Why does the Talmud say that Jesus is a sorcerer and magician?

Sincerely,
Confused

Dear Confused,

The Talmud is a Jewish book of traditions and discussions regarding ethics, the Old Testament, and philosophy… among other things.  The important thing to note is that the Talmud is not authored by God.  It is simply an old commentary written by fallible humans.  The Talmud was written by Jews that didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah; therefore, they said that He was a sorcerer and a false teacher.  Just because a book written by men says He isn’t the Messiah doesn’t make it true.

I don't get it... if Jesus was a Jew, why isn't Judaism the correct religion?  Did I miss something?

Sincerely,
Confused Christian

Dear Confused Christian,

Jesus was born a Jew (Matt 1:17), lived under the Jewish law (Lk 2:41-42), and even taught His fellow Jews to obey the Old Testament law (Matt 23:1-3).  Judaism was the right religion, until Jesus died on the cross and replaced Judaism with Christianity.  The Old Testament, the law the Jews followed, was a tutor to lead people to Christ, but after Jesus came, mankind was supposed to follow Him instead (Gal 3:24-25).  The Jewish law said that someday there would come a Messiah who would save them from their sins – Jesus was that Messiah (Jhn 1:45).  The Jewish law taught mankind that they needed a Savior, and that they should prepare for His coming.  Jesus came providing the grace and truth that wasn’t possible under Jewish law (Jhn 1:17).  Jesus’ death made a permanent sacrifice for sins that none of the Old Testament animal sacrifices ever could (Heb 10:1-4).

Someone yesterday asked me to push the elevator button for them and briefly explained that they were "shabbos".  I hesitated for a moment and then did so.  I believe that it is complete bunk, and even if we were living under Old Testament Law, this is a total hypocritical loophole to circumvent the "rule".  My question is: was it wrong to push the button and, in my opinion after thinking about it, in essence participate in a religious practice that I do not believe or want to be perceived to believe in or support… or am over thinking this?

Thank you for all your great answers!!

Sincerely,
Going Up

Dear Going Up,

As you are aware, you ran into some Orthodox Jews that believe that it is wrong to work on the Sabbath.  They define ‘work’ in very unique ways.  They believe it is wrong to travel, but if someone else forces them to travel (i.e. you pressed the button, and they just “happened” to be in the elevator) – it doesn’t count as work.  As you said, the rabbinical traditions of Judaism have gone to the point of absurdity and don’t even resemble the Old Testament teachings.

Here is the problem, if you are actively participating in their religious practice, you are wrong… but whether or not you are is an issue of wisdom.  The big issue comes down to perception.  God tells us to avoid all appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:22) and that we should be careful to consider how our actions will be perceived by others.  1 Cor 10:27-29 uses the example of meat sacrificed to idols.  If you are invited to a meal, don’t worry about asking whether or not the meat came from an idol’s temple; just dig in and don’t worry about it.  But if your host mentions that the meat came from Zeus’ temple – stop eating because your host will perceive that you agree with idolatry.

The same concept would apply here.  If you believe your actions communicate that you agree with their religious practices, don’t do it.  But if you think that pressing the button on the elevator simply conveyed courtesy, don’t worry about it.  You aren’t sinning by pushing the button; it is just a matter of how your actions are perceived.

I have been dating a Jewish man, and one of our relationship issues is our belief in faith; I have been raised a christian, and saved as one, I am currently thinking of converting to Judaism for faith, but I will not denounce Jesus as my Savior.  What advice would you give someone in my situation?  I love this Jewish man, but I love Jesus and God as well; can there ever be a happy medium where two faiths can live in harmony?

Sincerely,
Hoping For A Hebrew Husband

Dear Hoping For A Hebrew Husband,

‘Inter-faith’ marriages have disastrous results, an awful track record, and God warns against them. The Bible’s most notorious example of this is Solomon. Solomon’s idolatrous wives turned the heart of the wisest man on the planet away from God (1 Kgs 11:4). If Solomon in all of his wisdom couldn’t resist the pull of a false religion, we should consider ourselves just as vulnerable. There is too much at stake. If your heart is turned away from God, your soul will be eternally destroyed (Heb 3:12).  Our caution would be that you must get on the same page religiously before proceeding any further in your relationship.  Jesus says that He is “the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him” (Jhn 14:6).  Judaism simply won’t save your soul – plain and simple.  Jews are still waiting for the Messiah and they don’t accept the saving blood of Christ.

1. No matter how much you love each other, there are only four possible outcomes for a marriage to your Jewish boyfriend, and only one of them is good:
2. He eventually converts and obeys the gospel, becomes a christian, and is saved (GOOD).
3. You eventually convert and obey the Judaism, and you are both lost (BAD).
4. You both make compromises in your beliefs, and you no longer fully serve the Lord (BAD).
5. You both eventually renounce both of your belief systems, and are both lost (BAD).

The only positive outcome is the first one, and that isn’t any more likely to happen after you are married than before. Either he will eventually convert, or he won’t – getting married won’t increase the odds.

God warns against being ‘unequally yoked’ to someone with different values than you (2 Cor 6:14-16). Once you get married, you are ‘yoked’ to that person with a lifetime agreement. A godly marriage is designed around unity (Gen 2:24). If you aren’t unified on your core belief system, then everything else will be affected. Where will your children go to church? How much money will you contribute to Judaism vs. God’s church? What happens when he wants to put up teach Jewish customs to your family? These are just a few of the thousands of day-to-day problems you will run into. God tells us that a christian should marry someone ‘in the Lord’ (1 Cor 7:39). If he really does love the Lord as much as he loves you, his honesty and humility will guide him to accept the truth. If not, you are both better off knowing before entering into a heartbreaking marriage.

(This post is a follow-up to “Blood In Both Directions”)

Does this mean, according to Paul, the justification and reconciliation could be attained despite the fact that the matter of faith in the Christ remained a secret until the first century when it became revealed to Paul and his associates?  Was the conscious faith not necessary until then for some reason?

Sincerely,
Just Wondering Jew

Dear Just Wondering Jew,

People who lived before Christ were still saved by faith in God.  The whole point of faith is that it is a matter of trusting whatever God has told you (Rom 10:17).  Faith assumes that there are pieces of the puzzle that aren’t revealed to you yet... but that the person (or in this case Deity) that you are putting your faith in is trustworthy (Heb 11:1).  The Old Testament saints had faith in Christ because they trusted in the Messiah that was to come.  The New Testament saints have faith in Christ as they trust the words of the Messiah who walked this earth many years ago… both groups have faith in Christ.  Each group had different instructions and different information that God had given them to follow, but they both had faith in the same God (1 Cor 10:1-4).  Each group had a conscious faith in God – just different rules to follow.