Salvation and Eternal Life According to the Jewish Jesus

 

When I became a minister, everything I preached had one purpose – save unbelievers! I believed we (all Christians) had been commissioned by Jesus to do this – “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone!

 

Saved people go to Heaven and unbelievers go to Hell!

 

That was the message we took to the world. It was not just a belief system – it was our reality. We believed there were only two kinds of humans -- believers and unbelievers. It was as simple as that! Now let’s see what Jesus said about salvation.

 

The Great Day of Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46

 

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 

Be sure to note that all the nations of the earth are being judged and everyone is standing with members of their own nation. Everyone with be placed in either the group on the right or the group on the left. Now pay close attention to the criteria that determined in which group people were placed.

 

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

 

Did you recognize that the things the people did were acts of TZEDAQAH (tze-doc-kah)? They were acts that protected lives, preserved lives, made lives more functional and restored the SHALOM of the community. What Jesus said next confirms that conclusion.

 

³⁷ Then those who did acts of TZEDAQAH will ask him: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

 

They had no doubt they would done those things, but they didn’t remember him.

 

⁴⁰ The King will reply: “Amen! Let me explain! Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me!”

 

This was a reference to “all humans being part of the Creator’s family” in Genesis 1. Every member was made in “image of God.” His vision for all members of His family is that they experience life in a SHALOM community – an environment in which lives are complete, healthy, wholesome; relationships are harmonious and mutually beneficial; homes are safe; places are secure and restful; members are loyal and committed to each other and the community.

 

⁴¹ Then the King will say to those on his left: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the adversary and his messengers. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

 

⁴⁴ They also asked: “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”

 

⁴⁵ The King will reply: “Amen! Let me explain! Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

 

⁴⁶ Then those who did not do acts of TZEDAQAH will go away to eternal punishment, but those who did acts of TZEDAQAH will go to eternal life.

 

Who will be saved? Those who did acts of TZEDAQAH will be saved!  That is the only answer Jesus gave. But, be sure to remember, this is a parable teaching wisdom, not a commandment or a law. Jesus was teaching people how to walk with God in this life.

 

Chances are good that you now realize your beliefs about salvation didn’t come from Jesus. I had the same experience. It changed my beliefs about what my future would be like, what God wanted me to do, and what Jesus wanted me to do. It also changed my salvation message to this -- Choose Life 1^st by Doing Things that are Good (TOV)!

 

May your SHALOM increase,

Jim Myers

 

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Words that Transform Our Understanding of Jesus and His Movement

 

“The Jesus Movement” was the original group of Jews that followed Yeshua, the Jewish Jesus of history, in the early first century CE. His movement can only be understood through the meanings of a handful of Hebrew words that were the foundation of his message. Once the Greek translations of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke began to circulate among Gentile churches, the message of Jesus changed.

 

In my previous email I discussed three things people who participate in our Bible studies bring to the meeting with them -- beliefs about the Bible, an English vocabulary, and life experiences. People reading the Greek Gospels brought with them -- beliefs about the Gospels, a Greek vocabulary, and life experiences from a variety of Gentile cultures. For over 1,800 years Christians did not have access to the Hebrew message of Jesus.

 

Science changed everything, beginning with archaeology. At the end of the 19^th century CE, there were only about 20 ancient Greek manuscripts of books in the New Testament. Today, as the result of the work of archaeologists, we have access to over 6,000 Greek manuscripts. Science-based linguistic models were not part of the translating process before the 20^th century. Until then, authority of religious institutions determined how words were translated. Reconstructing the Hebrew words behind the Greek words was unknow to church members until the late 20^th century – and with that many things began to change.

 

There are a few Hebrew words that cannot be translated by using one English word. The way to solve this problem is to use transliterations of those Hebrew words and memorize their definitions. Add those transliterations to your vocabulary. Doing this with three key Hebrew words Jesus used many times in his teachings will transform your vision of him and his movement. Today I demonstrate the impact three words can have on a Bible study. Our study today focusing on three blessings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).

 

1. SHALOM – A social environment in which lives are complete, healthy, wholesome; relationships are harmonious and mutually beneficial; homes are safe; places are secure and restful; members are loyal and committed to each other and the community.

 

2. TOV (toe-v) – Acts that protect lives, preserve lives, make lives more functional, and increase the quality of life.

 

3. TZEDAQAH (tzeh-doc-kah) – Acts that are TOV and restore the SHALOM of a community by eliminating things that are breaking the SHALOM.

 

If I left out the transliterations in the definition of TZEDAQAH and included their meanings, this is how I would have to translate it!

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“Acts that protect lives, preserve lives, make lives more functional, and increase the quality of life; restore the social environment in which lives are complete, healthy, wholesome; relationships are harmonious and mutually beneficial; homes are safe; places are secure and restful; members are loyal and committed to each other and the community.

 

Acts that eliminate things that make lives incomplete, unhealthy, unwholesome; things that create conflicts in relationships and benefit only one person at the expense of the others; make homes unsafe; make places insecure and chaotic; cause members to be unfaithful and uncommitted to each other and the community.”

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When Jesus said “TZEDAQAH;” he meant all of those things! So, what English word do we find in our Bibles instead of TZEDAQAH? It is the translation of a Greek word that is translated either “righteous” or “righteousness.” Do those words mean what Jesus taught? Apply the information about to the blessings Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with.

 

^5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for acts of TZEDAQAH.
They shall be filled.

 

What are those people thirsting for? Read the long definition of TZEDAQAH above. The people blessed here are not only “hungry and thirsty for food and water;” they are hungering and thirsty “for the people doing acts of TZEDAQAH to come forward.” They are the poor and oppressed, but they were also Jews who knew about TZEDAQAH and SHALOM. This blessing was a promise from Jesus to them and a call to action for his followers.

 

^5:10 Blessed are those who pursue opportunities to do acts of TZEDAQAH.
They are the Kingdom of God.

 

This blessing sums up what Jesus and his movement were about. His vision was masses of people bursting forth and becoming actively engaged in pursuing opportunities to do acts of TZEDAQAH. Wow! What a powerful vision!

 

^5:9 Blessed are the SHALOM Makers,
They shall be called Sons of God.

                                                                                                           

SHALOM Makers are actively engaged in guarding and restoring the SHALOM of the community. This is a team effort! Now, take another look at the blessings, and then consider the answers for the questions below:

 

1. Do they describe what Christians what are taught to do today?

 

2. What would societies be like if groups of people were constantly engaged in doing those things?

 

My next email will be about what Jesus taught about salvation and the afterlife.

 

May you increase SHALOM,

Jim Myers 

Helping People Examine Their Beliefs

● Adopt Shared Morals & Values ● Network to Make SHALOM

● Donate ● Subscribe ● “Like” on Facebook ● Visit our Bookstore