The Synagogue of the Gentiles
or
Long Fringes, Long Robes, Long Prayers and a Trumpet

By Edgar Jones

Introduction

The Jewish religious system of the First Century, including sacred scripture, synagogues and rabbi's, temple and priests, is the ancient equivalent of the modern church in Christendom.  It is the church of the Jews.

Conversely, the modern church in Christendom, including sacred scripture, churches and pastors, cathedrals and priests, is the modern equivalent of the ancient Jewish institution.  It is the synagogue of the Gentiles.

Further, the ancient Jewish parties of Pharisee, Sadducee, Essene, and others are the equivalent of the modern ecclesiastical parties of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.  I do not mean that the respective parties have equivalent beliefs, but that they are identical in a fundamental factionalism, in their identifying relationships to the societies in which they are imbedded and to God.

And further yet, it is our position that the rebukes that Jesus heaped onto the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, or simply "the Jews," are equally applicable to the Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox churchmen, or simply "the Christians."
 

Judging Institutions

Clearly we are making judgments, so it is imperative that we be just as clear as to what sort of judgments we are making.  First, there is no judgment here, real or implied, of any single human individual.  Jesus has forbidden that we pass such judgments:

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; (Luke 6:37)

I can neither exonerate nor condemn myself; much less can I do so to others.  If others find themselves, as individuals, being condemned here, that is because of their identification of themselves with institutions and practices of wickedness.  That, then, is their judgment, not mine.  It is my hope that every member of the church finds redemption in the Lord, just as I, who was once a member, also hope for myself.  In hope I count each one a brother or sister  That is my one hope for all who, like me, name the name of Jesus as their Lord.

I say to all that the association with a church is terribly hazardous to the Sprit that abides within you.  It is an association that tends to drag you down to hell. Yet the First Century Jewish institution, like the modern church, had staked out the high moral ground.  It consisted mostly of fine people with deep personal commitments to ministering to others, precisely as does the modern church.  They, too, hoped in God as surely as do modern Christians in every church.  They, too, made valuable contributions to their neighbors and the larger society precisely as do the members of the modern church.  They, too, sought to enshrine God in their national institutions.  All the good things we can say about the ministry of the church in the world today can just as appropriately be said about the ministry of the synagogues in First Century israel.  This is one of the reasons that I equate the two.

Secondly, I do make judgments on the institutions and the general leadership.  It is a part of our high calling, as it has always been the calling of God's children, to pronounce divine judgment on the failing institutions that afflicted their lands and as it was a part of the high calling of the prophets and the Lord Jesus.

The method here is to show this institutional equivalence by two processes: by identification and by differentiation.  We will go to the utterances of Jesus to find two things:

1. The characterization of his disciples.  This must inevitably differentiate them from both the synagogue and the church.

2. The characterization of the Jews, and in particular on their factions and their leaders.  This must inevitably identify them with the modern church, and in particular with their factions and their leaders.

I. Jesus' Characterization of His Disciples

A. The disciples are like unto sheep.

Sheep associate in flocks, each flock under a single shepherd.  The sheep are familiar with this shepherd, for they know his voice and they follow him.  They do not know the voice of a stranger, so they do not follow a stranger.  This was one of Jesus' favorite metaphors, related at length in the fourth gospel as follows:

1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber;
2 but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
6 This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them.
9 I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,
15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:1-16)

I have quoted this lengthy passage because we find that it characterizes the disciples of Jesus as sheep and Jesus himself as their shepherd.  Like the sheep, the disciples of Jesus know his voice and follow him, whereas they do not know the voice of a stranger and do not follow him.  Jesus identifies himself as their sole shepherd, "the good shepherd" who lays down his life, as a shepherd, for the sheep. The result of this is that there is only one shepherd, and only one flock, although they come from different folds. (v. 16)  It must be noted that Jesus does not present any of this as a goal, as a model, or as what "ought to be."  Everything is flatly stated as what is, and therefore can be no other.  Translating this out of the language of the metaphor, we have the following things that are unequivocally true:

1. The disciples know the voice of Jesus.
2. The disciples follow Jesus because they know his voice.
3. Jesus is their one and only shepherd.
4. All others who would be shepherds are strangers.
5. The disciples do not know the voice of strangers.
6. The disciples do not follow strangers.
7. The disciples flee from strangers.
8. There is only one flock, those disciples who, knowing only the voice of Jesus, follow only Jesus and flee from strangers.

