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© 2015 John D. Brey.

Rabbi Neusner's rejection of Jesus appears to be a repudiation of Abrahamic-faith: the willingness to go it alone in the Name of God. Rabbi Neusner says the lowest common denominator for modern Judaism is the family: there's no individual. According to Rabbi Neusner no Jew will hate their family (sacrifice them [Luke 14:26]) in the Name of God.

In irony of biblical proportions, mainstream Judaism has sacrificed Abrahamic-faith for the sake of the children.

Rabbi Neusner claims that although he accepts that Jesus was a great Rabbi, he nevertheless would not follow him, for the simple reason that Jesus sought out the individual Jew, whereas, according to Rabbi Neusner, the family is the lowest common denominator in mainstream Judaism. Jesus required the individual to leave the community and or family and follow him as an individual: sacrifice family, friend, community, in his name (Luke 14:26).

This rather outrageous stance (by the most prolific Rabbi alive) represents either a tremendous paradox, a great irony, or both?

Abraham became the father of the Jewish people when, according to scripture, he left family, and ventured out to commune with God as a singular soul. At the high-point of his Abrahamic faith, the Akedah, Abraham didn't share with his wife, or any other human being, what he was about to do. He was about to do something, in the utter individuality of his soul, in the viewing of no man, but God.

He was about to display his Abrahamic-faith by performing it as an individual soul standing outside of any safety-net that might be associated with family, community, ethnicity, communal law, or any other ethnic or religious predilection or protection. He was about to hate his own son, sacrifice, kill his own son, in the name of God. Abraham was going to willingly sacrificed family in order to enter into the community of God (Luke 14:26).

On the other hand, Judaism willingly sacrifices God, to spare family, firstborn, and community (R. Neusner).

. . . The paradox cuts deeper into the vein than is apparent from outside the foreskene of the thorn-bush that crowns the scene. The Lamb of God has his head in thorns at the very moment Abraham is about to sacrifice family and friend (firstborn) to enter into a covenant with God. As Abraham lifts his hand to sacrifice family for God, his eye catches glimpse of the Lamb of God with his head surrounded by thorns. At this crucial moment, time virtually stands still. On Abraham's left, blade in hand, lies his family, friend, and firstborn --- the whole community of Israel at the time ---- on his right, the Lamb of God.

Does Abraham, like Israel in the Gospel, sacrifice the Lamb of God to save family, friend, and future nation? Is the Gospel the corporate manifestation of the Akedah? Does Abraham's offspring, the nation of Israel, stand, with the Romans on the left, and the Lamb of God on the right, and make the same decision Abraham made at the Akedah (John 11:49-51)? Are the thorns placed on the Lamb's head in the Gospel a direct reference to the Lamb of God at the Akedah?