What is Messianic Judaism? Where did
it come from and why has it come on the scene now? Why do we use the name
Yeshua haMashiach ישוע הא משיח instead of Jesus the Messiah, or Jesus Christ,
in our conversations and worship? Why do
we use Hebrew in our liturgy? I will try
to answer these questions by the leading of Ruach haKodesh רוח
הא קודש (The Holy Spirit). It is my objective to make this easy to read
for the sake of brevity. It is, by no means, meant to be an in depth expository
of the subject, but rather a brief explanation of what many of us, in the
Messianic community believe Elohim אלוהים (G-d)
is doing in these Last days. All
that being said, some will still think it is too long.
Note: Many Christians may find it
strange that the letter "o" is not used by many Jewish people in
their writings, when referring to our G-d, or L-rd. It is out of respect for the name, and is in no way meant to be interpreted as an insult. Quite the contrary, it is based
primarily on the Jewish idea (tradition) that if written, it could be erased, defaced, or destroyed and
out of respect, you do not erase, deface, or destroy the name of G-d. This is a
very simplistic explanation and there is much more to it, but, as I mentioned
above, this is not an in depth expository of the subject. I will continue with
this tradition out of respect for my Jewish friends. I personally try to avoid using the titles G-d and L-rd, but that is a subject for another time. I usually use in a sense that portrays what other's would say from their perspective. Sometimes it is just unavoidable when trying to make an idea clear ie.- The Kingdom of G-d etc.. Also, I will be using language recognized in
Jewish understanding, and used by most in the Messianic community. For example; Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit mentioned in
the first paragraph. I will put the English understanding in parenthesis. I pray you will understand.
What is Messianic
Judaism?
Many in the Messianic community
believe the restoration of Messianic
Judaism is the work of Ruach haKodesh in the last days before the
end of the Gentile age. The Ruach (Spirit) is moving upon the Jewish people, as
well as many Gentile people, seeking the truth of the Jewish roots to their
faith. Our heavenly Father is taking away the temporary blindness, and opening the
eyes of the Jewish people, that they might recognize and believe in Yeshua ישוע, as their promised Messiah. Messianic Judaism is not a new
religion, as some may attempt to classify it, but is rather a
restoration of the belief system that was in place during the lives of the
Apostles in the first century.
This writing attempts to bring many to understand that there is one Israel and not two. We, as believers are of the Commonwealth of Israel. We are Abraham's seed by faith in Yeshua. The wild olive
branches, or the so called Church is grafted into the natural olive tree (Israel),
by faith and not the other way around. It is clear from Scripture, that the original,
natural olive branches (The Hebrew people), were broken off, because of their rebellion, to make salvation available to the wild
olive branches, or the Goyim הגויים (Gentiles). The Scriptures are clear that in
the end time the Hebrew people, or natural branches, will be grafted back into the olive tree. See
Romans Chapter eleven.
Messianic Judaism is rooted in the same form of worship that existed during
the days of the Apostles, when they were commissioned by Yeshua haMashiach, to
take the Good News חדשות טובות, into all the world. It is the form of
worship the original Apostles would recognize, and is after the style of worship
that was familiar to Yeshua. In fact, Yeshua revealed himself to be Messiah
during the synagogue (public) reading of the weekly Shabbat Parashah שבת פרשת (Sabbath portion). Yeshua read from
Yesha'Yahu ישעיהו
(Isaiah) 61: 1 & 2 in the
Tanakh תנך
(Hebrew Scriptures). This is recorded in the Book of Luke לוק 4: 16-20;
"He went
to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into
the synagogue, as was his
custom. And he stood up to read. The
scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the
place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it
back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fastened on him, and he began saying to them, 'Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing.' " (NIV)
Those who follow the teachings of Messianic
Judaism believe that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah, Savior of the World and the Word
made human flesh who tabernacled among us, as mentioned in the Book of
Yochanan יוחנן (John) 1: 1-14. The Tanakh, or (Old Testament
Hebrew Scriptures), form the foundation for our faith with the B'rit
Chadashah (Refreshed [New] Covenant
Scriptures), providing the completion of our faith. The shedding of Yeshua's blood
put an end to the old sacrificial system of killing lambs and bulls for the sin
atonement. You cannot be made righteous before our heavenly Father by the keeping of the
Torah תורה (Instruction). However, those who truly love our heavenly Father will
strive to live their lives according to those commandments, regulations and
statutes, which are pleasing in His sight. Yeshua told us in Mattityahu מתיו (Matthew) 5: 17 & 18;
"Do not
think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to
abolish, but to fulfill. Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass."
