, He helps us overcome every challenge and fulfills our Jewish identity in even more meaningful ways. Please pray that as we bring the message of the risen Jesus to His family according to the flesh, many will receive it and become part of His eternal family. *Parts of this story are based on gospel accounts, epistles (particularly the book of James) and early church history. This month's banner photo: Karol Joseph, who oversees our missionary training, witnessing in the New York subway. salvation for Bat-El in Israel; encouragement for Miri (new believer in Israel) as she continues to share her faith, especially with family members (p. 8) HELLO, ISRAEL! Did you know that October was a month for historic happenings in the establishment of the state of Israel? October 22, 1945: Senators Robert Wagner of New York and Robert Taft of Ohio introduced a resolution expressing support for a Jewish state in (what was then called) Palestine. October 4, 1946: On the eve of Yom Kippur, President Truman issued a statement of the United States support for the creation of a viable Jewish state. 3

4 Jewish Core Values, Jesus and You: Part Six by Rich Robinson JEWISH CORE VALUE: KIDDUSH HA-SHEM Kiddush ha-shem literally means sanctification of God s name. To be sanctified means to be set apart as holy, just as good is set apart from evil and sacred is set apart from profane. God, being all good, is sanctified, and so His name, which represents Him, is sanctified. The Jewish core value of kiddush ha-shem refers to righteous or noble behavior that honors the name and character of God. It is also used specifically in reference to martyrdom: it is kiddush ha-shem if a Jewish person dies because of his or her faith. The opposite is chillul ha-shem, desecration of God s name through one s behavior. The Jewish core value of kiddush ha-shem recognizes that the people of God are responsible to act in a manner that is worthy of God and reflects who He is to others. And that includes avoiding whatever might desecrate or bring shame to His name. OLD TESTAMENT BASIS God, who is holy, expects His people to be set apart as well, for good, which is to say, for Him. We find this throughout the book of Leviticus: And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine (Lev. 20:26; see also Lev. 11:44 45; Lev. 19:2, Lev. 20:7; Lev. 21:8). These twin concepts linking God s holiness/sanctity to expectations of His people is found throughout the Old Testament: You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the LORD who sanctifies you (Lev. 22:32). (Many more verses warn against profaning God s name, including Lev. 18:21; Ps. 74:7; Is. 48:11; Jer. 34:16; Ezek. 20:9, Amos 2:7.) God s concern for how His people uphold the holiness of His name is related to His desire for others to know Him: But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will hallow [i.e., sanctify] My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel (Is. 29:23). Ezekiel especially emphasizes that when God s people do not live according to His will, it affects God s reputation among those who are not yet part of His people: And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes (Ezek. 36:23). This is one of many examples where God sanctifies His own name, that is, He acts in a way that exalts His name and character. NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING The sanctity of God has not changed and His expectations of His people to reflect His holiness for all to see remains the same. The difference is, Jesus has become the model as well as the means for Jews as well as Gentiles to meet this challenge. Our behavior either points to or away from God. Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). In the apostles we read, For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, as it is written (Rom. 2:24). Paul is reflecting back on verses in Ezekiel as he writes to Jewish people in order to show the need for the gospel (he has equally strong words for non-jews in the early chapters of Romans). Also,... that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:12). Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Pet. 4:16). (This is similar to the idea in Judaism that martyrdom can sanctify God s name.) 4

5 IN TRADITIONAL JEWISH LIFE Throughout Jewish history, the term kiddush ha-shem has related specifically to martyrdom. Those who died in the Crusades or under duress to convert were said to die for the sanctification of the Name. The same has been said of those who died in the Holocaust. The medieval Jewish philosopher Rambam said that there are three ways to commit a chillul ha-shem (to profane the name of God). First, when someone refuses to give up his or her life when one should (see above on martyrdom). Second, when one sins, not even to satisfy one s own desires, but deliberately in open rebellion against God. And third, when someone who knows the correct way to act but fails to do so, thereby leading others to question God and His reputation. 