We sometimes wonder how our contemporary Jewish Brethren would fare up against those Israelites brought out of Egypt about 3,400 years ago.
We can only imagine a dialogue between those two groups. What would happen if they met up in some kind of imaginary time warp between the two ages. Perhaps a fictional meeting between these two groups would go something like this….
Modern Jewish community: ”Our Rabbis said you people walked across the Red Sea on a sandbar and Moses knew when it would be low tide.”
Exodus Jewish people: ”Sandbar? Low tide? Is that what they’re teaching you about us now? Well if that were true, then God did an even greater miracle for us. All of our Egyptian taskmasters drowned in water only six inches deep.”
Modern: ”Are you trying to tell us that God really did part the Red Sea for you? Did you really did kill a lamb and put its blood on your door post? Didn’t you guys ever hear about the anti-cruelty society?”
Exodus: ”We followed the exact directions of Moses who heard directly from God. Those special lambs died so that we might live. Their blood protected us from judgment. We were protected that way. If we had not followed God’s way, we would be dead now too.”
Modern: ”Blood…. Doorpost… Yuck…. Listen, you guys are getting way to fanatical about this Passover stuff. Sit down now and have a nice bowl of matzo ball soup. Don’t you know that many of those Egyptians probably came from dysfunctional families. They couldn’t help themselves. You know those Gentiles. My Rabbi says that…..”
Exodus: ”Wait a sundial minute! We were there. We saw the plagues. Moses was our mediator before a Holy God. If we had spoken to God directly we would most definitely have been slain by His Holy presence.”
Modern: ”Mediator, schmediator….. What, do you really have labor strikes in Egypt too? They’re the only ones who need a mediator. We are Jews and Jews don’t go need a mediator to go before God.”
Exodus: ”And what are we? chicken soup? We are Jews too, and we needed a mediator. In fact, Moses even told us himself that God would send another mediator, a prophet just like Moses, to a future generation. He promised that to you in a chapter of the Bible you now call Deuteronomy 18.”
Modern: ”Well you can believe what you want. We Jews today are a tolerant and open-minded people. There are many paths to God. Astrology, yoga, cosmic oneness with the universe. Haven’t you heard about Jubu’s (Jewish Buddhists)? Don’t be so narrow-minded.”
Exodus: ”We follow Moses! You can be so open-minded that your brains are going to fall out one day.”
Well with that, we will close our little eavesdropping session on my Jewish brothers across time. We wanted to give you an idea of how to pray for the Jewish people today – most of whom are not religious. Most do not believe their Bible.
Most are not even aware of the Holiness of God and their need for a mediator.
As we are in this Passover season, we are thankful for the mediator Moses who God gave to the Jewish people back then. But we are even more thankful for our mediator today, Yeshua (Jesus), who stands before a Holy God in heaven to plead our case.
He is our Passover Lamb who protects us from the execution of God’s righteous judgment on our sins. That is what the lamb did. He took our placed and died for us. Hallelujah.
