Teaching Team

Hu Ben Ha'Elohim

By Seth Dralle  | Comments (2) | Posted on August 29, 2008

"He is the Son of God." Such are the first words of faith preached by Sha'ul of Tarsus in the synagogues of Damascus (Acts 9:20). Earlier in Acts, the acceptance of the faith by Samaritans (8:4-8) and Ethiopians (8:26-40) through the work of Philip, served as a foreshadowing of the fullness of the nations that will come to know the Messiah of Israel through the work of Paul.

We were introduced to Paul in last week's Gospel reading as one who casted his vote against Stephen and approved of his martyrdom. In this week's reading, Acts 8-9, we read more of Paul's continued persecution of the Way and his vision of the Resurrected Yeshua on the road to Damascus. Paul goes from an apostle of the high priest on a mission to persecute believers, to an apostle of the Messiah on a mission to proclaim the Gospel to "the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (9:15).

But it won't be the only time we read about Paul's vision. In fact, this vision appears a total of three times in the book of Acts. Three times! (9:1ff, 22:6ff, and 26:12ff) Think of it, that's a lot of papyrus. And papyrus wasn't cheap in the ancient world. Furthermore, of all the awesome things that must have happened in the early community, Luke decides to tell this story thrice. Why all the ink?

One reason Paul's vision receives so much attention was due to the vital role Paul played in the expansion of the Gospel to the nations. The Master testified to Ananias, "He is a chosen instrument of mine." Though church tradition testifies that all of the apostles laid down their lives in service of the Master, Paul's service was especially extraordinary. He relentlessly sought to make the Gospel known in places where no foundation had yet been laid.

Many of us Gentiles who have come to faith in Yeshua are likely the fruits of Paul's labor. If it were not for Paul, who knows how far the message of the Gospel would have gone? Still, it is true that Paul simply saw himself as a servant, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants and he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Nonetheless, Paul still planted. And for that, we should all be thankful.

As the fruits of Paul's labor, we would do well to recapture the true essence of what Paul's life and message means to our faith. Unfortunately for some, Paul's words are the exclusive focus of their faith. Ironically, it is when we focus exclusively on Paul that we are most prone to interpret his letters out of context. In doing this, Paul's words are sometimes given priority over even the Master and other portions of Scripture as well. Paul himself would have never dared to place himself in such a position.

And yet, the opposite tendency is just as off the mark. It is one that hits closer to home for some of us in the Torah movement. Some, in an attempt to balance the overemphasis on Paul, end up ignoring him almost entirely. This is a problem as well, as it parallels the numerous examples in the Apostolic Writings of those who sought to discredit Paul's authority. Ultimately, to discredit Paul is to discredit the Master as well, since as we've seen, Paul was the chosen instrument of the Master himself. Paul's message was not a gospel that he simply made up, but he received it "through a revelation of Yeshua the Messiah" (Galatians 1:12).

First Fruits of Zion offers a range of materials aimed at understanding Paul from his proper context. A great resource for understanding Paul is Torah Club Volume 4. Torah Club Volume 4 has extensive commentary on the book of Acts, pulling in parallel materials from Jewish literature in an attempt to understand the authentic context of the book. Also, this fall, the second revised edition of Tim Hegg's The Letter Writer will be back in print. First Fruits of Zion will be distributing Tim's book through our new resource catalog (coming in early September). If you are looking for insight on Paul's letters themselves, Torah Club Volume 5 touches upon problematic passages from Paul's letters. You access more information about our Torah Club programs here on our Torah Club Downloads Page.

With the new Torah cycle coming up in the next few months, now is a great time to sign up for a Torah Club membership that promises a year of fresh insight and understanding as you delve into the wellsprings of God's Word: whether Torah and Prophets, or Gospel and Apostles.

About the Author: Seth Dralle is the fulfillment and shipping department manager and a research and teaching assistant for FFOZ. He is also a contributor to messiah magazine, the Monthly eRosh and the Torah Club Online Dictionary.

Search in blogs...

Feeds

Use RSS feeds to track this section in your favorite reader.

FFOZ Blogs RSS Feed

Browse Entries

• « Dead Sea Scrolls Online
• Blogs...
• » Little Messiahs

Select a Blog

• Events and Administration
• Founder’s Blog
• Guest Contributors
• Publications
• Shalom Tour
• Teaching Team
• The Siddur Project
• Site Info Blog

Most Recent Entries

• New Synagogue in Germany
• I was in Prison...
• The Name Game
• Hear Our Sabbath Prayer
• Second Temple Walls Discovered
• FFOZ on YOUTUBE!
• Beit Midrash Pictures
• Beit Midrash Nearing Completion
• Persecution in India
• Little Messiahs
• Hu Ben Ha'Elohim
• Dead Sea Scrolls Online
• Remembering Paul
• The God of the Orphan and Widow
• You can trust your Abba

Select a Previous Month