1 EXAMPLES OF THIS CORE VALUE IN CONTEMPORARY JEWISH CULTURE One Jewish writer defined kiddush ha-shem as follows: When a Jew performs an act in public requiring unusual courage, risk, honesty or integrity, as for example, when Senator Joseph Lieberman, who had indeed been a friend of the President, rose to criticize the immorality displayed by the Chief Executive, by engaging in various acts that shed no glory on the Office of the Presidency of the United States. 2 In contrast, a 2010 article lamented that certain people in a Jewish neighborhood had refused to open the door to a census worker, allegedly because she was African-American. I felt bad for the Chilul Hashem that people were making, said the Jewish author of the piece, and went on to explain that by treating everyone who comes to your door with simple courtesy and mentchlichkeit [acting like a proper human being]... you will be making a Kiddush Hashem instead of a Chilul Hashem. 3 When Jewish financial magnate Bernie Madoff was exposed in a grand-scale financial scam, his despicable actions were described as a chillul ha-shem. On the other hand, when a Jewish lawyer, Ben Brafman, refused to answer reporters because he had to get ready for the upcoming Sabbath, it was called a kiddush ha-shem. 4 CONVERSATIONS WITH JEWISH FRIENDS Unless you are acquainted with very traditional Jewish people, most you meet will not know the terms kiddush ha-shem and chillul ha-shem. Still they will understand that one s behavior can bring either honor or disgrace to one s community if not to the name of God. (Even the most secular Jewish people care about how good or bad behavior reflects on the Jewish community.) Some ideas for incorporating the core value into conversations with Jewish friends: When public figures (Jewish or non-jewish) appear in the news for good or bad, it can be an opportunity to discuss how one s actions sometimes affect people s perception of others in the group they represent. From there you might talk about how God wanted the Jewish people especially to be a light to the world as a community of God s people. You can link to what it means to you that Jesus asked His followers to be conscious of how their behavior reflects on God. This can lead to a further conversation about who God is and what He requires of us. As you speak about human behavior, you can talk about how all of us fail at times to sanctify God s name because of our sin. This can lead to a discussion on atonement and the need for God s provision for our sin. Some people watch their language around Christian friends out of respect for that friend for example, catching themselves starting to say God d it! and quickly apologizing. Should this happen with a Jewish friend, you might say something like, It s thoughtful of you to avoid that expression when you talk to me and I really appreciate it. I guess my sensitivity about that actually comes from a Jewish value. If your friend asks what that is, you can reply, Well, I learned that in Judaism it s called kiddush ha-shem. It s from the biblical idea that what Jews and Christians say and how we act reflects not just on ourselves, but on God, either to honor or dishonor Him. And that includes the commandment about not taking God s name in vain. (It s good to say that you learned something about Judaism rather than announcing that Judaism teaches, since one shows an appreciation for your friend s religion, while the other might be seen as showing off knowledge that he or she may or may not share.) You can talk about how songs or prayers from your church that speak of sanctifying God s name (or lifting up or exalting His name) parallel similar prayers in Judaism, such as the Kaddish prayer. (Kaddish is said when someone has died, and consists almost entirely of lifting up the name of God.) For more about the Kaddish prayer, use the onlinextras link on p j.mp/chillul 2. j.mp/kiddush-h 3. j.mp/chcensus 4. j.mp/mgreen-2 5

6 Afew years ago I met Robert, an unsaved Jewish man married to a Christian. He was born in Rio, but moved to her home city in the northeast of Brazil. However, he was having difficulties getting a job, so they decided to come back to Rio. Robert came first in order to start organizing their lives, while she and their daughter stayed with her parents. It was in this context that I met Robert and we started to study the Bible together on a weekly basis. For three months he showed interest, but he became uncomfortable when we dealt with some hard issues like spiritualism and reincarnation. He believed in this stuff, and when I showed him what the Bible says about these things, it was a real struggle for him. Eventually Robert told me he wanted to discontinue our studies for a while because he wanted to focus on bringing his family back together, which was quite understandable. For some time I did not hear from him. I lost his cell phone number, which was hand-written on a piece of paper rather than typed into a database. I felt bad about that, but as