L13-4: Yeshua made it clear that if you don’t understand Moses, you can’t understand Him

When those folks who were brought up in a gentile church environment first attempt to undertake a serious study of the Old Testament, I imagine that most of them get the impression that the Old Testament is a totally different Bible than the New Testament.

The opposite is true however.

From the first chapter and verse of Genesis to the last chapter and verse of Revelations, the Bible should flow seamlessly like a river. 

The only reason that somebody would walk away from the Old Testament thinking that it’s a totally different Bible than the New Testament is because they read the ending of the Bible before reading its beginning and middle.

This is like reading a novel or watching a movie from its middle point or beyond.

When you do that, you end up drawing totally incomplete conclusions that can be well of the mark of what was originally intended by the author.

For those who have been diligently and faithfully studying with me since I started this blog a couple of years ago, I imagine that the context established in the Torah may have been quite different than you might have expected.

I know it was for me when I first undertook a diligent study of the Torah and the Old Testament.

I think that many folks can become quite uncomfortable with the contents of the Torah and may possibly lash out in fear that some cherished manmade doctrine of theirs may be compromised.

I know how you feel but I think that that particular discomfort is nothing but spiritual growth pains that you have to fight through.

Due to the kind correction and feedback from others, I myself have grown and adapted my thinking in many different areas since I first started writing this blog.

One thing I can say with 100% confidence is this.

The more you study and the deeper you get into Torah, the stronger your faith will become and your appreciation for why God sent us His only begotten son will only increase.

In addition, your overall understanding of the contents of the New Testament will also be enhanced in leaps and bounds.

And trust me on this.

If you feel you are being challenged by some of the contents of the Torah, it is NOT your faith in the Word of God or in “Jesus Christ” that is being challenged.

Rather it is the false doctrines of men you’ve been taught that are being challenged, doctrines like the idea that the Law was done away with.

Let me remind you of an important point.

The Gospel of John tells us in no uncertain terms that Yeshua was the Word made flesh.

And I’m pretty sure we all accept that “the Word” is just another term for the Scriptures or our Holy Bibles.

However, let me ask you this question.

What “word” exactly was John referring to?

I really think a lot of folks forget or just outright overlook the fact that the only Word of God that John, Paul, Peter and all the rest of the apostles was familiar with was only the Old Testament.

There was no other Scripture other than the Old Testament for AT LEAST 150 years after Yeshua’s crucifixion.

That’s right!

Until about 200 A.D., there was no New Testament in existence.

So to put it plainly, when John in his gospel proclaimed that “Yeshua was the Word made flesh”, what he was literally saying was that “Yeshua was the Torah made flesh”. 

Now don’t get me wrong.

I’m not saying that I don’t accept the New Testament as God-inspired, it most certainly is.

However, what I am saying is that it is intellectually dishonest and scholarly inaccurate to even suggest that any reference to the Word in the New Testament was referring only to itself.

Let me give it to you straight.

Not one New Testament writer, not one, had any idea whatsoever that a century or two after they passed away, that their writings would be declared as Holy Scripture by a panel of church leaders.

And speaking of the New Testament, I think we need to take a second look at these words from the mouth of Yeshua Himself.

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”-John 5:46

In terms of context, Yeshua is here leveling criticism at the Jewish religious ruling elite.

Yeshua was speaking out against their manmade doctrines and traditions that had colored what the Torah really said.

We saw a perfect example of this when Yeshua spoke out against the tradition of ritual hand washing. 

The Pharisees were trying to pound the Scripture into a mold created by tradition.

But here’s the thing.

Christianity isn’t any different, if not worse.

For the past 1800 years, Christianity has established their own manmade doctrines and then interpreted the Scriptures to validate those doctrines.  

And when the church has confronted parts of the Bible that don’t validate their manmade doctrines, those verses are taken completely out of context and given some “alternate” meaning.

In John 5:46, Yeshua is making it clear that the Torah of Moses is the FOUNDATION FOR ALL SCRIPTURE TO FOLLOW!

And that includes the New Testament!

I would say Yeshua’s Words are quite clear, wouldn’t you?

He’s saying, “How can you possibly understand or believe me, if you don’t understand Moses’ words?”

Could there not be a clearer statement speaking to the absurdity of even attempting to read the New Testament minus a solid grounding in the Old Testament?

The conclusion is crystal clear.

If you don’t understand (or accept) Moses, forget about being able to understand Yeshua.

It is the utmost in hypocrisy and stupidity to attribute to Yeshua the idea that Moses’ Torah was just a burden that has been lifted from us and discarded.

It was Yeshua Himself who said you must FIRST believe Moses BEFORE you can believe Him.