E
ver heard of a black rabbi? Me neither. That’s why I read, with endless fascination, a National Post interview with Rabbi Capers Funnye (how’s that for a name?).
The 60-year-old Chicago resident converted to Judaism as a young man when he began having serious doubts about the Christian faith of his birth. He now runs one of the largest black synagogues in the United States.
Interviewed just before a Toronto speaking engagement, Rabbi Funnye told the Post that one of the reasons he converted to Judaism was, “I couldn’t understand how if Jesus was God, and then He was dead for three days after the crucifixion, who was in charge? I also couldn’t understand the idea of the Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Ghost [Spirit]. That idea was developed 325 years after Jesus, so I doubted the Trinity was true.”
I can tell you right now that Rabbi Funnye is hardly the first person to stumble over the idea of one god who is three distinct persons, all united in purpose. Many Jesus followers, me included, will testify that quantum physics is easier to understand.
And yet, the reality of the Trinity is written in one of the original-source biographies of Jesus’s life on earth. He told His followers to “go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This quote not only connects the three persons of God, it puts them on the same level of importance.
So when Rabbi Funnye says he can’t understand who was in charge in the days between the death and resurrection of Jesus, the answer is simple: God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Rabbi Funnye told the Post something else that caught my attention: “Judaism does not put limits on God, [but] Christians do. To me, God is limitless.”
What’s so fascinating about this is that by denying the possibility of one God existing as three distinct persons, Rabbi Funnye has put a limit on God. And he apparently doesn’t realize it.
So what about you; is the Trinity a gigantic boulder in the middle of your road to faith? If it is, the word I just used – faith – is of key importance. Our limited minds struggle to understand this mystery and that’s why serious Jesus followers accept the Trinity by faith.
And whatever you do, don’t underestimate the importance of accepting by faith, rather than scientific fact. One of Jesus’s earliest followers wrote “Without faith, no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe He is real …”
Does this make sense to you? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
This post reminds me of the story (perhaps, legend) of how St. Patrick taught the concept of the Trinity.
He plucked a three-leafed clover and asked his listeners if this was one plant. The answer, of course, was “yes.” He went on to explain that though this is one plant, there are three necessary components. Take one away, and it ceases to be what it is.
I feel sorry for this rabbi’s not understanding. But, I know God still loves him.
Wonderful post, Frank!
I’ve heard that St. Patrick story, too, Martha. I wonder if the rabbi ever heard it?
This is so hard to explain in technical terms. I think people stumble over this because the word “trinity” is no where in scripture.
You have to present an example analogous to what is perceived as the relationship between the 3 persons of the “trinity”.
A certain Sunday school teacher was trying to explain this to children by saying. The Father is like the sun, Jesus is the light you see, and the Holy Spirit is the warmth that you feel.
I personally like this other analogy because it was revealed to me, and it is modeled after the same fashion as the sun analogy. The Father is the speaker, the words that speaker says and the sound of His voice is Christ, and the breath that comes out with those words is the Holy Spirit.
Excellent thoughts, John. Thanks for reading and contributing. 🙂
My thought is, why should we think Jesus lost control when his (physical) body died? While his body lay in rest, he was conquering death. I do not think that he was out of the picture for those three days, I think he was doing his most important work: crushing the serpents head.