Comparing these characteristics with that of the New Testament Jews, there is absolutely no correlation.  They did not know the voice of Jesus, did not believe he was from God and therefore refused to hear him.  This grieved Jesus greatly and so we find him weeping over Jerusalem because it was the time of their visitation and they would not accept their visitor.  Jesus diagnosed their condition when he said,

43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." (John 8:43-47)

So, they did not believe in Jesus and did not know him, and did not hear his voice and did not follow him.  Mind you, these were the Jews "who had believed in him." (v. 8:31f)  We find also, unlike the disciples, that they were divided into numerous flocks, each following different leaders.  I have listed some of their major divisions above, but there were many others, all of whom followed different teachers and other leaders, including military as well as religious "strange" shepherds.

We can only conclude that the Jews who were contemporary with Jesus, in particular "those who had believed in him" were not a part of the flock of Jesus.  They knew not the voice of Jesus and were following strangers. They are easy to differentiate from the disciples of Jesus.

Now let us shift our attention ahead about two millennia and what do we see?  We see religious institutions calling themselves "Christian" and professing, like certain ancient Jews, that they have believe in Jesus.  But they do not hear his voice, they do not know his voice and they flee from his voice to follow strangers, that is, preachers, prophets, and pastors other than Jesus.

How do we know they do not hear his voice?  Simply look at any one of many of the commandments of our Lord Jesus and see for yourselves.  He said, "Love your enemies."
But let a war come and those who "have believed in him" will march off to kill others "who have believed in Jesus."  There are a few exceptions.  We are not speaking of them.

How do we know they do not hear his voice?  Simply look across the land and see that they are divided into many, many flocks, each following its own shepherd and none of them following Jesus; it is clear that if they followed Jesus, there would be only the one Shepherd.  There would then be only the one flock. The word "pastor" is also defined as "shepherd", so that every church that has pastors has shepherds other than Jesus.  But the flock of Jesus, by his own Word, has only one shepherd.  They are easily differentiated from the disciples of Jesus.

Conclusion: Neither the Jews of the First Century, (even those who had believed in Jesus), nor the churchmen of the Twenty First Century (even those who have believed in Jesus) are following Jesus.  Yet each serves the same function in its own culture, that of spiritual guidance and moral leadership.  Therefore the First Century Jewish religious establishment was the church of the Jews, and the Twenty First Century religious establishment in Christendom is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  They are easy to identify with one another and to differentiate from the disciples of Jesus.

B.  The Disciples Have a Single Administrator

This follows from their having a single Shepherd, but Jesus expanded the concept, making it cover the full spectrum of administrators of the flock.

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.
11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant;
12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:8-12)

The Greek equivalent for "rabbi" of verse 8 is didaskalos, which is "teacher."  Jesus is the disciples' one and only teacher:

You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. (John 13:13)

So, it is very simple.  Jesus of Nazareth is the only authorized teacher of his disciples.  There can be no others.  He did not say, "You ought to have me as your only teacher."
No, it is simply, "You have one teacher."

Therefore, in the little flock of Jesus' disciples, there is and can be only one teacher, Jesus.  This seems an altogether inappropriate to most people, who have depended all their lives on having a variety of teachers in the churches and synagogues.  But Jesus' disciples abide in his Words, and only in his Words, so that he is our only authorized teacher.

We will skip over verse 23:9 for the moment, which requires special and independent treatment.  So we come to verse 23:10,

10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.

The Greek here is kathagêtês, which means "leader" or "guide.".  Some source documents have this word also in verse 8, but this is not appropriate there because it does not quite correspond to "rabbi" as does didaskalos. In addition, the word "neither" that begins verse 10 would not be appropriate if kathagates had already been entered in verese 8.  So here, in verse 10, is where it belongs, and again, the simple fact that this title and the function that goes with it are forbidden is that we, the disciples of Jesus, have only one leader, Jesus himself.  This is perfectly consistent with Jesus' insistence that the disciples "follow me" in the Way of the Cross.  This word can also apply to a teacher, since it is the teacher that guides the followers into and along the way of the cross.

Of course, since we, the disciples of Jesus, have only one Shepherd (and the shepherd is always the leader of the sheep), we can have only one leader, the "Good Shepherd" that is Jesus.

If we now compare this characterization of the disciples as those who have only one teacher and only one leader to the New Testament Jews, we find a sharp differentiation, for the Jews of that day, as today, had many leaders and teachers or "rabbis".  They clearly are not the little flock of Jesus.  They are easily differentiated.

