Tom,
What you are saying is one of the main reasons why Jews have been rejecting the Messiah for 2,000 years. There are several problems with your argument:
Not true. Jesus never expanded his mission to Gentiles but was sent only to the “lost sheep of Israel.” The early Church was entirely Jewish. The mission to the Gentiles began later, with the Peter/Cornelius event in Acts 10. Even then the mission to the Gentiles was an
expansion of the Jewish mission, not a replacement of it. Paul still always went to the synagogues FIRST when entering a new city.
Well, not quite… in Luke 7 we have the UN-Resurrected Christ curing the Centurian’s servant and then in Matthew 28 we have the Resurrected Christ telling His Jewish Apostles to go to all nations and baptize them. As I appreciate it, Christ was sent to the “…lost sheep of Israel…” (Matt 10:6, Matt 15:24) and this is what the Old Testatment had as its main - but, not only - prophecy (Isaiah 42:5-9, Jeremiah 16:19-21). Christ, a Jew, picked 12 Jews to be His Apostles while on earth - and then picked Saul, another Jew, after the Resurrection. There is no doubt as the important role of the Jewish faith in the formation of Christianity. But - and this is probably where we will diagree - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we have moved on.
I think you are confusing the meaning of the term “Judaizer” and understanding it to mean something that it doesn’t. Just look at Rom 3:1-2. I was not clear in what I said. You are correct in your definition on the Judiazers trying to force Gentiles to become Jews first.
I do not know if there is an appropriate analogy for this, but, let me try and if it communicates anything, then it will be a limited success…
My father’s parent’s were from Ireland and immigrated to the US. Their parents and their parent’s parents were from Ireland. But, as I understand it, a long time ago, it looks like people from northern Europe came and setteled in the area. Naturally, this group would have had their own unique customs - and some of these were brought directly over into the Irish culture…and were modified and redefined and simply evolved into what we have today. Now, for me to go back and celebrate northern European cultural practices because they are the basis for Irish culture isn’t going to happen. We have a historic link, but, this is of only academic interest.
In other words, to “Judaize” is to try to force Gentiles to become Jews. Jewish-Christians who wish to retain their Jewish identity are not “Judaizing” anyone. To try to “de-judaize” Jews is just as bad (if not worse) than to try to “judaize” gentiles.
It may be that we just have a modification (evloution?) of the term Judiazer - here there seems to be a group that wants to claim Jewish roots while maintaining (?) Christ’s teaching that He has fulfilled the Law and Prophets and it is time to move on in the direction He is pointing.
Maintaining Jewish customs is not “going back.” After all, God gave the Torah to Israel. Celebrating Passover or the Jewish feasts is not just a pointer to Christ, it is also a celebration of very real events that God has accomplished through salvation history.
Insisting on denying and abrogating the validity (and necessity!) of the restoration of a Jewish Church is a sure way to keep the Jews out of it for another few centuries. Hopefully we can come to a deeper and more humble appreciate of their heritage which is also our own.
Serioulsy, how can there be a “Jewish Church” if Christ formed His Church, the Catholic Church, on Peter? Christ gave to Peter the Keys and the authority to make whateve changes he chose. Looking at the history of the Catholic Church, Peter, and his successors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not develop a “Jewish Chruch” that is Catholic At least, that is the way I see it.
Ariel
