What is Messianic Judaism?

What is Messianic Judaism? A Publication of Etz Hayim Jewish messianic Ministry 2011 www.etzhayimministry.webs.com 1

by Rabbi Loren Jacobs My name is Rabbi Loren Jacobs. I'm typical of a growing number of Jewish people today. I grew up in a Jewish home, went to synagogue, and had my bar mitzvah, but I felt that something spiritual was missing from my life. As a teenager I started investigating Eastern philosophy. When I went to Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois I studied western philosophy. It was during college that I started reading the Bible for the first time on my own. Within a very short time my life was completely revolutionized and hasn't been the same since. What was it that transformed me? I had a supernatural encounter with the Jewish Messiah. He opened up a whole new dimension of spirituality to my life that I never dreamed possible. He enabled me to develop a personal relationship with the God of Israel that is still going strong twenty years later. I discovered the Messiah, who came to earth 2000 years ago, died in the city of Jerusalem on Passover, but miraculously came back to life. I encountered Yeshua - Jesus of Nazareth. Many Jewish people are looking for a deeper sense of spirituality. They are looking for it in all kinds of places - the occult, psychics, and the new age movement. Maybe that's you - maybe you are searching for something more. It might come as a surprise to learn that you don't have to leave the realm of Judaism in order to meet that need. The following is adapted from Messianic Judaism: Questions and Answers, by David Chernoff. It answers some of the questions frequently asked about Messianic Judaism. We trust that as you read this you will better understand Messianic Judaism, the Jewish roots of the Christian Faith, and how Jewish people who follow Messiah Yeshua remain Jewish. DEFINITIONS What is Messianic Judaism? Messianic Judaism is a movement of Jewish people who believe that Yeshua (Jesus' original name in Hebrew) is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Yeshua is the most Jewish of Jews. Yeshua was a descendant of both Abraham and King David, was raised in a Jewish home and went to synagogue. He perfectly kept the entire Torah (see Galatians 4:4). He taught that He came to fulfill, not set aside, the Torah (see Matthew 5:17-19). He was a rabbi who performed unparalleled miracles, bringing great blessing to the nation of Israel. All His early disciples also lived very Jewish lives. The Messianic movement was entirely Jewish at its inception, and continued to exist as an authentic Jewish movement for seven hundred years. Messianic Jews have not stopped being Jewish. On the contrary, we remain strongly Jewish in our identity and lifestyle! The Tenach (the Old Testament Scriptures) provides the foundation of our Jewish Faith, and the New Covenant Scriptures (which were also written by Jews) the completion of our Jewish Faith. In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures themselves affirm that they are not complete, and that God was going to make a New Covenant with the Jewish people. The book of Jeremiah contains this amazing prediction of a New Covenant: "Behold days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. "But this is the covenant which I will 2

make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord. "I will put My teaching within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:31-34). We believe that the covenant upon which traditional (Rabbinic) Judaism is based is a broken covenant. There is no Temple and there are no sacrifices by which we can be brought near to God and experience genuine atonement. Non-Messianic Judaism is based on this broken covenant which cannot save us. In contrast, we also believe that God already established this New Covenant by means of Yeshua's death and resurrection. He died and rose again to atone for our sins, so that we can enter into this new covenant relationship with God. We believe that Yeshua ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and is coming back to Earth to reign from Jerusalem over Israel and all the nations of the world. At that time the fullness of the New Covenant will be realized. What is the difference between Messianic and Non-Messianic Judaism? Non-Messianic or Rabbinic Judaism is a religion centered around the teachings and writings of the non-messianic rabbis. Its formation began over 1,900 years ago when the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Prior to that, "Judaism," or the Faith of the Jewish people, was centered around the Temple and the sacrificial system, and brought genuine atonement. After the destruction of the Temple, the non-messianic rabbis decided to radically restructure Judaism, substituting synagogues, rabbis, prayers, study and commandments for the Temple, priests and sacrifices. They also added many of their own laws, rules and traditions. Sadly, they left us with a man-made religion that is powerless to save us. Today their writings and commentaries (the Talmud, etc.) form the foundation of traditional (non-messianic) Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism consists of several branches: Orthodox (traditional), Chassidic (ultra- Orthodox with eastern mystical influences: for example, they believe in reincarnation, which is a non-biblical concept), Conservative, Reform (liberal), Reconstructionist (emphasizing Jewish culture over theology) and Secular Humanistic (denying the existence of God). Very few within these "Judaisms" are awaiting the Messiah, and those that do are the exceptions. Messianic Judaism differs from Rabbinic Judaism in that we rely completely on the Scriptures. Our Faith is the Judaism of the Bible (Biblical Judaism) and is centered on Messiah and the salvation He brings. We are brought near to God because of the atoning work of Israel's Supreme Rabbi - Yeshua, who has fulfilled us as Jewish Believers and fulfilled Judaism itself. What is the difference between Messianic Judaism and Christianity? Christianity is faith in Yeshua as primarily expressed by His Gentile followers, and is made up of many denominations and various doctrines. People who identify themselves as Christians number over one billion people in the world. For most of the First Century AD, faith in Yeshua was predominantly Jewish. As more and more Gentiles came into the Messianic Faith however, some had little understanding or regard for its Jewish roots and God's eternal covenant with Israel. A "de-judaizing" process set in, that is, a separation from the Jewish roots of the Faith and from the Jewish people. This separation eventually led to the formation of a second branch of Faith in Yeshua that is primarily composed of Gentile Believers, which is known as "Christianity." While there is only one Faith, and we are definitely one in the Spirit with true 3

