WEIGHTIER MATTERS
by Dr. John Conrad


A single woman went to a pet store and bought a parrot for companionship. She looked forward to having the parrot talk to her and simply spice up her day. At first, the parrot seemed bored. It perched listlessly in the corner of the cage so she bought a different cage in a brighter color. This didn’t stimulate the parrot so she purchased glittering, colorful toys and creatively arranged them in the cage. Still the parrot moped and stared lifelessly into the distance. Repeatedly, the woman went back to the pet store, buying colored perches, toys to play on, and anything she could think of to tickle her parrot’s fancy. Sadly, the parrot grew more and more quiet. Finally, one day the woman went in to check on the parrot. It lay on its side breathing its last. With one final effort it croaked, “Lady, don’t they sell bird feed at that pet store?”

This silly story reminds us of an old adage. People with enough to eat have lots of problems. People who don’t have enough to eat have only one problem. The story of the parrot is a parable of the Messianic Train. Many of us are enamored with the Train, but we forget where it is going. We spend more time fluffing the seat cushions and decorating the windows than we do making sure the train has fuel, is functioning properly and, most importantly, headed in the right direction. Because of misplaced priorities we often find ourselves ending up at the wrong destination. Like the woman with the parrot we major on minors and minor on majors.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting theothers. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:23-24)  

In this passage the Greek word translated “weightier” is barus Strongs 926. It means heavy, of great moment. In other words, important or most important. So Yeshua’s comment informs us of the most important of God’s instructions to His people.

A quick review of Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 23:23 reveals it to be a restatement of Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does Yahweh require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Another way to understand Yeshua’s pronouncement would be to constantly view our keeping of the small matters of Torah through the lens of justice, mercy and faithfulness. When our method of obeying Torah sabotages justice, mercy or faithfulness it needs to be discarded.

Our ability to discern the weightier matters is directly related to our ability to see the goal. The end or goal of the Torah is the Messiah. Romans 10:4: “For the Messiah is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” “The end” here is the Greek word telos which means goal. It is like saying at the end of this road is Salt Lake City. At the end of Torah is Yeshua. If our Torah observance does not lead to Yeshua we have jumped the tracks. Since God is love, Paul makes the obvious statement in Romans 13:8 that “love is the fulfillment of the Torah.” We make a huge mistake when we argue about minor details of Torah when the need in the person’s life is to know Yeshua. Like the parrot, they may be surrounded with the apparatus of Torah observance, but they die because they are not connected to the vine and its life-giving nurture.
A simple way to evaluate our actions is to ask several questions:
1. What is the goal of my behavior?
2. Who will be helped or hurt?
3. Will the Messiah be lifted up by my actions?
4. Does this action reveal or display God’s love?

People are drawn to genuine justice, mercy and faithfulness. I often wondered why my Swiss grandparents converted to Mormonism in the late 1800s. When I read their testimonies some of the reasons became abundantly clear. When my great grandmother read her Bible it stirred up many questions in her mind. When she took these questions to her priest he rebuffed her angrily. She was told it was not her place to read the Bible and she was to accept what the church and its officers told her. Conversely, when the Mormon missionaries came to Switzerland they patiently listened to her questions and did their best to answer them. They prayed with the families and told them that each of them could approach God through Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) on their own because of His sacrifice. The idea that an individual could pray and reach out to God on his own was revolutionary and life-changing. It was only a short time before the families converted and were baptized. This story does not testify to the correctness of Mormon doctrine, but to the correctness of showing love and mercy.

I’ve been told many times that we (Ephraim) must provoke Judah to jealousy with our observance of Torah. This is a recipe for a contest--someone wins and someone loses -- it is a competition. It is like a game of tag.”You trimmed your beard -- you’re out! Your tzitzits are the wrong blue, the incorrect length, you’re out! You pronounced Yeshua (Yehoshua, Yahshua) wrong -- you’re out! You followed the rabbinical calendar for the observance of the feasts -- you’re out! Or you didn’t follow the rabbinical calendar for the observance of the feasts -- you’re out!”

