When one thinks of Judaism, there are many ideas and concepts that come to mind. The Torah, rabbis, the temple, synagogues, ancient readings and legalism may be some words. However, since the beginning of the 1st century, there has been a form of Judaism (a proper following) that has been overlooked by much of the population of the world, included to both the Jews and the Christians (two of the major parties that came out of the 1st century collapse of Israel ). This other camp is Messianic Judaism. Both Jews and and even moreso Christians of today mistake what Messianic Judaism is, and that’s what this writing will address.
Many people postulate that Messianic Judaism is Judaism with a belief in Jesus Christ and a strict following of Torah law. In many respects they are correct. In most respects this viewpoint is overly simplified and generalized. When actually looking at what the Messianic Jews stand for, it is highly ironic that Messianic Judaism is closer to Christianity than it is to Orthodox Judaism. There are several reasons for why this is so. One of the major reasons is that Orthodox Judaism today is a lot different from what Judaism was in the 1st century. For example it has been stated that Yeshua (I will refer to Jesus as such from here on out) was a rabbinical Jew. Is there something wrong with this? No, neither was there anything wrong with Pharisee Judaism, Sadducee Judaism and the other forms. In the 1st century, the rabbinical Jews followed the Old Testament, or the Tanakh, which consisted of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim. The Torah is a word that has been defined for many centuries as “the Law” but a better way of defining it would be the “the teaching.” This equivocation can be attributed to the Christian church, which we will touch base on later. It consists of the first five books of the Bible, which has also been called “The Written Torah.” The Nevi’im is a Hebrewic term that means “the Prophets” and has the prophetic writings, and the Ketuvim which is the “the Sacred Writings.” All of these compile the Old Testament. However, Orthodox Judaism today has extended these writings to what they would call “The Oral Torah” which are the writings of the Talmud (consisting of two parts, a Babylonian and Jerusalem part (Gemara and Mishnah), the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and the Zohar. The reason that many Christians get mixed up with the idea that it is somehow bad to be a rabbinical Jew is because of what rabbinical Judaism has BECOME today, not for what it was in the first century. Implementing the word rabbinical into a 21st century environment is not the same as implementing that word in the 1st century. However, if anyone were truly familiar with what being a rabbinical Jew was in the 1st century, it would surprise many a Christian to know that Yeshua was a rabbinical Jew.
We must first acknowledge why Messianic Judaism is in fact a form of Judaism and not Christianity. It has been stated many times that Messianic Judaism is not a form of Judaism, but is actually a form of Christianity that is disguised as Judaism. One of the reasons that this is so is because of the division espoused between Yeshua and the modern day rabbis in that the rabbis did not want to find a heavenly messiah. Despite this matter of differential opinion, Messianic Jews are Jews by birth, and with their following patrilinially in the same way that the Bible does in determining what a Jew is, would qualify them to have more accuracy in determining Jewishness than the Orthodox who following not the seed of Abraham as accorded to the Bible, but rather the matrilineal lineage. Religiously, it is a form of Jewishness because of the following of the Tanakh. In essence, this makes Messianic Judaism more Jewish than Modern day Orthodox and Reformed Judaism are today.
Another reason that Messianic Judaism is more closely linked to an accurate depiction of Biblical Judaism is one of the reasons Christians would be delated about. This is because of the following of the New Testament (Renewed covenant), or as we call it the Brit Chadashah which is prophecied about in Jeremiah 31:31-32 - 31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant (brit chadashah) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to [d] them, [e] " declares the LORD. "
Some further descrepancies will be looked at closer regarding this verse when reviewing Christianity. The point to be made for now is that if one is to be truly Jewish, then this must be taken into account. You must accept the Brit Chadashah as the renewed covenant of God. God does not infer this to mean that a new covenant will be established, but rather a renewed covenant is to be established. What is another reason that the Jews and Messianic Jews defer as to what Judaism is? It is the debate over the Mosaic or Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The written Torah is mentioned within the Bible as the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The Pirkei Avot taught that Oral Law was passed down from Moses to Joshua. Where this errs is in Joshua 8:30-34 "
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote before the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger as the home-born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law."
