And the angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people:
For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Messiah the L-rd.
(Luke 2:10-11)
For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Messiah the L-rd.
(Luke 2:10-11)
The above passage that is read in churches around the world at Christmas services declares that the coming of the Messiah is good news of great joy to all the people, this all the people in the Church's universal viewpoint would be all the Nations of the world. Yet this message was given specifically to Jewish shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem, making this "good news" for all the people, specifically referring to the Jewish people, the first ones to recveive the news. What should be much more than just "good news" for the Jewish people and more appropriately "super great totally amazing news" for the Jewish people, that Yeshua, the Messiah, the descendant of David, the Redeemer has come! He who is one that is cried for each day in the liturgy, the Hope of Israel was born into this world. The Redeemer has come, the Redemption cried for in the prayers of Israel has been inaugurated.
Yet in traditional Christian teaching and the theological assumptions driving the Missions to the Jews, like Jews for Jesus and others, the coming of the Messiah was not even just "ok news" and not even just bad news, but the worst news possible at the time for the 99% of the Jewish people of Yeshua's time and for the 99% of Jews today.
As is taught by the Church and the Missions, the Jewish people from Sinai to the death of Yeshua could be "saved" by believing in G-d, observing Torah commands, offering sacrifices at the Tabernacle/Temple and living ethical lives, yet when Messiah came the only way to be "saved" was to pray a "sinner's prayer" and embrace Yeshua as Messiah.
Under this way of thinking, the coming of the long awaited Jewish Messiah, instantaneously changed the fate of all the pious Jews that were believing in G-d, observing Torah commands, offering sacrifices at the Tabernacle/Temple and living ethical lives, rather than having their lives bettered by the coming of Yeshua, they were now damned and on their way to Hell, unless they immediately prayed a "sinner's prayer", rejected Judaism and Torah observance to become a Christian (of which the "sinner's prayer" was not introduced into Christian teaching until the revivals of the 19th century, so the Jews (and non-Jews) of the 1st to 19th century were really in trouble!)
So then in the common teaching of the Church and Missions, the coming of the Messiah did not open up G-d's redemption to "all the people" of Israel like the angel declared, but good news to only a few Jews who converted to Christianity and abandoned Torah life, but for most of "all the people" of Israel it brought a mass condemnation of all those Jews who were not pre-cross followers of Yeshua.
This thinking also has made for a difficult proposition to present Yeshua as good news for the Jewish people of the 21st century being that as taught and believed in the Church the coming of the Messiah (under this thinking) has meant the unquestioned mass eternal damnation of the last 50 generations of Jews. Including those Jews who have not seen a Jewish Messiah in the person of the "Jesus" of the Church or Y'shua of the Missions, but the "g-d of the goyim" that was anti-Jewish, anti-Judaism and anti-Torah and taught His followers likewise.
The "Jesus" of the Church and the "Y'shua" of the Missions that is presented to Jewish people, can rightly be called "another Yeshua" of "another good news" (Gal. 1:6-9), rather than as the Messiah to bring redemption and a reviving of Torah living for the Jewish People, in contrast their "Jesus" or "Y'shua" brings mass condemnation to most of the Jewish people and salvation to only an elect few Jews who become Christians and a for them a life now free from obeying G-d demonstrated by rejecting incumbent Torah observance!
The Messiah has come, He should be seen as super great totally amazing news for all of the Jewish people! The coming of the Messiah should make life now and in the future better for the Jewish people, only by seeing Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, who comes to bring redemption and new life walking Torah will the coming of Yeshua be good news.
May we make Yeshua known as the one who brings redemption, new life in Torah by the power of G-d's Spirit and a renewed connection to the G-d of Israel and more than that may we do the work to make this a reality!
Yet in traditional Christian teaching and the theological assumptions driving the Missions to the Jews, like Jews for Jesus and others, the coming of the Messiah was not even just "ok news" and not even just bad news, but the worst news possible at the time for the 99% of the Jewish people of Yeshua's time and for the 99% of Jews today.
As is taught by the Church and the Missions, the Jewish people from Sinai to the death of Yeshua could be "saved" by believing in G-d, observing Torah commands, offering sacrifices at the Tabernacle/Temple and living ethical lives, yet when Messiah came the only way to be "saved" was to pray a "sinner's prayer" and embrace Yeshua as Messiah.
Under this way of thinking, the coming of the long awaited Jewish Messiah, instantaneously changed the fate of all the pious Jews that were believing in G-d, observing Torah commands, offering sacrifices at the Tabernacle/Temple and living ethical lives, rather than having their lives bettered by the coming of Yeshua, they were now damned and on their way to Hell, unless they immediately prayed a "sinner's prayer", rejected Judaism and Torah observance to become a Christian (of which the "sinner's prayer" was not introduced into Christian teaching until the revivals of the 19th century, so the Jews (and non-Jews) of the 1st to 19th century were really in trouble!)
