Recently, I’ve had a Facebook “friend” begin to criticize several of my posts and teachings because I use words like “God” or “Lord” or more recently, when I used “Jesus Christ” because I quoted Philippians 1:9–11. They think I should try to pronounce the Tetragrammaton and say “Yahshua.” First, let me say that my personal preference when referring to our Messiah is to say “Yeshua HaMashiach.” Why? Because “Yeshua” is the name given to him by the angel, Gabriel, and by his mother in his native tongue. It has meaning. The Hebrew of his naming in Matthew 1:21 says:

וְקָרָאתָ אֶת־שְׁמוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ כִּי הוּא יוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־עַמּוֹ מֵחַטֹּאתֵיהֶם

Ve-ka-ra-ta et-she-mo ye-shu-a ki hu yo-shi-a et-‘am-mo me-chat-to-tei-hem

“And you will call his name SALVATION, for he will SAVE his people from their sins.”

Although I don’t have a problem with the name “Jesus,” it is only a transliteration of his Hebrew/Aramaic name and doesn’t actually “mean” anything. And there is the myth that the word “Jesus” is somehow a reference to the pagan god, Zeus. This is a complete fallacy based on ignorance of the Greek language. “Jesus” is simply a letter-by-letter transliteration of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” (יֵשׁוּעַ) with the Greek masculine suffix added to show that it is a masculine name. There is no pagan conspiracy involved.

And while I have no issue with the word “Christ,” it doesn’t fully capture the Hebrew of “Mashiach.” The word, Christ, is simply the Greek word “Christos” transliterated into English and doesn’t quite equivocate to Mashiach (whereas mashiach connoted anointing, christos is more in the context of smearing), but it was the best word choice for both Greek and English. So, to say “Jesus Christ” is simply an easy way for native English-speakers to reference our Messiah. Not my choice, but again, no pagan conspiracy involved.

I’m tired and weary. I’m tired of Hebrew Roots folks bashing sincere Christians (and even Messianics who have been doing this thing 10x longer than they’ve been listening to their Hebrew Roots conspiracy theories) in an effort to show their superiority. All it really shows is their ignorance and arrogance. Although I don’t agree with quite a bit of Christian theology, I know most devout Christians are sincere in their faith, even if they are ignorant (and I use this word cautiously as it can be taken wrong – I’m using it to simply mean they do not know) of the origins of their own faith.

Does it matter if we say “Yeshua HaMashiach” or “Jesus Christ”? Not really. What really matters is keeping the commandments (1 Corinthians 7:19), beginning with loving Hashem and then loving our neighbor. The rest is commentary. Go and learn.

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But the details don’t stop there. For every play of the game there are specific rules that govern what happens next. What happens if a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped? What about if that happens to an offensive player? When an offensive player is carrying the ball, what criteria has to be met for the runner to be considered stopped? How much forward movement must he have to continue and what about the whole thing with his knee touching the ground? When is a fumble really a fumble and when can a ball continue in play? You get the point. The rules are endless.

Towards the end of my discussion with my son, I told him he was a legalist. At first he didn’t understand. And then I said, “You’re so caught up with the rules, that you’ve lost track of the game.” But my comment was in jest. For him, and so many other men like him who have a passion for sports, knowing the intricacy of the rules is one of the things that make the game

One of the reasons I don’t enjoy football is probably because I don’t understand the rules. To me it all looks the same. Isn’t the object of the game to keep the ball away from the other team and hurt as many of their players in the process? It just seems so barbaric, uncivilized, and asinine. But that’s because I don’t see the sport from the inside. I don’t see the carefully calculated details and decisions that have been a part of the evolution of the game. I don’t see the long history of plays that have been the catalyst for developing tighter definitions of each of the terms and rules. I do see, however, that despite these inexhaustible rules and regulations, there are still millions upon millions of people across the world that enjoy and participate in football on an almost daily basis.

Here’s another problem. Sometimes the referees make a mistake and call a bad call against our favorite team. It happens. There’s no denying it. We get upset. Stand up. Shout. Make an idiot out of ourselves and then we go back to the game. We may talk about the refs and their bad decisions after the game, and complain to our friends that they should be fired. But do we ban all referees from football and claim football doesn’t need referees? Do we stop watching football? Do we stop playing football? Do we ban the sport entirely and close down all of the football stadiums across the country? No. That would be absurd.