The problem if not obvious is that it is stated within Joshua that everything that was passed down from Moses to Joshua was written when communicated to the Jews. This poses a problem to the Orthodox and Reformed Jew when it is stated in Joshua 23:6
"Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left." Of course the problem is that anything that has been written must be maintained and it is not with the adding on of additonal books. Furthermore, anything that is not written down or is added to the Torah should be disregarded as well. Deuteronomy 4:2 states this explicitly
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:32 also declares, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." This presents a severe problem to the present day Jew when recognizing what true Judaism is. Isaiah 29:10-15 also touches on when Israel will become blind as a nation and turn away from God when it states "
For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Of course this has come to fruition within today's Jew and their denial of Ben Josef, or Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Yeshua also addresses the rabbis in these verses -
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Matthew 15:3
"And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:9
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mark 7:13
Now that we've demonstrated how the Jew has misinterpreted the Bible, we must demonstrate how the Bible has proven to be a positive stance for the Messianic Jew. This position looks very similar to the Christian stance. It must first be remembered that in the 1st century, the Jews saw the angel that would bring in the procession of the Messiah. The problem with the Jews, and it is still a problem is something I will address in a future article. It is which Messiah we are looking for. Many people acknowledge that the Jews made a mistake of looking for the Messiah, because they were looking for someone to provide restoration for the people of Israel. The problem with this view is that it is overgeneralized again. There were two citations of the Messiah given. One was for Yehoshua Ben Josef, and one was with Yehoshua Ben David. The first century Jews did not see Yeshua Ha Mashiach because instead of looking for the Messiah that would forgive us of our sins, which was Yehoshua Ben Josef, they were instead looking for Yehoshua Ben David. Which one of these groups was correct? Both of them were. Yehoshua Ben Josef was the first Messiah to come. Later, peace will be restored to Israel when Yeshua comes in the form of Yehoshua Ben David. Yeshua Ben Yosef was the one who would be the suffering servant from Isaiah 53, and would be forsaken by the world, then be victorious over death via his resurrection. Yeshua Ben David is the same Messiah who would come to restore peace to Israel. The rabbis were too attached to the Torah and were leading people through false legalistic teaching to look for Yeshua Ben David instead of Yeshua Ben Yosef. Thus they were looking for a military leader who would overthrow the Romans (and we saw what that got them). Sadly today people look at this through lenses there should not be, as if they are not one Messiah but two separate and different Messiahs. Having a basic Talmudic understanding, demonstrates this to be a falsehood since their understanding of one of the Messiahs is a Messiah who ultimately dies and fails hence not a Messiah. To find the Messiah that was coming back to 1st century Israel we take a look at the prophecies within the Tanakh to review whether or not Yeshua is the true Messiah. Of course as both Christian and Jew realize Yeshua fulfilled 365 prophecies. What we are looking for in the Messiah is someone who is obviously the Son of God, a hypostasis which is to be fulfilled via the Abraham and Isaac Covenant. Through Isaac's seed and one who is both kin to Joseph and David, the Messiah will come. The prophetic accounts may be found and were fulfilled as follows -
Prophecy
Old Testament (Torah & Haphtarah)
New Testament Fulfilled
1. Messiah's pre-existence.
Micah 5:2
John 1:1, 1:14
2. To be from the seed of a woman.
Genesis 3:15
Matthew 1:18
3. To be from the seed of Abraham.
Genesis 12:3
Matthew 1:1-16
4. To be from the seed of David.
Isaiah 11:10
Matthew 1:1
5. Abraham's descendant would bless all nations.
Genesis 12:3; 18:18
Matthew 1:2
6. To be from the tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:10
Matthew 1:1-3
7. To be a prophet like Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:15,19
John 5:45-47
8. To be the Son of God.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Luke 1:32
9. To be called Lord
Jeremiah 23:5-6
John 13:13
10. To be called Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6
Matthew 1:23
11. To be God within a man
Zechariah 12:10-11
John 10:30
12. To be presented with gifts.
Psalm 72:10
Matthew 2:10
13. To die before the 2nd Temple is destroyed.
Daniel 9:24-27
Temple destroyed in 70 A.D.; Jesus killed between 30-33 A.D.