Now shift your attention forward to today and compare this characterization of the disciples with modern churchmen.  Are the churches not packed with teachers and leaders, yes, even "great leaders?"  They are clearly not representative of the little flock of Jesus.  They are easily differentiated.

Conclusion: neither the Jews of the First Century nor the churchmen of the Twenty First Century are representative of the disciples of Jesus.  Yet each served or serves the function of providing religious teaching and leadership in their respective cultures.  They are easily identified, the one with the other.  Therefore I conclude that the Jewish religious establishment of the First Century was the church of the Jews, and the church of the Twenty First Century is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  The New Testament Jewish establishment had a complex administration, just as does the modern church.  They cannot possibly be the disciples of Jesus who create offices, titles, by laws and other functions of administration when, for the disciples of Jesus, there is but one administrator and but one set of by laws as found in the Word of Jesus.

C. The Disciples Have One Father

This is the profound significance of verse 9:

And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

This simple statement is a major emphasis throughout the ministry of Jesus, and is fundamental to all his work and Words.  It simply is a fact that the disciples of Jesus have only one Father.  This results in their distinctive practice, in obedience to their Lord, of refusing to call any man on earth "father."  "Father" is a name that Jesus has hallowed, and that he taught his disciples to hallow at the beginning of every  prayer,

2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. (Luke 11:2)

What a radical doctrine to plant in the midst of the Jews of the New Testament!  Those Jews, who doted on the patriarchs as their fathers and who took great national pride in that fact, were continually boasting, for example, of their descendence from "Father Abraham."  They clearly were not of the flock of Jesus.  They are easily differentiated.

What a radical doctrine to plant in the midst of modern churchmen!  Everywhere we look they are calling some man "father".  There is the father who sired them, there is the father of their country and, most heinous to Jesus, they apply the name to priests, pastors, bishops, patriarchs and popes in many of their churches.  Also, like the Jews, many of them claim Abraham as their father also in consequence of their claiming the faith of Abraham, the supposed father of those who have faith.  They have, of course, been taught to do this by another man on the earth, another ancient Jew by the name of Saul, of Tarsus in Cilicia, who also maintained that he was himself a father of his followers.  So, again, they are easily differentiated from the disciples of Jesus.

Conclusion: neither the New Testament Jews not the modern churchmen can be rightly called the disciples of Jesus because, in distinction to the latter, they each profess many fathers and title them such, a sacrilege in the Word of Jesus.  Yet each is foremost in honoring the place of the fathers, personal, national, and spiritual, in its own culture.  Therefore the Judaism of the New Testament was the church of the Jews, and the modern church is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  They serve identical functions, have identical commitments to fatherhood, and are therefore easily identified the one with the other.
 

D. The Disciples Are Not of this World

One of the clearest statements to be found anywhere in the Word, concerning the disciples of Jesus, is this:

14 I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:14-16)

The disciples "are not of the world"!  Is that not a simple conception that all can understand?  This "not-of-ness" is the result of their having a relationship to a kingdom that is "not of this world."  Pilate questioned Jesus and he responded:

My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world. (John 18:36)

This matter of being "not of this world" and belonging to a kingdom that is "not of this world" therefore has a radical effect on the conduct of disciples; in particular, they do not fight!  Thus, Jesus shows how being "not of the world" dictates the conduct of those who follow him.  This applies to the matter of fighting. It also applies to many other manifestations of the kingdom to which the disciples belong that we can only conclude that it revolutionizes the conduct of all the disciples of Jesus by comparison with others who are, in contrast, very much of this world.

Jesus' Jewish contemporaries, by this standard, were very much of this world.  They were prone to fight, as their ancestors from David forward had rushed to the colors whenever they were called.  Jesus foresaw that they would, after his departure, embark on yet another national "holy war" to free the land from the Romans, and he wept over a Jerusalem in which "they knew not the things that make for peace."

This worldly manner of conduct ruled the Jews in all their dealings, not only in matters of war, but also in matters of ethnic religious relationships and in every thing that they valued in life.  They simply did not belong to the fellowship of Jesus' disciples and must be carefully differentiated from them.  And they are easy to differentiate.

