I say all this to say, God hasn't rejected the Jews, and he hasn't rejected anyone for that matter. I mean look at me. I'm a pure Israelite, straight from the seed of Abraham and the tribe of Benjamin. I'm as Jewish as they come. But I'm telling you, God doesn't reject people. We even have one oral tradition that talks about how our ancestor Elijah once had a massive case against the Israelites. The Israelites killed off just about all the prophets, tore down all the altars, and were on a manhunt for Elijah himself. And what does our tradition say that this God said?
The narrative goes that God said, "Elijah, you see a nation in defiance. But, I see a powerful band of warriors who are seeking after me." There's a principle here that is timeless: No matter how bad we think the world is right now or at any given time, people are constantly waking up to the reality of this God's grace and compassion. And I'll say once again, that this process of "waking up" is solely by the grace of God. It's a pure gift, and we all get to receive it if we haven't already.
If you're still seeking some kind of exclusive connection with this God through self-discipline and sacrifice, you're merely gonna find a bunch of self-discipline and sacrifice. God's not tallying up points for good behavior. But, if you're not trying to figure out everything there is to know about God, and acting as if you hold a monopoly on God truth, you will wake up if you haven't already. This God can do a lot more with people who are open-minded.
Even our scriptures have something to say concerning this idea that self-discipline will get you an exclusive relationship with this God. Tradition has it that this kind of life leads to a spirit that's full of chaos, eyes that can't see, and ears that can't hear. Of course, we're not talking about the actual senses, but the "spiritual senses."
Our ancestor David had a harsh thing to say towards this same idea: "Let their misdirected self-discipline become a trap, a stumbling block, and a source of self-inflicted chaos. Let their eyes stay closed and their hard work the reward."
The Jews have definitely stumbled, but they aren't down for the count. As a result of all this drama, non-Jews have been introduced to the message that we're carrying - that this God is restoring us one moment at a time. And there's a good point here: sometimes when we fail, it gives other people the opportunity to be built up. But it's really hard to see that when it happens. And there's a lot of Jewish jealousy going on right now. They can't stand to see another non-Jew talk about how they love God but aren't anal about self-discipline and rituals.
Sometimes I wish jealousy was a big enough motivator to get out on the streets and start putting a healin' on some of these people. For strong, practicing Jews, their sense of rejection comes from our belief that God and the world are reconciled. They don't want the world to be reconciled with God, because that means the world doesn't have to do what the Jew has to do. That means the world didn't have to earn anything. And good Jews work hard for their spirituality.
The human community is like an olive tree. Some of the branches have broken off. Some of us are wild olives who've been grafted into the tree, joining already-existing branches, getting equal access to the nutrients coming from the root.
If you're the wild olive, don't get cocky. It's the worst thing you can do right now. And plus, the root can survive without you, but you can't survive without the root.
Seasons come and seasons go. Branches fall off, and branches get stronger. Don't get this idea that you have privilege over anyone else in God's eyes. Remember, this God doesn't show favoritism towards any one person or group. We're all gonna go through periods where we're harmonious with the human community, and we'll go through times when we break off from the human community. Just don't get arrogant towards folks who are struggling to stay connected, and you should be fine.
The very process that you're experiencing right now - of non-Jews being invited into this new reality with God - is something that's been in the works for a long time. It's much harder for the Jew to experience what you're experiencing right now, because the traditions of the Jew are deep-seeded and rock hard. It takes a whole lot of unlearning to get where you guys are right now.
The good news is that this God is for everybody waking up to the reality you're experiencing right now. And this God is constantly calling us to new challenges, as well as reminding us of the unique gifts we have to bless the world with. We're all gonna screw up just like we've been screwing up our whole lives, but this God doesn't hinge mercy around how much we screw up. This God wants everyone to come alive, to see, to hear, and to breathe in this life full of freedom.
You can't fathom how this God works. Don't even try to put this God in a box. It can't be done. Don't think you "know" this God, because as soon as you think you know something, you're gonna find out something different. Our beliefs are so brittle, but this God is so strong. Rely on God, not on your beliefs.
May God continue to wake us up. Grace and peace.
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