But this is how we treat Judaism. First, we look at it from the outside and criticize it because we don’t understand it. We think its goal is one thing when its another. We try to superimpose our misunderstandings upon it and redefine it based on our misunderstanding. We look at all of the laws within the Torah with disdain because we don’t know the game. We haven’t been around the block long enough to know how those rules make the game enjoyable for those who love it. When we finally have some appreciation for the rules, we want to redefine them on our own terms and jettison the entire game history that has helped to articulate those rules more precisely over the last three thousand years. And we want to get rid of the referees, because they continue to reinforce those old rules. No matter what we do or how much we tell them they are wrong, they don’t seem to want to play by the rules we have created or even the ones we have redefined based on our understanding of how it should be.

Football fans like football. They don’t like a sport that has a bunch of guys running around with a pointy, brown ball with an entirely different set of rules, no matter if they seem to be wearing the same uniforms as their favorite team or not. It only brings confusion and frustration. It’s a mockery. A shame.

Messianic Judaism is a type of Judaism. It is one that is working to resemble the Judaism that Jesus and his disciples practiced. It is also working to look like the Judaism that will be practiced in the Messianic Kingdom. But it has to be concerned with the details. Otherwise, it’s not a form of Judaism, but only a mockery of it. Is the goal of Messianic Judaism to be “legalistic”? Of course not. But we could ask the same question of the NFL. Did it set out to be “legalistic”? No. But for each of these, a well-defined standard by which we measure success is absolutely necessary. It’s how we know if we have “played the game” well or not. It’s what makes the game worth playing and keeps everyone on the same page.

If I create my own standard for how Messianic Judaism should be lived out, it’s like writing my own rulebook for football. No one will want to play with me. In fact, no one could play with me, because I’ve changed all the rules that they are familiar with. So, the next time you see Messianics doing things that look too Jewish, too legalistic, just remember that these are the things that make the game accessible for some, but inaccessible for others. It’s not that they want to make things difficult, or legalistic, or offensive. But your appreciation of what they are doing depends on whether or not you want to understand the game. Fans and players understand it. Critics won’t ever get it.

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For years and years I avoided the gym, simply because the thought of it was just too painful. Why would anyone in their right mind take time out of their busy schedule to put themselves through hell and back day after day? Just thinking about exercising nearly made me reach for the ibuprofen and an ice pack.

One of the side effects of Western culture in a post-modern society is that we don’t have a concept of anything beyond the current moment. Why should I take an hour or more to prepare a healthy meal when I can drive through McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A and eat it now? Why set back a portion of my income each week for the future, when I could use that money now? Why invest in a skill that takes years to develop, when I can settle for a decent-paying job now (that will probably lay me off in a year)?

Many times we choose to forego the investment into tomorrow to satisfy the demands of today. We rob Peter to pay Paul and continue to slide away from a life of fulfillment and stability into a constant scouring for how we can be fulfilled in our current moment. Or how we can be entertained when we are unsatisfied with the choices we have made that have lead us to this point.

Yes, growth is painful. But there is a reward, a beauty, and a sense of confidence that come as a result of the pain of growth. Sure, we can avoid pain, but only at the expense of atrophy. Growth, however, brings with it a cost. And if you’re willing to pay that cost, little by little, then you will grow and become something better, stronger, and more confident than what you were yesterday, a week, or a year from today.Similar Posts:

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If you haven’t subscribed to my eNewsletters 5 Minute Torah and Dust of the Master, I recommend you do so. The 5 Minute Torah is a brief insight into the weekly Torah portion published every Friday, sent right to your inbox. Dust of the Master is a newsletter dedicated to getting insights into the teachings of Yeshua from a Jewish perspective. Although Dust of the Master has been on hold for the last year or so, it is about to start back up and will have some really great things to say. Don’t miss out. SIGN UP TODAY.Similar Posts:

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Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary copy of Full of Grace by FishFlix for my honest review.

“Full of Grace: The Story of Mary the Mother of Jesus” is a film released in 2015 by Cinedigm Home Entertainment LLC. It is a story about Mary that supposedly takes place ten years after the resurrection of Jesus. Although fictional in nature, it may have some apocryphal origins that I may not be familiar with. It takes place at the end of Mary’s life and draws from church legend about the apostles being gathered to her before her passing. Although the movie does not describe how, and does not even emphasize the point of all of the disciples being there, it seems like the viewer is lead to assume this based on the number of men attending her near her death. The actual script only introduces the viewer to a few of the disciples, primarily Peter and Andrew. The entire film revolves around the refusal of Peter to take leadership of the newly emerging sect of Christians. It touches on the problems with Jews and Gentiles coming together and the ever-developing “heresies” that would begin to plague Christianity going forward.

