Volumne 12 Number 6
July/August 1996
Tammuz/Av/Elul 5756

Freedom of the Press and Messianic Jews.

By Barney Kasdan, Messianic Rabbi

"And when they had brought the disciples, they stood them before the Sanhedrin. And the High Priest questioned them, saying `We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this Name....'" [Acts 5:27-28].

So what else is new? We all know that since the days of Yeshua and the Book of Acts that Messianic Judaism has been a source of controversy. Of course many people, both Jews and Christians, seem to presume that "the Jews" don't believe Yeshua is the Messiah. But such broad brushed generalizations do not line up with the actual history of first century Israel. Did all Jews receive Yeshua as the promised son of David? Clearly not. But just as clear is the fact that not all Jews rejected Him as the Mashiach. How else can we explain the controversy of Messianic Judaism? If it was a unanimous rejection of the claims of Yeshua, there would have been no debate on the issue.

Not only were the original Jewish disciples among those who believed in Yeshua, but we find later in the Book of Acts the account that there were "myriads" (literally, tens of thousands) of Jews who believed and we still zealous for the Torah heritage (Acts 21:20). Many Jewish scholars substantiate the significance of this early movement. Even the Encyclopedia Judaica acknowledges that this first century phenomenon was a "Jewish messianic sect" (see entire article on "Christianity"). It is perhaps not so surprising as one thinks about it that this was simply an in-house debate about if Yeshua is the Mashiach or not. No matter how one may have answered that question, it was clearly a Jewish controversy in the midst of Israel.

It seems things got awfully quiet in later history. This faith in Messiah was to properly go to the Gentiles, which it did with great success. However, the Jewishness of the faith was either forgotten or ignored as the message spread to non-Jewish areas. Evidently, this was already beginning to take place in the first century as Saul of Tarsus felt compelled to exhort the Gentile believers not to be arrogant towards the first (Jewish) branches because they actually represent the roots of the faith in Yeshua (Romans 11:18f).

Hence, today many people mistakenly believe that belief in Yeshua is simply a Gentile religion. But the controversy has heated up in the Jewish community over the last several years. This is the heart of the vision of our Messianic synagogue called Kehilat Ariel. We desire for it to be known that there are many Jews who believe in Yeshua at still desire to live within our Jewish heritage. Not surprisingly, the controversy continues to grow in the land of Israel. Yes, there are still those who hope to forbid even the mention of Yeshua for Jews. Yet, like the first century, there is a controversy because there are mixed opinions about Yeshua's claims and work. We believe this is more than just a curious debate. The answer to the question of who is Yeshua has vast (and eternal) implications for all of us. If He is not the Messiah sent from Hashem, then we should not follow Him. But what if He matches the description of the Tenach? Do you know enough to make an intelligent decision? Who do you think He is?

URL:http://www.kehilatariel.org/7_8_96.html

Last Modified May 10, 1999