Grafted In: A Jewish-Christian Perspective

Author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special thank you to Sandra Crawford, for your encouragement and help in the early stages of writing this book. Thank you, Arezu Papeg, for your contribution and help. Both of you are a great blessing to us.

And to my adopted older brother, Rabbi Michael Gertsman, your wisdom and encouragement to me is priceless. Thank you for being there for me.

FOREWORD

The Apostle Sha’ul (Paul) declares very clearly in Romans 11:12–19 that Gentile believers have been grafted into God’s ultimate plan of redemption with Israel.

Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

You will say then, Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. (Romans 11:12–19, NKJV, emphasis added)

And thus the title of this book, Grafted In: A Jewish-Christian Perspective. The book is the compilation and fruit of many years of the research, and the revelation and restoration of biblical truth in our personal lives, family, and church. What you are going to discover is the answer to the why and how questions being asked in the global church today regarding the practice and implementation of the Jewish roots of Christianity. I do not claim to have all the answers, or some special corner on God exclusively, but I am confident that my personal journey and experience has afforded me the privilege of writing this book with authority.

My intention is to inform and engage well-meaning Gentile believers, in a mature and balanced way, the doctrinal and practical understanding of the Judeo-Christian values of the Word of God. The obvious challenge before us is how we reverse centuries of ingrained views and tradition that has created two separate camps in the Jewish and Christian worlds. How do we bridge the distrust and abuse that has plagued Jewish-Christian relationships? What does that look like? Herein lies my challenge.

I will attempt to show you that it is possible to restore a balanced approach to this subject without going off on tangents and extremes that, sadly, have brought reproach to the name of Ye’shua and the church.

To pastors and ministry leaders, my heart in writing this book is simply to encourage, empower, enrich, and enable Christian leadership to better understand and truly model an authentic biblical Christianity that will release greater blessing and favor upon the church and the ministries you oversee. All I ask of you is to read this book openly and honestly, removing any filters of negative, abusive experiences with individuals who through ignorance have created damage to the Body of Christ, although they were sincere in their pursuit of implementing biblical truth. I trust that you will appreciate my candidness and transparency.

In closing, I must mention that I will be using Hebrew names and terms interchangeably with the English versions you may be familiar with, quoting from the Complete Jewish Bible and the New King James Version. Having said all that, I welcome you on this journey of rediscovering a viable biblical model that you, your family, and your church can enjoy with significance.

Therefore, get in the saddle and let’s begin our adventure together.

—Rev. Giulio Lorefice Gabeli

PREFACE

Approximately eight hundred years before the birth of Ye’shua (Jesus), the Messiah, in the little town of Bethlehem in the modern-day West Bank territory, the prophet Yesha Yahu (Isaiah) prophesied under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the nation of Israel—the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—would be gathered back to their homeland and rebuild the ancient ruins abandoned through the centuries under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and successive rule of the British Empire.

The Jewish Diaspora lasted over two thousand years, but the spiritual climate was changing for European, Middle Eastern, and North African Jewry. Something was stirring in the heart of a people dispersed: a longing, a desire to return to the land of their forefathers, the land of promise given to them by Adonai, the Lord. The covenant that was established, literally cut between God Himself and Avram Avinu (Abraham our Father), was binding, lasting forever. In Genesis 15, HaShem (the Name) or Adonai (El Elyon, the Lord Most High) appeared to Avram after the slaughter of the kings who had captured Lot and his family. Consider his encounter with Malki-Tzedek, the priest of Shalem (Jerusalem), whose name literally means my king is righteousness. Malki-Tzedek blessed and assured him that God would surely bless him, and in response he received a tithe from Avram. Shortly after this, God declares to Avram in Genesis 15:1, Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward (NKJV).

Now, imagine what was going through Avram’s heart and mind after that great victory. Would his enemies seek vengeance upon Avram and his family? Logistically speaking, Avram was living like a Bedouin, out in the open, under tents. There were no city walls or fortifications to protect him and his people from the attack of his enemies, so from a human perspective he was in a volatile, precarious situation. It is evident from the text that Avram was afraid—or, more diplomatically, very concerned!

