Jesus' Bar Mitzvah - Enriched Understanding From Jewish Roots
Contrary to conclusions reached by critics, studying the Jewish roots of Christianity does not lead one away from the essential biblical truths which support Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, just the opposite is true. Years of worldwide experience has revealed to me that most people refuse to study the Bible any more deeply than (and for no other reason than) to get "saved." I have also discovered that once their lack of Bible knowledge is revealed, most will attempt to hide their ignorance by criticizing those who study their Jewish roots. The reason is that studying Christianity’s Jewish roots gives the student information unknown to most believers. Why, then, are so many fearful of studying to show themselves approved unto God, workmen rightly dividing God's Word? (2 Timothy 2:15).
Excuses for Not Studying Hebrew. Another problem suppressing the study of Christianity’s Jewish roots is that most ministers, desiring promotions over preaching the Gospel, simply parrot denominational clichés. They don’t want to be accused of "rocking the boat." They are unable to study the Bible Hebraically. Because of this, they don’t know the answers to these simple, basic questions: 1) What was Jesus fulfilling from His own words in Matthew 5:17?; 2) Why shouldn’t we know all that is to be fulfilled recorded in Acts 3:21?; 3) Why did Jesus tell some Jews that all of the "Scriptures" testified about Him in John 5:39 when the New Testament hadn’t yet been written?; 4) In Luke 24:44-45, why did Jesus open His disciples’ minds to understand the Law of Moses (Torah), the Prophets (Nevieem) and the Psalms (Ketoveem)?; and, 5) Why did Paul say in 2 Timothy 3:15-16, "All scripture (TaNaK) is given by inspiration of God," again, when the New Testament had not yet been written? Questions must be asked, and asked now! Even if learning about Christianity's Jewish roots exposes biblical ignorance, it must begin. Remember, the ignorance exposed has been both in the pulpit and the pew. Neither has been doing much study. But ignorance must be removed by faithful and diligent study. As an encouragement to begin proper Bible study, I have found that discovering Jewish roots by members in the pew, liberates, excites, and answers long-asked questions. In the pulpit, this same discovery energizes sermons and makes Jesus come alive. Pulpits wanting to study this way need to reject, not avoid, criticism about "rocking boats." Remember, if the pulpit refuses to study, the pew will. In fact, the pew has left the pulpit far behind in this course of study. Believers all over the world have discovered Jesus alive and vibrant in the Old Testament. They are no longer satisfied with "party-line" sermons filled with quotes from Plato and Socrates. There is no need for a war to "protect" and "control." Neither is there a need to call Jewish-roots scholars or church members "names" to discredit them. Nor is there a need to retreat from them in silence–hoping they will go away. Let us all engage ourselves in the study of what all the prophets have spoken about our Lord, Jesus the Messiah, since the world began.
Lessons From Jesus’ Bar Mitzvah. The best passage in the New Testament to emphasize the need to discover Christ’s Jewish roots is Luke 2:41-52, the days following His bar mitzvah. Nothing in Greek culture, language, or philosophy can shed light on this purely Jewish passage. Only a look into our Jewish roots can reveal the truth contained in this passage. In the Song of Moses (Exodus 15), it says in verse 2, "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him." To "exalt" or "enshrine" God is carried out in the bar/bat mitzvah. The bar/bat mitzvah is the official recognition of the celebrant’s desire to begin a lifelong walk with God. It gives the celebrant an opportunity to "graduate" into a life-style of "walking with his/her God." Walking with God (halacha) is the ultimate goal of life. Walking with God is what Adam and Eve lost in Eden as the result of sin. It is what all men desire. The doorway into a walk with God is Jesus Christ. He said in John 14:6, "No one comes to the Father except through me." A bar/bat mitzvah is not just a "rite of passage" acknowledging reaching puberty. The bar/bat mitzvah offers the individual the opportunity to celebrate his/her decision to "walk with God" in a new and living way. This decision includes pledging one’s life to the study of God’s Word with the view of obeying all that God says. According to the Encyclopaedia Judaica Vol. 4, pp. 243-245, bar/bat mitzvah is "a term denoting both the attainment of religious and legal maturity as well as the occasion at which status is formally assumed for boys at the age of 13 plus one day, for girls at 12 plus one day. Only Luke records the events following the bar mitzvah of Jesus. This is recorded in Luke 2:41-52. It is important to know that a Jewish child in Bible times had three teachers. The mother was the child’s teacher until weaned. The father was the child’s second teacher until he/she reached puberty. The Torah, with all its Mitzvot, was the third and final teacher for each child. Therefore this celebration noted the change from the teachings of one’s earthly father to his/her Heavenly Father. "Bar" means "adopted son." "Mitzvah" is the word best understood as "law." Therefore, "bar mitzvah" means "adopted son of the law."
