What
is Messianic Judaism?
If you have searched the Internet for an answer to this question in any depth at all, you have seen numerous answers. This can be frustrating! But in reality, is asking ‘What is Christianity?” much different. The point that I am trying to make is that just as there are many things that call themselves “Christianity” or “Messianic Judaism”, there are differences in the scope in which each term is defined. Nonetheless, an answer must be found. Before defining ‘Messianic Judaism’ it needs to be stated by using such a term, in no way is offence offered to the various existing branches of Judaism is implying that they are not ‘Messianic’. Nothing could be farther from the truth and it is why I wish there was a better name for this movement. In order to properly define what I believe ‘Messianic Judaism’ is, I should first like to define what it is not. ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not mainstream Christianity with prayer shawls and Tzit-Tzit. (I am sad to say that there are many doing just this.) ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not a ‘Sacred Name’ or a ‘Two House’ movement. ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not Christianity pretending to be Judaism and for those simply using it as a method to convert the Children of Jacob to Christianity, you were already supposed to be spreading the ‘Good News’ of Jesus in the Christianity that you were already a part of. You didn’t need a special movement for this. At this point in order to understand what ‘Messianic Judaism’ is, some history is in order. The first believers of Jesus (Hebrew name Y’shua) were Children of Jacob (Jews).
This being said, they lived in the 1st century c.e., when the Second Temple was still standing. The two (not the only two) main sects of what we call ‘Judaism’ were that of the Sadducees who had control of the Temple and the priesthood and the Pharisees who for the most part had control of the Houses of Prayer (Synagogue). The Torah in this time was seen in this time as the instructions given by a loving G-d to His children. These instructions guided people in all matters of life and showed how to love our
G-d with all our heart, our soul, and our might.(Deuteronomy 6:4-9,Matthew 22:37)But it also showed us how to love our neighbor as ourselves.(Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39) The entire Torah is summed up in this.(Matthew 22:40) The Children of Jacob lived under Roman rule and definitely looked forward to a time when they were not under such rule. The last time they could remember such freedom was the time of the Maccabees and as such a “Messianic” figure/ ideal was born. This type of Messiah was eagerly awaited and talked of in the various writings of the period. In other words, we are looking at a group that is Apocalyptic in scope.
This Messiah that they were looking for would lead them into victorious battle over their enemies and usher in what we refer to as the 1000 year rule and reign of G-d. Jesus lived in this period and among these people. So it would stand to reason, that if we want to understand the words and teachings of Jesus, we need to understand these people. Understanding who these people were, the culture they lived in and how they lived in is tantamount to what Messianic Judaism is supposed to be about. If Christianity had stayed true to its beginnings, there would be no need for ‘Messianic Judaism’.
(I sure wish that there was a better name for this movement.) The heart of this is laid out in John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. The ‘now is’ period that Y’shua is speaking of refers to the period in which He is speaking. If Y’shua states that in the ‘now is’ period of time that people worship the Father in spirit and in truth, shouldn’t we labor to better understand that period in its proper context with the goal of being the ‘coming hour’ part? I believe that Messianic Judaism in its truest form is the ‘coming hour’ part of Y’shua’s statement. At least, this is what it is to me and what the teachings at Messianic-Judaism.net are based on and the direction in which we aim. Because we understand the purpose of the Torah (G-d’s instructions to us) we can’t help but believe that His instructions are still valid, after all according to Romans (MRC) 10:4 For Messiah is the goal of the Torah for righteousness to everyone who believes. Torah can’t save us it was never intended to do that, but it can guide us. Romans 10:8-11 (MRC) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART," that is the word of faith which we are proclaiming, that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."
So what happened and how did we get where we are with mainstream Christianity and Judaism where they are at today.
Originally, the original ‘Christians’ or ‘Followers of the Way’ were still able to worship with everyone else in the Houses of Prayer. But this didn’t last long! If you read the letters of Paul, it becomes perfectly clear that there was plenty of the ways of the nations creeping in, not to mention problems from those who still believed that people actually needed to physically become Jews to have a place in the World to Come. In 90 c.e., Simon the Lesser is dispatched to write a benediction for the Amidah in which the ‘Christians’ are accursed.