14. To enter Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
Daniel 9:24-27
Jesus enters Jerusalem between 30-33 A.D.
15. To be born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2
Luke 2:4-2:7
16. To perform miracles.
Isaiah 35:5-6
Matthew 11:4-6
17. To enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:6-9
18. To enter Jerusalem as a King.
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:5
19. To suffer.
Isaiah 53:10-11
Mark 15:34-37
20. To bring salvation.
Isaiah 59:16-20
Luke 19:10
21. When God establishes His renewed covenant, Israel will come to know the Lord; not just His laws.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 11:29-30
22. To be raised from the dead.
Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10
Mark 16:9-10
23. To sit at the right hand of God.
Psalm 110:1
Mark 16:19
24. To be a priest forever.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:5-6
25. To be an intercessor between man and God.
Isaiah 59:16
Matthew 10:32
26. To be called wonderful counselor
Isaiah 9:5-6
Luke 4:22
27. To be called everlasting father.
Isaiah 9:5-6
Matthew 1:23
28. To be called prince of peace.
Isaiah 9:5-6
John 16:33
29. To be a guide to Jews and Gentiles.
Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:1-8
Luke 2:32
30. To be accepted by Gentiles.
Isaiah 11:10
Acts 13:47-48
31. To be preceded by a messenger.
Isaiah 40:3
Matthew 11:10-11
32. To bring light to Galilee.
Isaiah 9:1-2
Matthew 4:15
33. Would be rejected.
Isaiah 53:3; Daniel 9:24-26
John 1:11
34. Would be tried and condemned.
Isaiah 53:8
Acts 8:31-35
35. Would be pierced.
Isaiah 53:5
John 20:25
36. Would be wounded.
Isaiah 53:5
John 19:17-18
37. Would be considered a criminal.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 22:37
38. Would pray for criminals.
Isaiah 53:12
Luke 23:34 (in reference to the soldiers)
39. Would have no broken bones.
Psalm 34:20/21, Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12)
John 19:33
40. Would be silent before His accusers.
Isaiah 53:7
Matthew 27:14
41. Would be buried in a rich man's tomb.
Isaiah 53:9
Matthew 27:57-60
42. Would heal the blind.
Isaiah 61:1-2
John 9:25-38
43. Would preach to the poor.
Isaiah 61:1-2
Matthew 11:5
44. Would die for the sins of Israel & the World.
Isaiah 53:5-6
Matthew 20:28
45. Israel would see, but not see; hear, but not hear.
Isaiah 6:9-10
Matthew 13:13-15
46. His message would spread world-wide.
Isaiah 49:6
Acts 15:15-18
47. Would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4
Hebrews 5:10
48. Darkness would fall over Israel at 12:00 P.M. on a day where the Lord would have Israel mourn for an only Son.
Amos 8:9-10
Matthew 27:45
http://www.therefinersfire.org/accurate_messiah_prophecies.htm The full 365 can be found at the same site at this location - http://therefinersfire.org/messianic_prophecies.htm. In the interest of space, only the list of 48 was utilized.
Some Jews draw issue with Isaiah 53 stating that since Isaiah 43 describes Israel as a servant (the word ebed), that the servant described in Isaiah 53 must also be Israel. However, the word tsadiyq which is the Hebrewic word for "righteous and clean" is never stated in describing the Israelites, and rightly so, since as a nation they were committing adultery against God. However, the servant mentioned in Isaiah 53 does utilize this word, and as we know from the New Testament (Brit Chadashah), Yeshua presented himself as a clean sacrifice for mankind. He never sinned.
