Charles Gardner reviews 'Gospel Witness' by Joseph Boot (Wilberforce Publications, 2017).

The Gospel of Christ is what the West needs now more than ever before. As with the threatening colossus of the Greco-Roman culture that cast such a dark shadow over the early Church, today’s Christians face a similarly stark challenge in bringing the unchanging truths of the Bible to a world no longer believing it has any need for God.

In the second volume of his Cornerstones series, Gospel Witness (Wilberforce Publications), Joseph Boot reminds us that there is nothing new in the many 21^st Century substitutes for traditional Christianity.

Everyone, he writes, is basically religious, in that their worldview is driven by what they believe (even if it’s atheism, which simply amounts to saying, ‘I believe there is no God’).

The Christian Faith Has No Equal

In addressing academics, intellectuals and theologians, none of which I claim to be, the author nevertheless draws me into his conversation, profoundly arguing the case for a divinely-inspired Christian faith that has no equal, and which is the only means for changing a troubled world for the better.

This was the unambiguous claim of Jesus, and was powerfully vindicated when his resurrection was witnessed by more than 500 people at the time, and by millions over the succeeding centuries who have been able to testify to his very real presence in their lives.

Boot profoundly argues the case for a divinely-inspired Christian faith that has no equal, and which is the only means for changing a troubled world for the better.

And he concludes with an example, perhaps unequalled in Western history, of a man who made the world a better place because his heart was changed. William Wilberforce worked all his political life for the emancipation of slaves, but it would never have come about without the freedom he discovered through an all-embracing commitment to his Saviour, once convinced of the truth of his claims.

The Exclusive Claims of Christ

Perhaps as never before since the Reformation 500 years ago, the exclusive claims of Christ are being hotly challenged by a society in which truth is being ‘redefined’ and re-invented on an almost daily basis. Boot writes:

Today we live in frightening and challenging times requiring new fathers in the faith ready to follow the example of Wilberforce and be a prophetic voice to the nation…It is safe to say that the depth of need and religious apostasy in our present culture easily rivals that of Wilberforce’s era, since our age is marked by a self-conscious and deliberate rejection of God’s creational order, scriptural faith and our Christian heritage.

For individuals today therefore, as with Wilberforce, the Gospel must penetrate and encompass every facet of one’s life and ambitions. It is not just an argument to be debated in rational terms, but an experience – and a person – to be shared!

“Jesus Christ is not merely a conclusion at the end of an argument. He is the argument and the conclusion…if we rest on our arguments and abilities, we will utterly fail, for it is Christ alone who is the wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-25).”

'Gospel Witness: Defending and Extending the Kingdom of God' (Cornerstones Vol 2, 139pp) retails at £5 for the paperback and less for the ebook. Find out more here.

Tributes to Billy Graham, from Charles Gardner and Dr Clifford Hill.

On Wednesday 21 February 2018, in his 100^th year, the most tireless, faithful evangelist of our time went home. Used of God to reach millions, from ordinary citizens to presidents and royalty, Billy Graham was renowned for both preaching and living out the true Gospel.

The many thousands of tributes pouring through the media offer but small glimpses of the immense legacy of this one man’s service. Nevertheless, we are honoured to contribute ours below.

May we all have the grace to accept the challenge of his example.

A Humble Servant

Charles Gardner

He carried an awesome presence I have never witnessed in another human being.

Tributes are pouring in from all over the world in honour of one of the greatest evangelists of modern times, and I am privileged to add my own.

Billy Graham has died at his North Carolina home in his centenary year after a life of tireless service to Christ carried out with God’s clear anointing.

It is estimated that he has preached the Gospel to over 200 million people, and his global influence is incalculable. A confidante to many US presidents, he was also a man of true humility.

I remember the occasion, at All Souls, Langham Place, in the 1970s, when he quietly slipped in among the central London congregation, sitting a few rows behind me. No-one would have known he was there until the Vicar, Michael Baughen, (or was it John Stott, the Rector?) publicly welcomed him to the service.

On another occasion, he was actually down to speak and it was flagged up as a ‘guest service’ to which we were encouraged to bring seekers. I brought my mum along and he spoke with powerful eloquence on Psalm 23, but I remember how gutted I felt at my mother’s reaction – she was totally unmoved. I had to learn that no matter how good the preacher is, Jesus said: “No-one can come to me unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44).

My son Julian, however, was among the first to respond to his message when Billy came to Sheffield in 1985. He was just nine years old and went marching out onto the Bramall Lane pitch all on his own, indicating that he didn’t need anyone to accompany him. The preacher had chosen what I considered a somewhat obscure Bible passage for his sermon, but thousands of hearts were touched.

It is estimated that he has preached the Gospel to over 200 million people, and his global influence is incalculable.

A year earlier, when he spoke at Birmingham’s Aston Villa stadium, I attended the press conference. I don’t recall what was asked or said, but I will always remember how the atmosphere changed when he walked into the room. He carried an awesome presence about him that I have never witnessed in any other human being.

