Where He is silent on a topic, I prioritize in the order I first specified; Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim and Brith Chadasha, knowing that Y'shua and Torah are first in all things and everything else must align with those teachings.
Note: After this article was written and published in its original form; in the course of casual conversation, it was pointed out to me by some of my Jewish friends that this concept might be construed as anti Judaic and anti-Semitic. I could see their point. The entirety of Jewish community life is founded on the rabbinical system of religious and secular jurisprudence. An attack against the rabbinate IS an attack against the traditional Jewish community. But that is not what this article is about.
This article is about the instruction Messiah gave to His talmidim in the context of their role in the governance of Messianic Judaism. In this discourse Messiah criticized certain aspects of the governance Israel as it had to do with religious observance and the Elders personal enrichment at the expense of others. He warned them what was going to happen because of it. But He also counseled His talmidim to obey them when they were acting in the capacity as the lawful governing body of Judea. Because of these developments, I added this note and a clarification at the end of this article:
My approach to the question of "Rabbinic Authority?", is a 'top down' approach that starts with the explicit instructions of the Master as they apply to Messianic Judaism. The following commands are in the context of declaring that He was taking the 'Kingdom of God/Heaven' away from the Elders of Israel (Matt 21:43). This was also directly on the heels of His being tested with 'trap' questions by the party of Herod, the P'rushim and the Cohens (Matt 22). The tone is one of anger.
He says just prior to Matt 23:8-12, to obey the Elders of Israel's judicial decrees (the Seat of Moses, in this case, being a reference to the place where the head of the Sanhedrin, the Cohen Gadol, issued judgments deliberated on by the 70 members) but when addressing His talmidim and followers, He gives a contrasting view.
In this view, He employs a classic chiastic structure with embedded antithetical and synthetic parallelisms to make His point;
1) First giving negative commands,
2) followed by the object of the command,
3) followed by the nature of the object,
4) followed by the reason for the command.
This passage, when diagrammed, forms an X where the top left aligns with the bottom right and vice-versa. At the same time, top left and top right are contrasted and bottom left and bottom right are contrasted. These teaching forms are generally employed within the larger context of the passage. In this case, Messiah is contrasting how the Elders of Israel govern with how He wants His talmidim to govern; this within the greater context of Matt 21:43, "Therefore, I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the kind of people that will produce its fruit!"
So to continue; He says in righteous anger, first giving negative commands,
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called...
...followed by the object of the command,
‘Rabbi’;
...followed by the nature of the object,
because you have one Rabbi,
...followed by the reason for the command.
and you are all each other’s brothers.
NOTE: In this example, the instruction to His talmidim are in both the upper left and bottom right. The object being the office of 'Rabbi' occupies the upper right and bottom left of the diagram.
The chiastic structure is internal to a larger structure called an internal antithetical parallelism which juxtaposed His talmidim assuming a title with their brethren with Him assuming a title that is rightfully His.
This pattern is repeated in the following verses where the same contrast is drawn; not conferring the honorific of Father to anyone on earth because that title resides with the Father in Heaven and next; not assuming the title of Leader over their brethren because it is again, Y'shua's title.
The above parallelisms are internal to the larger external synthetic parallelism that addresses the three previous parallelisms to reach a synthesis or conclusion in the fourth portion; the conclusion that theirs is an office of service to their Father in Heaven and not that of a Master or Leader over their brethren as stated in verses 11 and 12. So, the external synthetic parallelism encompasses the entire passage of verses 8-12.
The object of the statement is the title and office of Rabbi. So lets nail that down too, from a Jewish perspective.
The Jewish Virtual Library states: The title rabbi is derived from the noun rav, which in biblical Hebrew means "great" and does not occur in the Bible; in its later sense in mishnaic Hebrew, however, the word rav means a master as opposed to a slave (e.g., "does a slave rebel against his rav"–Ber. 10a; "It is like a slave who filled a cup for his rav and he poured the water over his face"–Suk. 2:9). It was only during the tannaitic period, in the generation after Hillel, that it was employed as a title for the sages. The passage in the New Testament (Matt. 23:7) in which the Scribes and Pharisees are criticized because they "love… to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi" probably reflects the fact of its recent introduction. The word "rabbi" therefore means literally "my master," although the Sephardim point it and pronounce it ribbi, the suffix therefore not being a pronominal one. In any case it lost its significance, and rabbi became simply the title accorded to a sage.
We see the same patterns repeated in the subsequent verses here:
9 And do not call anyone on earth
‘Father.’
because you have one Father,
and he is in heaven.
...and here:
10 Nor are you to let yourselves be called
‘leaders,’
because you have one Leader,
and he is the Messiah!
...and here, but this time synthesizing the first three examples into a reasoned conclusion:
11 The greatest among you
must be your servant,
12 for whoever promotes himself will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.
Employment of such poetic structures were typical of direct instruction. They not only act as a learning and memorization aid, they also remove any doubt as to the meaning intended. I submit that these verses are to be taken quite literally. No allegory is at play here. There is very little wiggle room left to the listener or reader.
My conclusion is that there is no authority given to men, to rule over their brethren in Messiah. The talmidim of Y'shua HaMoshiach are not to set themselves over their brethren by assuming titles or offices that infer any right to rule. The rules have been adequately recorded and preserved for all to observe. There is no Rabbinic authority, no Ecclesiastic authority, no Denominational authority, no Congregational authority. All authority resides in Heaven. There sits our Rabbi, our Cohen Gadol, our Melech HaOlam.
The only authority that has been granted to His emissaries on earth is to discern according to His Word and His Spirit, determining that which is 'bound' and 'loosed', righteous and unrighteous and act accordingly, in an attitude of humble service to the brethren in Messiah and towards all peoples. We were not given Torah with which to beat each other over the head. The only authority to judge we have been granted is to judge ourselves. We are to conduct ourselves in accordance with His instruction and example; to humble ourselves, even unto death.
Sha'ul, in appointing 'Elders' in the synagogues he established, or in the existing ones which he brought into the 'Kingdom of Heaven/God', this appointment is simply an act of discerning those of suitable temperament, character, experience and knowledge to be the subject of a s’mikhah; the laying on of hands and pronouncing the prophetic anointing of the Ruach haKodesh - to discern and serve - not to judge, govern or rule.
- How does this apply to the traditional Jewish community? I does not. It applies to the talmidim of Messiah Y'shua.
- How does this apply to a traditional Jew coming into the Messianic community? Same way it applies to the Messianic Gentile doing the same. They must be prepared to put HaShem above community, family, friends, possessions and position.
- How does this apply to the rich body of traditions of both Christianity and traditional Judaism? That is where discernment applies.
Simply put, it means stepping out from under the authority of man in all religious matters and turning your entire attention to HaShem and His Word. There are some traditions that add to or take away from His mitzvot. But how do you know if you do not know His Torah - His Word? You can't.
If you daven or kneel, if you cover in a tallit or literally go into a closet when you pray, and you do this unto God, what difference does this make in observing Torah and honoring the Father in Heaven? None that I know. Nor am I supposed to judge. Tradition has its place, but it cannot supersede scripture and it is not mandatory in any way.
The written revelations are given as a gift and for two purposes. That we might judge ourselves before His judgment, not as a weapon with which to beat your brother or sister over the head. It is also given as a lamp and a Light, that we might know the path we are to walk, the nature of all men with which we interact and the truth about the spirits that would influence us. For every doctrine of man is to be tested against His Word by those that know it and bear good fruit; and the Ruach HaKodesh will never instruct or counsel contrary to His Word, but there are many spirits in this world that will.
Freely you have received, freely give.
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