Yeshua and the First Church By Rabbi Stanley Chester.

Yeshua and the First Church

By Rabbi Stanley Chester


• Shalom, let’s start.

• In this class we are going to learn that the first church was Jewish and everything about it was from Jewish concepts.

• We’re going to learn that there wasn’t even a Gentile leader of the Church until about 100 years after Yeshua


• We’re also going to understand the Church today was based (loosely) on the structure of the first century synagogue and we’re going to learn the proper Hebrew terms for the different positions within it’s hierarchy.

• We need to know this information so we can properly build our own Messianic synagogues on this same model.


• Ok, It’s often asked by Gentile Christians why Messianics have to have their own Messianic Congregations

• They also ask why do we have to be different then the Gentile Church.

• They say aren’t we all one in Christ?

• Slide 1 please


• But my question is… should the gentile church really be pointing out that we are different when in fact there are hundreds of Gentile denominations?

• 60 of them alone are Baptist


• Maybe when the Gentile Church can decide how they can all get together as one body, then perhaps they can say something about us.

• They need to pull the beam out of their eye before they try to pull the speck out of ours.


• But what about Galatians 3:28?• Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek,

there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.


• Many Christians use that as a platform to say that Messianic Judaism is wrong right from the very start.

• They say that if you are a Believer then you shouldn’t even point out that you are Jewish or Messianic… we’re all the same.


• But let’s look at that passage again.• It also says there is neither male or female.• Have you noticed that after you become a

Believer you are still either a man or a woman?

• Well according to the logic that we are all the same, then they shouldn’t tell anyone that they are male or female.


• It sounds so silly, but it’s true.

• These Christians have totally missed the point of this passage.

• What that Scripture means is we all have access to the same Salvation and the same love that Yeshua offers us.


• We all have different callings as well.

• Some are called to be Rabbis

• some are called to be evangelists

• some teachers

• just as Eph 4:11 says


• (Eph 4:11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

• So we’re not all the same. • Christians in democratic countries often try

and fit the Lo-d's Body into the mold of their civil government. Let me say that again…


• G-d’s government is not a democracy, it is a theocracy. That means we don’t all have a vote, it’s G-d’s way or no way

• We have to stop trying to interpret Scripture from the point of view of our own little time and space and interpret it from the mindset

of first century Judaism.


• If ones thinking isn’t correct from the beginning it will not end up correct. Just like a plumb bob.

• Slide 2 please



• It’s an instrument that has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians

• by bricklayers, masons, and carpenters to ensure that their constructions are "plumb", or perfectly upright.


• If you do not use a plumb bob your foundation will not be straight.

• Slide 3 please


• And no matter how many bricks you put on top of it, it will never be correct.

• if your house isn't straight, it will fall.. it may take a while but it will go down.



• And that’s exactly what’s happening to the Christian Church, it is collapsing

• I’ve spoken at hundreds of churches and every mainline denomination out there and what I see most prevalent is a dissatisfaction in Church doctrine.


• People are seeing the holes in Christian thought • and when they see those holes, they become

disillusioned, • cynical • and many even leave the faith all together.• It’s at the point now that even the more intelligent

people never become Believers because they see the holes before even getting involved with Christianity


• How bad is it when sinners can see the problems before we do

• Well Messianic Judaism attacks those problems and deals with them.

• Let me give you an example.

• Lets look at

Mat 18:21 and 22

• (Mat 18:21) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

• (Mat 18:22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.


• Modern Christian thought interprets that as we’re supposed to forgive anyone who wrongs us 70 times 7 for anything they do to us.

• In first century Judaism you would forgive someone multiple times if they were repentant

• and if they sincerely were and they asked you multiple times, you were supposed to forgive them


• All Yeshua did was reinforce that.

• It was never meant for us to just go around as some Christians believe going I forgive you I forgive you to just anyone.

• G-d doesn’t even do that.

• When does G-d forgive us?


• When we repent and ask Him to forgive us.

• If He forgave everyone even those who didn’t ask then no one would go to hell would they?

