Distinction Offers Identity

The Days of Sukkot are here, and their arrival has had me thinking about some of the heavier topics in the faith as they relate to identity and making the correct moves in light of this.

What it means to walk in our King’s path in a church of both Jews and Gentiles.

Let me be up front about one thing.

We cannot possibly keep these days in the biblical way described in the Old Testament. It is impossible to keep Torah law in the way it was given thousands of years ago. We have a much more excellent ministry in Christ.

We can look to the Torah for guidance on moral matters. We can honor the instructions and magnify them, but we can’t keep these days as they were.

These things are permitted, but not required.

The beginning had two laws.

The time of the Torah had hundreds for rebellious people.

Jesus’ New Covenant brings it down to two, and an admonition to love others as He has loved us.

We should fulfill the Law of Christ every day in which we live.

But there are many trappings out there in being “of the nations” and Jewish/Hebrew Feasts.

We are not to steal these days from their distinctly Hebrew flavor. Gentiles never had to keep the entire Torah, and, in fact, it is against Torah for them to do so. Israel is a set-apart possession, and the church is part of the one new man that Paul mentioned multiple times.

Gentiles are grafted into Israel, but they do not lose their distinction or home culture. If an Australian comes to Christ, they don’t stop being Australian. If a woman in China converts, she doesn’t cease to be Chinese.

In the same way, a Jewish person who comes to Christ still has that distinct flavor to their faith and should continue to walk out that faith in their original calling. Sometimes the best fellowship and witness to the Hebraic population is to let them continue in their cultural lens while keeping to our own. Taking something from their context and moving it over isn't the nicest thing to do.

We are not supposed to be “replacement theology in reverse.”

Israel and the rest of the nations are distinct.

Our relationship with our Father in the heavens doesn’t depend on how many boxes we check off.

It doesn’t matter if we do something “perfectly.”

What matters is us making the first move to have that divine fellowship with the Creator. He can prod us, nudge us, or open our inner eyes to the truth, but we must make the first move toward that relationship.

What matters is the intent of the heart.

When a man makes the first move on a woman, it’s because he understands he has that actual intention to pursue her. It needs to be done right, with the correct heart, and within the boundaries of what is proper.

When he does it the wrong way, disaster follows.

Not saying that we need to “woo” God in that way, but my point is to always consider the context of what is appropriate.

If a taken man were to pursue a relationship with someone other than his spouse, that would make him as trashy as any other cheater and not appropriate.

A single man pursuing a woman is within the boundaries of proper conduct, thus not a problem. Appropriate. Right?

It's all about perspective and correct intent.

Israel was a polygynous society in times past, but from the beginning it was not so.

Taking that cultural custom and tacking it onto today's standards would seem quite out of place and misery-making.

Again, it's all about what's appropriate.

Now that I’ve used the adjective, let me bring in the verb form. To appropriate something is to take it from something else and change it without permission.

Taking these fall holidays and stealing them from Jewish identity isn’t a cordial thing to do. It would be the opposite of restoring what the locusts have eaten, instead taking a bountiful crop and destroying it by plague.

As a personal matter of the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I keep and observe these days in memorial to the spirit behind them. The Holy Spirit tells me to honor these days, so I do. That does not mean I may force others to observe these days or eat the diet that I do because of the Scriptures.

The LORD deserves all praise for creating the nations of the world the way He did. The Hebrew nation was taken from among the nations to be a special treasure, and we as believers are concurrent heirs to the promises of God.

If you’re picking up what Paul is putting out in many of his letters, it’s that Gentiles do not have to keep most of the Torah laws that applied to the ceremonial aspects of the Torah.

If they feel a conviction, they should do so regarding the Jewish identity of their fellow heirs in the Messiah, not ignoring it.

Trying to keep these days apart from a theocratic monarchy is almost like eating spaghetti sauce without spaghetti. You can say you’re honoring the recipe, but it’s a bit out of place to miss a prime part of the meal.

Sending a message to the wrong recipient instead of the intended one means things have gone off track.

The right heart is what's important, and maintaining a distinction.

Not all Jewish people will be flattered you're observing days meant for Israel.

From heaven’s perspective, our worship is a beautiful thing, and the feast days can be a major part of that.

But just like contacting someone when they have other people administrate their reception won’t necessarily reach the right person from the outset, the wrong heart about things might send our Jewish brothers and sisters the wrong message.

You’re intending it to go to them, saying, “Hey, see us Christians over here? We’re just like you.” But while the intent to make proper contact is there and has been for an achingly long time (the equivalent of thousands of years), wires can get crossed and the people who hate our Messiah might pick up that message instead, throwing the entire purpose off course.

Some Messianic Jews might see it and go, “Ah, that’s amazing. Gentiles are following the Feasts of God.”

But if the wrong person sees that effort, it might go something like, “They’re trying to take our culture from us.”

Proper intent is far more important, so let’s leave that distinction between both sides of the church alone. If a conviction moves you, do it.

But don’t be a backseat driver, “stand-in” Hebrew. If you’re going to drive, make sure it’s the front seat, where you’re in control of the vehicle and not offending the faithful sensibilities of those who were in the seat themselves on their own drives with God.

The LORD is our shelter and our hope.

Whether we are Jewish or Gentile, male or female, rich, or middle-class, poor in material things or poor in spirit.

Christ breaks down the barriers between all the differences in life and gives us all equal value.

But breaking those barriers down doesn’t mean doing it in a way that makes a culture feel appropriated for ill causes.

Let’s make sure we have our houses in order, swept, and put away.

That way, everyone invited to the salvific banquet of our King feels welcome and in place, regardless of origin.