hard as I looked for that paper, I could not find it. I could only pray that God would take care of the situation. Then one day as I was cleaning my files, I found the piece of paper that had been lost for so long. I quickly dialed the number, wondering if it was still his. Then I heard his voice! Robert, I said, this is Sergio Danon. Do you remember me? He replied, Of course! I m so glad you called! I am a believer in Jesus for some time now. I have wanted to tell you about it, but I had no idea where I had your number written down! I want to return to our studies. I have so many questions, and you are the one who can help me because of your Jewish upbringing. You have no idea how happy that made me, especially since I was going through a difficult time just then. God knew how I needed that encouragement. Since then, Robert and I have been studying the Bible together. Only He knows about each pit stop along the way. I think of the times it seemed like I was unable to help Robert, and how it seemed like my prayers for him were not answered. We live in such an instant society, and it is easy to want to apply the same expectation to the spiritual world. Whatever we ask of the Lord, we expect to see happen almost instantaneously. What happened to, Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7)? It is interesting because just before that verse David says (and I imagine him, perhaps trying to convince himself), Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (vv. 3 5). When my kids were small and we had a long car trip, they would always ask, like all kids do, Are we there yet? In order to give them a sense of time and distance, I would compare our itinerary to the human body, with the beginning of the trip being the feet and the arrival the head. So if we were about half way there, I would say we were in the belly. They really enjoyed that. It is always good to know the beginning and the end of our trip. However, in God s plans, only He really knows about the time and distance it will take us to reach our destination. Only He knows about each pit stop along the way. Why did God allow both Robert and me to lose each other s phone numbers? And why, after much prayer, did I find it only after Robert had already become a believer? God had used other people and other situations to bring Robert to faith, and let me find it only when He knew my participation would be valuable to Robert and encouraging to me. At least, this is the way I understand it now (see 1 Corinthians 3:4 11). I have no idea how involved you are in witnessing to someone, but God assures you as He does me, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall (continued on page 7) 6

7 Did you ever walk away after sharing your faith with someone and wonder, What just happened? Did I have any impact on that person at all? What if I had said...? These questions and so many others can plague us after speaking to someone about the life-changing subject of who Jesus is and why He is so important. Eighteen years of full-time service with Jews for Jesus has taught me that even when we don t have answers to those questions, we need to keep going. Let me encourage you to not second guess such encounters with unbelievers. You don t have to say just the right thing in order to share your faith. None of us can possibly see the big picture, so when we walk away from a witnessing situation, we really can t know how our words may have positively affected the person. Since all believers are engaged in a spiritual battle, the adversary is always ready to tell you how poorly you performed. Please don t listen to him. Speaking is better than not speaking. My friend Steve is a Jewish believer in Jesus and an extraordinary evangelist! Before he knew the Lord, a girl shared her faith with him in a way that I would never recommend. She told him that if he didn t believe in Jesus he was going to hell. Wow. Couldn t she have found a better way to be a witness? Couldn t she have said something a little more sensitive, maybe? But it turned out to be the very thing Steve needed to hear, because he thought about it and wondered if it were true. It set him on a course of discovery that led him to faith. We never know where a conversation may lead. We might wish we had one of those mall maps you know, the Our conversation with someone about Jesus may be just a small stop on someone s spiritual journey kind you look for when you arrive at an unfamiliar shopping center and are trying to find a specific store. There s always that big red arrow labeled, YOU ARE HERE. Surrounding the area, colors and numbers show exactly where you need to go. You can even see what shops are on the way and maybe those are places you either want to check out or avoid. We don t typically get a map like that when we are witnessing. We don t see what s just down the way a bit or around the corner from where we re trying to go. But what we do have is even better. We have a God who does have the big picture and knows the