• Are we better then G-d so we forgive everyone, G-d is so limited that he can only forgive those who ask Him.


• But we’re so much better then He is?• Now there are times when we should forgive when

someone hurts us in ignorance. And that was also accounted for in First century Judaism

• Christians are quick to point out Yeshua saying forgive them when he was on the cross. But the key part of that verse is the very next part, for they know not what they do


• They didn’t realize they were killing the Son of G-d.

• They were ignorant.

• So The Jews had it right about forgiveness in Yeshua’s time, Yeshua just emphasized it and then the Christians distorted it


• So, we are different.

• Messianics think differently

• We understand scripture differently

• We understand the history of the church differently

• We are different and we will stand out


• Is that so unlike what G-d has done in the past?

• Didn’t he call the Jews out from the rest of the world?

• So what makes us think that Believers in Yeshua will not also be called out from a false Church?


• A false church who has generally left out the Jewish factor in all of Christian history.

• In Bible school we studied a lot of church history.

• You know when they start you?

• At 200 to 300 years AD.

• Now why would they do that?


• In my mind the best part is before that. Most of what happened in 200 and 300 AD and afterwards is irrelevant.

• I’m not saying it’s completely useless but it’s not what we should spend most of our time on in Bible school.


• It’s the first century that’s important. If we’re going to be like Yeshua then we need to know what He did when he was here.

• And what he did when he was here was entirely Hebraic.

• Both the old testament and the new testament are highly Hebraic with the background, writers culture religion, traditions and concepts all being Hebraic.


• And since that is true any study concerning it, should be done from that perspective.

• I’m going to be very straight forward here• If you’re getting your next sermon ready and you

sit down to interpret the bible and you’re not thinking Jew Jew Jew, then you’re not starting from the right frame of mind.

• If you’re thinking American American American. You’ve already lost


• If you’re thinking Greek Greek Greek. Close your bible start again

• Because you have already thrown out any concern for background, writers culture religion, traditions and concepts of the book you want to speak about


• Ok it was well into the second century that the Jewish believers removed themselves from mainline Judaism.

• Before that The Jews and the Jewish Believers in Yeshua went to the same synagogue

• the same temple • they did everything that the Jews did • no different other then that they knew that Yeshua

was the Messiah and that he had died to wash away their sins.


• Before the temple was destroyed they even still gave sacrifice. Even after the death and resurrection of Yeshua

• So that whole idea that Jesus was our last and final sacrifice is a bunch of malarkey

• There’s going to be sacrifices again in the last days so how could he be the last sacrifice?


• Sure our attitude towards sacrifice will be different in the last days

• they’ll be done as a memorial but they are still sacrifices.

• So the first believers were still very much a part of the synagogue.

• There’s much evidence of this and we can look at one right now.


• Matt 10:17• But beware of men: for they will deliver

you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

• You weren’t scourged in a synagogue unless you were part of a synagogue… Talmud San 9:6

• Yeshua knew they’d be in the synagogues for sometime when he said that.


• Everything about the first church was Jewish• The first 15 leaders of the first church were all

Jews• Slide 4 please• This is Eusebius, some of you might remember

him from the church fathers class, he’s known as the father of Church history


• Esebius tells us that the first leaders of the church were “all of the circumcision” and that the whole church under them were Jews


• Hegisipus ( a second century messianic Jew 110 - 180 AD) According to Eusebius, Hegisipus wrote his books around 180 AD.

• Hegisipus said the Messianics chose Simeon a cousin of the lord to succeed James who was the first rabbi of the messianic congregation in Israel


• Epiphanius lists the remaining 13

• Slide 5 please• Epiphanius lived from 310-

320 he was a Jew himself born in Israel who later became the bishop of Salamis (Cyprus)


• Those 13 that are listed are Justus Zaccheus Tobias Benjamin john Matthias Philip Seneca Justus Levi Ephraim Josephus and Jude they were all Jewish leaders

• That list takes us clear up to the Bar Kochba revolt in 132AD

• I’ll explain what the Bar Kochba revolt was for those who don’t know


• The Bar Kochba revolt was a revolt against the Romans by the Jews.