On the other hand, it would be helpful to refrain from saying that the church doesn’t keep Torah. Sadly, many churchgoers eschew Torah in their speech, but while they disdain many provisions of Torah, they try their utmost to be just, merciful and faithful. Our wearing tzitzit, celebration of new moons, Feasts, Sabbaths, observance of clean and unclean foods springs from our commitment to be faithful. Our obedience should not be a hammer to smash the church. A loving example of Torah obedience will ultimately be much more effective.

A couple of years ago, we held a Seder for a group of people in Missouri. Several families didn’t come because they were horrified by the “un-Biblical” Jewish traditions they had identified as part of the Seder. A teacher had been in the area warning people about all evil traditions -- both those perpetrated by the church and those from rabbinical Judaism. Anyone keeping these traditions would be hopelessly compromised by them. However, nothing in the Seder could be construed as thwarting justice, mercy or faithfulness. While straining out a gnat they had swallowed a camel. An opportunity to develop friendships and fellowship with other Israelites had been thwarted by silly, unfounded fears. When they had a chance to gather with the Messiah, they had opted for scattering with the enemy. Unintentionally, they had made their understanding of Torah the goal, instead of Yeshua and His love.

Another clear obstacle to true Torah observance is the human tendency to judge what we see or sense with our five senses. Isaiah 11 makes it clear that the Messiah will not judge by what he sees or what he hears. He will judge by righteousness.  Samuel would have picked several incorrect candidates from Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel. Yahweh had to remind him that He did not look at the outside of a man, but at his heart.

This means sharing Torah requires a deep spiritual connection with Yeshua. Our goal is to bring people into a relationship with their Messiah. This relationship is lived out in a life that follows the precepts of Torah. It is important not to fall prey to the idea that Torah consists of the externals; tzitzit, Sabbaths, Feasts, and diet. It is our connection and love of our Messiah that motivates us to keep His commandments. We don’t wear tzitzit to let people know that we are Messianic. We wear them to remind us to love Yahweh with all of our heart, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

I’ve never forgotten a young man who had come into a strong Messianic understanding. He considered himself very magnanimous because he accepted to some degree any who kept the 7th day Sabbath. Now there is no question that the 7th day Sabbath is an eternal Biblical principle. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered he was hiding his chewing tobacco habit (disgusting) from me and the fact he was sleeping with his unmarried girl friend. I know of another Messianic with a long, untrimmed beard, side curls and tzitzit down to his knees. He enjoys internet pornography rationalizing that “men will be men.”

I will briefly touch on another sensitive area. In Messianic circles we often honor speakers with exciting teaching abilities or those given to sensational prophetic statements. We display a total lack of discernment when we do not hold our leaders to the weightier matters of Torah--justice, mercy and faithfulness. We need discernment to listen to that which is true. When statements are made based upon faulty research, or bent to fit a particular point of view, we become politicians espousing a partisan line and not teachers of Torah.
Another point comes from Rabbi Shalom Arush, who counsels many troubled marriages. One of the precepts he stresses is that if one of the partners is led to become Torah obedient this must become a very good thing for the other partner. Otherwise, the partner will view Torah as destructive. We must ask ourselves--has the Torah in my life made me a better spouse, a better son or daughter, a better parent, a better employer, a better employee, a better member of the Messianic fellowship? Have those living around you sensed your humility, your desire to serve and your fervent love for Yeshua? Or did they turn away because you reeked of religious arrogance and self-righteous certainty?

Torah is the DNA of our Messiah -- it is His genetic material that He has planted in our hearts. It is the seed of the Kingdom. When it is nurtured and grown in the proper environment it yields love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As Paul reminds us, none of these qualities are against Torah; none violate it. I would go further and say that when these attributes do not characterize Torah-keeping folks, the seed has been corrupted. Yahweh makes an astonishing pronouncement in Isaiah 1:12-14 “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”

Why does He reject all these activities that He commanded Israel to do for Him? Because they had neglected the weightier matters of Torah. He pleads with Israel, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:16-17)

We have been so blessed to be a part of this restoration in this day. Torah is not bondage, but rather life. This revelation transforms us. Let’s make certain that in our holy pursuit of Torah that the foundation of Yeshua is built in well. That the important things have truly been given the credit they deserve. For many their introduction to Torah will be the lives we live before them. May the Messiah and His love be revealed in us, I pray.




