On Divine Appointments and Human Shortcomings

So I'm in Highlands, NC for work this week. I'm done with work for the day and sitting in a nice cafe courtyard downtown, enjoying an ice cream and coffee while I work on some church stuff. It's an absurdly nice town, the courtyard dominated by high-end boutiques with clever names like "Spoiled Rotten" or "Colonel Mustard's" (which looked to have nothing but over-priced mustard in expensive little jars lining the walls). As I'm sitting, enjoying my treats with Bible and notebook open, an older couple comes into the area looking for a place to sit. Seeing as I am a lone man sitting at a table that easily seats four, I offer them the other chairs at my table. In their response there is a thick accent, which I ask them about. Turns out, they are Jews originally from Israel, and the accent has stuck in spite of 48 years living in Canada and the US, the last 40 years spent in Atlanta. 

Our conversation is friendly and enjoyable. I mention that I studied biblical Hebrew in seminary and we discuss that for some time. We talk about the businesses the husband has started, grown, and sold for hefty profits. We talk about Christian pastoral ministry. We talk about the Old Testament, particularly David. We talk about the insanity of Atlanta traffic. Anything and everything. 

As we continue discussing the Bible, they mention that they are Hasidic Jews, though of a more moderate stripe than the ones I am familiar with. We talk about Hasidism for a few minutes, after which the husband mentions the Hasidic prohibition on reading the New Testament. I mentioned that I have heard that Hasidic Jews are not only forbidden from reading the New Testament, but also Isaiah 53. They never stated whether or not this was true, but neither of them seemed to know it, and asked what it said that might be forbidden. I proceeded to open my Bible and read Isaiah 53:1-6, which reads,

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and  the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

I explained that I thought Jews were forbidden from reading this, because it seems to point so clearly to Jesus Christ and His suffering and death on the cross. They seemed moved on some level by this passage, but to what extent, I cannot say. We continued talking for a few more minutes before they had to leave for a dinner reservation. We shook hands, exchanged names, and parted ways. I told them I was in town for a few more days and to say hello if they saw me around. 

As so often happens after I experience a divine appointment, I walked away from the situation going over all the things I could have said. I could have talked about the free grace of the gospel vs. the merit-focused, man-centered ideology of rabbinical Judaism. I could have taken them to the gospel accounts of Jesus' crucifixion and shown them all the ways He fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. I could have done a lot of things. But I didn't. They had already stayed and talked with me past the time they should have left for their dinner. 

I might be up tonight in bed, tossing and turning and replaying the conversation in my head, going over all the "could've, should've, would've". But I hope not. God gave me an opportunity to meet two strangers, have a very enjoyable conversation, and read Scripture to them and point them to Jesus, even in the most basic way. For that, I am thankful, and I rejoice that our God is in the heavens, and He does whatever He pleases. My trust is put in God's promise from just two chapters after what I shared, Isaiah 55, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Join me in praying for the souls of Ami (husband) and Micky (wife), that they would both come to know the Suffering Christ and eternal life in Him.

+ In Christ +