Peter was cast as an indecisive and almost incompetent disciple who has nearly lost his faith in the years following the resurrection. Rather than receiving his empowerment to continue the faith with boldness from Jesus, Peter is on the brink of giving up. He is spiritually strengthened and renewed, however, by the final words of Mary as she departs this life.

From my perspective there were both positive and negative aspects to the film. There were a few things in particular that I appreciated about this film. One of these is that it was a very family-friendly film in regard to objectionable content. There was nothing in the film that I would not feel comfortable showing my four-year-old daughter. The other main thing, which I was actually pretty excited about, was that there was a scene in which Peter was giving thanks over bread and wine and he prayed the prayers handed down to us in the Didache—the prayers my family and I recite over bread and wine each Friday night. This was actually a touchpoint for us as a family. Last, the cinematography and scoring of the film were commendable and even beautiful at times. While the acting wasn’t too bad, Mary’s character was definitely the strongest.

Unfortunately, for me the negative aspects of this film outweighed the positives. First, the film moved extremely slow. It could not hold my children’s attention, and it could barely hold mine. It is a dialogue-driven movie and there is little to no action and really no plot. Second, there was little to no effort put into making sure this film was historically accurate. There is no understanding of Jewish culture or religious perspectives of the first century, and it comes out strongly in both the scenes and especially the dialogue. Third, it did not strive to place the disciples back into their Jewish context. It’s only been ten years after the resurrection and they are already talking like Protestants and Catholics. This leads me to my next issue. There were numerous issues, mainly in dialogue, that were anachronistic in nature. So much so, that I was too distracted by these to be able to enjoy the film.

Last, the theological tones of this film were overwhelmingly Catholic. With the title being, “Full of Grace” (although Scriptural in origin, it is an obvious allusion to the Hail Mary prayer) I had my suspicions from the beginning. After I watched it, I began doing research on the company that produced it. It was apparently made by an organization called Outside da Box who specializes in creating videos targeting Catholic teens. My suspicions were confirmed. While this is not necessarily a bad thing—let’s face it, all denominations create things to promote their own idealogical perspectives—it should probably be mentioned from the onset that this film is infused with Catholic theology.

Overall, I would give “Full of Grace” a 2.5 out of 5 star rating. If this is the type of film you think you might enjoy, you can purchase it at Fishflix.com, along with hundreds of other faith-based films.Similar Posts:

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So, I approached the young man and struck up a conversation. I asked him, “So, how’s your emunah?” He looked at me confused for a split second, so I pointed to his arm. “Oh!” he said with his face lighting up, “Oh, it’s pretty good. I’m not into religion, but I still have faith.” So, I asked him what caused him to get that particular tattoo. Continuing to smile, he responded by telling me that he was raised in a “strict Christian home,” and used to be religious. He had a friend who knew a little Hebrew and he had him help him find the Hebrew word for faith. He said, “I used to be religious, but I’m not so much anymore. I accept people’s religious perspectives and don’t pass judgment, but I’m not into that anymore.”

We exchanged a few more words, I told him a story about another Hebrew tattoo gone bad, and then I offered him my contact info in case he would ever like to dialogue about religion and his personal journey. He happily put my phone number in his phone and said he might like that. I asked him his name, and he said it was Dillon. We shook hands, I told him I would keep him in my prayers, and we parted ways.

As I reflect back on this experience it makes me think of the multitude of “Dillon’s” there are in the world: young adults who were inspired in their childhood or teenage years and then disillusioned as an adult. Young adults who are searching for something ancient and something real. He went out of his way to find out the Hebrew word for “faith” so that he could permanently imprint it onto his body. The irony of it all is that Dillon says he still has faith. But faith in what? He may have a positive outlook, but does he really have faith? Who and what does he believe in? Emunah requires both faith IN something and faithfulness TO something. I think Dillon holds onto his tatt as an anchor to a time in his life when he did have faith, a time when life was much simpler and the more difficult questions of life weren’t beating on his front door. Maybe it reflects a hope that one day he might regain some type of faith, a hope that there really is a good and loving God that personally cares for him. Whatever the case, Dillon is still holding out hope.

