God chose his Scriptures to be written and preserved by Jewish men from a Jewish culture and from a Jewish frame of reference. God also chose our Saviour Messiah Jesus to be born a Jew and raised in a Jewish family. His life was played out in the Jewish culture of 1st Century Israel. We need to understand the Scriptures as God wrote them through the Jewish perspective if we are to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Historically we have been taught the Jewish Scriptures from a Gentile Western perspective. Trying to force a Gentile Western perspective on some of the Jewish Scriptures can lead to misinterpreting the Word of God.
One such example of many is the prophecy Jesus gave to the Pharisees, “so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40b)
This phrase does not necessarily require that 72 hours elapse between Christ’s death and resurrection, for the Jews reckoned part of a day to be as a whole day. Thus this prophecy can be properly fulfilled if the crucifixion occurred on Friday.
Studying the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective will also give a balanced understanding of God’s heart for mankind in general and for the Jew in particular.
Dr Arnold G Fruchtenbaum, Founder and Director of Ariel Ministries, a Messianic Jewish believer and Bible teacher from a Jewish perspective, has produced a wealth of such studies.
Visit www.ariel.org, or contact Cyril Cannon 01323 720528 for further information.