A great Invitation

A new voice is heard from leading Muslim scholars and others among them. They want to go side by side with Christians. With their new initiative A Common Word they want to speak to each other and come to each other. This gives a challenge. In history we don’t see this since the golden age of the Muslims in Spain in the mid-centuries when they live together with their Jewish brothers.

Isn’t that a good sign? But does Christianity understand? For many years real Christians are put to the edge of society. Because secular liberals dominate the western world. Many Christians, katholic and protestant are going with this mainstream. They didn’t obey G-d. It’s obviously, here in Holland, they didn’t accept you in politics and even in church when you seriously make matters with faith. Personally I have much more in common with Muslims then the Western secular people. And when you read the letter you’ll see that, I guess, they rather teach the Christians then they only make a dialog. They teach Christians because they are showing obedience to the commands and G-d. They teach them because their knowledge of scriptures. And they make the Western world fully ashamed because they had left G-d.

In the Western world Christianity was nearly disappeared. Two hundred years ago the process of destruction began. The Enlightenment and the French Revolution puts Europe into darkness. At that time there was a terrible might appearing with a great threat for honest Christians. Maybe you can call it liberal or social or whatever, but it was against Christianity. And against Islam and Judaism. In fact it was against G-d. And since 9/11 the change came. Who made that change? Although Muslims acted here and I’m sure the purpose wasn’t to put Christianity to new life,  I think it was G-d, accomplishing his world. He wants to bring people on their knees. Praying to him and worship him. And He is still going on, diminishing the value of money etc. It’s all His. And He wants also to make his creation, his man His. He wants us, Western people far away from Him. Muslims, serving Him but far from good. He wants His chosen people, the Jews, so hardly understand. Because he wants to be King. Isn’t it time for repentence?

For me it’s much easier to walk with a Muslim or (rather) a Jew then many Christians of our days. And I’m glad to receive messages like this. It gives me hope that in our days the Kingdom of the Messiah will be established. And the devil who deceived will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Maybe you think you don’t thrust them, they only want to extend and abuse our democracy to rule the World. But then I say, who rules the world at this time? Legalizing abortus, euthanasia, gay-marriage and so forth? Maybe you say I  don’t believe in Allah. Then I say I don’t believe in the G-d of the (Christian) Western world.

What they do is back to the very base: Love G-d and your neighbour. And that’s the point. They see the commandment clear. And we can agree. This is what we have to do. And I guess they have more insight in the scriptures at that point as many Christians have. Here we have the base Law. It would be great when we together obey this commandment of love.

It aren’t the Jews

We have the lucky occasion that some beautiful words are coming to be well known more and more by Christian believers of the Netherlands. They are from the excellent poet Jacobus Revius. Best known words of him are these: (translated)

It aren’t the Jews, o Lord Yesu, who nailed you on the cross,
Neither they who treacherously brought you to the judge,
Neither they who spewed in your face,
Neither they who bind and knocked you with fists,

It aren’t the soldiers who with their fierce hands
The stick or hammer lifted up,
Or the cursed tree on Golgotha had placed,
Or casted lots about your coat:

It’s me, o Lord, it’s me, I did it unto you!
I am the heavy tree which overweighed you,
I am the strongly rope which bound you to,

The nail, the spear, the whip who slain you,
The bloody crone born by your head:
Because this all had happened, so sadly! through my sins.

The translation can be much better, but the purpose is clear: It aren’t the Jews, I did it.

It’s the poem “Hy droech onse smerten” from album “Over-Ysselsche sangen en dichten“.

In another poem he said about “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Mat.27:25):

This I also said to you, o saviour full of grace!
Thou blood be on me and on my family.
Thou blood be on me to take my sin away,
And on my children to clean their inborn evil,
And save their souls from pain.

Jacobus Revius (1586-1658)

Nothing to do with Judaism?

Past weekend I read an interview with our Dutch chief rabbi Benyamin Jacobs. (www.terdege.nl 18feb2009,pag17 in Dutch) It was interesting to read that there’s an increasing group of Christians who connect their traditions to Jewish customs. However, Jacobs said: “This has nothing to do with Judaism.” Quickly he gave his expectations and diminished it with saying: “Often, after a while it will cease.” That’s what you see, he said, when you study Judaism you see that at a certain time a division appears, it ceased after a while. Only traditional Judaism based on Torah and Talmud will remain, he said. What he didn’t remember was his ancestor, the great rabban Gamliël I (died about 80CE) had said exactly the same about such groups. (Acts5:38-39) And what he said about the group of Yeshua, the Way, certainly didn’t disappear but was becoming the greatest religion of the world, the Christians.

Now I’ll leave the name of rabbi Jacobs because I don’t know him to speak about him, and I will turn to the Jews in general. Especially Jews who observe the Torah in classical/rabbinical Judaism. When I consider this people there comes a question to me: Are they scared about this group of believers who are connecting to Judaism? Why are they saying those group of Christians who call themselves Messianics, has nothing to do with Judaism? Many Jews can have many opinions however they all are called Jews, including converts gone trough the ritual process. But why not this group? This group faces a perfect fit, much better then the reformed Jews. The only thing is they believe Yeshua is the Messiah. So what? Jews have also believed or expected different Messiahs. What in fact then is the main problem of Yeshua? And why doesn’t that fit in Judaism? Why can they say anything but Yeshua?