In this compelling episode, Rabbi Schneider dives deep into the historical and spiritual significance of circumcision, a pivotal mark of the covenant between Yahweh and His people. Through examining the scriptural origins and the continuing relevance of circumcision, Rabbi Schneider guides listeners to understand how this ancient practice shapes faith and identity among both Jews and New Testament believers today. He draws attention to the deeper spiritual invitation it offers: to separate ourselves from worldly desires and devote our lives wholly to God. The discussion further explores how the Apostle Paul redefined the importance of circumcision for New Testament
So the question we need to be asking as New Testament believers is, have we fully pulled away the fleshly, worldly mandates of this world from our lives, and instead are we living in fidelity to Yahweh? Growing up as a Jew, one of the highlights within my tradition is what is called a bris, which is the Hebrew word for circumcision. It happens when a baby male is eight days old. Circumcision is really the God mark. It goes back to the book of Genesis, chapter 17, verse 10, where God said this to Abraham. Hear the word of God. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. So God called out his people, beginning with Abraham, continuing on with his lineage, Isaac and Jacob, that every male among them had to put this mark on them by peeling back the foreskin of their male genitalia, and that made them unique out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. The male Israelites had this, quote, God mark on them, that they belonged to Yahweh, to their God, this distinctive mark on their genitalia. So we’re going to be talking today about circumcision, what it meant to Israel in its initial historical context, how it applies to us as New Testament believers, how it applies to you if you’re not a Jew. Let’s dig in today. Let’s read the scripture once again. Genesis 17, 10. We’re talking about the God mark. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. God was not playing around with this. When God had revealed that there was many Israelites that had not been circumcised, he made them get circumcised as adults. And that’s a very, very painful thing. It’s supposed to happen once again when you’re eight days old as a male child of Israel. Interestingly, in mystical Judaism, the number eight represents eternity. And I love that, that we’ve been sealed with the mark of the Creator, that we are children of eternity, that our God is eternal. Jesus said, this is eternal life, that you would know God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. And so this distinctive mark on the male genitalia of the children of Israel was visible and it made them different physically than all the other nations around them. So let’s dig into this a little bit. What did it mean? Is there something deeper than just the fact that they had a physical mark on them? What did it symbolize? Well, what it symbolized, beloved friends, is that they were released from, they were separated from their sinful inclinations. It symbolized the cutting away of sinful and fleshly desires to embrace a life of fidelity to their creator, to divinity, to their God, the God of Israel, Yahweh. The New Testament has a lot to say about circumcision. And what the New Testament teaches is that the real purpose of circumcision was not outwardly, but it was the spiritual significance and the implication of it that was important. And it’s still valid for us. The concept of it is still valid for us as New Testament believers today, whether you’re a Jew or Gentile. So before I speak about the spiritual implication for New Testament believers right now, let me just finish up and talk about the implications for ancient Israel. First of all, it was mandatory for every male child, every male Israelite, once again, to be circumcised. It symbolized that they were in covenant with Yahweh. that they were in covenant, part of the covenant people that began with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, through the 12 tribes, that when they were circumcised, it showed visibly that they were part of this distinguished, set-apart covenant people. And Israel was chosen, according to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 7, out of all the people’s on the face of the earth to be Yahweh’s own treasured people, to be his inheritance. So the circumcision was a physical mark that showed that Israel was Yahweh’s, that they belonged to him in a special way that was unique among the peoples on the face of the world. And so we take this principle today as New Testament believers and we think about what Paul teaches about this. And what Paul teaches us about this is that Gentile believers are not required to get physically circumcised, but what they are to do, what Gentile believers in Yeshua today are to do is to take the concept of what circumcision is about and apply it to their lives. What is circumcision about? It’s about the peeling away of sinful and fleshly desires to instead be alive to God and to be devoted to him alone and to be dedicated and faithful to his covenant. And so the question is not whether someone is physically circumcised or not, The real question is, is are we living as a distinct people and as distinct individuals, as those that have lifted up our lives to the Lord, to be his possession, allowing him to have sovereign dominion over our life, choosing to yield to him, choosing to obey him by putting him first in our life and not being part of the world? You see, once again, Israel was a distinct people in the earth. They were not of the world. So this mark of circumcision conveyed that, that they were different than everybody else. So the question we need to be asking as New Testament believers is, have we fully pulled away the fleshly, worldly mandates of this world from our lives? And instead, are we living in fidelity to Yahweh? And that’s a question that you and I need to be asking ourselves. Do we look like the world? Because Israel, the male children that had been circumcised in ancient Israel, they sure didn’t look like the world, right? They stood out like a sore thumb. So the question is, do we stick out or do we look like the world? Because if we look like the world, then something’s wrong. We’re not living then as a distinct covenant people in the earth. which reflects our calling. We’re to be living in spiritual purity that’s characterized by a life of devotion. Interestingly, there were some during the time that the New Testament was