Perhaps the most significant mark he made on my life was through a Jewish lady called Helen McIntosh, who found her Messiah through Billy’s famous meetings in Haringey, north London, in 1954.

Helen became leader of John Stott’s ‘nursery class’ for new Christians and seekers, a forerunner to the likes of Alpha and Christianity Explored. She always referred to herself as a ‘completed Jew’ and, through the scriptures, taught me a great deal about my new-found faith. She eventually took me under her wing as assistant, and those early years from 1972-4 were foundational to my Christian life.

Thank you Billy for changing lives all over the world through the simple Gospel message that Jesus died for our sins and rose again for our justification! Glory to God!

Billy Graham speaking in Florida, February 1961.

A Man of Integrity

Dr Clifford Hill

My outstanding memory of Billy Graham is how he loved to talk about Jesus. His favourite text was John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He must have preached on this text many hundreds of times, all over the world and in many different nations. It was the same message of God’s love for all people and that the only way to God was through Jesus.

Billy Graham was indeed an evangelist to the world and he was used to meeting presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and world leaders. He was often consulted by presidents of the USA, but in private he was just an ordinary humble man who loved to talk about Jesus. I had quite a bit to do with him in the 1970s and 80s – what now seems another lifetime! But my memories of sitting chatting with him are quite vivid and they were precious times.

We often talked about the state of the Church as well as world events. It was a time when several big-name televangelists were getting unwelcome publicity for either sex or money scandals. These things never touched Billy. His ministry was always clean and despite the size of his organisation he maintained firm standards of righteousness so that scandal never reached him. Billy insisted that members of his team who travelled with him on foreign tours brought their wives with them, because he knew the pressures and temptations that occurred when married couples were separated for long periods.

My outstanding memory of Billy Graham is how he loved to talk about Jesus.

Ruth was his lifelong wife and companion with whom they had five children. She died in 2007 aged 87. Billy has outlived her by more than 10 years but no doubt they have had a glorious reunion and he has achieved his desire to meet Jesus.

Millions have benefited from his ministry and there is no Christian preacher who has ever reached more people or been more influential with ordinary people and with world leaders than Billy Graham. He leaves an amazing legacy and his ministry will continue long after his departure through his writings and recordings, both audio and video. Both in this world and in the next, multitudes of believers will be echoing the words of the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

RT Kendall’s inspiring meditation on Isaiah 53.

Persecution of the Jews – at least from those supposedly following Jesus – would perhaps have been largely avoided if the Church had fully understood the Messianic promises of the Tanach (Old Testament).

Biblical illiteracy among Christians (certainly in the West) is a major contributing factor to the Church’s present backslidden state, which is why I heartily recommend RT Kendall’s book Why Jesus Died, published in 2011 by Monarch.

Sadly, the demise of many Christian bookshops in Britain is the reason I have only just come across this profoundly inspiring meditation on Isaiah 53, with a foreword by Jews for Jesus Associate Executive Director Susan Perlman.

The much-loved preacher specifically addresses Jews at various points, but the whole work, in my opinion, is more of a challenge to a sleepy Church that has either forgotten or deliberately cut herself off from her Hebraic roots.

Jesus Came to Die

Lack of understanding of the fundamental truth that the Messiah had to die – it wasn’t principally the fault of the Jews, or the Romans – is what, in large measure, led to the pogroms perpetrated against God’s chosen people over the centuries.

It is true, of course, that Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, handed Jesus over to be crucified, and that the Jewish chief priests consented to it. But Jesus died for our sins – so in that sense we all put him on the cross.

This is a challenge to a sleepy Church that has either forgotten or deliberately cut herself off from her Hebraic roots.

However, ultimately, it was God’s doing – as the Kentucky-born preacher so eloquently argues. Isaiah wrote: “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…” (Isa 53:10).

And in the case of verse 6 of the chapter, Kendall calls it “the Bible in a nutshell”, rather as John 3:16 is often described. The verse reads as follows: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The author writes: “Isaiah 53:6 basically shows two things: that we are all sinners but God has shown his love by transferring the guilt of our sins to Jesus who has paid our debt.”

That many Jews still can’t see that this ancient prophecy is so clearly fulfilled in Jesus is a point of great frustration to many Christians. But as RT points out, it may seem obvious, but we all still need the Holy Spirit to give us the revelation we need of Scripture.

Justifying Many

In summary, the passage under consideration speaks not of a charismatic personality who would be immediately recognised for his dashing looks and regal qualities, but of a Messiah who was despised and rejected, afflicted, wounded and even “cut off from the land of the living” – despite the fact that “he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth”. But he would be raised to life and justify many by his sacrifice.

