MESSIANIC JUDAISM:
A LETTER TO MY PEOPLE
From Rabbi and Shoshana
Dear Friends,
We are Messianic Jews. We believe in the Messiah of Israel. We also believe that He has already come. Please, don't put this letter down because of what we are going to say...We believe our Messiah is Yeshua (Jesus).
We want to share with you some of the reasons for our decision, but first we want to tell you that this has changed our lives greatly. It has brought us much peace and happiness. It has also allowed us to truly understand what a Jew really is.
What is a Jew? What is true Judaism? We came to the place in our lives where we had to ask ourselves this question. We were born as Jews, but hoe do we live as Jews? What binds us together? We had a great need to fill the aching void in our hearts, so our questions were not merely philosophical. The answers to these questions were not deep and mysterious...but simple, evident and right in front of our noses. Jewishness is not kosher food, chicken soup, planting trees in Israel or Bar Mitzahs. Jewishness is based on G‑d (HaShem). Without G‑d there is no such thing as a Jew!!
We have always believed in G‑d and known He was there, somewhere. However, He was so far away from us (or maybe, we were so far away from Him) that we couldn't find the G‑d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Many of our people are also searching, though many would not admit it to anyone. We have depended on culture and tradition to give us spiritual fulfillment. As a result, our precious young people are "hungry". They have become empty, restless and rebellious. Some have just given up on Judaism altogether. "Religion" is an attempt to bridge the gap between us and G‑d. True
Judaism is about a personal relationship with the G‑d of the Universe. G‑d used to talk directly to Abraham, Isaac, Moses and Elijah and others on a regular basis. What happened that we no longer have that kind of relationship with G‑d? Instead of searching for that lost relationship with G‑d, many people today are turning to drugs, cults, astrology and other dangerous substitutes, strictly forbidden in the Torah! We wanted no part of this.
Our next question was about the origins of modern Jewish traditions and practices. Do they come from the Hebrew Holy Scriptures, which is G‑d's Word, or were they thought up by man? We looked to our Torah and Scriptures for the answer to this question. It became more and more evident that what we have today bears little resemblance to Biblical Judaism.
G‑d would not recognize it as what He gave us. After more study, we found that what is being taught today basically has evolved between the "Silent Years" (the 400 or so years following the last writings of the Tenach) and the present. Many men of great wisdom, with probably very good intentions, sat down and began to study, dissect and re‑interpret the Torah. During this time, G‑d was silent with Israel and out of fear that the people would turn from G‑d during this silence, the Rabbis and teachers began to search for the most minute applications of the Law. They began to interpret, add to, subtract from, change and explain away what G‑d set down for His people.
Thus began the Talmudic tradition of Judaism. Today, more Jews are concerned with the teachings of the Talmud than with the teachings of the Torah. G‑d is smart enough to say what He means in the first place! He is loving enough to want us to hear it. He is thoughtful enough to say it in a way we would be sure to understand. He is also fair enough to give us a warning against adding to His word: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it.." in Deuteronomy 4:2. Also: "Every word of G‑d is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Add not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs of Solomon 30:5‑6.
What does the Word of G‑d actually say, though? It is the most important thing we will ever learn! Here is a brief outline.
I. G‑d loves us!
a."Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with affection have drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3
II. All mankind, whether Gentile or Jew, is sinful and cannot be one with G‑d because of this. G‑d is Holy and just.
a. "For there is not a righteous man upon this earth that doeth good, and sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7:20
b. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your G‑d, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." Isaiah 59:1‑2
c. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6
III. In the Old Testament, G‑d set down a strict outline of sacrifice to temporarily bridge this gap and cover sin. Yom Kippur was not observed as it is today, with mere fasting. There was a definite requirement to atone for sin. These are G‑d's words:
a."For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11
IV. The Torah, or the books of Moses, is filled with laws, statutes, and ordinances. They were never rescinded. G‑d commanded us to keep them all (under the Old Covenant).
a."And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy G‑d, to observe and to do all His command‑ments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy G‑d will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." Deuteronomy 28:1
b."But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy G‑d, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee." Deuteronomy 28:15
Immediately, this brings many questions. Many of the things that G‑d required of us are impossible for us to do today! There has to be a TEMPLE in Israel! Not a synagogue...but a temple! The Temple in Israel was destroyed approximately 40 years, or one generation, after the death of Yeshua. This was prophesied in the Old and New Testament. How then can we make atonement? G‑d has provided a way!!