Printed in the MIA Herald, Sept 2011.

Where There is No Vision The People Perish
Letters from the MIA Shepherd's Council

By John Conrad

Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) Pastors often hurl this verse at their congregations to stimulate people to identify goals and faithfully pursue them. The proclamation of this verse galvanizes congregants to build new buildings, send missionaries to Africa, feed the poor, and expand the choir. While setting goals and implementing plans to accomplish them can be beneficial, this is not the primary meaning of the verse.

Let’s look at the entire verse. Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law (Torah), happy is he. What does Torah have to do with goals and objectives? The word translated “vision” in this verse is chazown. It more properly speaks of revelation or vision in the sense of a dream. It is the word translated vision in 1 Samuel 3:1 (NASB) Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. Here the passage associates vision with a word from the Lord or a message from YHWH.

A classic Hebrew language technique to create emphasis is repetition or doubling--saying the same thing twice. For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3 NASB) The Ruach speaking through Isaiah emphasizes the power of the word of YHWH in the last days by stating it twice and equating the terms “Torah” (instruction or teaching) and “dabar” (word) and also Zion and Jerusalem.  Similarly in Proverbs 29:18 the same idea is expressed twice. Thus the foremost meaning of the passage in Proverbs revolves around receiving the instruction of Torah and keeping its dictates. Without Torah the people perish—when the Torah is kept and obeyed the people are happy or blessed.

Let’s examine the word perish. In this text it is parah. It means to expose, make bare or naked, perish, set at naught, to loosen. In the story of the golden calf it is the word used in Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) (KJV) The same verse in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control — for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies -- provides new insight into the word. Note the translators translated parah as out of control—to be exposed or made bare is to be “out of control” or to break through the boundaries. A quick check of other translations reveals that many render parah in this way. It is termed “unrestrained,” “out of control,” “out of hand,” etc.

Biblically, Torah prescribes the limits of our practice or halacha. Inside the boundaries of Torah we are safe and experience YHWH’s blessing. When we force our way out of His defined boundaries we expose ourselves or become naked before him and become vulnerable to judgment and cursing. In Lamentations 2:8-9 Israel falls into this trap. The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He has stretched out a line, He has not restrained His hand from destroying; and He has caused rampart and wall to lament; they have languished together.  Her gates have sunk into the ground, He has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations; the law(Torah)  is no more; also, her prophets find no vision (chazown) from the LORD. (NASB)

Our example in Exodus 32 forcefully reminds us we must obey His words. YHWH had come to his people and spoken audibly his ten words or Ten Commandments. Approximately 40 days later the people threw off the yoke of Torah and became unrestrained and out of control. It is necessary to combine the word of Torah with faith—i.e. belief will always evidence as obedience. In the New Covenant Yeshua gives us new hearts and new spirits. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NASB) The purpose of the new heart and new spirit is to produce obedience to His Word. As so many instances in scripture attest, the old nature cannot please God. “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;  All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." (Romans 3:10-12 NASB)

In Israel we have the freedom to live and prosper. Yeshua has saved us from the penalty of Torah through his death and resurrection. But we do not have the freedom to abandon Torah. Rejecting YHWH’s instruction would be similar to a group of astronauts hurtling through space on their way to the moon deciding that their space ship is too confining and limiting. In their yearning for liberty they escape their “prison” and are free in space. They are also dead—they have perished because they were out of control. There is a parallel between the Torah and the oxygen delivery system. They are both necessary to deliver spirit or oxygen to the traveler. In a similar way Israel threw off the bonds of Torah. For long ago you broke your yoke and burst your bonds, and you said, "I will not serve!" On every high hill and under every green tree you sprawled and played the whore. (Jeremiah 2:20 NASB)

Nature furnishes many examples of the devastation produced when something good breaks out of boundaries or channels. A flood results when a river escapes its banks and randomly destroys homes, cars and other property. A forest fire can consume millions of acres and rob thousands of animals of life and habitat. Yet we cannot live without water, it is the single most important nutrient necessary to sustain life. And fire under control runs our automobiles and heats our homes.