In acknowledging the part played by Jews in Jesus’ death, the author asserts that God has not washed his hands of them. Kendall is ashamed of anti-Semitism in the Church, including that of Reformation founder Martin Luther himself, which he believes was fuelled by the verse: “All the people answered: ‘His blood is on us and on our children!’” (Matt 27:25).

We all still need the Holy Spirit to give us the revelation we need of Scripture.

Kendall’s view is that there is no clear evidence that they had authority to pass on a curse to successive generations of Jews.

Although blindness came on Israel and God opened the door to Gentiles (Rom 11:7-12), the door has always been open to all people who would accept the gospel…I also believe with all my heart that the blindness now on Israel is about to be lifted, and that it won’t be merely dozens but hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of Jews who will be converted before the Second Coming of Jesus.

This book is extremely edifying and enlightening, a ‘must read’ for all serious believers. Susan Perlman calls it “a treasure trove of gems and practical applications” written with “such skill and biblical insight”.

And evangelist J John says of the title (Why Jesus Died): “This is the most important question to ask, and here is the most insightful and inspirational answer I have ever read.”

RT Kendall, now 82, was minister at the famous Westminster Chapel in London for 25 years and now lives in Tennessee. ‘Why Jesus Died: A Meditation on Isaiah 53’ (192pp, paperback, e-book) is available widely online.

Clifford Denton discusses the principle that all Scripture is founded on the first five books of the Bible - the Torah.

In the last study we looked at the covenant purposes of God to show that there is an overarching principle of covenant throughout all history. This week we will look at another unifying principle of our faith, handed down by the nation of Israel. This is the principle that all Scripture is founded on the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.

All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians. The basis of Scripture, from the Hebraic point of view, is the Torah. Now this is not to say that the basis of our faith is Torah - the basis of our faith is faith in Jesus the Messiah. So how are we to read all Scripture with the right balance?

All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians.

We do not replace Jesus by the Torah, or Torah by Jesus. We see him as a fulfilment, a manifestation - a full realisation of Torah. So in saying that we are to take a Torah perspective on the scriptures, we are neither going into legalism nor a replacement of Jesus. In fact, by reading the scriptures as they should be read, Jesus will be central, and we will come to know him better.

Torah Foundations

So let us consider how Torah is the basis of all Scripture. A well-known and respected Jewish Rabbi, Samson Rafael Hirsh, wrote a book called Horeb (Soncino, 2002). Horeb was the mountain of God where God met with Moses to give him detailed aspects of Torah. Hirsch comments in his introduction:

As far as the term torot is concerned, it can without difficulty be applied to the general religious truths of Judaism because the word Torah, although sometimes used for the whole corpus of our laws, originally signifies teaching or doctrine.

To Hirsch, Horeb means to plant the seed in someone else - hence to implant the seeds of truth and morality in others to transform their lives.

So that torot are the teachings which God has revealed to us of truth and goodness, which we are to accept in our minds and feelings so as to beget in us the knowledge of truth and the decision to do good. The value of torot can therefore never lie in their merely doctrinal or theoretical character, but in their motive power leading to action as a transforming agency in the lives of men.

Hirsch seems to be a Jew speaking about these things from a Christian perspective, but really he is showing us that for both Jews and Gentiles called by faith, there is a purpose in Torah that goes beyond legalism. Legalism is certainly a valid criticism of much of the Jewish world. They took the teachings of Moses and legalised them so much as to take the life from them. But there is also a deep truth in what we read from Rabbi Hirsch, that the Torah is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind. Torah is to be manifest in our lives, and that is the pursuit of the Jew and the believing Gentile - all who come into this one family of faith. Remember that it was Jesus himself who said:

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)

All of God's teaching is to bring life. He also said in Matthew 5:17-18:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law [Torah], or the prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For I truly tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law [Torah], until everything is accomplished.

There is a purpose in the Torah that goes beyond legalism – it is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind.

We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism but need not do so. God does require standards, and he tells us what these are. Therefore, we must be disciplined in our walk of faith, but we must also find God's heart through his teaching. All the laws of God are full of his heart's concern for us. That is why the Holy Spirit came to write the teaching on our hearts.

Where is the Balance?

So where is the balance? How can we re-assess the scriptures and discover their Torah foundation? This is central to our Hebraic and Jewish heritage. Also handed on to us was the realisation that the Jewish world did not quite get it right. Indeed, Jesus criticised many of the teachers of the law about their interpretation and their lifestyle. But even so, it does not mean we should not look again and rediscover what Israel itself is seeking today - as we read from the introduction of the book by Hirsh, concerning the teaching of God at Horeb – "And I sought through all generations..."

We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism – but need not do so.

What is it that we are seeking together in that life of faith, using the Bible as our reference point? First, to understand that the Torah is the basic teaching of God. Although the whole Bible is Torah or teaching, the first five books are given a special place - these are the special revelations of God.

These books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. We need to reassess what they really bring to us, and with confidence put them at the foundation of our Bible reading. If you go through these books carefully you will find in them the origins of all the truths contained in the Bible.

All Foundational Truths Begin in Torah

The first teaching of the Bible is the account of creation - nowhere else do we find this truth in the entirety of the libraries of the world. As we go on with our reading we begin to learn about God, mankind and their relationship. We learn how sin came into the world and about God's standards for mankind. We learn of the Fall and the situation that we are all in now after the Fall. We learn of the great Flood, and of the covenant purposes of God - all these things are laid out in the Torah.

These five books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. If you go through them carefully you can find the origins of all the truths in the Bible.

Abraham's life is fully described in those first five books - as are the lives of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and later, the twelve tribes of Israel. Finally, the growth of the nation of Israel is described in the books of Torah.

Here too we learn how to apply the metaphors that God wants to teach us, through real life situations. From the toil in the land of Egypt and the release from captivity, we set the foundations for our own experiences with God, both physical and spiritual. We learn about the miracle workings of God. We learn about his active interventions in the world. He has not just separated himself so that it goes like some machine.

We learn about the Feasts of the Lord, which appear first in the Torah. We learn about the Sabbath and its importance. The priesthood is introduced, as are the principles of faith and of prayer.

If you go into the first five books of the Bible and try to assess the number of themes there, you will find them to be countless. We must, therefore, come away from a mindset that these are irrelevant books for Christians. They are the foundation of the faith for Israel and those saved from the Gentile world.

We must come away from a mindset that these books are irrelevant for Christians. They are the foundation of our faith.

Torah Dependency of all Scripture

So then, if Torah is the basis, how does the rest of Scripture fit into its pattern? The Jewish way of dividing Scripture is very valid. The division into three sections according to tradition is first the Torah itself, then the Nevi'im (or Prophets) and finally the Ketuvim (the Writings). That is the traditional way that was handed on to us.

The Bible books are set out in a different order in the Hebrew bible. If we look at them in those three sections, we can see better how they fit together as we try to re-establish the Torah as the basis of all Bible study.

The Prophets

What about the Prophets then? What message in addition to Torah do the prophets bring? The prophets have one purpose and it is Torah-based. When the people of God begin to stray, they also begin to not listen to him. They do not read the signs around them and they gradually ignore what God is saying. So God sends along a prophet, or a prophetic word, or prophetic movement in order to remind people and call them back to the one true God. How do the people get called back to the one true God? They must be called back to his teaching - to what he requires of us.

So the simple task of the prophet is to call the people of God back to himself through his teaching. In that sense, the prophets are Torah-based. There is second purpose in the prophets - a message that looks to the future for God's people. They all say, as it were, "Israel - people of God, cleave to God through his teaching. It may be hard but one day he will make it easier, because in the future there is a promised Messiah, and there is a promised new heaven and a new earth - that day will come but hang on - keep with him, walk it through with him in the meanwhile."

Even that is a Torah-based message, however, because it is all about Jesus, and Jesus is the fulfilment of Torah. In a subtle way the futuristic aspect of the prophetic message is aligned with the past prophetic message - to remember Torah and walk with your God. If you approach the prophets in that way you'll find that Torah is the basis of their whole message, and without Torah they have no real foundation. They do not bring a new message, but they remind you of an old message.

The prophets do not bring a new message, but remind you of an old one.

They may well give some clues as to what Torah really means, such as we find in Micah 6:8:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Sometimes, like this, the prophets give glimpses of the heart message of Torah, but it is not a new message, it is a message in context. Here is a simple example of how this applies. In the book of Amos, chapter 4, we read:

"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.

"I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.

Amos repeats one sign after another from God that has fallen upon the nation of Israel with increasing intensity as God's judgments became more severe. The people of Israel had lost sight of the signs of God, lost their walk with him, turning away - and so a prophet came to warn them.

But what about these signs? Well, Israel's history - Israel's prophetic history - can always go back to the Torah portions. If you look at Deuteronomy 28 and 29 you see it is exactly what God said that he would do. Part of this teaching was how Israel would receive blessings or curses from the Lord.

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks...

...However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country...

So what does Israel perceive when things start to go wrong - blight on the crops, plague on the cattle, things going wrong in their community life, rain here and not rain there - these are signs from God, signs that were part of his teaching programme, and here it is in Deuteronomy - a central book of Torah. Amos did not bring a new message. It should not have been a surprise to Israel, but they were not heeding the signs, so a prophet came to explain what was happening. The prophet's message was Torah central.

The Writings

In 2 Chronicles 7 there is a similar parallel, and this is part of the 'Writings'. Solomon had built the great temple to the Lord and wanted to dedicate it. In 2 Chronicles 6, he asks God if he will bring blessing upon this place. The Lord responds and says:

"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:12-14)

Here again, God speaks in a way that is founded upon all that went before in Torah. His ways have not changed. This is just one example, but in one way or another, this is verified wherever we read in Scripture. All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah. Christians, like Jews, have this same heritage.