At this point ‘Christianity’ still retains the Jewishness of the faith, but a degree of separation between those who do not accept Y’shua as L-rd and Savior and those who do is occurring. After all, you couldn’t very well say a prayer cursing yourself and then your silence gave you up. In the latter half of the 1st century c.e. and into the beginning of 2nd century c.e., pagan writings known as Gnostic start to creep in to Christianity. (There is much more to the history than I am telling here, I am trying to be brief). These Gnostic writings which teach salvation by knowledge start to force a degree of separation between Christianity being Jewish and Christianity separating and assimilating into something else. Skipping ahead to Constantine who sought to finally take all of the Jewishness out of the faith, change the holidays (Festivals of the L-rd) and replace them with Roman holidays, as well as taking the Torah out of the Christian faith.
In this lies a major shift in what Christianity originally was and what it would become. It would cease to be a Jewish based faith and start to become a European faith. So in order to get back to the ‘now is’ period of John 4:23 the Church Fathers can’t help us, as they continued to perpetuate a ‘Jewishless Faith”. Now for the mistake that most Messianic congregations make, modern Judaism can only assist us slightly. When Christianity split from Judaism, they both took paths far and away from 1st century c.e. Israel. I had already talked about what Christianity had done, now Judaism has to be looked at. For starters Judaism left the prayers/ prayer book of Israel in favor of what was being done in Babylon. Babylon does not reflect 1st century c.e. Israel.(If you are using something close to a modern Siddur, you are following Israel in following Babylon.) As time went on and Christianity grew in popularity and Judaism did not grow at the same rate, Judaism started to copy the practices of Christianity. (Assimilation in faith is never good.) Then there is the matter of Mysticism and Mystic practices which crept in the Middle Ages. The Judaism of today resembles more of this Judaism than it does the Judaism of 1st century c.e. Israel. This being said, I still have great respect for and even study some of the great Rabbi and Sages throughout this period and have found many fantastic and insightful things and for this I am grateful to them. But I never forget to discern things back to the 1st century c.e. Israel in order to properly divide the word of truth.
If you have searched the Internet for an answer to this question in any depth at all, you have seen numerous answers. This can be frustrating! But in reality, is asking ‘What is Christianity?” much different. The point that I am trying to make is that just as there are many things that call themselves “Christianity” or “Messianic Judaism”, there are differences in the scope in which each term is defined. Nonetheless, an answer must be found. Before defining ‘Messianic Judaism’ it needs to be stated by using such a term, in no way is offence offered to the various existing branches of Judaism is implying that they are not ‘Messianic’. Nothing could be farther from the truth and it is why I wish there was a better name for this movement. In order to properly define what I believe ‘Messianic Judaism’ is, I should first like to define what it is not. ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not mainstream Christianity with prayer shawls and Tzit-Tzit. (I am sad to say that there are many doing just this.) ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not a ‘Sacred Name’ or a ‘Two House’ movement. ‘Messianic Judaism’ is not Christianity pretending to be Judaism and for those simply using it as a method to convert the Children of Jacob to Christianity, you were already supposed to be spreading the ‘Good News’ of Jesus in the Christianity that you were already a part of. You didn’t need a special movement for this. At this point in order to understand what ‘Messianic Judaism’ is, some history is in order. The first believers of Jesus (Hebrew name Y’shua) were Children of Jacob (Jews).
This being said, they lived in the 1st century c.e., when the Second Temple was still standing. The two (not the only two) main sects of what we call ‘Judaism’ were that of the Sadducees who had control of the Temple and the priesthood and the Pharisees who for the most part had control of the Houses of Prayer (Synagogue). The Torah in this time was seen in this time as the instructions given by a loving G-d to His children. These instructions guided people in all matters of life and showed how to love our
G-d with all our heart, our soul, and our might.(Deuteronomy 6:4-9,Matthew 22:37)But it also showed us how to love our neighbor as ourselves.(Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39) The entire Torah is summed up in this.(Matthew 22:40) The Children of Jacob lived under Roman rule and definitely looked forward to a time when they were not under such rule. The last time they could remember such freedom was the time of the Maccabees and as such a “Messianic” figure/ ideal was born. This type of Messiah was eagerly awaited and talked of in the various writings of the period. In other words, we are looking at a group that is Apocalyptic in scope.
