TK Torah Keepers

Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. ¹⁰ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalm 85:9-10 KJV)

 There is an erroneous characterization of ministry and ministries as being soft, quiet, gentle, loving, kind, merciful, giving, benevolent, tolerant, pliable, patient, pleasant, and peaceful. While all of these attributes may indeed be assigned to the Messiah’s ministry, (whether as conducted by our Master Yeshua, or by his disciples) it is truly a misrepresentation of the ministry of Messiah (again individually or corporately) to limit his ministry to this one dimensional characterization.  Many believers have a somewhat distorted view of who the Messiah is, what we have been called to do, and what the ministry of Messiah is.  While our Master, Yeshua, did indeed teach us to love our enemy, turn the other cheek, give to all who ask, walk the extra mile, and pray for those who persecute us, this is not all he taught us.  Yeshua demonstrated in his life a fiery devotion to the sanctity of the Temple.  At great personal risk, Yeshua stood up for those who were infirmed, outcast, and oppressed.  Yeshua violated numerous Pharisaic traditions, takanot and ma’asim for the sake of righteousness and justice.  Yeshua boldly rebuked secular and religious leaders, as well as, his own followers and disciples for failing to act in a just and righteous fashion.  We are told repeatedly by Yeshua that following him has a cost.  Not only do we have to learn the discipline of taking our own flesh to the cross, but we must also face the potential that others will want to take our flesh to the cross….a real cross.  It was not Yeshua’s kind, tender, gentle loving, peaceful, ways that provoked such a violent, angry, hateful response to his ministry.  Rather it was his unbending devotion to the will of the Father.  It was his uncompromising obedience to the commandments of YHWH that provoked the world and the worldly around him to respond. We cannot avoid this contradiction in the ministry of Messiah.

 The Apostle Shaul encouraged his spiritual son, Timothy, study and learn how to rightly divide the word.  

 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

 Martin Luther encouraged his students to apply this passage in a pastoral way.  For Luther “rightly dividing the word of the truth,” meant that we needed to know when to confront an unrepentant, recalcitrant brother with the hard hammer of God’s judgments upon sin, and when to apply the healing balm of the Gospel to the repentant and distraught brother who has been convicted by the Spirit of his gross wickedness. 

 The verses from the psalm, quoted above may best describe this ideal which was embodied in our Master and Messiah, Yeshua, and is to become a reality among his followers.  The Hebrew word chesed, translated above as “mercy,” may also be translated as “kindness, goodness, or faithfulness”.  The Hebrew word emet, translated most frequently as “truth,” may also mean “sureness, secure, established, firmness, and faithfulness”.  Obviously, from the context of the passage, these words are meant to be understood as being in tension with each other.  I believe that the best translation of this passage would be to say, that “kindness” and “firmness” have come together.  In other words, kindness, which would normally be associated with gentleness, tenderness, patience, bending, and tolerance has come together with firmness which is generally associated with rigidity, unbending, intolerance, demanding, exactness.  In Messiah these two contrasting attributes come together in one person and one ministry.  The same may be said of the next two attributes; righteousness and peace.  The Hebrew word tzedek translated here as “righteousness,” may also be translated as “justice” or “just”.  The Hebrew word shalom translated here as “peace,” may also be translated as “wholeness, soundness, complete, or welfare.”  Once again, the context clearly intends to contrast these two words.  We then read that tzedek, or justice, generally associated with matters of law, exacting, demanding, hard fast, uncompromising, is here said to have kissed shalom, which may be associated with the idea of peace and unity at the price of compromise, bending, tolerating, and patient perseverance. 

 Once again we see that the ministry of the Kingdom of YHWH is reflected in this doublet of contrasting attributes.  Ministry is not one sided or one dimensional.  Ministry that seeks to be loving, kind, gentle, peaceful, tolerant, patient, and kind, without truth and righteousness, without firmness and justice is out of balance, and is not consistent with the body of Messiah or the image of YHWH.  On the other hand, a ministry that lacks compassion, patience, suppleness, love and kindness is legalistic and judgmental, and is likewise a false image of YHWH. Both of these imbalanced, one-sided ministries are inconsistent with the character of Messiah.  If we are to be the body of Messiah, continuing the work of Messiah, we must learn to live in the tension between these contrasting attributes.  I will be the first to admit, that being the place where mercy and truth meet and righteousness and peace kiss may sound like a romantic place to be, but it is NOT.  Living and ministering in the tension of these contrasting attributes is NOT easy and rarely pleasant.  Yet this is the challenge facing those who have been called to be a disciple of Yeshua the Messiah.  While we are called to learn from Yeshua his humility, lowliness of heart and meekness, we must also learn to embody his faithfulness, tenacity, firmness, boldness, faithfulness and truthfulness.  Only when we are able to manifest this contrasting tension in a balanced and dynamic fashion are we able to truly put forth the character of Messiah in ministry.  We must listen carefully to the direction of the Spirit of the Holy One to know when to bend and when to stand, when to console and when to rebuke, when to welcome in and when to throw out, when to hold them and when to fold them.  This concept is eloquently and poetically spelled out for us in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ² A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; ³ A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵ A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷ A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV)

 Knowing these times is essential to fulfilling our calling.  What is important for us to recognize, however, is that the both parts of the contrast are consistent with the character of YHWH and his Messiah.  While it may confuse our carnal minds, our spirit should be able to receive that reality that both ends of these contrasts are consistent with YHWH.  In order not to be overwhelmed by the tension between these contrasting attributes, we need to take our flesh to the cross, and allow the Spirit of the Holy One to guide our every thought and action.  Only in Messiah can these opposites exist without violently clashing.  Only in Messiah can the opposites meet and kiss and not collide.