(Tree of Life NT)
(Tree of Life NT)
I am forced to ask this question,
referring to the above passage of Scripture. Have heaven and earth passed away?
When I look outside my windows, I still see trees, birds, clouds and blue sky
during the day and a dark sky with stars at night. I don't believe heaven and
earth have passed away yet. They are still here. So, I am
forced to believe that everything Yeshua was speaking, has yet to be
accomplished. Context is very important in understanding Scripture. The great
apologist for the faith, Dr. Walter Martin had a saying that goes like this;
"When you
remove a text from its context, it becomes a pretext for error."
Many would like to remove the above
passage from their Bibles, because it does not agree with their concept of grace.
The fact of the matter remains. It is there. They are the words of
Yeshua. It is up to us, to seek Ruach haKodesh, to give us their meaning and
not trust the teachings and doctrines of men. The keeping of Torah, to the best
of our ability, is what is pleasing to our Father in heaven. If the keeping of Torah
was no longer important, why would our heavenly Father promise to write His Torah
upon our hearts? Read Yirmeyahu ירמיהו (Jeremiah) 31:33. Often, people wonder, what
is the purpose for their life? Our Father makes it clear what the purpose is
for our lives in D'varim דברים (Deuteronomy) 30:19 & 20a, where it says;
"I call on
heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with
life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, so that you
will live, you and your descendants, loving ADONAI your God, paying attention
to what he says and clinging to him - for that is the purpose of your
life!" (CJB)
Where did
Messianic Judaism come from?
Messianic Judaism, as stated above
was the original practice of the early believers in Yeshua during the first
century. In some instances, Messianic Judaism was able to survive into the sixth century. Heavy antisemitism was beginning to occur, even during the days
of the original Apostles, as the Good News started to spread among the
Gentile nations. These peoples did not know much, if anything, of Torah, or
Jewish tradition and were well rooted in their pagan beliefs. Heavy persecution
came upon the early Jewish believers from both the Jews, who rejected Yeshua as
their Messiah, and the new Gentile believers, who were mixing their pagan
practices with their new found Christianity. By the time of the Council of
Nicaea in 325 C.E., their antisemitism had reared its ugly head and under the
authority Constantine, they abolished almost everything Jewish in the
establishing of the Roman church. Many Jewish believers in Yeshua and
Rabbinical Jews were persecuted and forced to convert, or die. Because of this
persecution, many Jews were assimilated into the church. During the heavy
persecution of Jews during the eighth century, many more changed their names to
more localized sounding names and were also assimilated into local so called
Christian churches in order to avoid torture, loss of property, or death.
Why is
Messianic Judaism returning to the scene now?
Although the Messianic movement started to be
restored in the late 19th century, it is no accident that this movement started
to take root soon after Israel became an independent nation on May 14th, 1948. This occurance was prophesied in Yechezk'el יחזקאל (Ezekiel) 34: 11-16. The movement really started gaining
momentum, after Jerusalem fell back into Israeli hands in 1967, during Milhemet
Sheshet haYamim מלחמת ששת הימים (The
Six Day War). In that year, there were zero Messianic congregations in the
United States and today there are over 400 (not counting local house, Hebrew Roots and
independent congregations) and over 800 congregations worldwide. In the United
States there are two organizations most synagogues associate themselves with.
They are M.J.A.A. (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America) and U.M.J.C. (Union of
Messianic Jewish Congregations). Although Islam is the fastest growing religion
in the world, Messianic Judaism is among the fastest growing Christian belief
systems (along with the Hebrew Roots Movement), and is the fastest growing form of Judaism. Messianic Judaism is on the
rise in the eastern European nations, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Part of this is due to the fact that more and more Bible believing
Jews and Gentiles are seeing the close of the Gentile age coming to pass, as
spoken of in Luke 21:24. To the frustration of the Orthodox Jews in Israel,
Messianic Judaism is rapidly on the rise there also. When the Almighty opens a door, no
man can shut it.
Why not use the
name Jesus?
The Hebrew name for Jesus is ישוע Yeshua. Some use the variations Yahshua, Yahoshua and Yehoshua, but the common pronunciation used in most Messianic congregations
and writings is Yeshua. The name in Hebrew means "Yahweh saved," or "Salvation of Yah." The
name Jesus was never heard in the ears of our Lord. How can I be certain about
that? Well, first of all, the letter "J" did not come into existence
until about 400 years ago, making the name "Jesus" an impossibility. Incidentally,
the same can be said for the name Jehovah, and the name James. The
English name James in Hebrew is יעקב Ya'akov. The Greek name for Yeshua is Ιησους or Iesous
(pronounced: Yay soos). The Latin name for Jesus is also Iesous with a
different accent (pronounced EE soos). The 1611 version of the King James Bible
did not use the name Jesus because the name did not yet appear in the English
language until about thirty years after its authorization when the letter
"J" came into English usage. The spelling of the name in the 1611
original King James version was Iesvs.