How can we reach the Dillon’s of our generation? I think the most effective means is by living authentic, holy lives. Anything less than authentic, a Dillon can see right through it. That’s what has produced the Dillons of our generation. Anything less than holy, a Dillon knows is disingenuous also. Many in the church claim to be living an authentic life. But living an authentic life devoid of holiness is simply being a Dillon. Holy and authentic lives are what Dillons are looking for. Are you producing Dillons or inspiring them to a closer walk with the God of the universe?Similar Posts:

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One of the biggest is that my family and I have left our life-long home in Arkansas and moved to Macon, Georgia. At the beginning of April I came on staff at Nachamu Ami Messianic Synagogue as the rabbi’s assistant. It’s been an exciting journey—not without challenges—but one I and my family have been very fulfilled in making. We know this is Hashem’s will for our lives and have dove head-first into our responsibilities and building relationships here in Middle Georgia. While our hearts still ache to be with all those we love back in Arkansas, we are so thankful for the path our Father has put us on to help fulfill His Kingdom mission for this area.

I hope to write more at a later time, but I wanted to at least get a brief word in to update everyone on one of our most important life decisions. If you’re ever in Middle Georgia, take some time to come to Macon and visit us and our incredible congregation. We would love to have you!

blessings,
-DarrenSimilar Posts:

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Passover is almost here! Therefore Shavuot is in hot pursuit! Here is a free activity download for 2016 to help your family both remember to count the omer between Passover/Pesach and Pentecost/Shavuot, as well as make it fun (see link below). I’ve created a calendar sheet and cut-n-paste “stickers” (bring your own glue stick -or- print to some crack-n-peel) to count the omer all the way to Shavuot.

Feel free to download these, print them out and use them for your family. Be sure to “Like” this page or post this link to your Facebook page as well as Tweet it to your friends so they will be able to enjoy it as well. Chag Sameach! Enjoy!

Counting the Omer Sheet + Stickers 2016

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• Counting the Omer Calendar 2014 + Stickers
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Passover has come and gone! Therefore Shavuot is in hot pursuit! Sorry this post is so late! We’ve had a crazy few weeks these last weeks.

Here is a free activity download for 2015 to help your family both remember to count the omer between Passover/Pesach and Pentecost/Shavuot, as well as make it fun (see link below). I’ve created a calendar sheet and cut-n-paste “stickers” (bring your own glue stick -or- print to some crack-n-peel) to count the omer all the way to Shavuot.

Feel free to download these, print them out and use them for your family. Be sure to “Like” this page or post this link to your Facebook page as well as Tweet it to your friends so they will be able to enjoy it as well. Chag Sameach! Enjoy!

Counting the Omer 2015 - Chart + Stickers

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Counting the Omer 2015 - Chart + Stickers

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• FREE DOWNLOAD – Omer Counting Activity Sheet 5771/2011

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A recent report has just revealed that what appears to be the oldest extant copy of the Gospel of Mark has been discovered. It appears that it was discovered at least three years ago and both scientists and are working together to publish their findings in the months ahead. Up to this point the entire discovery has been hidden behind sealed lips. However, a little bit of the information has been leaked to the media.

The discovery actually comes from an unexpected location. The gospel fragment was discovered in secondary use as part of an Egyptian burial mask on a mummy of common status. The forthcoming report will reveal more details on its discovery and its contents.  Biblical scholar Craig Evans has been working as part of the team to unravel the mystery behind the text and hopes to publish his findings as soon as the scientific report has been made public. You can read more about the discovery here:

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Passover is on our heels! Therefore Shavuot is in hot pursuit! Here is a free activity download for 2014 to help your family both remember to count the omer between Passover/Pesach and Pentecost/Shavuot, as well as make it fun. I’ve created a calendar sheet and cut-n-paste “stickers” (bring your own glue stick -or- print to some crack-n-peel) to count the omer all the way to Shavuot.

Feel free to download these, print them out and use them for your family. Be sure to “Like” this page or post this link to your Facebook page as well as Tweet it to your friends so they will be able to enjoy it as well. Chag Sameach! Enjoy!

Counting the Omer 2014 + Stickers

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• Counting the Omer Calendar 2013 + Stickers
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