North Greenville University, where Christ makes the difference: Could Jews say that Christ makes the difference in their lives?
Mary Margaret Flook, Staff Writer
“On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
Those words are lines of a famous hymn sung by Christians. Yet, on what rock do present day Jews stand? Have gentile Christians today forgotten about the Jews?
A few students from North Greenville University got the opportunity to visit a Jewish Synagogue. The students went on Saturday, the Jew’s day of rest known as, Shabbat. One of the students that went was Julia Low, a sophomore Christian studies major.
Low explained how her and her friends were invited to go to the synagogue. Low said that there was a young woman with her daughter who came to a recital at North Greenville University’s campus. Low and her friend happened to be doing work outside and the young woman stepped outside the concert for a minute with her daughter. Low said that her and her friend were able to meet and talk to this Jewish woman. The Jewish woman then invited them to a synagogue.
When asked why Julia wanted to go to the synagogue, she said she wanted to learn more about the religion and be prepared for Lord-willing future conversations with other Jews. She said that she wanted to listen and understand them better, not to just throw stuff at them, but rather to understand where they are coming from. That way she can graciously share the gospel with them from a humble standpoint.
Another student that went to the synagogue was Kenzie Doughtie. Doughtie described what took place at the service.
She said that when they walked in, they were praying all together, reciting a prayer in Hebrew. Doughtie said that they would sing songs from their book of hymns and prayers in Hebrew. She said they would speak in English when they would transition from one thing to the other.
After, Doughtie said that they carried around the scroll which she believed was the Torah. They sang a song while the scroll was being brought around. Doughtie said that she was not sure if they were praising the Torah or singing a song about the Torah.
Next, Doughtie said that one of the leaders talked about the passage, which was Leviticus one and two. Doughtie said that one thing that surprised her was the way that they view sacrifice.
Doughtie said, “They see sacrifices as worship simply developed by humans for their God. Rather than it being ordained by God to be the atonement of their sins.”
One thing that Low noticed was that modern day Jews have different views than the Jewish people in the Old Testament. Low said that some of the Jews she was talking to said that all religions are basically based off the same God.
In addition, when Low asked what the hope and purpose of Judaism is they said it was to do what is right, keep peace and just be kind to people.
In contrast, Low said that in the Old Testament God’s people were supposed to submit themselves to the one true God and that the Lord calls them to holiness.
Doughtie said that she was brokenhearted when she realized how incomplete their view of God was. She said that it made her thankful that she gets to see God for who He is, though it is still incomplete because God is so transcendent.
When asked how Low felt during the service, she said that she was very grateful for the woman who invited her that helped instruct and guide her through the service.
Low said, “And it was really cool listening to the Old Testament being spoken in Hebrew, even though I had no idea what they were saying. I was still able to follow along in the book with the English transition next to the Hebrew, which was super helpful.”
The NGU students in attendance were invited to stay and have lunch after the service.
When speaking of the interactions that her and her friends were able to have, Low said that the people seemed more on the serious side yet were very informative.
“We were definitely asking a lot of questions,” said Low.
When asked about any prior background or knowledge about Judaism that Low may have had, Low mentioned her world religions class that she is taking.
Low said, “I am currently taking a world religions class, and a month or so back we did read a chapter on Judaism and so that was really helpful or sure. But at the same time, not nearly as informative as actually being in the synagogue and actually talking to the Jewish people and hearing what they had to say.”
When asked how the experience affected Low’s faith she said, “It made me grateful for Jesus Christ. And just the fact that He is truth, and our relationship is not dependent on works, but it’s dependent upon the faithfulness of our God and Jesus Himself. And so that was definitely comforting.”
Doughtie was also affected by her attendance at the Jewish synagogue.
Doughtie said, “It encouraged me to remember the reasons why I believe that Jesus truly is the Messiah, the son of God, the fulfillment of the Old Testament.”
This experience also caused Doughtie to have questions. She said that she had many questions about her beliefs and their beliefs. She said she immediately thought after, “What if Jesus wasn’t the Messiah?”
Yet, Doughtie said she went to the Bible, and thought about the reality of the situation. She said that if Jesus was not her Savior that she would have all of her sin placed on herself to atone for.
Doughtie said, “I have no other choice but to follow Jesus. That’s really my conclusion.”
