Saul Of Tarsus Part 3

Letter To My Dad

Last week I left off with looking into the mindset of the double standard of Saul of Tarsus. This week I would like to expand those thoughts through my own personal experiences in the form of a letter to my Dad.

I did not know much about my grandfather. I know he came to America from Lithuania sometime in the early 1900’s. He owned a horse stable in Center City Philadelphia, and then a store in Audubon, New Jersey.

I know that your Jewish education was very limited. I would say that was because Grandpa might have been rebelling against his own upbringing. He likely was brought up in a modest Jewish household and came to America to seek fame and fortune. When he arrived he found he could live a different life than the one he was brought up in.

The thing of it is, Dad, he did leave you with a big degree of the values and duties of the Torah. You and Mom decided to give us a good Jewish education that you were never given. My problem started when I learned about the Torah and what it was saying about the Levites and how they were supposed to be cared for, in their service to God. It truly began to bother and anger me. I was always bothered by the fact that you would always be working on something at the Synagogue or having to fix something there. Over the past few months I have come to realize that as Levites this is what we are supposed to be doing and in doing that service. Serving God, and yes, that can mean fixing the air conditioner, making games for the Purim Carnival for the kids to play, or whatever is needed. The problem I have with this is, all thought the Levities do there part, the Synagogues have forgotten them. See Numbers Chapter 18.

What I found out in researching for this series is that the rest of the tribes for many centuries have been living in a world they choose to forsake. Commandments they choose to not apply. The requirement to care for the Levites in their community according to what I received from a question posted to ask the Rabbi. The response he gave me, is this Law for caring for the Levites only applies in the time of the Temple or when the Jewish people will live in Israel and rebuild the Temple. Dad, this is what angered me so, not about what you were doing, but what they were not.

You sent me to a Temple with a bunch of spoiled wealthy kids, ones who acted pious by observing Sabbath and the rest of the Holidays. Over time, the thing that really started to bother me was their arrogance towards you and others like you. Jewish people who had very little, but tried to raise their children the right way by giving them a proper Jewish education.

They claim to follow Jewish Law, yet only as they see it applies. They claim that the Synagogue is supposed to be treated like the Temple, because of its destruction so you are to tithe your 10% to them, and in order to maintain your membership you must. So we build big Synagogues and claim they are for the Lord God, while claiming that the other part of the Law is to care for the Levites only applies to them in Israel.

Finally Dad I wanted to tell you that although you don’t believe that the Messiah has come, it really doesn’t matter. What really mattered was that you taught me to live my life to do what is right in God’s eyes in service to him as a Levite as we are supposed to do. Just like I’m sure you learned from my grandfather. In following these teachings God will provide for the things I need. I may not be given the things I desired, but God will meet my needs.

This may seem it doesn’t belong in this series, but I hope that in these words to my Dad you can see and understand Saul of Tarsus, son of Benjamin, in a different light. That a lot of what I see as wrong doings stem from this mentality I see of the Jewish people and the Sanhedrin to enact laws or rules only to apply them to suit their own desires.

The big thing Jesus taught about was those same thing that angered me and many others Jewish People. We say one thing but do another. When you boil it all down, Christians are following the same mind set Saul of Tarsus instilled in all his writings. Apply the Law, and use that Law as you see fit. Create a group of men to decide how the Law should apply to their own community of followers.

The Lord Bless you and Protect you!

The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you!

The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!

The Articles presented here are copyrighted by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX.