Mark, you are most certainly right. Centuries of rabbinic study have not led many Jews to Jesus, as such. However, it has unearthed many ideas and principles that are remarkably Jesus-like and I think deserve Christian attention and study. In this article and in my book, I have tried to describe a few.
Furthermore, we Christians sometimes forget that the messianic mission involves more than saving individual people from their sins. It also includes redeeming the world and on this score many Jews are much more “Christian” than we are—and they are that way precisely because of intense scripture study. Having examined Exodus, many Jews feel that is it their Abrahamic assignment to “bless the families of the earth” (Genesis 28:14) and do everything they can to rid that earth of war, oppression, injustice, poverty, inequity, and greed. Having studied Isaiah, many also work very hard to bring about a time when humanity “shall beat their swords into plowshares,” when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4). Tikkun olam, they call it, or “repairing the world” and it may involve more political action than many Mormons are used to, but it is their way of preparing the world for the messianic era. And, as far as I am concerned, few things could be more Christian than that
MarkMay 20, 2015
I found this article interesting, informative, and enjoyable - and don't want to take away from the importance of it at all... But the one question that kept coming to mind as I read to the very end was, what was missing - and still is missing - in the Jews study of the first 5 books of Moses to where they haven't yet discovered Jesus? What questions are they asking... and why aren't they discovering the correct answers in all these thousands of years of rabbinic reading - that Jesus is the Christ?
rust, richard dilworthMay 20, 2015
I appreciate this enlightening essay on rabbinic reading as applied to the Book of Mormon. It provides the essence of what Bradley J. Kramer develops in stimulating detail in his book, Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon.
VardellMay 20, 2015
Thanks for the interesting article. The scriptures are FULL of examples where God asks questions of someone. Knowing that God knows all, past and future, I have often wondered why he asks. When Adam hid himself, God asks,"where are you?" Christ often asked the lame or blind, "what would you have me do." Can one hope to win at "hid and seek" with God? These questions seem redundant to someone who knows EVERYTHING. My only conclusion is the importance of recognizing our sincere desire and His omnipotence, and the importance of asking. Few people do it, but we need to ask for the greatest blessing of all, to be saved. We need to ask for salvation. God saves no one against his will. As C S Lewis said, "the doors of hell are locked on the inside."
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Bradley KramerMay 21, 2015
Mark, you are most certainly right. Centuries of rabbinic study have not led many Jews to Jesus, as such. However, it has unearthed many ideas and principles that are remarkably Jesus-like and I think deserve Christian attention and study. In this article and in my book, I have tried to describe a few. Furthermore, we Christians sometimes forget that the messianic mission involves more than saving individual people from their sins. It also includes redeeming the world and on this score many Jews are much more “Christian” than we are—and they are that way precisely because of intense scripture study. Having examined Exodus, many Jews feel that is it their Abrahamic assignment to “bless the families of the earth” (Genesis 28:14) and do everything they can to rid that earth of war, oppression, injustice, poverty, inequity, and greed. Having studied Isaiah, many also work very hard to bring about a time when humanity “shall beat their swords into plowshares,” when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4). Tikkun olam, they call it, or “repairing the world” and it may involve more political action than many Mormons are used to, but it is their way of preparing the world for the messianic era. And, as far as I am concerned, few things could be more Christian than that
MarkMay 20, 2015
I found this article interesting, informative, and enjoyable - and don't want to take away from the importance of it at all... But the one question that kept coming to mind as I read to the very end was, what was missing - and still is missing - in the Jews study of the first 5 books of Moses to where they haven't yet discovered Jesus? What questions are they asking... and why aren't they discovering the correct answers in all these thousands of years of rabbinic reading - that Jesus is the Christ?
rust, richard dilworthMay 20, 2015
I appreciate this enlightening essay on rabbinic reading as applied to the Book of Mormon. It provides the essence of what Bradley J. Kramer develops in stimulating detail in his book, Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon.
VardellMay 20, 2015
Thanks for the interesting article. The scriptures are FULL of examples where God asks questions of someone. Knowing that God knows all, past and future, I have often wondered why he asks. When Adam hid himself, God asks,"where are you?" Christ often asked the lame or blind, "what would you have me do." Can one hope to win at "hid and seek" with God? These questions seem redundant to someone who knows EVERYTHING. My only conclusion is the importance of recognizing our sincere desire and His omnipotence, and the importance of asking. Few people do it, but we need to ask for the greatest blessing of all, to be saved. We need to ask for salvation. God saves no one against his will. As C S Lewis said, "the doors of hell are locked on the inside."
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