All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah.

Another clear example of the way the Torah, rightly interpreted, is in the heart of all God's people, is in Psalm 119: "O I love your law [Torah], I meditate upon it night and day." Again, in Job, he accepted all that he had suffered, when he realised that God is his Creator. That was the central part of the message of Job - a Torah-based message for a suffering world.

New Testament

Moving into the New Testament scriptures, we remember that Jesus said that he came to fulfil Torah - not one small letter or stroke of the pen would be taken away until all is fulfilled. On the road to Emmaus he reminded the two disciples of how he was to be found there in the Torah and the prophets and the writings. He showed that he was at the heart of God's teaching, rather than replacing it. All the gospels are about fulfilment.

Paul, whose writings form a substantial part of the rest of the New Testament, was first taught as a Jewish rabbi, at the best schools of the day. He was taught about the Torah basis of all scripture and Torah basis of Jewish lifestyle, before ever he went out with the Gospel message. Just as it was for Paul, we should read Torah not with a legalistic approach but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul does not deny this teaching; he brings a right interpretation of this teaching.

We, too, need to read the whole of the New Testament in the light of Torah. Our flawed understanding is in a wrong perception of Torah, rather than setting it on correct foundations. If we have a wrong perception of Torah we are afraid to touch it, but Torah reveals the heart of God. This is fulfilled in the New Covenant, written onto our hearts. In this way, the entire Bible is one united whole which brings us to that purpose.

Our foundational Scriptural inheritance is the same for Jews and for Gentiles.

For Reflection and Comment

Can you devise a reading plan which keeps the Torah in balance with all Scripture?

(Consider Under the Fig Tree in the Online Courses of www.tishrei.org)

Next time: Root and Fruit

Edmund Heddle looks at the deep symbolism behind the Spirit's descent on Jesus 'like a dove'...

We cannot answer the question 'What is a prophet?' adequately until we turn our attention to Jesus, the Prophet, and discover the secret of his prophetic ministry. Moses foretold the coming of a prophet like himself and yet greater (Deut 18: 15-19). The early church believed that Jesus was that prophet (Acts 3:22-23, 7:37). Jesus referred to himself as a prophet (Matt 13:57, Luke 3:33) and his contemporaries certainly regarded him such (Matt 21:11, Luke 7:16 and John 4:19).

Jesus and the Spirit

It is highly significant that Jesus' prophetic ministry did not commence until after the Spirit had descended on him, immediately following his baptism by John in the Jordan River. Jesus was the Son of God and the Word from all eternity, yet as man he had to receive and rely upon the Spirit of God to carry out his ministry as a prophet. If this was true of Jesus, how much more must it be true for us!

Jesus' prophetic ministry did not start until after the Spirit had descended on him. If this was true of Jesus, how much more must it be for us!"

Who saw the Dove?

What is the special significance in our being told that the Spirit descended on Jesus 'like a dove'? Some have been content to see this as a reference to the innocence and harmlessness of the Spirit, along the lines of Jesus' words in Matthew 10:16, "Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves". But there is a much deeper meaning in this phrase 'like a dove', if we let the biblical references fill out its meaning.

Who saw the dove? According to Matthew and Mark the dove was seen by Jesus (Matt 3:16-17, Mark 1:10-11). Luke mentions the descent of the dove but does not say who actually saw it. John's gospel however indicates that the dove was also seen by John the Baptist, and that this was the pre-arranged sign by which he would recognise the Messiah (John 1:31-34). It is to be noted that none of the gospels indicate that the dove was seen by the crowds standing by.

A Real Dove?

We need also to note that the gospels do not say that it was a dove, but that it was 'like a dove'. As on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit revealed himself like rushing mighty wind and like tongues of fire, so here it does not say that an actual dove flew down and alighted on the newly baptised Jesus. It was real to Jesus and his forerunner John, and deeply significant to these two, both of whom had minds that were soaked in the stories and teaching of the Old Testament.

The Spirit's descent 'like a dove' would have been deeply significant to both Jesus and John the Baptist."

The Brooding Dove

We have only to turn to the second verse of the Bible to read: "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Some translators prefer 'brooding' to 'hovering', but both words describe the activity of a bird. The Talmudic comment on this verse reads: "The Spirit of God who moved on the face of the waters like a dove." Those who are familiar with Milton's Paradise Lost will recall the lines "...and with mighty wings outspread, dovelike sat'st brooding on the dark abyss".²

The descent of the dove on our Lord marks him out and qualifies him to be the one to bring mankind out of the chaos of a fallen world and into the "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet 3:13). The dove is symbolic of the mighty creative power of God, which rested in fulness on Jesus. Yet at the same time it reveals the quietness of such power; expressed beautifully by Dr Alexander McLaren in the words: "The Spirit of God was brooding over chaos and quickening life, as a bird in its nest by the warmth of its own soft breast."¹

Dove with Olive Branch

The second Bible reference to the dove occurs in the story of Noah's flood (Gen 8:6-12). Because of the spread of man's violence and the unheeded preaching of Noah, God's judgement fell on all except those who took the God-provided way of escape (Gen 6:11-13; 2 Pet 2:5). After the floodwaters had receded and the Ark had come to rest on Mt. Ararat, Moses sent out two birds. The raven, a bird of prey, flew off and stayed away, doubtless feeding on what had died. The dove returned to the Ark as the earth was still covered with water.