Gentile Christians, Messianic Jews have our own expression of the Faith. Messianic Judaism holds that belief in Yeshua is a return to the Jewish roots of the Faith. We observe a Jewish lifestyle while at the same time maintaining that the only way to be saved and inherit eternal life is by placing our faith in the atoning work of the Messiah (Romans 11:24-25). THE ORIGINS OF MESSIANIC JUDAISM When did Messianic Judaism Begin? Messianic Judaism is actually 2,000 years old, dating to the time of Yeshua Himself. Yeshua was Jewish. He was raised in a Jewish home and ministered to Jewish people in the Land of Israel. His disciples were Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. The writers of the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant or Testament) were Jewish (with the possible exception of Luke), and for a time, the Faith was strictly Jewish. By the middle of the First Century AD, there were tens of thousands of Jewish people who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah (see Acts 2:37-42, 4:4, 21:20). If Messianic Judaism was strictly Jewish at first, how did Gentiles come into the Faith? It was always God's will for the Gentile nations to also receive His Salvation (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6). God told Abraham that through him all the nations of the Earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). The Lord set apart the Jewish people to bring the knowledge of God, the Word of God, and the Savior to the rest of the world. At first the early Messianic Jews did not understand that this was God's will, and proclaimed the Good News of the Messiah only to other Jewish people. Ironically, the big controversy in the First Century was not whether Jews could believe in Yeshua (naturally they could), but whether Gentiles could come into the Faith without having to "become Jewish!" When Messianic Jews finally understood that salvation was also intended for the Gentiles, they began to share the Good News with non-jews as well as with Jews. As a result, many Gentiles began to come into the Messianic Faith (Acts 15:1-31). How did a Jewish movement come to be regarded as so unjewish? When the early Messianic Jews took the Good News of the Messiah to the Gentiles, a great number were brought into the Faith. By the end of the First Century AD, the number of Gentile Believers outnumbered the Jewish Believers. This occurred primarily because there were (and will always be) far more Gentiles in the world than Jewish people. Through the years, as the number of Gentile Believers increased, they began to dominate the Faith. As described above, this "de-judaizing process" continued until the Gentile branch of Christianity emerged as the dominant expression of the Faith. Then, in one of the greatest paradoxes in history, it became alien for a Jew to believe in Yeshua, the King of the Jews! When did the early Messianic Jews disappear and why? Messianic Judaism actually continued into the Seventh Century AD, in spite of the many pressures put upon Jewish Believers to give up their Messianic Faith. First, the rabbis 4