written, they were still putting undue emphasis on circumcision. physical circumcision, even trying to get Gentiles circumcised. Now, personally, I believe that for Jews, that we should still be circumcised because it’s part of our lineage. Paul said, whatever state you were in, When you came to faith, remain in that state. If you were circumcised when you came to faith in Yeshua, you know, stay circumcised, not that you could undo it. But if you came to faith in Yeshua as a Gentile and you weren’t circumcised, Paul said, don’t get circumcised because physical circumcision, Paul taught, at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean anything. It was to the higher realm that it was pointing to. But as Jewish people, to continue our lineage as those that have been descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we still practice circumcision. But if you’re a Gentile, there’s no reason for you to be circumcised. In fact, Paul taught that if a male Gentile gets circumcised for religious reasons, he actually severs himself. from the grace that’s in Messiah because circumcision was part of the law. So if someone gets circumcised in order to try to keep the law, Paul says they severed themselves to Christ because now they’ve aligned themselves with the law rather than with the grace and mercy that we receive through Jesus. So if you’re a Gentile, don’t think you’re going to get closer to God by being circumcised. You get closer to God by putting all your faith in Messiah Jesus and following him by the Spirit and by God’s Word. Even interestingly, more so is the fact that during Paul’s days, there were some leaders in the New Testament church They were trying to get Gentiles to be circumcised so that they could act like their ministries were growing. In other words, they would go around trying to get Gentiles circumcised, then bring them into their folds so that their fold would be bigger. And they were doing it all so that they could look important like they had a big congregation. Listen to what Paul wrote here in the book of Galatians chapter 6. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision.” but a new creation. In other words, it’s not whether you’re circumcised or not circumcised. It’s whether you’re part of the new creation that comes through the new birth. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon all Israel. Amen. Did you get the flux of that? There were some during the time of the apostle Paul, and they were trying to get people to be circumcised and bring them into their fold. And they were all doing this for fame to say, look at my ministry. Look how many people I’ve gotten to be circumcised. And it was all just a farce. And it’s very similar, unfortunately, to what many are even doing today. just trying to get as many people that they can to follow them, to know them, to like them. And the gospel gets polluted because people are more interested in the size of their congregation or their following than they are with preaching the truth.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’ve been listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider, and he’ll be right back. But first, I want to let you know that these teachings, they’re available for you to watch on Roku TV, and it’s completely free. You can watch full TV episodes of Discovering the Jewish Jesus from the comfort of your home or on the go. See Rabbi on screen as he brings biblical truths to life and deepens your understanding of Jesus the Messiah. Just search for Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku today. At Discovering the Jewish Jesus, we are looking for like-minded people who are ready to partner with us. If you’re sensing the Lord leading you to offer a financial gift of support, would you please contact us today? Become a monthly partner. Go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. or to give a gift of any amount today, just call 800-777-7835. That’s 800-777-7835. And now here’s Rabbi Schneider with the rest of today’s message.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, it’s similar in effect to what Paul was saying here, people trying to boost up their congregation size by getting people circumcised. Mankind can rely on all kinds of fleshly means to try to make themselves somebody, even up here, to be anointed. Well, as we close out this section on circumcision, the main thing I want you to remember today is this law commanding Israel to be circumcised It has relevance today because of what it represented. They had to stand out to be circumcised. Again, they did it on the eighth day. They were now connected to the God of eternity. You and I are called out of this world to crucify ourselves to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, to be connected to Hashem, to our Creator, to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, to pick up our cross, deny ourselves, and to follow Jesus. We should be different. We must be different. We’re not of this world. We’re in covenant relationship with Adonai, the Creator who saved us through His Son. So I want to encourage you today to live as one that’s circumcised. to live as one that’s different. This is serious business, friends. Jesus spits the lukewarm out of his mouth. Either we’re the real deal or we’re not. Either we’re going to compromise or we’re going to be fully devoted to Yahweh to the best of our ability every day. Choose this day whom you will serve. As we move on to the next law I’m going to cover, I want to ask you this question. Is God willing to hurt His chosen people? Is God willing to hurt you and I, beloved ones, for a sovereign purpose that’s bigger than some temporary pain that we could encounter because of a higher purpose that He has for our lives? Well, to answer that question, we’re going to read now from the book of Genesis, chapter 32, verse 32. We’re looking at the law that’s titled the prohibition against eating the thigh muscle of any animal. Where do we get that from? OK, we’re asking the question, is God willing to hurt his chosen ones? And then from this question, we’re looking at the law, the prohibition against eating the thigh muscle of any animal. Where do we get that from? Hear the word of God. Therefore, to this day, the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew, that’s like a connective tissue, of the hip, which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip. Now what’s going on here? I know we jumped right in, but what is going on here? is that the patriarch Jacob was in a moment of crisis in his life. He had fled from