See photo below. Yeshua was Hebrew. He was given a Hebrew name. It
is only proper that he be called by his given name. Acts 4: 11 & 12 says
this;
"This
Yeshua is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the cornerstone.
There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other name under heaven
given to mankind by whom we must be saved!" (CJB)
Why use Hebrew
in our liturgy?
Hebrew is our heavenly Father's language. It is the
language He used to speak to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron and all of the
prophets of old. It is also the language that some claim Yeshua spoke during creation. It is the pure language He swore He would restore to His
people in the end times in Tz'fanyah צפניה (Zephaniah) 3:9. Not all Messianic
congregations use the Hebrew liturgy, but many do. Many use the Hebrew and
English together. If one wants to worship in the rich Jewish tradition, Hebrew
brings out the meaning of worship, like no other language can. Some of the
prayers in the Hebrew have been around for 3,500 years and were familiar to
Yeshua and the Apostles.
Until the last fifty years, or so, it was believed that the whole New Testament was written in Greek. The evidence has only recently been coming forward that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew, or Aramaic and translated into Greek. There is evidence of this, from within the text themselves and from archaeological discoveries in the last hundred years. The Aramaic Eastern Peshitta Text translated by Andrew Gabriel Roth is strong evidence of this idea.
There is also the fact that our present New Testaments were written with an antisemitic, Christian bias. By the time the Protestant Reformation was happening, and their doctrines were being formulated, this antisemitic bias was already deeply rooted in their beliefs which were carried over from Rome. Unfortunately, the apple did not fall far from the tree. The following is a quote from Jeff A. Benner, whom I believe to be one of the foremost experts of our day in the ancient Hebrew.
"Aside from the issue of what language the New Testament was originally written, the primary question should be, 'What language did Yeshua and his Talmidiym (Apostles) speak when teaching?' If they taught in Hebrew then......we must understand his teachings from a Hebraic perspective, not through Greek."
It was once thought that the Hebrew language was a dead language by the time Messiah walked the earth. We now know this is false, as there is too much evidence to the contrary. Yeshua and his Talmidiym (Disciples) were Hebrews. They grew up in a Hebrew land. They spoke and read the Hebrew Scriptures and they wrote in Hebrew. Their understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures was from an Ancient, Eastern, Hebrew perspective. Our Bibles today are translated from a Modern, Western, Hellenistic culture. They are like oil and water. They do not mix. Unfortunately, our Old Testament has been translated from the Masoretic text with all of their Rabbinical biases. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we have Hebrew texts closer to the original writings. I look forward to better translations about to come on the scene.
Until the last fifty years, or so, it was believed that the whole New Testament was written in Greek. The evidence has only recently been coming forward that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew, or Aramaic and translated into Greek. There is evidence of this, from within the text themselves and from archaeological discoveries in the last hundred years. The Aramaic Eastern Peshitta Text translated by Andrew Gabriel Roth is strong evidence of this idea.
There is also the fact that our present New Testaments were written with an antisemitic, Christian bias. By the time the Protestant Reformation was happening, and their doctrines were being formulated, this antisemitic bias was already deeply rooted in their beliefs which were carried over from Rome. Unfortunately, the apple did not fall far from the tree. The following is a quote from Jeff A. Benner, whom I believe to be one of the foremost experts of our day in the ancient Hebrew.
"Aside from the issue of what language the New Testament was originally written, the primary question should be, 'What language did Yeshua and his Talmidiym (Apostles) speak when teaching?' If they taught in Hebrew then......we must understand his teachings from a Hebraic perspective, not through Greek."
It was once thought that the Hebrew language was a dead language by the time Messiah walked the earth. We now know this is false, as there is too much evidence to the contrary. Yeshua and his Talmidiym (Disciples) were Hebrews. They grew up in a Hebrew land. They spoke and read the Hebrew Scriptures and they wrote in Hebrew. Their understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures was from an Ancient, Eastern, Hebrew perspective. Our Bibles today are translated from a Modern, Western, Hellenistic culture. They are like oil and water. They do not mix. Unfortunately, our Old Testament has been translated from the Masoretic text with all of their Rabbinical biases. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we have Hebrew texts closer to the original writings. I look forward to better translations about to come on the scene.
Shalom Ahlaychem,
Barry W. Gaugler
Click on picture to enlarge.