There were also 4 miracles that the Jews were looking for to find the Messiah. As one should recognize, there were many miracle healers such as Hanina ben Dosa (student of Johanan ben Zakkai (Berakhot 34b) who was notorious for his miracle that brought a hand that brought him a golden table and Rabbi Simon ben Yochai (student of Rabbi Akiva, receiver of Zohar) both healers as well, Rabbi Eliezer and Honi Ham'aGel (the circle drawer) who was famous for drawing circles and bringing rain to the land. Several of these people one might also remember are mentioned in Norman Geisler's book "Why I am a Christian." Also Josephus records a Jew named Elazar who performed exorcisms in his book "Jewish Antiquities." Josephus also mentions "Onias" in Antiquities as well, but this is likely Honi Ham'aGel. Though these men mentioned above are marvelous men, they did not perform a miracle that the Rabbis and Pharisees were looking for to be the Messiah. They were instead looking for someone who would fulfill the following 4 miracles. The first we will describe is the healing of the leper, which hadn't been done since the Torah had been given by Moshe, when he healed his sister Miriam actually prior to the giving of the Torah. The Babylonian Talmud mentions one of the titles of the Messiah as the "leprous" one. It is interesting to note that there had never been anybody in the land of Israel healed of leprosy, yet the Torah mentions procedures for how to heal a leper and what a leper is to do when healed. See Leviticus 14:14 "14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." and Leviticus 14:25 " 25 He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot." This has stirred up a commotion within the ranks of the Rabbis of today to the degree that they have labelled this in the Orthodox community, a Messianic sign. Luke 17:12-14 confirms his divinity when healing 10 lepers at one time.
The second miracle we are to look at is the casting out of a demon that would cause a man to be both blind and mute. Why is this significant? Traditional Talmudic exorcism would require that a Rabbi ask for a demon's name and then command that it come out of the person. So the problem presented when one is blind and mute? The Rabbis can not get the answer out of a man who is demon possessed. Thus the demon is there to stay. Matthew 12:22 mentions a story of the man who was mute and possessed by these demons. The Jews could not heal this man because he was unable to respond. When Yeshua asked the name of the demon, it was responded by the man that he was "Legion" per Luke 8:31 "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss . Matthew 12:23 mentions a time where the crowd is completely amazed by this demonstration of his heavenly authority, and asks at that time if he was Ben David. The third miracle to mention is the restoration of sight to a blind man. John 9:32 states that this miracle had never occurred before. When Yeshua performed this miracle, the Sanhedrin did not have much in the way of an answer as to how to explain this power. John 9:33 has the man who was healed respond "33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." The Sanhedrin threw him out of the Synagogue per verse 34 in anger and disgust. This miracle enraged the Jews who did not wish to seek a heavenly Messiah.
The last miracle was raising Lazarus from the dead per John 11. Elijah and Elisha had raised the dead beforehand, but in consistent structure of what Jewish Mysticism stated, which was that a spirit remained around the body for 3 days afterwards. Yeshua in this instance actually healed the rotted corpse of Lazarus. After this happened, John 11:45-47 states that people were recognizing that Yeshua was the Messiah.
Lastly, the time period bears significance. It is stated that the Messiah would come, according to Daniel 9:25 25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree [a] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, [b] the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. This time period infers exactly 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The time period matches Yeshua perfectly.
I believe with this in tact we have enough to state that Yeshua is the Messiah that the Israelites were supposed to be looking for. We will take a look later at some other issues that Jews may have in accepting Yeshua as the Messiah in later articles, but this is a brief overview.
The next article will be directed to Christians.
Baruch ata Adonai,
hamashiachagape
P.S. I tend to browse through information and pick up on it quickly, so I forget where I get my information from sometimes. I'm sorry I have postponed providing this. I also want to expand on some of this information on the healing of the lepers in future articles because there is a lot of prophetic meaning behind this, especially given from the rabbinical tradition.
Some of this information comes from Ariel and D'vorah Berkowitz's book "Torah Rediscovered" and Rabbi Eric Carlson's article on the miracles of Yeshua at http://www.zionsake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63
Those are the two I can recount.
The information is largely a regurgitation of this information, but not all of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment