One of the rabbis embraces the idea of being chosen: "Our
objective as the Chosen People is no less relevant or urgent in modern times
than it was in antiquity. Although the task is daunting, the goal of peace and
harmony is worth the sacrifices it may demand from us." Another rabbi modifies
the definition of chosenness: "I would say instead, that Jews are special, but
we are not the only Chosen People. . . . Chosenness
upholds that we are God's messengers-if you will, on a mission from God-but
that ‘God has many messengers.'" Other rabbis reject the idea altogether: "We
should not consider ourselves
Am Nivchar,
the Chosen People," "Many of us wrongly consider ourselves the Chosen
People. . . . We are different from most, yes. But we are not more important to
God."
Yet all the rabbis seem to agree on one point. Being the
Chosen People-even to those who don't believe there is a Chosen People-must
benefit all people. If the Jewish people are chosen, it must be to carry
forward God's purposes for all the peoples of the earth.
This same point stands out in the account of the first
Shavuot, when Israel
gathers at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. In this
central act of the Jewish drama, God defines His special relationship with Israel
in terms that go beyond the people themselves:
You have seen what I did to the
Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now
therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you
shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Ex. 19:4-6a)
What is the significance of the phrase "for all the earth
is Mine"? On one hand, as translator
Robert Alter points out, "Because the LORD is . . . sovereign of all the earth,
it is His prerogative to privilege one people among the many as His special
treasure" (The Five Books of Moses [New York: W.W. Norton, 2004] p. 423). Five
hundred years earlier, the Italian Jewish commentator Sforno suggested another
implication:
For all the earth is Mine. And the difference between you and them
is one of degree, for indeed all the
earth is Mine, and the righteous of all people are without a doubt dear to
Me. . . . You will be the treasure of them all by being a kingdom of priests to
understand and teach the entire human race that all shall call in the Name of
HASHEM and serve Him in one accord,
as shall indeed be the role of Israel in the future . . .
The Sforno's phrase, "in one accord," hints at another
Shavuot many centuries after the Sinai encounter: "When the day of Shavuot had
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1).
When we read the account of Shavuot, or Pentecost, in the
book of Acts, we may be so quick to join the discussion on the outpouring of
the Spirit and speaking in tongues that we miss the wider framework, which is
Exodus 19 and the Sinai experience. Acts 2:1 says, "When the day of Shavuot had
fully come. . . ," and Exodus says, "On the third new moon after the Israelites
had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day . . . (Ex. 19:1 NJPS).
Acts 2:1 says, "they were all with one accord . . . ," and Exodus 19 emphasizes
that all Israel
gathered at Mount Sinai, and agreed in one accord to do
whatever God commanded (vs. 8). Acts 2:1 says they were "in one place,"
reflecting the Hebrew term makom, which often signifies a place of divine
encounter typified by Sinai in Exodus 19.
There are other parallels between the two Shavuots, of
course; fire, smoke, and loud noise from heaven. But there are contrasts as
well. In Acts, the fire is no longer far off on the mountain top, but rests
upon each one of the worshipers. The Spirit so awesomely present upon Mount
Sinai is now distributed to all the followers of Yeshua. There is
no longer the one voice of God upon the mountain, but the Spirit of God
speaking through numerous voices and numerous languages.
This last detail brings us to our main point. Luke tells
us that these utterances were heard by a multitude of "Jews, devout men, from
every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5). These men have come to Jerusalem
as pilgrims to worship at the festival, as the Torah instructs. Luke takes
pains to list the wide range of nations and languages represented by these Jews
in Jerusalem that day.
The Jewish people in dispersion are enduring God's
discipline, but they are also scattered abroad to represent God among the
nations. The outpouring of the Spirit is going to touch many of these Jews
individually, and they are going to return to the places of their exile with
the word of Messiah. "For the promise," says Peter, "is to you and to your
children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call"
(Acts 2:39). Here, through Messiah and His gift of the outpoured Spirit, these
Jewish worshipers will fulfill the calling of Exodus 19 to be priests to the
nations, to "teach the entire human race that all shall call in the Name of
HASHEM and serve Him in one accord," as the Sforno wrote.
Why did God choose the Jewish people? To bring the
knowledge of God to all peoples. In Messiah Yeshua, that purpose reaches
fulfillment. Yet, even until this day, the priestly task remains in process.
Many of us have been praying for the past 49 days for Tikkun
Olam-Restoring the World in Messiah-a distinctly Jewish value, but one that
involves all people. As we gather on Shavuot, our UMJC congregations will be
receiving an offering to send "up to Jerusalem,"
to aid Messianic Jewish humanitarian efforts in the land
of Israel. This is a reversal of
that earlier Shavuot, when great blessing went out from Jerusalem
to the nations of Jewish dispersion. Now, we will send a blessing from the
dispersion back to Jerusalem. The
simple act of contributing to this offering gives each of us a share in the
priestly task established at the first Shavuot and reinforced at the Shavuot of
Acts 2. I hope all of you will be part of it! [See below how you can
contribute, even if you do not attend a UMJC congregation.]
Beyond this offering, we need to regain a sense of
mission, first among our own people, just as these worshipers in Acts went
first to their own Jewish communities with the news that the Jewish Messiah had
arrived in a form and a person they would not have expected. We also need a new
vision for our mission in the Name of Yeshua to all peoples. One of the keynote
speakers at our upcoming International Conference in Chicago (July 25-28) will
be Gavriel Gefen, who represents Keren HaShlichut, an Israeli association of
Messianic Jewish emissaries blessing and serving the nations. We'll hear how
the Messianic Jewish community has served as a model and inspiration to other
indigenous movements for Yeshua throughout the world.
The message of Shavuot includes the ingathering, not only
of Jewish people who need to return to the God of Israel, but of the people of
all nations, "all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call"
(Acts 2:39). May today's Messianic Jewish community be restored to its mission
to advance the Name of Messiah both within Israel
and among the nations!
Shabbat Shalom!
Russ Resnik
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To participate in
the Shavuot offering, which will support Messianic Jewish humanitarian efforts
in Israel, enter an amount below to donate through Paypal, or send your
offering to: UMJC, 529 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, or call
toll-free 1.800.692.8652 with VISA or Mastercard (8:30-2:00 MDT, Monday -
Thursday).
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