pressured Messianic Jews to relinquish their faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. In addition, the dominant Gentile branch of Christianity pressured Messianic Jews to abandon their Jewishness. Finally, in the Seventh Century AD, the rise of Islam caused great distress for Messianic Jews. Despite all this, the real reason for the disappearance of early Messianic Judaism was that Messianic Jews lost their will to continue against the tide. They lost their "vision" - no longer regarding it as important to remain Jewish after accepting Yeshua. Consequently, they assimilated into the predominantly Gentile branch of the Church. MODERN MESSIANIC JUDAISM When did the modern Messianic Jewish movement begin? Though Messianic Judaism as a distinct movement faded from the ancient scene in the Seventh Century AD, there have always been individual Jewish Believers in Yeshua. Beginning in the early 1800's increasing numbers of Jewish people began believing in Yeshua. The modern Messianic Jewish movement came to fruition in the 1960s and 1970s. We believe that this could mark the beginning of the salvation of the Jewish people in the Last Days (see Hosea 3:4-5, Joel 2:28-29, Deuteronomy 30:1-5, Romans 11:25-27). How many Messianic Jews are there? While there are no concrete figures, it has been estimated by those involved in the movement (and even by those outside the movement) that there are approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Jewish Believers in the Messiah in the United States and 7,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. There are approximately 200 congregations in the U.S. and 80 in Israel. The congregations range in size from ten to several hundred members. The Messianic Jewish movement is also active in other countries throughout the world. MESSIANIC TERMINOLOGY Why do we use the name "Yeshua" more often than "Jesus"? Yeshua never heard the name "Jesus" in His lifetime! Yeshua is His given Hebrew name! It means "salvation" or "the Lord is Salvation" (see Matthew 1:21). He was always called "Yeshua," a common Hebrew name at that time. When Latin speaking missionaries, who called the Messiah "Yesu," brought the Good News to the British people, "Yesu" became "Jesus" in English. What does "Christ" mean? Some people mistakenly believe that "Christ" is Yeshua's last name! Rather, "Christ" is His title in much the same way as we might refer to a "President" or "King." This title is taken from the Hebrew word "Mashiach" or "Anointed One," which was translated into the Greek "Christos" and later anglicized to "Christ." The actual English translation of Mashiach is "Messiah" and means an anointed, God-appointed leader. Examples of this title in the Tenach are found in Daniel 9:25 and Psalm 2:2. In the New Covenant, Yeshua claimed the title of Messiah (see Mark 14:61-62 and John 4:25-26). Why don't Messianic Jews prefer to call themselves "Christians"? 5

The term "Christian" originally meant "follower of the Christ" or "follower of the Messiah." By itself "Christian" is a good term, and Messianic Jews are Christians. Unfortunately, over time the term "Christian" came to mean more than simply a "follower of the Messiah." Many people today have a false dichotomy in their minds, that on the one hand, there are Jews and Judaism, and on the other hand there are Christians and Christianity, and supposedly you must choose between the two. Accordingly, when a Jew accepts Yeshua he is thought to have "switched over" from the Jew-Judaism side to the Christian-Christianity side, and is therefore no longer regarded as a Jew, but a Christian. For all intents and purposes the term "Christian" has become synonymous with "non-jew" or "Gentile." We believe the opposite to be true. Nothing could be more Jewish than to follow Israel's Messiah! Consequently we choose to call ourselves "Messianic Jews" which identifies us as Jewish people who follow Messiah Yeshua. Why do Messianic Jews say they are "completed Jews?" We believe that Yeshua is the fulfillment, or completion of Biblical Judaism. As Jews, we have been made "complete" in what the God of Israel intended for us, that is, we have come to trust in Yeshua as our atonement for sin and have been brought into a personal relationship with God Himself. Yeshua never intended to start a new religion; He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). Therefore, how could we, as Jewish people who acknowledge the Jewish Messiah, become non-jews? On the contrary, we believe that Yeshua has fulfilled our Jewish heritage. We have not "converted" to another faith, but we have been completed, because we have found true Biblical Judaism through the Messiah. Since Jesus is the Messiah, then believing in Him is the most Jewish thing a Jewish person can do! The Jewish identity of many Messianic Jews has been strengthened, not lessened, by their faith in Messiah. Many can claim that Jesus made them kosher! If I'm Jewish and believe in Yeshua, will I stop being Jewish? No, you won't! If you are Jewish, it is because God made you a Jew and no one can ever change that. Since Yeshua is the Messiah, then believing in Him is the most Jewish thing that you could do! Faith in Yeshua is kosher, no matter what men (even a majority of men) may say, because truth is determined by God - not by a majority vote! In fact, in every generation it has always been the minority of Jewish people who had true faith in God. The majority almost always went astray (as examples, see Numbers 14:1-10, Exodus 32:25-26, Romans 11:2-10). MESSIANIC JEWISH LIFESTYLE What is the importance of Messianic Congregations? Messianic congregations or synagogues are the heart of the movement, and the center of Messianic community life. A Messianic synagogue is where we can gather to express our faith in Yeshua, live and raise our children in a Jewish lifestyle, and worship the God of Israel in a Jewish manner with others of like faith. Just as Messianic Judaism is not new, neither are Messianic synagogues new. From Biblical and historical records we know that there were 6

