One week recently during Torah portion, a brother discussed
the “leaven of the Pharisees” and what that meant to him. It was a brief comment, but it got me
thinking. What was the “leaven of the
Pharisees?” Based on the teachings of
Yeshua, it was self-righteousness.
Desiring to understand this, I began asking for it to be
revealed in areas of my life where I might be holding on to any of this leaven.
One area of danger for me which was revealed, when I set about removing the
beam from my own eye, is the idea of pride in the truth that I have been
blessed to be able to understand.
As I began to explore this matter in my spirit, I began seeing
my brothers and sisters in belief display these behaviors; it was like looking
in a mirror of my own past attitudes.
Those walking in the light of the truths that fall under the
umbrella of “Hebrew Roots” are very blessed individuals. I began my own journey
down this narrow path 16 years ago. I kept Rosh Hashanah for the first time on
my birthday in the year 2000, a very interesting year. Since that date my
knowledge and understanding of Torah, and the Tanakh as a whole, has grown
tremendously.
Looking back, I would use the expression that I was “on fire”
for the truth. I ran around my world telling my friends and family just how
lost and sinful they were, how pagan their actions were, and generally just
being more “righteous” then everyone around me. What I did was alienate nearly
everyone that I knew. I blamed them for that, of course. They just didn’t want
to hear the truth. They just weren’t ready to accept it. It was their fault
that they continue to wallow in their sin.
I see this manifest in so many ways around me now as I seek
to grow in this way. Sometimes it’s in the titles that we allow others to give
us, or not give us, as the case may be. Some lift themselves up by refusing to
take any title, as if somehow that elevates them. Some think the specific
titles they take on somehow elevate them. By calling themselves “Torah Adherent”
or “Hebrew Roots” or “Un-Christian.” I
see them mocking other believers in their desire to lift themselves up. They
are better than a “common pagan cult Christian.” They are certainly better than
a “Messiah rejecting Jew.” Their truth is the ultimate truth, and they are
special to have been given it. They fail
to realize that titles are irrelevant to our Father and his life giving truth,
and only speak of our own pride in our own deeds.
This thinking is exactly the Pharisees leaven. It is exactly
what Yeshua was warning us about.
Today’s Hebrew roots believer often behaves as if only they
will enter the kingdom. By their belief system great followers of God will not
enter the kingdom. People like William Booth, and Martin Luther, and John
Calvin, and the list goes on and on, are out, because thousands of years later
Yahweh has kindly opened the door and allowed them to peek inside. I
know, because I’ve been guilty of this particular sin of pride.
It is not our job to judge those around us. It is not our
job to judge other believers. It is not our job to condemn them. Someone whose
feet we are not fit to wash has already been given that job. Yeshua did not turn
away from the sinner or the pagan or the tax collector. But they do. Their truth
is more valid than His truth, so they will turn away from them all.
Somewhere along the line I began seeing myself behaving this
way. I saw that I was only pushing people away, which eliminated any
opportunity I had to actually show them the truth. Instead I was just showing them how perfectly
I kept it. I saw that behavior changing in me.
Instead of confronting them with their sin, I began to merely quietly lived by
faith. Those around me began to see the blessings that came into my life
because of my obedience and my faith. The more that I was open about what I was
doing and why, without condemning what they were doing and why, people began to
change around me.
This past year was very rough for me, and I went through a
great number of difficult life changes, and there was a lot of physical work
involved. Through this, I have kept my Sabbaths. In fact, some weeks I have deeply desired and longed for them. I began keeping the Sabbath 25
years ago, the majority of my adult life. It was a very peculiar thing in my family and in my life and in my
community and in my social group. Yet, I persisted, because I immediately saw
the benefits in my own life. After so many years, I would say it is the Cornerstone
of my faith.
The Torah commands us to work six days, then rest one. I
make every effort to work as hard as I can for six days every single week, and
crash on the seventh day. As people came alongside of me and began working with
me through this last year, they realize how hard I worked, and were very
grateful for my Sabbaths. My daughter and my brother, who contributed the
greatest effort, looked forward to the Sabbath every week because they knew
they would not be hearing from me asking them to do anything. Now my brother
keeps the Sabbath. By following my example, he is seeing these blessings
manifest in his own life. Not because of me, but because it is the truth and
Yahweh graciously allowed that truth to shine through me.
At Sukkot last year I began praying that I might be a credit
to my god, Yahweh Elohim, King of the universe. The first step in being a
credit to him means giving him ALL of the credit.
This clip is from last week’s Torah service, something Steve said that struck a chord. I love the
formats of our weekly Torah portion. It is more like a discussion panel, less
like a lecture. As ideas and Scripture flow, I learn a great deal. I enjoy Steve's teachings a great deal.
I hope that others are able to recognize this particular bit
of leavening in themselves, because I believe we all have a tendency to hinge our holiness on
how much holier we are then the next guy, instead of measuring ourselves in the
mirror of Ruach.
Shalom and may you be blessed.