In this atmosphere, the Lord appears to reassure Avram that he is not alone. God makes a covenant with Avram to confirm his promise of an heir and a land that would belong to his descendants. The Scriptures say that Avram prepared the animal sacrifices: He brought him all these, cut the animals in two and placed the pieces opposite each other (Genesis 15:10, CJB). It then says,

And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:

To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates… (Genesis 15:17–18, NKJV)

Fast-tracking through the centuries of a displaced people, the prophet Yesha Yahu (Isaiah) declares,

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer. For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:2–10, NKJV)

Isaiah prophesied of a time when God Himself would call back the physical descendants of Abraham from the diaspora, like a wife abandoned and grief-stricken.

God’s covenant to Avram was fulfilled and satisfied on May 14, 1948, at approximately 4:00 p.m., with 250 guests present to witness the Declaration of Statehood in the main hall of the Tel Aviv Museum (Independence Hall). As the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the newly created provisional government, David Ben-Gurion made the declaration of statehood. For the first time in thousands of years, the Hatikvah (the Jewish anthem, which literally translates as the hope) was sung and a miracle was birthed. The prophetic clock began to tick again, and God’s end-time plan was in full-motion.

Right from the beginning of this book, I would like to make a very clear statement to serve as the underlining theme of this book: Israel is the centerpiece of God’s end-time prophetic plan. Therefore, we do not espouse any teaching that replaces physical Israel with the spiritual concept of the church.

Biblical Christianity vs. Biblical Judaism

In the following chapters, I will consider with you the biblical distinctions and roles that Scripture assigns to the church and Israel. I will seek to qualify our convictions through Scripture so as to firmly establish that biblical Christianity finds its roots in biblical Judaism.

You may have noticed that I am identifying these two labels—biblical Christianity and biblical Judaism—for a purpose. We must be very precise with our terms because of the great misunderstanding and ignorance that exists within the global church. This confusion has come because we do not define our terms clearly, thus leaving room for error. I remember as a young man hearing one of my mentors, Pastor Daniel Ippolito, teach me, Say what you mean and mean what you say. I will never forget that coined phrase. It has helped me through the years to communicate my thoughts very clearly.

Now let’s clarify our terms. Biblical Christianity is not Christendom or the institutionalized church structure that bases its foundation on tradition, dogma, and liturgy. Neither does it strictly represent doctrinal beliefs. In fact, for the record, our only authority for belief and practice is the infallible Word of God: the Scriptures.

Biblical Judaism is not rabbinical Judaism, and there is a vast difference between the two. Rabbinical Judaism is the compilation and practice of the writings of Jewish sages through history who sought to establish Halacha, Jewish law that governs the belief system and daily functions of observant Jews. Though we may consider these writings to be helpful and interesting, they do not constitute the authority for practice in godliness and biblical accuracy. Therefore, we must be very clear in what we say, because it is in this very principle that we find great abuse and confusion in well-meaning believers who go off on tangents and extremes in their desire to pursue an understanding of the Jewish roots of our faith.

For this very reason, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to write a book addressing this important subject. How does a Gentile church embrace and collate biblical Judaism in a vibrant and meaningful way? What does it look like? How do we maintain a mature balance that edifies and strengthens the church without bringing reproach to the church? These are the questions we will endeavor to answer in the following chapters. I hope you will enjoy this journey with me as I share revelation, insight, and personal experiences that I believe will help every genuine seeker of truth, whether you are a pastor, politician, businessman, or student. So let’s begin!

1: HISTORY DOES MATTER

Before addressing the very issues that are central to our journey, I believe it is in order that I share with you my personal journey on this quest for enlightenment.

It has become abundantly clear to me that our identities and personal histories play a key role in ultimately discovering one’s purpose and destiny in life. It is not by chance or freak accident that one is born to specific parents of a certain nationality or country. God, the Creator of life, has designed us to be who we are. The Bible declares in Psalms 139:13–14,

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (NKJV)

This scripture very clearly endorses that:

1. God is the giver of life; He is the Creator, not our parents.

2. Every person’s existence has been authorized by divine will.

3. If our creation was authorized by the Creator, it very simply means that a human being has innate value.

4. Our value is determined by the Creator’s declaration of authenticity.

Intrinsic to this discussion is the understanding of man (Adam), who was created in the image of the Creator. Genesis 1:27 clearly says that God made man in His own image… male and female He created them (NKJV). This powerful scripture conveys the intrinsic value of every human being. During