Our Father has blessed us with his Holy Spirit, the Ruach Ha Kodesh, and a physical body full of life and energy to serve Him. When our behavior escapes the banks of Torah, and breaks out of the hedge of His instruction, our unrestrained actions lead to annihilation. We become naked and exposed to judgment. In this day of restoration the full meaning of Proverbs 29:18 is becoming evident. Truly, Where there is no revelation of Torah from YHWH, the people run amok, they are unrestrained. But happy and blessed are those people who obey and keep Torah. Together we can join our voices with King David and proclaim: The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. (Psalm 16:6 NASB)

Lineal Israel

By Dr. Robert J. Conrad

“Lineal” Israel Explained

Although the beginning of the restoration of Israel has now commenced with the formal reestablishment of the house of Levi, there has been little notice taken among Christians of what should be for them a welcome herald of Christ's second coming. Apparently, the failure to notice arises indirectly from certain passages in the New Testament, especially in Paul's writings, which have caused some debate among Christians whether there will be a literal gathering of lineal Israel in the latter days. By use of the term "lineal" Israel we mean the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob and not just the Jews who are descendants of Judah, one of Jacob's sons.

The Restoration of the kingdom to Israel prophesied

It is generally conceded that the Jews, or Israelites, of Christ's day understood that God would send a Messiah to gather them literally and give them power over all their enemies. The belief that there would be such a gathering is apparent in Luke 24:21 where it is related that two disciples of the Christ met Him on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection and, not recognizing Him, rather sorrowfully remarked that we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. In Acts 1:6 the disciples asked the risen Christ directly, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? The belief of Christ's disciples that there would be a literal gathering of Israel comes at least in part from a number of passages found in the Old Testament. Among the more prominent are Isaiah 1:26, 11:10-12, 27:12, and Deuteronomy 30:1-5. The last passage mentioned reads as follows:

1. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,

2. And shall return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;

3. That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

4. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:

5. And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers (King James Version).

Redemption for both Israel and the Gentiles

When Christ did not "redeem" them in the manner they expected, the majority of the Jews did not accept Him as the long-awaited Messiah and continued to long for the coming of a conquering savior. The Messianic believers who accepted Christ, however, believed that He was indeed the Messiah and that the unbelieving Jews simply did not understand the fulfillment of the Scriptures pertaining to their Messiah. It seemed apparent to the Messianic believers that a new era had come and a reorientation in thought and doctrine was necessary.

The Apostle Paul emphasized the Jews' failure to comprehend by explaining that blindness in part is happened to Israel (Romans 11:25). According to Paul, the blindness was necessary to enable the gentiles, or non-Israelites, to become the children of God through faith (Romans, Chapter 11). He preached that the mercies and blessings of God were for all men and not for the Israelites alone (Romans 3:29, 4:16). Thus, the gentiles were redeemed just as Israelites--through faith.

These statements caused a revaluation of prior beliefs because they seemed clearly opposed to the traditional Jewish teaching that the Jews alone were the covenant people and that only strict adherence to their ancient traditions and written law would bring salvation. After his conversion, Paul explained to the Israelites, as well as to the gentiles, that by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9; see also Romans 11:6).

Paul assured the gentiles and other believers that if they would live by the Spirit of God, they would be the sons of God (Romans 8:14), that they thereby would be a part of the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:27), and that eventually when Christ came again, those who were alive and were born of the Spirit would be caught up to meet Him (I Thessalonians 4:17).

All of the foregoing Scriptures accentuated the theme that any spiritual and faithful believer could be a part of Christ's body. Because of this "new covenant," the belief that there would be a literal gathering of lineal Israel seemed increasingly less important to Christians. As a result of this de-emphasis, the doctrine that spiritual Israel had replaced literal Israel continued to gain favor. And so today, to advocate a modern-day literal gathering of the lineal twelve tribes of Israel (other than the Jewish State in the Holy Land, perhaps) seems wholly out of place with general lay Protestant or Catholic beliefs.

Understandably, when it was announced by Paul that the believing gentiles were also heirs of salvation, it was natural that any difference between the Jew and gentile would at least be minimized if not completely eliminated. Notwithstanding such a conclusion, however, there are certain passages in the New Testament which cast some doubt on the Scriptural merit of such a position.

