By Mati Shoshani REVIVE ISRAEL
Being a follower of Yeshua requires communicating our personal version of the message of salvation. In addition, our calling, both personally and collectively, is also to be a moral compass to society, by voicing our values, standards, and understanding of “right and wrong.”
Isaiah chapter 40 speaks of a need to prepare the way of the Lord, of changing the terrain to allow for his coming. The passage is quoted in Mark chapter 1 – as John the Baptist’s call for a moral revolution becomes the precursor to the appearance of Yeshua.
Yeshua himself was a man calling for a moral revolution. He often criticized the legalistic discussion of ritual commandments, yet emphasized the values and morals behind the words of the Torah. An example of this is found in Mark 10 where Yeshua sets a higher standard of morality as it relates to the covenant of marriage.
As an Israeli Messianic Jew, I ask: who’s deciding on our society’s morality and ethics? Is it us, the followers of Yeshua, or others? If we look at some of the most important questions to our society – godliness, financial integrity, ownership of the land, marital standards – it’s clear that we are not those setting the tone on these topics.
We are required to tell people what we believe, when an issue involving moral values comes across our path. This does not always require sharing the gospel, although it might in certain cases. It means that we clearly state that we believe that something is wrong, or right. It is as simple, and hard, as that.
The people of Israel are hungry for moral content, for a clear image and vision of the goals we need to aspire to as a society. We have that content, through the Bible, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit, and I believe it’s time we penetrate society with our message.