This Messiah that they were looking for would lead them into victorious battle over their enemies and usher in what we refer to as the 1000 year rule and reign of G-d. Jesus lived in this period and among these people. So it would stand to reason, that if we want to understand the words and teachings of Jesus, we need to understand these people. Understanding who these people were, the culture they lived in and how they lived in is tantamount to what Messianic Judaism is supposed to be about. If Christianity had stayed true to its beginnings, there would be no need for ‘Messianic Judaism’.
(I sure wish that there was a better name for this movement.) The heart of this is laid out in John 4:23 But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. The ‘now is’ period that Y’shua is speaking of refers to the period in which He is speaking. If Y’shua states that in the ‘now is’ period of time that people worship the Father in spirit and in truth, shouldn’t we labor to better understand that period in its proper context with the goal of being the ‘coming hour’ part? I believe that Messianic Judaism in its truest form is the ‘coming hour’ part of Y’shua’s statement. At least, this is what it is to me and what the teachings at Messianic-Judaism.net are based on and the direction in which we aim. Because we understand the purpose of the Torah (G-d’s instructions to us) we can’t help but believe that His instructions are still valid, after all according to Romans (MRC) 10:4 For Messiah is the goal of the Torah for righteousness to everyone who believes. Torah can’t save us it was never intended to do that, but it can guide us. Romans 10:8-11 (MRC) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART," that is the word of faith which we are proclaiming, that if you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."
So what happened and how did we get where we are with mainstream Christianity and Judaism where they are at today.
Originally, the original ‘Christians’ or ‘Followers of the Way’ were still able to worship with everyone else in the Houses of Prayer. But this didn’t last long! If you read the letters of Paul, it becomes perfectly clear that there was plenty of the ways of the nations creeping in, not to mention problems from those who still believed that people actually needed to physically become Jews to have a place in the World to Come. In 90 c.e., Simon the Lesser is dispatched to write a benediction for the Amidah in which the ‘Christians’ are accursed.
At this point ‘Christianity’ still retains the Jewishness of the faith, but a degree of separation between those who do not accept Y’shua as L-rd and Savior and those who do is occurring. After all, you couldn’t very well say a prayer cursing yourself and then your silence gave you up. In the latter half of the 1st century c.e. and into the beginning of 2nd century c.e., pagan writings known as Gnostic start to creep in to Christianity. (There is much more to the history than I am telling here, I am trying to be brief). These Gnostic writings which teach salvation by knowledge start to force a degree of separation between Christianity being Jewish and Christianity separating and assimilating into something else. Skipping ahead to Constantine who sought to finally take all of the Jewishness out of the faith, change the holidays (Festivals of the L-rd) and replace them with Roman holidays, as well as taking the Torah out of the Christian faith.
In this lies a major shift in what Christianity originally was and what it would become. It would cease to be a Jewish based faith and start to become a European faith. So in order to get back to the ‘now is’ period of John 4:23 the Church Fathers can’t help us, as they continued to perpetuate a ‘Jewishless Faith”. Now for the mistake that most Messianic congregations make, modern Judaism can only assist us slightly. When Christianity split from Judaism, they both took paths far and away from 1st century c.e. Israel. I had already talked about what Christianity had done, now Judaism has to be looked at. For starters Judaism left the prayers/ prayer book of Israel in favor of what was being done in Babylon. Babylon does not reflect 1st century c.e. Israel.(If you are using something close to a modern Siddur, you are following Israel in following Babylon.) As time went on and Christianity grew in popularity and Judaism did not grow at the same rate, Judaism started to copy the practices of Christianity. (Assimilation in faith is never good.) Then there is the matter of Mysticism and Mystic practices which crept in the Middle Ages. The Judaism of today resembles more of this Judaism than it does the Judaism of 1st century c.e. Israel. This being said, I still have great respect for and even study some of the great Rabbi and Sages throughout this period and have found many fantastic and insightful things and for this I am grateful to them. But I never forget to discern things back to the 1st century c.e. Israel in order to properly divide the word of truth.