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What is Messianic Judaism?

Messianic Judaism is a term used to communicate that Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name) is the fulfillment of Judaism. Yeshua said in Mathew 5:17, “Do not think that I am come to abolish the law and the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Similarly Yeshua said, “Moses wrote about Me.”

When we use the term Messianic Judaism, we are saying that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, and He is the one that the Torah (The first five books of the Bible) and the Hebrew prophets wrote about. In Luke 24:44, we find Yeshua explaining to His disciples that the things, which were written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, must be fulfilled.

In John 4:22, Yeshua said to a Samaritan woman, who believed in God but was not Jewish, “You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Jesus did not say that this woman was insincere, but that there was a lack of knowledge concerning her worship of God. In summary, Yeshua (Jesus) was telling her that unless you understand your faith from a Jewish perspective you will worship in ignorance, for salvation and the Messiah come out of Judaism.

After Yeshua said to the woman, “Salvation is from the Jews”, she said to him “I know that the Messiah is coming.” Yeshua (Jesus) said to her, “I who speaks to you am He.” (John 4:25-26)

Did you know the word “Christianity” is not in the Bible? The word “Christian” or “Christians” is in the bible 3 times (Acts 11:26, 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). There is a difference between the words Christian and Christianity. The word Christian means a follower of the anointed one, the Messiah. Who is the anointed one? Yeshua (Jesus) who was crucified with a sign nailed above his head that said “Yeshua of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). According to the Book of Revelation, Yeshua is in heaven today as the “Lion from the (Hebrew) tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5). He is coming back to earth as the “Offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16).

Yeshua did not come to start a new religion called Christianity, but rather He is the fulfillment of Judaism (Mathew 5:17).

Heaven itself is called Jerusalem and its gates are inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:10-12). So whether you are Jewish or Gentile, embracing Yeshua is a Jewish thing. To trust Yeshua is to put your faith in the promised Messiah that Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms of David wrote about.

The Jewish person that comes to Yeshua receives forgiveness for their sins, eternal life and the gift of heaven! Yeshua said to the Jewish people he spoke to 2000 years ago, “ I have come that you might have life” (John 10:10).

The Gentile that receives Yeshua is grafted into a relationship with the God of Israel and becomes a recipient of the blessings that come through the covenant that God made with the Jewish people (Eph 2:11, Rom 11: 17-18).

Messianic Judaism then is a move of God’s Spirit to help Jewish people to understand that Yeshua is the promised Messiah; and to help the Gentile believers understand the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith.