Introduction
In life, every one of us will encounter situations which will challenge how we view the world, and how we deal with the difficult moral issues that will inevitably face us. In such situations, our consciences will ask themselves, ‘Do I resolve this by adhering to the strict letter of the law? Or do I handle this by acting with God’s compassion and lovingkindness?’ These are the widely opposing poles that most people face.
Over the last 40 years or so of my life (that is, the portion of my life spent as a Follower of the Way of YHVH), I personally have chosen to ask myself, ‘What course of action displays YHVH’s sacred love and compassion? Which decision causes someone caught up in a difficult moral quandary, to catch their breath and collapse in tears because of the love and forgiveness shown in such a decision?’
Sadly, not everyone shares my approach. There was one instance about ten years ago where I took the compassionate approach on a particular issue, and I even said that this was only my personal stance – I wasn’t even suggesting that people should agree with me – and the result of publishing that article to the group was that 20% of our subscribers unsubscribed immediately.
My experience over the years has therefore led me to the conclusion that, when dealing with particularly difficult topics, rather than tell people what they should think, or what they should do, it is far better to provide Followers with a guide how to approach difficult questions, and then let people arrive at their own informed conclusions. This is the general Talmidi approach which most of our communities follow.
How other religious communities behave
The character of any religious community can be gauged by how they approach the difficult questions of their time. Some communities will stick to the letter of the law and create outcasts, condemning and excluding people they don’t approve of; others will reject the law completely and end up discarding all the values that God originally intended us to make use of in difficult situations. People end up either on the far right or the far left of the religious divide, each opposing side believing that they alone are doing the right thing.
Very few people are willing or able to find the middle ground – the narrow gate which Yeshua spoke of. It is easy to walk the same broad road that everyone else is walking along, to see all moral issues in black and white and fall into one of two opposing and destructive extremes. It takes courage and a lot of soul-searching to be able to see the narrow gate where very few people walk, which leads to God’s compassion and ultimately, to God’s Kingdom.
One further point I need to make here, is that as Talmidis, we should not boycott or shun each other for having taken one side or another in a difficult debate. As Followers of the Way, we are ultimately all sisters and brothers, and as disciples of the Prophet Yeshua, we show the world who we follow by the love that we have for one another. Bottom line: we should not shun our fellow Talmidis, or shut other Talmidis down simply for which side they fall in matters of difficult moral issues.
What the Letter of the Law says
There are a number of laws in the Torah which tell us to show no pity (such as in the matter of Israelites turning to worship other gods). This does not mean to show no compassion. Such laws assume that there has been a due legal process leading up to the final decision, that there have been investigations, appeals and periods of reflection – lynch-mob justice is absolutely contrary to the ideals of Torah.
Unfortunately, some kinds of people will only see what is written, and go no further. The God they believe in is a vengeful and tyrannical god, who has neither compassion nor wisdom. In contrast, King Solomon showed God’s wisdom when he dealt with the two women who claimed the same baby. His ruling was not actually meant to be carried out, but rather to show who the true mother was – the one who would rather give up the child and have it live.
Jacob the Pious (‘St James the Just’), our first Nasi, the cousin of Yeshua, wrote in his letter that, ‘Mercy triumphs over Judgment’. Regardless of what the law says, God’s merciful love is the ultimate law that we are required to measure our decisions by.
Which side of the argument did Yeshua fall?
Torah decrees that if a man engages in an adulterous relationship with a married woman, then both the man and the woman are to be stoned to death (Lev 20:10). The commandment not to commit adultery is even one of the Ten Proclamations (‘Ten Commandments’), the foundation of all Torah law. Yet Yeshua chose to show compassion on the adulteress who was dragged before him, saying, “Let him who is without sin among us cast the first stone”. This statement displayed the same wisdom and compassion that King Solomon showed in his judgment – which is the wisdom and compassion that lies at the heart of who and what YHVH is. In their religious faith, a follower of YHVH is asked to show the same wisdom and compassion in their daily application of God’s ethics and values.
More often than not, the modern media is unforgiving when it comes to people’s pasts. Even if someone no longer engages in the sins of their past, journalists still see that past as fair game, and the legitimate target of sensationalist newspaper articles. In the ethics that Yeshua taught, the past that one has repented of has no bearing on the present; a faithful Talmidi should not dwell on the past of someone who has turned their life around and repented. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the father loved his son so much, and was so glad to see him, that his son’s past was completely irrelevant (Ezek 18:21 implies that if a wicked person repents, then the sins of his past are not counted against him).
