Jesus' Teachings Through the Mosaic Mirror

In this episode, Michael Papa Newton delves into the Jewish roots of Jesus of Nazareth, examining how his life was shaped by Judaism. The discussion focuses on the ethical teachings shared by both Moses and Jesus, highlighting their similarities and differences. Ethically, both figures promote love and wisdom, with Jesus echoing Moses' commandments to love God and one's neighbor. The podcast addresses the divergent conceptions of the Messiah in Christianity and Judaism, while emphasizing the shared moral values that form a common ethical foundation. Listeners are encouraged to critically evaluate these teachings within their own spiritual journeys.

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to Flip the Coin onto its Edge. I'm your host, Michael Pawpaw Newton. We work, we raise families, we may engage in marriage, we must have times of having our own fun and excitement. All these pull at us psychologically like four strong horses of responsibility, tethered to our limbs and pulling in four different directions. No wonder we don't have the opportunities to study the classics of philosophy, spirituality, religion, and the holy books of other religions not dominant in our culture and regions. Fortunately, since college, I find these topics, plus science and mythology, fun and entertaining for my mind. For over 20 years, I have studied these topics and the various holy books of the major religions to make myself a better person, not a better Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or Taoist. In today's episode, we'll explore the rich history of Judaism and Moses, what he shared, and how Jesus re-emphasized the beliefs of this ancient faith, integrating them into Christianity. We'll also look at how being a Jew shaped Jesus' daily life and may have influenced his thoughts. Have you ever wondered what it truly meant to be a Jew 2,000 years ago? Just a reminder, tap the button to follow this podcast. Now into our show. This podcast provides an excellent opportunity for anyone to compare some of the most important ideas of Judaism and Christianity. In these cases, Moses becomes the persona of a Jewish view that allows for a comparison to Jesus, who comes nearly thirteen hundred years later. This podcast can bring the listener easy access to the best of both traditions. It's a shame that two traditions that enjoy such a common language and promote love of the stranger and neighbor should have such a history of conflict. I hope this can help you gain a new appreciation for your own religious tradition, as well as that of your neighbor. Jesus of Nazareth needs no introduction. He is unquestionably the most famous Jew in the world. Jesus was a Jew who taught Judaism to Jews in the Galilean towns and villages in Roman occupied Judea during the time of the Second Temple. In the New Testament, Jesus is born to a Jewish mother, is circumcised eight days after his birth in accord with Jewish law, wears zitzit ritual fringes on his clothes, puts on Tefelin at morning prayers, looks upon God as his heavenly father, keeps kosher, observes the Jewish Sabbath and all ceremonial laws, teaches Jewish ethics in the synagogue, is called rabbi, and makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. At the Last Supper, which is a Passover Seder, he blesses the wine and bread, dips the herbs into the ku rosat, drinks four cups of wine, and recites halel, a group of psalms. Even having hand-picked disciples was common among rabbis at the time. Jesus was a rabbi who was well versed in Judaism and preached traditional Jewish ethics to Jews. He was undoubtedly an excellent teacher with an exceptional gift for coining pithy saying and crafting lively parables, a common teaching device in his day. He taught illiterate Jewish peasants the pure essence of Judaism. He gleaned the most pivotal ethical teachings from the Hebrew Bible. Jesus condensed these ethical teachings, simplified them, and eloquently popularized them, making them accessible to a larger audience. He also embraced the ideas of the great rabbinic sages of his time, whose parallel teachings can be found in the Talmud, a detailed commentary on the Hebrew Bible composed over seven centuries, and the madrastic literature, which are rabbinic stories, to explain missing information from the Hebrew Bible. In almost every case, the ethical teachings of Jesus match the ethical teachings of Judaism from before, during, and after his lifetime. Judaism does, however, vehemently disagree with a handful of Jesus' teachings. Unlike Jesus, Judaism allows retaliation against evil and insists that only God forgive sins committed against him. While Jesus expected the imminent establishment of God's kingdom on earth and the accompanying resurrection of the dead, Jesus and his disciples also believed him to be the Messiah. The Romans considered any potential Messiah to be a political rebel, and Pontius Pilate, the cruel and brutal Roman governor of Judea, ordered that Jesus be crucified, the standard Roman method of executing political revolutionaries. Pilate then ordered the sign King of the Jews be nailed to the cross over Jesus as a warning to any other would be Messiahs that an agonizing death awaited them. Other would be messiahs who rose up against the against and were subsequently killed by the Romans before and after Jesus included Judas the Galilean, Thedaus, Benjamin the Egyptian, Menachem, and Bar Kakba. Some biblical scholars agree that the gospel writers intentionally distorted the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament, placing blame on the Jews rather than the Romans in order to convert the pagan Romans to Christianity and to avoid Roman persecution. This decision, this distortion caused centuries of persecution and genocide against the Jews, including the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, Russian pogroms, and the Holocaust. The Jewish conception of the Messiah also differs greatly from the Christian conception of the Messiah. To Jews, the Messiah is a human military leader who will bring all the Jews back to live in Israel and put an end to hate, war, poverty, and disease. The majority of Jews today dismiss the idea of a Messiah and instead believe that people must all work together to bring about a messianic age and an enlightened level of spiritual evolution. Christianity radically altered the Jewish conception of the Messiah. In the New Testament, the Messiah became the Son of God who died for the sins of mankind. To Jews, worshiping any man as God or the Son of God is a blasphemous concept. To Jews, Jesus was exceptionally gifted and wise rabbi, not a prophet, not the Messiah, not the Son of God, not God Himself. This is a huge gap. While the differences between Judaism and Christianity are immense, the similarities are equally enormous. At their core, the ethical teachings of both religions stem from a deeply shared morality. Christians are indebted to Judaism for shaping Jesus' teachings. Jews are indebted to Christianity for making the Hebrew Bible a universal book that has influenced Western civilization and spread the light of Jewish ethics around the world. Jews are also grateful to the Catholic Church for preserving a vast library of Jewish literary treasures. While Judaism does