Seven days later the dove was again sent out and this time returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. The dove bearing the olive branch was messenger of hope to the prisoners in the ark, telling them that judgement was past. The raven, in contrast, was too intent on gorging itself that it brought no message.

The dove's descent marks Jesus out as the One to bring order out of the world's chaos, hope out of despair, life out of death."

Augustine put it like this: "As the dove did at that time bring tidings of the abating of the water so doth it now of the abating of the wrath of God upon the preaching of the Gospel." The dove that comes to us with a leaf plucked from the tree of life is symbolic of the redemptive power of our Saviour and of the good news that through him we have escaped judgement and have been reborn into his new creation.

Poor Man's Sacrifice

In the Old Testament system of sacrifices, the only bird that was allowed to be offered was the dove. The rich were required to bring a bull or a lamb, but the poor man (as in the case of Jesus' parents) could bring a pair of doves (Lev 1:14-17, Luke 2:24). We know that doves were acceptable offerings from the stories of Jesus cleansing the temple and his overturning the benches of those selling doves (John 2:14-16, Matt 21:12-13).

St. Cyprian sums up his understanding of the doves' acceptability as a sacrifice in the following words: "A dove, a gentle joyous creature, with no bitterness of gall, no fierceness of bite and no violence of rending claws".³ The Spirit who came on Jesus was the Spirit of sacrifice, the Spirit that led him eventually to offer himself without blemish to God (Heb 9:14). The voice from heaven that accompanied the descent of the dove declared that Jesus after living thirty years in Galilee was totally acceptable to God.

Jesus' submission to baptism by John in the Jordan and the descent of the dove upon him are the negative and positive aspects of his Spirit of entire self offering; of his oneness and identification with the sinful race he came to save and of his complete consecration to achieve their eternal salvation cost what it might.

In the Old Testament, the dove was the only bird acceptable as a sacrifice. The Spirit who came on Jesus was the Spirit of self-sacrifice, leading him to offer himself on our behalf- an offering with which God was 'well pleased'."

Spring and Lovers

The Song of Songs tells us that the dove is the herald of spring and is associated with lovers:

Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land...My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely (Song of Solomon 2:10-12, 14).

The Hebrew word for dove comes from the word yayin, which contains the ideas of effervescence and intoxication and refers to the warmth of doves' love-making. There is a 'twoness' about doves. The poor man's offering was a pair of doves. Doves live in pairs and lay a clutch of two eggs, "nurturing their young together; when they fly abroad hanging in their flight side by side; leading their life in mutual intercourse; giving in concord the kiss of peace with their bills; in every way fulfilling their unanimity" (to quote from St. Cyprian again⁴).

The coming down of the dove on Jesus symbolises our Lord as the lover of our souls, desiring to become one with his bride- the Church."

Their twoness becomes oneness, or as St Paul says to the Ephesians (5:31-32), "the two shall become one". Paul says he is referring to Christ and his bride, the church. The coming down of the dove on our Lord reveals him to be the lover of our souls who cannot be content until we respond to his eternal love-making.

The Dove Prophet

As well as the direct references to the dove in Scripture we have examined, there is a very instructive one, which is not immediately apparent. The Hebrew word for dove is 'Yonah' or 'Jonah': the name of a prophet who tried to escape from the responsibility of declaring God's message to the city of Nineveh. When Jonah was sent he disobeyed but the One on whom the dove came acted in absolute obedience, when his Father told him to leave heaven and travel to our earth with the message of God's pardoning love.

Jesus is the true and perfect Jonah, the final dove-prophet."

Sinful Jonah, when sent by God, disobeyed and found himself jettisoned into a storm of judgement. Yet in the incredible mercy of God he was saved by being swallowed up and vomited out! Sinless Jesus was completely obedient to God's instructions and yet found himself overwhelmed by the storms of judgement and death. But he rose again! Furthermore, the only sign he would give his generation was the sign of Jonah (Matt 16:4). Jesus is the true Jonah, the final dove-prophet, the missioner of God. It was when John saw the dove descend on him that he recognised his cousin to be nothing less than the Son of God, the Lamb of God and the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit (John 1:29-34).

Dove-Prophets Today

Those who are prophets today must be careful to make sure that the Spirit that is inspiring their speaking is truly the Dove.

A possible reaction to man's rebellion and violence and to its inevitable consequence of divine judgement and punishment, is that we become harsh in our attitudes, judgmental in our speech and separatist in our relationships. But we are not to manifest the spirit of the raven, but the Spirit of the Dove.

Those prophesying today must not manifest the harsh spirit of the raven, but the endlessly loving Spirit of the Dove."

Dove-prophets are to be endlessly loving, always seeking unity and togetherness. They must sacrifice their own plans and preferences for the greater joy of announcing forgiveness to those who would otherwise perish. They are to be ever hopeful; convinced that the last word is with the God who will yet have heaven and earth as he intends.

Commenting on the descent of the dove, Dr. Alexander McLaren said of Jesus: "Since he was a man, he needed the Divine Spirit. Since he was sinless, he was capable of receiving it in perfect and unbroken continuity."⁵ If he needed the Dove, so much more do we- and the thrilling truth is that our need has been met. Every Christian prophet today may by faith receive the Spirit in fullness; the Spirit that is 'like a dove'.

References

1 Commentary on Mark 1:9-10

2 Vol. 1.

3 Treatise 1, section 9.

4 See previous note.

5 See note 1.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 1, No 4, 1985.

Clifford Denton continues to consider consequences of the separation of branches of Christianity from its original roots.

The Jewish Messiah becomes the Gentile Christ

This week, we are pausing in our historical survey of Christianity's parting of the ways with Israel and the Jews to consider some of the consequences. There is nothing more important to consider than the way Israel's Messiah has been taken out of his historical and cultural setting and re-defined by Christian theology. At the extreme, some Christian theologians have made Jesus Christ unrecognisable as the expected Messiah of Israel.

Of course, a rejection of Yeshua by many Jews contributed to Christians making fresh claims and re-defining him in a Gentile context. This included changing his Jewish name (Yeshua) to a Greek form (Jesus), and changing his title (Mashiach – Messiah – Anointed One) to the Greek (Christos, shortened to Christ). Whatever the cause, the same Christian theology that saw the Church as replacing Israel has often also been in danger of transforming Yeshua into a Greco-Roman god, an Anglican Bishop, a product of Lutheran or Calvinistic theology, or many other things including a European, African or other form of iconic figure.

Jesus has often been removed from his historical and cultural setting and re-defined by Christian theology, so we lose a sense of his Jewishness."

Words that we use and pictures that we paint are loaded with meaning and are interpreted through the way hearers think. The meaning of the words Jewish and Messiah must be understood without modification of their true, intended meaning. When understood correctly, it is a certain fact that Jesus is both Jewish and Messiah. He perfectly describes and fulfills the meaning of those terms. He was born into a Jewish family, and came to earth to be the Messiah.

These are basic issues for both Christians and Jews. Jews may have defined their Jewishness in a certain way and their Messianic expectation in a certain way, so that many Jews missed the moment of revelation that Yeshua (Jesus) is indeed the Jewish Messiah. Whatever may be the reasons, however, many Christians have disconnected themselves with Judaism so much as to miss the point that Jesus was, is and will return as King of the Jews.

In truth, Jesus was, is and will return as the King of the Jews."

Jesus and his followers

We can read the biblical account over and over again, and still have a mindset that has been cultivated through our own background and culture. We might pay lip-service to the Lord's Jewishness, without realising that our image of him is actually far removed from the truth.

Jesus was born and raised out of the stock of Israel and the Tribe of Judah. He is the fulfillment of the covenant promise given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets of Israel. It was essential, in fulfillment of prophecy (see below), that he was and is of the Tribe of Judah, King of the Jews and the promised Jewish Messiah.

Marvin Wilson writes in his book, Our Father Abraham:

The life and teachings of Jesus reveal a deep commitment to the Jewish beliefs and practices of his day. He was born of Jewish parents (Matthew 1:16) and circumcised on the eighth day in accord with Jewish Law (Luke 2:21). As a boy he celebrated Passover (Luke 2:41-43), and as a youth he learned by interacting with various Jewish teachers, all of whom were amazed at his understanding (Luke 2:46-47). Frequenting the synagogue from Sabbath to Sabbath as was his custom at the start of his adult ministry (Luke 4:16), Jesus was exposed to a wide range of Jewish thought.¹

Marvin also points out:

Furthermore, Jesus' early followers were Jews. Less than three scant years after Jesus launched his public ministry, a nucleus among them would found the primitive Christian assembly. Jesus discipled his followers in the fashion of a typical first-century itinerant teacher of Judaism. Not in synagogue classrooms but on hillsides, in fields, and in remote locations, this Galilean carpenter's son clustered many pupils about him.²

Jesus came to the world of the Rabbis (each being from a various sect of Judaism) and ministered according to Rabbinic traditions, in his own perfect exposition of the Hebrew Scriptures. In particular, we note Jesus' own central purpose while he was on this earth, to find "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matt 15:24).