complete YOU ARE HERE map for each one of us. In that all-knowing position, and with our willingness, God will provide us with the encounters that He intends for us to have, and will equip us to speak the necessary words at that time. Our conversation with someone about Jesus may be just a small stop on someone s spiritual journey, but think about what an enormous privilege that is. When we wake up each morning with the words, Use me today, Lord, in our hearts, we ll find that YOU ARE HERE arrow always pointing to our place of contentment. Because we can always trust God s promise is at work in and through us when we are willing, whether or not we see it in the moment. That contentment is unmatched by anything else. Susan Mendelson is our missionary to Long Island, New York. Prior to that she toured with the Liberated Wailing Wall (Jewish Gospel music team) and then solo. Her album, Jewish Gospel Favorites, brings her personal style to ten Jewish gospel classics. You ll find a free download of Susan singing In the Sanctuary (by Stephen Katz) at j4j.co/lwwmusic1. accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). It reminds me of my Jewish grandmother, who became a believer when she was 93 years old, almost four years before passing away. It s never too late. But that is another story... Sergio Danon leads our work in Rio de Janiero. See a video and find out more about Sergio at jewsforjesus.org/sergio-danon. 7

8 bits from the BRANCHES Budapest Kata Tar reports, I was surprised to hear, I know it is not proper to look into your personal notes, but where can I find you guys? An unkempt man in his 60s was pointing at the Jews for Jesus logo on the paper I was using to make my list. (I was travelling home from a prayer meeting and my head was full of things to do.) Meanwhile, that little piece of paper was serving the Lord and proclaiming His Name. I have met you before! I exclaimed when I looked at Péter*, and I also remembered that I hadn t been keen on following him up. He was a loud, pushy know-it-all. And, I regret to say, somehow I d failed to phone him, though I am usually quick to follow up with Jewish seekers. I have been looking for you guys for months! Where can I meet you? So I invited Péter to our next Havurah meeting. He came. Was he still a loud, pushy know-it-all? Yes, but he heard the gospel and he responded to it. Even when I was not looking for this lost man, Y shua was. He is the Good Shepherd! Jewish way) that Howard could understand. God had obviously already been at work in his life. So, right on the phone Howard eagerly prayed with me to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He was in tears as he expressed his joy in finally being reconciled with the God of Israel. Please pray for Howard s spiritual growth as I hope to disciple him and get him into some good fellowship. Paris Joshua Turnil reports, Bat-El is a Sephardic** Israeli in her mid-30s. She saw our large Juifs pour Jésus sign up above our Paris shopfront and was curious enough to walk in. She wanted to know how it was possible that Jews should believe in Jesus. Bat-El grew up in a very religious home in Israel. She had a very sweet disposition, but nonetheless made it clear that she was angry with God, if in fact he existed. Her first question was, Where in the Torah does it speak of Jesus? She was really struck to read the passage in Deuteronomy 18 which speaks of a prophet who would be greater than Moses. Our European director, Avi Snyder, was visiting and shared his testimony and how he once was also angry with God. We continued to share other passages with her and Bat-El cried as we shared and prayed with her. Though not ready to make the New Covenant her own, Bat-El sent us an from Israel asking us to make sure one of our people would contact her to help her move forward. Please pray for her salvation. Israel Bimini Cohen reports, I can tell that someone s faith is taking hold when they begin to share it with others, especially their family. Last week, Miri* gave a book about Jesus to her mother. She hasn t noticed her mom reading it yet, but it is next to her bed. Miri also gave her father a Bible, and he is also keeping it next to his bedside. Please pray for Miri to grow in confidence in sharing her faith and that God might pour out His salvation upon her family. See Bonus Bits from Israel using the onlinextras link on p. 3. * Not their real names ** Sephardic Jews are the communities coming from the Mediterranean basin: the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East. Los Angeles Cyril Gordon reports, A 60-year-old Jewish man named Howard received one of our broadsides at Venice Beach and called our office. Howard has been seeking God for several years now. He s been drawn to Jesus but confused about how to reconcile this with his Jewish identity. He called practically begging for clarification on the matter. That s exactly what we do here at Jews for Jesus! It didn t take much to explain the simple gospel message (in a