not accept Jesus as the Messiah, Jews can embrace Jesus as a gifted teacher of Jewish ethics, a great artist in parable, and an advocate of uncompromising morality, integrity, and compassion. Likewise, Christians can spiritually and intellectually benefit from a deeper understanding of Judaism. I hope this brings us all closer together with a renewed respect for our differences and a deeper appreciation for the beauty of our shared heritage. No writings by Jesus Himself are known to exist. Biblical scholars claim that the story of Jesus was transmitted orally for many years, and the gospels were then written, rewritten, and revised by a number of writers. The New Testament remains the only source of the teachings of Jesus universally accepted by all Christian denominations. Moses can be found in the Torah, the five books of Moses in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Moses was the sole author of the Torah, which was revealed to him by God on Mount Sinai. Now let's see what they say about love. It is frequently said and wrongly so that Judaism is a religion of strict laws and harsh discipline, while Christianity is a religion of love and compassion. In truth, love is an essential ingredient of both religions. Moses tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6 5. The golden rule to love your neighbor as yourself also originates as a commandment told by God to Moses at Leviticus 19 18. Jesus embraces these teachings as the two most important commandments. To the rabbis of the Talmud, love for your neighbor translates to love for all humanity, a natural extension of your love of God. Not surprisingly, Jesus, a contemporary of the great rabbis of the Talmud, advocated love of God and all humanity, a tradition already sanctified in Judaism. God's love for humanity is expressed throughout the Hebrew Bible, just as it is in the New Testament, as the love of a father for his children. All men are created in the divine image, stated the second century CE teacher Simon ben Azaiah, and therefore all are our fellow men and entitled to human love. What Jesus said. You have heard that it is that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew five, forty three through forty five. Moses says, You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus nineteen eighteen. Jesus exclaims, If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? Don't even pagans do that. Matthew five, forty six and forty seven. Moses exclaims, When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens. You shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Leviticus nineteen, thirty three and thirty four. Jesus says, The most important commandment is this Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. The second is this love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark twelve, twenty nine thirty one. Moses says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy six, four and five. Jesus explains, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Luke thirteen thirty four. Moses explains, and the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn me? And how long will they have no faith in me despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? Numbers fourteen eleven. Jesus proclaims, A new command I give you love one another John thirteen thirty four. Moses Moses proclaims Love your neighbor as yourself Leviticus nineteen eighteen. Let's now study wisdom. The Aphreism of Jesus and the words of wisdom espoused by the rabbinic sages of the Talmud are remarkably alike. Both share an identical message. Jesus said the truth will set you free at John eight thirty two. The Babylonian Talmud says he who has knowledge has everything the Darum forty one A What then is the truth? What must a person understand? The Talmudic sage Rabbi put it this way The goal of wisdom is repentance and good deeds Babylonian Talmud Berak seventeen Mankind created in the spiritual image of God has the potential to be holy like God, to spread loving kindness throughout the world. The Babylonian Talmud describes the human soul as the vital spark of heavenly flame at Barakat ten A. Like the rabbinic sages, Jesus was determined to impart wisdom on the meek and humble in the hopes of helping people perfect their own hearts in order to perfect the world. The book of Daniel succinctly sums up the shared ethical idea of both Jesus and Moses. The wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever at Daniel twelve three. Jesus explains Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Luke twelve twenty five. Moses explains, Be not afraid, for God has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of him may be ever with you, so that you don't go astray. Exodus twenty seventeen. Jesus says, Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but in thewardly they are ferocious wolves Matthew seven fifteen. Moses says The conspiracy of her prophets within her midst is like a roaring lion ravening prey. They devour souls, they take treasure and precious things, they make many widows within their midst. Her priests violate my teachings and profane what is holy to me. They do not distinguish between the holy and the ordinary. They do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they close their eyes to my Sabbath, so I am profane among them. Her officials in her mist are like wolves ravening prey, shedding blood and killing souls to win unjust gain. Ezekiel twenty two twenty five twenty seven. Jesus expressed Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Mark thirteen thirty one. Moses expressed Grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah forty verse eight. Jesus added, Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Luke fourteen twenty eight. Moses added, Through wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, and through knowledge the rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasure. Proverbs twenty four, three and four. Jesus proclaims, No prophet is accepted in his hometown. Luke four twenty four. Moses proclaimed, and Moses spoke up and said, What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say the Lord did not appear to you Exodus four verse one. That's all we have time for today, my friend. I appreciate you turning tuning into this episode. In this episode, we delved into the fascinating daily life of Jesus as both a person and a rabbi within Judaism. We explored Moses' teaching on love and wisdom and discovered how Jesus beautifully echoed these principles for Christians. Next time, we'll uncover compelling parallels and intriguing differences in their lives and examine their powerful words on justice and sin. Remember, I advise you not to accept everything you hear in this podcast without testing it in your testing it yourself. It has to resonate with you personally. Believing often carries doubt. The real secrets of success is to know the laws of life, not just believe in them. When you take the time to test these laws and principles, you'll truly come to understand. For your own good, keep an open mind for new ideas. This will help you better understand and evaluate what you're learning. Don't forget, if you found value here, click the button to follow this podcast. Remember, God woke you up this morning for a reason. Now go out and find out why.