When a prostitute barged into the house where Yeshua was being hosted at a small banquet, the host was disgusted by Yeshua’s acceptance of her, while Yeshua recognised that his compassionate approach to difficult matters had caused the prostitute to make a complete turnaround and change her life. We don’t even know which of Yeshua’s teachings had caused the transformation in her life; we just have to take it at face value that the compassionate heart underlying all Yeshua’s teachings was what caused her to return to God. The sum of Yeshua’s words had brought home to her that God’s love and forgiveness was open even to people like her.
The effect on the sinner
If our cold-hearted way of practising religion causes people to turn away from God, then we ourselves are failing God. If our way of applying our religious ideals portrays God as a tyrant and a despot, then we are effectively desecrating the holiness of God’s Holy Name.
There are some people who end up in some really difficult situations, and sometimes they can’t see a way out of their moral quandary. If such a person were able to present themselves to YHVH, and were able to hear the great Voice of God speaking to them, the effect of God’s decision would be to lift a great weight from their shoulders, and cause them to break down in tears at the love and merciful compassion that YHVH has just shown them. God’s unconditional love has caused that person to return to God, and thereafter they will be faithful to our gracious God out of pure gratitude for what God has done for them.
In the way that we approach difficult issues, rather than creating outcasts, casting people to the wayside and cutting God off from people, our way of projecting God in the application of our faith must be such that it causes people (metaphorically) to cry with tears of relief and gratitude, because they have finally met someone who understands their pain and the difficulties they have experienced, and accepts them as a human being, a child of God, in spite of it all.
Ask yourself, how did Yeshua treat social outcasts and the least of society? Our answer should inform how we ourselves, as Talmidis, should treat them.
The first will be last, and the last will be first
In Luke 13:22-30, Yeshua tells us about those who think that, just because they associated with Yeshua, then that means they will automatically be allowed to be part of the Kingdom. From context, we can surmise that these are people who think that they will get a free pass into God’s Kingdom, just because they are followers of Yeshua. It then becomes clear that these people have not changed their behaviour or way of thinking; they judged and condemned others, they had no love for others, and are still the same disapproving, callous and uncaring people as they were before they became Yeshua’s followers. Yeshua says that he never knew such people (i.e. that he would not wish his reputation to be associated with such people). He then concludes that those who considered themselves first will be last, and those whom others judged to be last, will be first in God’s Kingdom.
The conclusion is that our very attitudes mean that we end up judging ourselves – the compassion that we show to others, or the lack of compassion, will determine whether we are first or last in God’s Kingdom.
If you are faced with a difficult moral situation, ask yourself, ‘How would I react to someone I loved more than my own life, and that person was in the same situation? How would I react then?’
How would you react?
Here are some issues that divide most people. I’m not going to tell you what to think in any of them, but I want you to ask yourself, ‘Does where I personally stand, project God as a cruel and heartless tyrant, or as a God of merciful love?’
Your daughter is pregnant, but continuing with the pregnancy will endanger her life – the medical opinion is that if the baby is brought to term, then the baby and your daughter will die, but an abortion will save her life. Do you persuade her to opt for an abortion? Or do you have both your daughter and the baby die?
Your brother comes to you in an anxious state. He confides in you that he is gay, and has felt this way all his life, for as long as he can remember. Would you insist that he pray to God and change his orientation (something that is impossible)? Are you the person who will shut him out of your life? Are you the person who would beat him up and leave him for dead? Would you hold a knife to his throat and tell him to recant? Or are you the kind of person who would embrace him, and tell him that you love and accept him as he is?
Your daughter is pregnant, but she is not married, and the father of the child is not married either. They seem to love each other and appear committed to one another. Do you chastise your daughter for getting pregnant, disown her and seek revenge on the man who got her pregnant? Or do you encourage your daughter and her boyfriend to consider marriage, and support your daughter and her baby regardless of the outcome?
Summary
The prophet Yeshua showed compassion towards the outcast and the rejected. He showed God’s love to those whom society and religious people had otherwise judged, condemned and excluded. His compassionate approach caused people to want to return to God, and live God’s ways of merciful forgiveness and lovingkindness.
If we are going to claim to be followers of Yeshua, and live the ideals he taught and put into practice himself, then how we react in difficult situations, and how we apply our faith to difficult moral issues, will determine whether we truly are disciples of Yeshua or not.
I’d like to close with a quote from Bishop Gene Robinson:
“It’s funny isn’t it, that you can preach a judgmental, vengeful and angry God, and nobody will mind. But if you start preaching a God who is too accepting, too loving, too forgiving, too merciful, too kind, then you are in trouble!”