Messianic synagogues throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, as early as 50 AD (James 1:1, 2:2, Hebrews 10:27). Do Messianic Jews celebrate the Jewish holidays and, if so, why? Most Messianic Jews celebrate the Biblical holidays such as Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), Rosh HaShana (the traditional Jewish New Year, but actually the Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), Chanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) and Purim. We celebrate the holidays because it is written in the Torah for Israel to observe these festivals forever (Leviticus 23:21, 31, 41, Exodus 12:14). Yeshua observed these festivals, as did the early Messianic Jews and apostles such as Rabbi Paul (Acts 20:16, 27:9, 1 Cor. 16:8). We also believe that when Messiah Yeshua returns to Earth, some of these holidays will be re-established worldwide (Zechariah 14:11-21). When Messianic Jews celebrate the holidays, we do so with the understanding that Yeshua is the fulfillment of each of them. For example, He is our Passover Lamb who died on Passover. He is the Firstfruits of the resurrection, who came back to life on the holiday of Firstfruits. He is our Atonement on Yom Kippur, etc. Do Messianic Jews believe they should keep the Law of Moses? Yes and no! The Torah (or Law of Moses) is composed of 613 commandments. They include the holidays, sacrifices, kosher laws, the Ten Commandments, etc. As Messianic Jews, we recognize that one cannot be saved through the Law because the covenant upon which much of the Torah is based is a broken covenant. There is no Temple and therefore no sacrifices by which we may draw near to God and obtain eternal life. While the Law cannot save us, it nevertheless is extremely valuable. It guides the life of the Jewish people. It teaches us the right way to live. The early Messianic Jews had a favorable view of the Law, and were zealous to live accordingly (see Acts 21:20-26). Can Gentiles be members of a Messianic Synagogue? Most Messianic congregations do have non-jewish members. To be a member of a Messianic synagogue, a Gentile Believer should have a burden and love for the Jewish people, an understanding of what God is doing with the Jewish people, and have a "Ruth-like" calling to the Chosen People. That does not mean that they need to live exactly like Jewish people. The book of Acts records that Messiah's Emissaries (the Apostles) and the Elders of the Messianic Community met to decide Gentile Believers' relationship to the commands of the Torah. This meeting, recorded in Acts 15, is often referred to as "the First Jerusalem Council." The binding decision of the Emissaries and Elders, guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, was that, apart from saving faith in Messiah Yeshua, only four things are obligatory for Gentile Christians to observe (see Acts 15, especially verses 19-20, 28-29). I would also include obedience to the Moral Law - laws such as not murdering, lying, stealing, or committing adultery. These are moral laws which God has written on everyone's heart (see Romans 2:14-15). If a Christian wants to observe a Biblical holiday or custom, there is the freedom to do so, but there is no obligation to do so. The operative principle is that of 7