• Simon bar Kochba, was the commander of the revolt, he was acclaimed as THE Messiah by a man at that time who was named Rabbi Akiva.

• I did my Mishnaic studies at an Orthodox Yeshiva named after him.


• Personally I don’t like Akiva because he was the one responsible for the Jewish believers having to split from mainline Judaism.

• He told the Messianic Jews they had to believe that Bar Kochba was the Messiah or or they couldn’t be with them.


• And that’s what separated the Messianics from the other Jews

• In Bible school they try to paint a picture that it was the Believers who separated themselves from the Jewish people because they had a new religion


• But that’s not true in the least.

• The Believers didn’t want to separate from the Jews

• but they had no choice because they were given an ultimatum.

• Think about that


• If Christians were not given an ultimatum now would they still be with the Jews today?

• It’s a good question.

• The disciples had no problem worshiping with the Jews after Yeshua died and rose from the dead. Even after Pentecost!


• (Act 2:46) And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

• (Act 2:47) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

• They wouldn’t have been going to the Temple if there was something wrong with it


• They did not have a problem with it for over a hundred years. All the way up to 132 ad but would Christians have a problem with it today? I think many of them would.


• So the first gentile leader appointed was a man Marcus killed in 156ad.

• Before him, all the leaders were Jewish.

• The only reason he became a leader was because

• The Jews at that time had fled to Pella in Perea in Jordan.


• Slide 6 please• But even while in

Jordan, they kept to the Law while the Gentiles slowly began to distance themselves from anything Jewish.


• And from that point on, Paganism crept in• It was effectively at that time that Messianic

Judaism was almost snuffed out completely.• The Notzreem continued on for a while but it was

never as strong as it once was.• So since that first hundred years was completely

Jewish the structure of the local synagogue was carried directly over to the first church

• And we’ll talk about that in video 2 of this class


• Growing up in church we used all these names like deacon Pastor precentor (song leader) and every one of these names came from the synagogue.

• The first century church never called a Pastor a Pastor. He was called the Nasi which meant president


• Matter of fact Justin Martyr (100–165) who is considered a church father by today's Christian church slide 7 please


• this is Justin Martyr

• he was not even a Jew He was born in Israel in Shechem, but even he called the leader of the church the president as late as 150ad


• In the synagogue structure three Nasis would make up a tribunal

• This was for judging cases concerning money, theft, immorality, admission of proselytes as well as many other things. This is all in tractate Sanhedrin of the Talmud.


• These men were known as the rulers of the synagogue.

• Have you heard that phrase before?• Remember Jairus

• (Mar 5:22) And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

• Jairus was a Nasi


• (Luk 8:41) And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:


• These courts set up by 3 or more Nasi is later talked about by Paul in 1 Corinthians

• 1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

• 1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?


• And understand this that was a gentile church he was talking to.

• So even the gentiles at that time were still going by the model of the Jewish synagogue


• Ok there was also a public minister of the synagogue called a chazan.

• The chazan would pray • preach • and take care of the general oversight of the

reading of the law and other congregational duties. • He did not read the law himself • but he did stand next to the one who was reading it

correcting if needed and overseeing it.


• I’m telling you all this so you can structure your own congregations this way.

• If you’re already leading a Messianic Synagogue you may say “how can we just all of a sudden change the way we do everything.

• There’s a good answer to that. How have you ever proved what you’re saying is true? By using the word of G-d.

• By using the Word of G-d• Show them that the Church was born from the

Synagogue just like I’m showing you now


• Back to the chazan • He selected 7 readers each week who were well

educated in the Hebrew scripture• The group consisted of one priest one Levite and

five regular Israelites • The chazan was also called “overseer” “minister

of the synagogue” also the “Messenger of the Church” or “Angel of the Church” (in Greek the word angel means messenger)


• Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;


• (Rev 2:8) And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;


• (Rev 2:12) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;


• Thyatira• Sardis• Philadelphia• Laodicea


• All letters to the Chazan


• Acts 20:28

• Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you a Chazan (overseer). Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.


• In the synagogue structure there were also 3 men known as the Gabbay Tzedikah (charity treasurer). who cared for the poor. They would distribute alms. They also had to know the Scripture. This is where we get the position of the Deacon from.


• I got this from a Baptist site…

• The office of deacon was a newly created position in the early church. There was no parallel office of deacon in Judaism. Jewish religion had priests and Levites and scribes and Pharisees, but no deacons.


• You see Gentile Christians will do whatever they can to separate Christianity from it’s Hebrew roots. They don’t want to admit to anything Jewish if they don’t have to.

• They will even make things up when they don’t know what they’re talking about.

• Look at this again


• They had priests and Levites and scribes and Pharisees, but no deacons.

• Do you see how much he leaves out here. He doesn’t even mention the Essenes or the dead sea sect no chazan no Nasi.

• And what about the Gabbay Tzedikah?


• I hope that as we really start getting into the scripture you’ll begin to see the anti-Semitism in the church.

• Anti-Semitism doesn’t just mean you hate the Jews. It means anything anti-Jewish


• Look at this other part

• “The office of deacon was a newly created position in the early church”

• Gentile Christians want to think that everything Christian is new.

• Deacon was a new thing it was a New Christian thing


• Communion was a new thing it was a New Christian thing

• Baptism was a new thing it was a New Christian thing

• Shut up shut up shut up shut up!• None of those were new they had already

been done long before Christianity came along.


• Yeshua did do something new. His death on the cross did more then atone for our sins. His blood washed them away.


• So, we have the Nasi, the Chazan, the Gabbay Tzedikah.

• There were other positions as well. There was the Shaliach.

• It means announcer. • From that term we get the word Apostle

which means one who is sent forth to announce the gospel.


• There was also the Maggid. Who was basically a missionary.

• Today Judaism doesn’t participate in much procelitization.

• But that wasn’t always true.

• They used to be very strong in Missions


• And the Maggid would go from place to place as a migratory evangelist speaking at various congregations.

• There was also the Batlan or plural Batlaneem• Today if you say someone is a Batlan, it means

he’s lazy but that’s not what it meant back then• In first century Judaism The Batlan was a resident

scholar and teacher. • He would’ve been independently wealthy and

available 7 days a week


• Later in time the Batlan was someone who was supported by the community

• and they would sometimes become lazy because they didn’t really work.

• They were kept on in the synagogue however because Rashi wrote in the Mishna that if you have ten Batlaneem, you were a city


• If you had less, you were only a village.

• So it became a sign of influence.

• Ten Batlaneem also make a minyan.

• If you do not have a minyan (10 adults) you do not have a Synagogue

• There was also the Zaken


• Zaken means old in Hebrew• He was the one who counseled or Pastored the

people.• Now the pastor is the one who is the head of the

Church but the pastor was supposed to be just a councilor or elder, the elder was actually a lay person in fist century Judaism

• You can see the church has really strayed from where it was supposed to be.


• The Rabbi was considered to be a prophet and a teacher. He would read and preach the word and exhort and edify the people just like it says in 1rst Corinthians 14:3

• (1Co 14:3) But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.


• There was also the interpreter.

• He was called the Meturgan. He was not only skilled in languages, he also knew how to interpret what the teacher was saying. He could convey the essence of what the teacher was trying to communicate.


• The Meturgan could foresee what the teacher was expressing and make it hit the people right in the heart.

• The Meturgan position goes all the way back to Ezra.

• What would happen is the Teacher would speak into the ear of the Meturgan and then the Meturgan would say it loudly to the whole congregation

• We see Yeshua refer to this in• Matt 10:27


• (Mat 10:27) what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

• So that’s pretty much the structure of the first church. That’s what we want to follow

• See you soon

Yeshua and the First Church By Rabbi Stanley Chester.

Documents

yeshua slide

gentile church

church eph

church ok

baptist slide

church gds government

gentile christians

rabbi stanley chester