Messages 2006
Jesus and the Talmud.
September 27, 2006
Santa Cruz, California
Received by FAB.
I am here, Jesus.
I am now going to channel a series of messages reflecting my relationship to the Jewish Talmud. I had wanted to do this through either Mr. Padgett or Daniel Samuels, but their deaths made this impossible. I am very grateful that you are now willing to make this possible.
Many sincere Gentile believers in me and my message do not understand that when I preached, I did not exist in a void. Because historically the Christian religion evolved away from its Jewish source, it is not generally understood that many things I said were in the air at the time. It was a time of great intellectual and spiritual ferment. There were many currents of thought. And what eventually became the Talmud was very current.
Talmudic thinkers had the same general concerns that I had. They, and I, championed equal rights and democratic ideals. These values became the foundation of your country, the United States of America. Thus, the Talmud had a profound impact on Western political thought.
They also were deeply concerned, as I was, that religious law not supersede vital humanitarian needs. For example, there was a Talmudic maxim, “the Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” I used this idea as part of my teaching [Mark 2:27].
So you see, I was not as radical for my time as is generally assumed. The anti-Semitism that evolved in Gentile Christianity blinded people to the fact that I was not the only Jew to voice these concerns and values. Every person who has studied the Talmud knows this.
It is time for my life and teachings to finally be seen fully in their proper context. I am aware that there has been a general movement on the part of Gentile Christians to understand their Jewish roots, and for this, I rejoice. But the process must go all the way, for a proper understanding of my message cannot be made until the different strands of thought of my time be understood as well.