freedom. If a Christian says, "Messiah is my Passover and I don't need to celebrate a Passover Seder" - that's OK. If someone else says, "I want to celebrate the Passover and better remember Messiah my Passover Lamb" - that's fine too. There are, in fact, many principles for godly living that may be applied from the Torah to the life of the Christian. Torah means "teaching" or "instruction," and it still serves as a teaching guide for Messiah's Holy Community of Jews and Gentiles (the Church). If I can summarize the Gentiles' relationship to the Torah, I would say that all that is necessary for Gentiles is to have faith in Messiah Yeshua, which alone saves us. Then there are the four basic requirements in Acts 15, along with the moral requirements of the Law already written on everyone's heart. Anything beyond these requirements is optional. Are Messianic Jews Zionists? Most Messianic Jews support Israel. We support Israel not only because we believe Jewish people need a national homeland, but also because we believe the re-establishment of Israel is a direct fulfillment of ancient Biblical prophecies (Ezekiel 36:24, 37:1-14). We know that Israel is not a perfect nation, but believe that God's hand is behind Israel. We think that all Believers should support Israel, because God promised Abraham: "I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you" (Genesis 12:3). HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YESHUA IS THE MESSIAH? The prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures assure us that Yeshua is the Messiah. God wanted us to be able to recognize the Messiah when He came: The Messiah had to be born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2). See Matthew 2:1-6, Luke 2:1-20. The Messiah would be more than a man. He was to be God in human form (Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Psalm 110:1, Proverbs 30:4). See John 1:1, 20:28, Hebrews 1:8. The Messiah had to come before Jerusalem was destroyed the second time, which took place in 70 AD (Dan. 9:24-27). See Luke 1:5, 2:1-7. The Messiah had to be a direct descendant of King David, a member of the royal family of Israel (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Isaiah 9:6-7). See Matthew 1. The Messiah was to be tried and unfairly condemned, even though He was perfectly innocent (Isaiah 53:8). See Matthew 27:1-2, Luke 23:1-25. The Messiah would die to make atonement for the sin of Israel and the world (Is. 53:5-6, 8, 10-12, Dan. 9:24-27, Zech. 9:9, 12:10, Psalm 16:10, 22). See John 1:29, 11:49-52, 1 Cor. 15:53. The Messiah was to be a light to the nations so that God's salvation could reach the end of the Earth (Isaiah 49:6). Yeshua is the most popular, the most studied and the most influential figure in the history of mankind. He is the most famous Jew who ever lived: more famous than Abraham, more famous than Moses, more famous than king David or any of the prophets, more famous than Freud or Einstein! If people throughout the world know about Israel, or pray to the God of Israel, or read the Holy Scriptures of Israel, it is because of Yeshua. No Jewish person should be indifferent to the fact that this Jewish man should have had such a tremendous part in the history of mankind. The love He has inspired, the comfort He has given, the good He has engendered, the 8

hope and joy He has kindled are unequaled in human history. He truly has become the light of the world! The Messiah would rise from the dead (Isaiah 53:8-12, Psalm 16:10, 118:21-24, Zechariah 12:10). The New Testament records that, after His death and resurrection, Yeshua appeared to a wide variety of Jewish people, in varying numbers, and under varying circumstances. He appeared to Miriam (John 20:11-18), to some other women (Matthew 28:8-10), to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34), to two on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), to ten of the apostles (Luke 24:36-43), to all eleven apostles eight days later (John 20:24-29), then to seven by the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee - see John 21:1-23). Yeshua appeared to five hundred people at once, most of whom were alive and could verify the event when the New Testament was written (1 Cor. 15:6)! Yeshua appeared to His brother James, who became the leader of the Jerusalem Congregation (1 Cor. 15:7), and to Rabbi Paul of Tarsus, who became better known as the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-16). Since the First Century there have been millions of people, both Jews and Gentiles (including some of the greatest thinkers, philosophers and scientists), who have claimed to have encountered the resurrected Yeshua. What transformed all of these people? Only one explanation makes sense - He is alive today! Yeshua's resurrection makes Him absolutely unique in the history of the world and puts him on a level far higher than any of the prophets of Israel or any other religion or any philosopher. Buddha is still in his tomb. Mohammed is still in his grave. Confucius is still dead. Marx, Lenin and Freud are still in their graves. Only Yeshua has been raised from death! Since God would never allow a liar, a deceiver, or a false Messiah to be resurrected, Yeshua's resurrection validates His person, His ministry and His message. His resurrection is God's seal of approval on everything that Yeshua did and taught, and God's declaration to the world that Yeshua is Messiah and Savior of mankind. Therefore, we ought to pay attention to every word He uttered, since He spoke the truth without any error. History tells us that only one man - Yeshua of Nazareth - fulfilled these prophecies and many others. No other man in history even comes close. The probability that one person could fulfill all these prophecies by chance is infinitesimally small. There is only one rational conclusion: Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel whom the prophets told us to expect. 9