Jesus the Jewish Messiah

Not only did Jesus come into this world as a Jew, he also fulfilled the promises given through the prophets of the coming Messiah to suffer for his people. The Hebrew root of the word 'Messiah' is 'one who is anointed'. The Messiah foretold by the Scriptures is the one who is anointed by God to lead his people, and bring in eternal peace.

Jesus first came to suffer and pay the sacrifice for the redemption of his people. On his return he will fulfill the remaining prophesies and bring in the Messianic Kingdom (Jude 15, Rev 2:27). Many people from the tribes of Israel expected the Messiah to fulfill the promises all at once when he came. There was an expectation of the "lion lying down with the lamb", the symbol of peace that would confirm the Messianic Kingdom (extracted from Isaiah 65:25). There was therefore a disappointment when this did not take place all at once, and this has been a cause for many Jews rejecting Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah to this day.

Jesus came in fulfillment of the promises of Scripture and will return in fulfillment of the promises of Scripture."

Yet, he came in fulfillment of the promises, will return in fulfillment of the promises and continue to confirm that he is indeed the Messiah. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew in fulfillment of all prophecies pointing to his sacrificial death and resurrection. He will return as the King of the Jews, returning to Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel and Judah. Here are some of the Scriptures pointing to Jesus (Yeshua), the Jewish Messiah.

• Jacob prophesied His coming from the Tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10).
• Balaam foresaw the Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre from Israel (Num 24:17, 19).
• Moses foresaw the coming Messiah (Deut 18:15).
• David knew that the Messiah would come from his descendants (Psa 132:11).
• Micah was told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2).
• Daniel was shown the time of the coming of the Messiah to suffer for His people, and Isaiah predicted the suffering too (Dan 9:26, Isa 53:5, 7).
• David related the suffering of Messiah to the Passover Lamb (Psa 22:6).
• Zechariah was shown that Messiah's own brethren would be involved in the sacrifice (Zech 12:11; 13:6).
• The Messiah would rise from the dead (Isa 53:10, Psa 16:10, 11).
• He would be the Son of God (Psa 2:7).
• He would rule with the Father (Psa 110:1).
• He will return to execute vengeance on His enemies and establish the Messianic Kingdom (Jude 15, Rev 2:27).
• He came as the Lamb (John 1:29) and will return as the Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5).

While some people, including many Christian theologians, have created an image of Jesus that is divorced from his Jewish and Hebraic background. Others, including some of his own brethren, have not realised that God raised him up as one of them, of the Tribe of Judah, totally integrated into the biblical world of Israel. He was, is and will return as the Jewish Messiah.

Jesus was, is and will return as the Jewish Messiah. In him is the mending of the rift between Christians and Jews: there is no other way."

The mending of the rift and uniting of Christians with the Israel of God is in and of Yeshua HaMashiach. There is no other way.

For Study and Prayer

Do you agree that some Christians may have unconsciously accepted concepts of Jesus that are not compatible with his Jewish background? Can you think of any examples? How can we move towards correcting any misconceptions?

Follow this link for a study of the significance of the Hebrew letters that form the name Yeshua.

Next time: The Jewish Heritage of the Christian Church

These studies are developed from the course Christianity's Relationship with Israel and the Jews, first prepared for Tishrei Bible School.

References

1 Eerdmans 1989, p40, emphasis added.

2 Ibid.

'Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes it Good', by NT Wright (SPCK, 2015, 144 pages, available from SPCK for £9.99)

This is an excellent title for an excellent book. Tom Wright's lucid explanation of the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ is well worth reading. Although there are depths of research and background behind the chapters, and quotations from eminent writers of the past, it is his own personal stories and memories as well as the illustrations he gives which enliven the writing.

The author explains why the gospel is 'news' and what makes it good. As such it should have an impact that will significantly change lives. Here is "something that has happened, because of which everything will now be different." (p3). He argues against the way that in some churches the gospel has become merely advice on how to be saved and go to heaven. In reality the Gospel is part of a longer story and larger context. It did not simply appear out of the blue. And only by knowing this back story can we understand why this announcement is very much good news.

The Gospel is not simply a ticket to heaven- it's part of a much longer, larger story. This story teaches us why it is very much Good News!"

The book takes us through the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and the way that, as he preached the Good News to them, people believed and "power and wisdom" became real for them; Jesus became alive and present with them. As he worked through the scriptures he demonstrated how they all pointed to "King Jesus", and his power was different – it was love. There are excellent chapters on the death and resurrection of Jesus with clear explanations for anyone with unanswered questions.

Some chapters deal with the attitudes of well-known teachers, scientists, writers and leaders over the last few centuries and the effect they have had on people because of the new ideas they have put forward. Despite all of this, the real and lasting truth remains because "He is the God of the Good News".

There are powerful and thought-provoking chapters on heaven and the new earth, the love and justice of God (and what he's really like), plus a very encouraging last chapter with helpful hints on "Praying the Good News".

This is a book to be recommended for understanding, learning and growing in the Christian faith."