Gentiles’ salvation and God’s eternal promises to Israel

The first two passages referred to above (Luke 24:21, Acts 1:6) indicate that the disciples who had been present with Jesus during His active preaching still expected a literal gathering even though they believed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. It is related in Luke 24:27 that in responding to the disciples' question about the redemption of Israel, Christ beginning at Moses and all the prophets … expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Although He explained all of the Scriptures, He apparently did not tell the disciples that there would not be a literal gathering of Israel because they again asked Him more directly the same question at a later time.

In His second response to the question in Acts 1:7, Christ could have told the disciples that there would be no such gathering, but He did not. He merely stated:  It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Even if it is argued that Christ’s reply does not state that there would be a literal gathering, it is certainly clear that the most reasonable implication is that there would be, but that no one would know when it would take place.

The Apostle Paul, who was not present at the gathering in Acts 1:4 but who was later chosen to carry the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 9:15), also apparently believed that literal Israel (as distinct from the gentiles) would be thus blessed. In Romans 11:25-28 Paul makes it plain that ungodliness will be turned away from literal Jacob, or Israel. Paul argues that it was necessary that much of literal Israel be blinded at that time to enable God to show mercy to the gentiles. To a great extent Paul's arguments are based on Isaiah, who had said that there would be a literal gathering (Isaiah 11:11-12 and 66:19-21). Paul also refers back to Deuteronomy, as referenced in Romans 11:28, and to other Old Testament passages to substantiate his preaching that the gentiles would also be saved.

It is clear from Paul's writings that he was attempting to break down any spiritual barriers that had been erected between Israel and the gentiles and that he relied on the Old Testament to do it. But it is also clear that Paul states unequivocally that ungodliness will, in the future, be turned from lineal Israel. And Paul does not say that there won't be a literal gathering. In fact, on a closer examination, it is apparent that the thrust of Paul's argument is simply that Israel was blind for the specific time and purpose tobring salvation to the gentiles and is not meant to deprive the literal Israelites of any ultimate blessing they might have been promised in the Old Testament. In Romans 15:8 Paul states that Christ came to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.

Elijah (Elias) and the “restitution of all things”

Malachi of the Old Testament promises that Elijah, or Elias, would come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children (Malachi 4:5, 6).  John the Baptist was referred to as Elias by Christ in Matthew 11:14 and 17:12, 13. These statements by Christ have prompted many persons to identify John the Baptist as the Elias of Malachi and to conclude that all Scripture pertaining to literal Israel, as distinct from other people, has been fulfilled.

However, there are other New Testament Scriptures which cast doubt on the interpretation that John was the Elias of Malachi, even though he was a forerunner and the voice crying in the wilderness as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3. Notwithstanding His statement that John was Elias, Christ, when coming down from the transfiguration, also told Peter, James, and John the Beloved that Elias truly shall first come and restore all things, even though John the Baptist was then dead (Matthew 17:11).

Interestingly enough, Luke does not say that John was Elias but merely states that John would go before the Christ in the spirit and power of Elias (Luke 1:17). John the Baptist even went, so far as to deny that he was Elias (John 1:21). Apparently then, both Christ and John understood that John was not the Elias who was to restore all things.

Moreover, sometime after Christ's death and resurrection (and after the general meeting described in Acts 1:6), the author of Acts states unqualifiedly that in the future there will be a restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21).

Conclusion

In Revelation 7:4-9, the literal Israelites, who must also be believers, are counted separately from the great multitude of all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues who also are to be saved. Literal Israel was promised that God would in the future put His law into their hearts and minds (Hebrews 8:10) and that they were considered beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Romans 11:28).

Evidently then, the authors of both the New and Old Testaments (guided by the Spirit of Christ I Peter 1:11, II Peter 1:20, 21) believed and prophesied that there would be a literal restitution of lineal Israel. Those same authors promised abundant blessings to the believing gentiles. It is, therefore, somewhat mystifying that there should be any active opposition and hostility among believers toward the idea of a literal gathering of lineal Israel. Certainly, it is difficult to understand how the gentiles will be less blessed or denied their promised salvation if Israel is gathered as has been prophesied.

And God has promised that Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation (Isaiah 45:17).

Thus, in fulfillment of Holy Scripture, God has at this time begun to gather Israel through the restoration of the house of Levi.