Recently, I read an insightful essay focused on the relationship of Jews and Christians. It comes as a response to a commentary Pope Francis offered in his talk on Galatians 4. If you don’t know Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he is focused on the relationships of the Jews and Christians in his time. One issue in that New Testament epistle is the nature and role of the Law for the Jew and for the Christian. One of the lines the Jewish author, Yehiel Poupko, quotes from the Pope says, “The Law does not give life. It does not offer the fulfillment of the promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it.” To Christian ears, this does not seem like a big deal. Many of us have heard some version of this all our lives. But to Jewish ears, it sounds dismissive.
Many Christians would normally assume since Christ came, the Law has no function or even relevance. Some might even go so far as to see it issue as one of Law versus Christ. But to a Jew, the Law is key. It has vital function in the life and piety of the Jewish person of faith. Poupko is very clear when he notes, “The Law, better known to the Jewish People as the Mitzvot — the Commandments of the Torah — is the very essence of Judaism.” He continues in this extensive passage I quote, “We are the Chosen People because we are the Commanded People. God endowed us with the greatest of compliments. In commanding us, it was God's assessment that we — the Jewish People, the children of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah — have the intellectual and emotional assets, the moral and ethical fortitude to fulfill the Mitzvot.” Doubtlessly, many Christians don’t see Jews as “the Chosen People.” We are, they retort! Again and sadly, it becomes us against them.
However, Poupko is more irenic and sane than some of us Christians. “Not so fast,” he seems to be saying. Effectively, he allows that he understands that Francis is speaking to a group of Christians and is not speaking to the Jewish audience. Poupko helpfully reminds us what Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity says. Kock is the Vatican official responsible for Jewish-Christian relationships. In a letter Koch acknowledges “what is well known: that Judaism and the Jewish People do enjoy the greatest respect and affection of Pope Francis; that his remarks about the Mitzvot were not directed to the Jewish people; and that for Christians, the Mitzvot are a journey to Christ.”
While I am not Catholic, I dearly appreciate these words from the Cardinal. I am confident he is correct about the Pope. And his words serve as good guidelines for all of us Christians. I hope we can move beyond seeing religion in any competitive sense. It is not “us against them.” Since I am in education and believe in its power to change lives and how we think, I prefer choosing this route to deal with problems. The primary thing I first aim for is to understand other people, how they think and see life.
There is a wonderful clue in the essay to help us achieve this understanding. I share some more of Poupko’s words and then offer some comments. He writes, “Christianity is a religion. Judaism is not just a religion. It is much more. We the Jewish people are a family that became a faith and remained a family. In the words of a Catholic theologian, for Judaism the sequence is, "I belong, I do, I believe"; for Christianity, the sequence is, "I believe, I do, I belong." Thus, one is born a Jew, but one becomes a Christian.” This last line is a great summary and it fits the way I hear my Jewish friends talk.
I am convinced if you ask a Christian about his or her religion, they first will tell you what they believe. They will say things, like I believe in God or I believe Jesus is the Messiah. They then normally would suggest that beliefs should lead to some way of action and this is best supported by community. However, a Christian almost never begins with community. Our belonging is a result of our believing. If I don’t believe in God, there is no way I am going to claim to belong to any group of religious folks!
Judaism is different. I believe Poupko is correct when he says that belonging is where it starts. A Jew feels first their Jewishness. This is why to a Jew it can make perfect sense to say that one is a “secular Jew.” Interestingly, this means I claim to be Jewish, but I am not religious at all. Secondly, being Jewish implies particular ways of acting. In fact, for a secular Jew, there still is a role for the Law. Finally, Jews do have beliefs and theologies. But they never start here.
Because Christians do it differently, we never even think about it the way Jews do (and probably other religious traditions. To understand this gives us a better chance to understand the other person and why they do what they do. We have a chance to see how they may value things differently than we do. Maybe this is a good way to see how to move forward with some peacemaking in our world.
In fact, I am willing to see this as a small way to think the kingdom will come!
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