his brother Esau, because you remember the situation where Jacob had taken Esau’s birthright by disguising himself as Esau to his father. Remember, he put on the animal hairs on his skin, and he told his father that he was Esau. Esau was the elder, and he gave his father some soup. And then his father blessed him. Jacob’s father blessed him. And Jacob then went away with the blessing that Esau, as the firstborn, thought he should have gotten. And when Esau found out what Jacob had done, how Jacob had tricked their father to take the blessing, Esau started pursuing or was going to murder Jacob. So Jacob bled for his life and 20 years had gone by. After 20 years, Jacob, Yaakov, we say in Hebrew, decided he was going to go back and meet his brother Esau. And so here he is, he’s fearing for his life. What’s Esau going to do when he sees me? Is Esau going to murder me? He didn’t know. And so in this moment of great crisis on his way to meet his brother, he goes to sleep one night at a place that was later called, Jacob named it Bethel, meaning the house of God. Because when Jacob went to sleep that night in the desert and laid his head on a rock that he was using as a pillow, the Lord visited him there. That’s why Jacob later called it Bethel, the house of God, because he met God there. And in this divine encounter, Jacob met the Lord. God came to him as a man and Jacob wrestled with him all night. And in the midst of this wrestling match, the Lord in the form of a man dislocated Jacob’s hip permanently. So Jacob came out of this God experience permanently walking with the limp. Now get this, it was only after the Lord dislocated Jacob’s hip in this divine encounter that the Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel, which means one who prevails with God. Now get this, Jacob only received that blessing having his name changed from Jacob, which means one who usurps, because he usurped his brother’s birthright, And that name was taken from him and instead he was given the name Israel, one who prevails with God. His name was changed after God dislocated his hip. What does that teach us? That oftentimes, beloved ones, God cannot fully bless us the way he wants to unless he first does something to break us. And so will God hurt his chosen ones? Sometimes he will. Not because he wants to hurt us, but because he wants to bless us. And we can only receive the blessing when our pride or our self-reliance has been broken. We need to be broken to become fully reliant upon the Lord before we can receive the full blessing of God, before His blessing can fully come in. We need to understand, beloved, that God’s ways are higher than our ways. And his thoughts are higher than our thoughts, even as the heavens are above the earth. So whatever you’re going through in life, whether you’re going through a time of refreshing where you’re feeling good or whether you’re going through something painful, keep trusting God because he’s going to bless you. Whether you’re going through a good time or whether you’re going through a painful time, he uses it all for good to conform you and I to the image of his son. There’s a portion in God’s Word that I’ve really been putting myself under, asking the Lord to shepherd me into perfect obedience. It’s the story of the rich young ruler that came to Jesus in Matthew 19. It’s also repeated in Mark and Luke. And the rich young ruler says to Jesus, good teacher. Jesus says, why do you call me good? Only God’s good. And then the rich young ruler said to Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Yeshua said, keep all the commandments. The rich young ruler said, I’ve done all the commandments from my youth. He was a moral man. Then Yeshua said to him, now go and sell everything you have and you will inherit the kingdom of God. And the Bible says the rich young ruler went away sad because he wasn’t able to surrender his possessions to the Lord. And the disciples were really like, wow, who can inherit the kingdom of God? Jesus said, what’s impossible with man is possible with God. Beloved, we don’t have to earn our salvation, but Jesus is calling for us to surrender. Will you surrender your finances to Him?
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. And you can give a financial gift of any amount. Go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com and give today. And if it’s easier, you can also call us. Our number is 800-777-7835. And you can also send your generous financial donations in the mail. Our address is Discovering the Jewish Jesus, P.O. Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan, 49228. And you’re giving today. It allows us to continue spreading the message of Jesus through the lens of Rabbi’s Jewish heritage. And each donation helps us reach more hearts with the truth that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. And speaking of the Hebrew Scriptures, right now you can pre-order Rabbi’s new book, Decoding the Torah. It’s a perfect complement to this brand new study. In it, you’ll discover the timeless wisdom of God’s commandments, and you’ll learn how the heart and intent behind these ancient precepts contain profound spiritual truths for believers today. Studying the Torah is a beautiful way to get rich insight into understanding God’s holiness, His justice, and His love. And through that understanding, Rabbi invites us to experience God’s principles not as a burden but as a gift and whether you’re jewish or gentile i believe decoding the torah will enrich your understanding of scripture today and in the years to come let me give you an example right now do you have a fence around the roof of your house Well, I don’t have a fence around the roof of my house either, but the Torah actually says for Israel to build fences around the roof of their house. Why? God was wanting to create safety in their homes. God has great principles in his word when we see them. You can purchase a copy of this book at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call 800-777-7835. Now here’s Rabbi with the Aaronic Blessing.
SPEAKER 03 :
The words from the Aaronic Blessing in the book of Numbers, chapter 6, verses 22 through 27, helps us to realize how good God is to you and I personally. So receive His blessing into your life, and then, beloved one, go bless somebody else in Jesus’ name today.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I’m Dustin Roberts. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider explains the mystery of our pain in God’s will. That’s Thursday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