V. G‑d said there would be a new covenant, because WE have broken the old one.
a."Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah." Jeremiah 31:31
b."And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it." Isaiah 28:18
VI. This new covenant was to center around a Redeemer and this Redeemer was to die for us. The sacrifice would be sufficient to wipe away all of our sins. It was to be made ONCE...for all!
a."Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah 55:3
b."He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due." Isaiah 53:5‑8
c."Yet he bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressor." Isaiah 53:12
(Whenever a prophet wanted to emphasize a vision or revelation from G‑d, he spoke in the past tense as if it had already happened, because in the eyes of the prophet, it was so sure, that it had happened as far as he was concerned.)
VII. Every name for G‑d was plural from the very beginning.
a. "And G‑d said, let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness." Genesis 1:26
b. "And the Lord G‑d said, Behold, the man is become as one of US, to know good and evil." Genesis 3:22
c. "Let US go down, and there confound their language." Genesis 11:7
VIII. This brings up a great question in the mind of every Jew: What about the Sh'ma? Doesn't our Torah say, "Hear O Israel. The Lord, our G‑d, the Lord is ONE?"
YES, IT DOES! G‑d is ONE ‑ ECHAD!
Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Echad.
The word ECHAD means one, but not the way we understand it. It means a united one. Two or more united as one. That makes a big difference!
IX. The Redeemer was to be the Son of G‑d. Can G‑d have a Son? The Hebrew Holy Scriptures clearly state that G‑d, who is Echad, has a Son who is equal to Him.
a."Who hath established the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is His Son's name, if thou knowest?" Prov. 30:4
b."I will tell of the decree; the Lord said unto me, 'Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.'" Psalm 2:7
c."For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty G‑d, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
d."The Lord said unto my Lord, 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Psalm 110:1
X. He was to bring peace to all those who believe in Him ‑ INDIVIDUALLY! Then, He would come again, this time to judge a disbelieving world and to bring peace to the righteous. At this time, all Israel will see Him, recognize Him and mourn for Him.
a."And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Zechariah 12:10
We believe that the Old Testament is totally inspired by G‑d, in spite of the way it has been attacked by our own people!! The contents seem to make most people uncomfortable. It made us uncomfortable at one time too. However, it doesn't make any sense that all that G‑d would give the Jewish people their own Book to cherish and to pass down from generation to generation, preserve it from all harm, and put within it prophecies that are coming to pass in our day, just so we could ignore it!
We also believe that the New Testament is the fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31! Covenant and testament are basically the same word.
To sum this up, we are Jewish and we have accepted a Jewish Messiah (Yeshua), written about in a Jewish Book (the Bible), by Jewish prophets who were inspired by El Shaddai (the Almighty G‑d)! Yeshua died to bear our sins and was raised from the dead to give us eternal life. "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Psalm 16:10)
G‑d has given us peace, joy, and the ability to love the lovely and the unlovely as never before. We believe that when we accept our Jewish Messiah, we become "Completed Jews" or "Messianic Jews". We know that G‑d is the same today as when He parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites. We know this because we have seen and experienced many miracles. But the biggest miracle of all is the change in our lives!
We pray that you are open‑minded enough to look up the Scriptures we have given you in your Jewish Bible and carefully consider the things we have written. But most of all, we pray that you will turn to G‑d with your whole heart and ask Him if this is true. He will answer you.
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3