Jesus Christ was no Moses

by smiddy 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  David_Jay

  No.

  Judaism is far different from Christianity. Beliefs mean little to nothing. Stevie Wonder Boy asked a question about halacha, the Law, and I have given him an answer. Simple.

  I didn't make up the answer. There is just nothing in halacha that forbids the whole "collecting wood" thing, and that is the closest I could provide on the dilemma of this text because of the difference between halacha and these verses.

  What do I believe about this? Nothing really. Belief is not required and since there is no law involved here I have no investment. So it isn't possible to rationalize on something I don't have an investment in.

  The problem comes with many ex-JWs being exposed to the "belief" paradigm that is central to Christianity. It just doesn't exist in Judaism. Beliefs in Christianity are just static mental concepts, often about abstract things that are supposed to be transcendent. You have to assent to these to belong to Christianity and if you doubt even the most abstract of them you can be excommunicated. We don't really have that in Judaism.

  You might not like halacha or how it is applied here, but all you can do is argue about it with a rabbi or specialist on the subject.

  Again, no on the Devil's Advocate thing. I was merely asked a question and I answered it. If there's a hole in an argument I point it out sometimes, but the main reason is to help Witnesses who may be secretly reading threads to come to better skilled conclusions.
• 

  Cold Steel

  Smiddy: » Moses has a history of what 80+ years as a servant of Jehovah? in one form or another.

  What you say is true, but then, who gave Moses the Law? Who called him from the burning bush? When the Jews asked Jesus who he was, he said, “Before Abraham was, I Am!" The Jews were so angry at this affront, they tried to kill him.

  Another time, Jesus looked upon Jerusalem from the mount of Olives. He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

  How could he have gathered them anciently, in the days that the Jews killed the prophets, if he was not the God of Israel? Granted, he was not the Father, but as Yahweh he was the intercessor between God and man.

  Isaiah, in Chapter 11, compared the “stem of Jesse" with Moses, and most Christian scholars agree that this stem of Jesse was Christ. And Isaiah, in the last few verses of Chapter 52 and all of Chapter 53 refer to Jesus. Clearly Moses could lead them, but gathering them and making himself a sacrifice for sin was beyond Moses' abilities, but like Moses he was a great law giver, only Moses delivered the Law and Jesus the Gospel.

  The New Testament even states that Jesus was the one who went before Moses in the desert.

  Anointed1 » Jesus too performed many miracles—including resurrection, yet none of the recipients came for his support nor for preaching after his death.

  Well, we don't actually know whether they did or not as the scriptures don't tell us one way or the other. After Jesus was resurrected, he stayed with his disciples together of and on for 40 days. According to some accounts this is where he broke the news about them being ultimately rejected and killed. We don't know if any healing recipients stuck with him or not. They weren't exactly happy times, though.

  
  
  
• 

  Stevie Wonder Boy

  David,

  Could you explain "Judaism is far different from Christianity. Beliefs mean little to nothing," a little further?

  Isn't the OT about God's chosen people and their successes as well as failures in their worship of Him as well prophecy and works of literature that revolve around God and His worship? Is not Passover a belief in God's saving power?

  Jesus was a Jew, everything he did and taught was rooted in the Jewish religion, so I mean no disrespect when I point out the differences between Jesus and Moses. Moses was a great man, a great leader. There is much in the Law to praise but also much frozen in time.

  My father pointed out to me an interesting prophetic parallel, I guess you could call it. The Ark in the Holy of Holy (where only the High Priest entered once a year) contained within it the Ten Commandments but the Law of Moses was placed outside the Ark. This illustrated the permanency of the Ten Commandments versus the temporary status of the Law.