A Most Important Question

There is a very important question, one that you probably haven't thought much about. This question is so important, that the way you answer it will lead you potentially to a life-changing dilemma. You will have a choice to make. It is a choice that you have likely not been made aware of until now but as you will see momentarily has been hidden in plain sight since the beginning. It is impossible to over emphasize this fine but major point. The question is trifold, what is the seat of Moses, what authority does it have today and lastly, who occupies it?

Modern Christianity seems to have this all buttoned up, but if you really look at it, really according to the definitions used by the speakers of the language, you will find that modern interpretations are frayed at the edges and tattered.

According to Judaism, the seat of Moses is a term that refers to the authority and responsibility of teaching and interpreting the Torah of Moses, which is contained in the first five books of the Bible. The seat of Moses is also a name given to a special chair of honor in the synagogue where the authoritative interpreter of the Torah of Moses was seated. In a symbolic sense, sitting in the seat of Moses meant teaching from the books of Moses, the Pentateuch.

Yeshua mentioned the seat of Moses in Matthew 23:2-3, when he said to his talmidim and the crowds: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach." Yeshua acknowledged the authority of the scribes and Pharisees to teach the Torah of Moses, but he also exposed their hypocrisy and warned his followers not to imitate the behavior they were seeing then.

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach."

Some examples of the hypocrisy of the 1st century teachers and Pharisees are:

- They tied up heavy burdens on people's shoulders, but they themselves were unwilling to lift a finger to move them (Matthew 23:4).

- They did all their deeds to be seen by others; for they made their phylacteries broad and their fringes long (Matthew 23:5).

- They loved to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi (Matthew 23:6-7).

- They neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: justice and mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23).

- They strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel (Matthew 23:24).

- They cleaned the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they were full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25).

Yeshua himself claimed to have greater authority than Moses, as he said in Matthew 5:17-18: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill (rightly interpret). For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the Torah until all is accomplished." Yeshua came to reveal the true meaning and purpose of the Torah of Moses, and to confirm it by his life, death and resurrection.

Who Occupies the seat of Moses?

The authority and teaching of the Torah was given by YHWH to Moses. According to the New Testament, Yeshua said that the scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, meaning that they have the responsibility to interpret and apply the Torah faithfully. However, some Christians believe that Yeshua himself is the true successor of Moses and ignore what he said about obeying what they teach. Therefore, some Christians may say that no one occupies the seat of Moses today except Yeshua. Without the Torah, the message of the New Testament is wide open to interpretation and every tyrannical claim of charlatans claiming to hear from Yeshua himself.

What is a Teacher of the Torah?

A teacher of the Torah in Judaism is someone who instructs students in the sacred texts and laws of the Jewish faith. The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, and it contains the stories, commandments and teachings that form the basis of our way of life. A teacher of the Torah may also be called a rabbi, a scholar or a sage, depending on their level of expertise and authority. A teacher of the Torah is expected to be knowledgeable, ethical and pious, and to serve as a role model for their community. A common thread among them all is the kind of training they receive at the beginning, in the Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is vastly different from the Christian seminary. Attending a good Messianic Yeshiva is Earth shattering for a Christian believer because it challenges so many assumptions and inherited doctrines that previously persisted without question. It can lead to many cognitive dilemmas and paradoxes. Resolving them leaves one to have to restructure schema, the very foundation of all individual learning and perception of reality and identity. After going through that experience, scripture can be rightfully interpreted and understood.

So, the final question for this post is this. In your life, who occupies the seat of Moses as Yeshua declared?