So then in the common teaching of the Church and Missions, the coming of the Messiah did not open up G-d's redemption to "all the people" of Israel like the angel declared, but good news to only a few Jews who converted to Christianity and abandoned Torah life, but for most of "all the people" of Israel it brought a mass condemnation of all those Jews who were not pre-cross followers of Yeshua.
This thinking also has made for a difficult proposition to present Yeshua as good news for the Jewish people of the 21st century being that as taught and believed in the Church the coming of the Messiah (under this thinking) has meant the unquestioned mass eternal damnation of the last 50 generations of Jews. Including those Jews who have not seen a Jewish Messiah in the person of the "Jesus" of the Church or Y'shua of the Missions, but the "g-d of the goyim" that was anti-Jewish, anti-Judaism and anti-Torah and taught His followers likewise.
The "Jesus" of the Church and the "Y'shua" of the Missions that is presented to Jewish people, can rightly be called "another Yeshua" of "another good news" (Gal. 1:6-9), rather than as the Messiah to bring redemption and a reviving of Torah living for the Jewish People, in contrast their "Jesus" or "Y'shua" brings mass condemnation to most of the Jewish people and salvation to only an elect few Jews who become Christians and a for them a life now free from obeying G-d demonstrated by rejecting incumbent Torah observance!
The Messiah has come, He should be seen as super great totally amazing news for all of the Jewish people! The coming of the Messiah should make life now and in the future better for the Jewish people, only by seeing Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, who comes to bring redemption and new life walking Torah will the coming of Yeshua be good news.
May we make Yeshua known as the one who brings redemption, new life in Torah by the power of G-d's Spirit and a renewed connection to the G-d of Israel and more than that may we do the work to make this a reality!
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7 comments:
Monday, October 01, 2007 1:11:00 PM
Ridiculous. There is not a "Jesus of the church and missions" and a "Yeshua of the Postmissionary Messianic congregations!" There is only one Yeshua. The only differences are the lenses people persist on putting in front of themselves befor they look at G-d.
Monday, October 01, 2007 5:39:00 PM
pattertwitty,
thanks for commenting.
my point is that the "Jesus of the Church" and the "Y'shua of the Missions" has not been and is not today not a true representation of the Messiah, that should be good news for all the Jewish People. But the coming of the "Jesus of the Church" and the "Y'shua of the Missions" has been the worst event to happen in Jewish history because the coming of Yeshua has meant mass condemnation of Torah faithful Jews and limited salvation to those few Jews that have accepted their message.
May we seek to present the real Jewish Messiah to all the Jewish people!
Monday, October 08, 2007 9:01:00 AM
Pattertwitty has a point. It all depends upon the lenses that people persist in putting in front of themselves before they look at G-d. Take the following verse:
... keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.( Deut 30:10)
I guess the Church and the Missions read this as "accept Jesus as your personal savior". I am not sure what lense they use for this. Perhaps Pattertwitty can explain.
Menachem
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 5:22:00 PM
I guess the Church and the Missions read this as "accept Jesus as your personal savior".
What if your guess is wrong?
Monday, October 15, 2007 9:59:00 AM
Anonymous: I guess the Church and the Missions read this as "accept Jesus as your personal savior".
What if your guess is wrong?<<
I am not sure I understand the question? I will have to "guess" how your read my statemtn as well .
If you mean my guess about how the Church and Missions read that verse, then I would retract and apologize.
Thursday, October 18, 2007 5:30:00 PM
Hello. I haven't commented on your blog before. My name's Antonio (or Ovadyah) and im a MJ high schooler in Dallas. I enjoy your blog quite a bit (Yasher Ko'ach).
As for this post, I'm still trying to get my bearings on the issue and you've handled it remarkably well.
Do you think the so-called "Jesus of the Church"/"Y'shua of the Missions" meets the Deutoronomic standard for a false prophet, doing signs and wonders while leading Israel astray from G-d and his revealed will and has this impacted your theology?
Tuesday, June 03, 2008 11:33:00 AM
It seems to me that you are misunderstanding the Christians' view of the Good News. Please read Romans. Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisee's, trained under Gamaliel explains the new covenant:Romans 1:16-17; Romans 2 (the whole chapter; Romans 9 (the whole chapter - emph V. 6); John 1:9-16 (Is. 49:6, 53:3); John 1:50 (Gen 28:12) More importantly: Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." May God bless you in Jesus name.
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