This worldly manner of conduct also rules the Christian Church in the world, showing that the church is, in contrast to the disciples of Jesus, of the world.  When the world goes to war, the Church goes to war.  In stark contrast with the disciples of Jesus, its members do fight!  When the world takes on hedonistic tendencies, so does the Church.  When the world establishes the institution of slavery, as in the United States prior to the Great Civil War, so does the Church.  When the world engages in an unjust forced segregation of minority groups as it did in the American South prior to the Civil Right Movement, so does the Church.  When the conscience of the world rejects these unjust practices so, does the Church.  The United States of America rejected racial segregation in 1954; the Church, while nodding agreement, still has not rejected the same inside the churches but is yet slowly, oh so slowly, conforming to the world.  The churchmen are easily differentiated from the disciples of Jesus.

So, there is simply no significant difference in this matter of being of the world, between the synagogue of the First Century and the Church of the Twenty First Century.  Therefore, I can only conclude that the First Century synagogue was the church of the Jews and the modern Church is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  They are easily identified in their common stance to the world of which they are/were a part.

Jesus made many other characterizations of his disciples, but this should be sufficient to establish our basic thesis.  In the interest of brevity we need not consider more.

II. Jesus' Characterization of the Jews

A.  The Characterization of the Ministry

1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;
3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.
4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,
7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. (Matthew 23:1-7)

38 And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places
39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,
40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." (Mark 12;38-40)

Long fringes, long robes, long prayers!  Do we need to expand on this characterization of the First Century Jewish clergy?  But tell us, please, how do they differ from the clergy in the modern church? Is it not there also that we find the long fringes, long robes, and long prayers, all very public? The similarity is so basic that I am forced to conclude, as heretofore, that the synagogue of the First Century was the church of the Jews, and the church of the Twenty First Century is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  They are easily identified.

B. The Characterization of the Laity

In the following quotation from Jesus, it is evident that Jesus has broadened the objects of this characterization to include the man in the pew.  These words are specifically pointed at one point, that of public displays of piety.

1 "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  (Matthew 6:1-9)

16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

We must assume that the true disciples follow the injunctions of Jesus and are therefore responsive to his urging, "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them;"  They therefore differ greatly from the "Jew in the pew."  These instructions from our Lord cover the matters of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer.  All three, to conform to the pattern of piety of Jesus and the disciples, must be in secret.  Admittedly it is difficult to spot this secret almsgiving, fasting, and prayer in the world today.  Is this because it does not exist, or is it simply because it is secret?

But the Jews contemporary with Jesus did not do these things in secret.  By making them public, even in worship that was public, the Jews failed utterly to qualify as disciples. They are clearly differentiated from the disciples of Jesus!

Look at the modern Church!  Where is the difference between the modern Church and the First Century Synagogue?  How do either correspond with the practices of secret piety Jesus laid down for his disciples?

Conclusion

The difference between church and synagogue is minuscule, the identification is global.  Therefore, again, we can only conclude that the Jewish religious institution of the First Century was the church of the Jews and the modern Church is the synagogue of the Gentiles.  They maintain the same identities with their respective cultures and worlds, follow the same principles of conduct that rules their respective cultures and worlds, they exhibit the same practices of piety to the world and fulfill the same functions in their respective cultures and in the world.  They are many flocks, large flocks, having many shepherds, many lords, many teachers, many leaders, and many fathers.  They share the common traits of long fringes, long robes, and long prayers.  And they sound their trumpets!  I don't mean literal trumpets.  Television, radio, and newsprint have a much wider reach than the trumpet ever had.  They do their pious acts in public.

The disciples of Jesus are clearly differentiated from both synagogue and church by the same Word.  Their differences are global; their similarities, if any, are minuscule.  They are the one flock, a small flock, having one Shepherd and one Lord, one Teacher, one Leader, and one Father.  They are not of the world, do not follow the principles of worldly conduct, do not exhibit the same pious practices as worldly persons, and have no worldly or cultural functions to fulfill.  They have no fringes, no long robes and no long prayers.  They practice a secret piety.  How could they ever be identified with either the synagogue or the church?  Take another careful look at the summation of the nature of disciples that Jesus put forward in John 10:1-16:

1. The disciples know the voice of Jesus.
2. The disciples follow Jesus because they know his voice.
3. Jesus is their one and only shepherd.
4. All others who would be shepherds are strangers.
5. The disciples do not know the voice of strangers.
6. The disciples do not follow strangers.
7. The disciples flee from strangers.
8. There is only one flock, those disciples who, knowing only the voice of Jesus, follow only Jesus and flee from strangers.

Long fringes, long robes, long prayers . . . . . . and a trumpet!

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