What is a Messianic Jew?

Question

What's the difference between this type of Jew and the others? Are there different beliefs? Does one believe that Jesus is God and the other don't.

Answer 1

A messianic Jew is a Jew that believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Mark JPAS summed it up well when he said "it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. So there is a double standard when it comes to Christianity.



Why? its a cover for there own deviations from Judaism.Some Jews need to maintain the a connection to Jewish family because they have deviated so much from traditional Judaism that many Orthodox question their Jewishness. They need find some way to distract attention because of there deviation from the Torah. This is done by pointing their finger at others to direct attention away from their own actions. You can't give yourself a title and expect that it makes you something. This is the argument that has been used against Jews that decide that Jesus is the Messiah. We are told that the mere belief of a different nature of God immediately invalidated a Jews Jewishness. At the same time Jews that become atheists, pantheists or stop practicing any element of their religion we are told are still Jews.



All this is said with a straight face.



They say that you can believe in anything but Jesus. Jews call conversion "joining the tribe". Things that would never fly in Orthodox or for that matter Messianic Judaism can be found in the Reform and Reconstructionist movements. A good example of this is a previous question asked here. The person asking worshiped the God Ferris but did not believe in him or the Jewish God. The focus of the question was" ...would you PERSONALLY feel comfortable welcoming me not just as a fellow congregant at your Synagogue, but as a member of the Tribe?" (so he was clearly asking about converting to Judaism).



The response was "Reform Judaism covers a wide swath of beliefs and practices and I am sure you will be wholly accepted. ... I personally would accept you whole heartily as a fellow Jew."



So some Jews will accept all kinds of deviations from the Torah but one belief in "Jesus".



http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...



Most Messianic Jews are Torah observant yet you can become an atheist, stop practicing their faith, become a Buddhist, join a Unitarian Church and still be a Jew in the eyes of Reform/Reconstructionist Jews. Most Orthodox when asked about other Jews will say they don't know what non Orthodox Jews are.



Some will say its because the two religions are so very different. The problem is not differences but similarities. You should know ALL the writers of the Christian Bible were Jews but one. Much of our Scriptures are shared. The vast majority of early believers in Jesus were Jews. Sp when you hear the exact opposite you need to keep that in mind.



One of the major complaints regarding "incompatibility" is in the Doctrine of the Trinity. The Chief Rabbis of Israel have determined that its the Trinity that is the problem and have spent considerable time defining it to prove their point. The problem is that their definition is not compatible with that Christians believe.

Answer 2

A Messianic Jew is a person, who is Jewish, born Jewish totally Torah observant & discovers that their Messiah is Y'shua/Jesus of Nazareth.

People who go to church on sunday & were previously Jews, but now

belong to J4Jesus & have abandoned Torah, Feasts & Festivals, are

now christians as stated.

Their is a big difference between J4J & Messianic Jews just as their is

a big difference between christians & Messianic Believers(gentiles who

are Torah Observant & follow the Feasts & Festivals of YHWH Eloah).

Messianic Jews & Messianic Believers have more in common, than J4J

and christians.

Messiah Y'shua is THE SON OF YHWH God.

How can the Father be the Son & vice versa, there is something amiss

in our understanding of Scripture.

Answer 3

Messianic Jews I know well are of those who were brought up in a Jewish family and met with Yeshua the Messiah and wish to maintain their Jewish identity, being Torah observant.



Also those who weren't brought up in a Jewish home but have discovered that their parents/grandparents are Jewish and so have become Torah observant and also believe in Yeshua the Messiah.



In this second group are those who are learning Torah and keep the Shabbat and the Biblical feasts.



There are of course, those non Jews who believe that to accept Yeshua as their Saviour and Messiah, makes them "a Jew who is one inwardly". Romans 2:29 and some of these believers make keep the Torah and are known to call themselves Messianic Jews.



Also, I know of some Christians who prefer to call themselves Messianic believers preferring to identify with their Jewish brethren.

Answer 4

Messianic Jews are simply Jews who have accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as foretold throughout the Old Testament. Paul and the apostles were Messianic Jews as were most of the early followers of Christ.

In the early church some Jews refused to accept Jesus and persecuted those who did. It's the same today. Just look at some of their responses. Their resentment carries over to Christians as well.

Answer 5

A Messianic Jew are those who practice their Jewish traditions, but have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Jewish Messiah. I love and support them with all my heart.

Answer 6

The correct answer is that non-Messianics fear they missed the Messiah that Messianics follow..



It has been about 2500 years since non-Messianic Jews heard from God through a prophet....That should be enough to unnerve anyone about their position when the Tanach is a record of where God speaks and acts to correct or expand His people's understanding of Him. The Torah and Tanach exist because of the thousands of examples of God speaking and acting, it suddenly stops....and has not restarted according to non-Messianics. This is truly a puzzle and a concern.



Messianic Jews state that God still does speak and act on behalf of His people. So if you aren't filled with rage and hatred, a rational, educated person would ask how they could have what the Messianic Jews have.



But the name Messianic Jew reveals how to have what they have...believe in the Messiah. To admit the Messiah has come is to admit that the non-Messianic Jews have been wrong about Yeshua for 2000 years.



Stan Telchin wrote this when his daughter decided to follow Jesus:



“Well, I’ve become a believer, too.”

There was a long moment of silence.

“What does that mean, Judy?”

“It means that I believe in God. I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and (long pause) I believe that Jesus is the Messiah!”

I was speechless.



Many parents might have welcomed Judy’s words, but they absolutely crushed me!



You see, we are Jewish!



To mention the name of Jesus is awkward enough. To consider Him as the Messiah is something we just do not do. For any of us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah is to betray our people, to join the enemy and to desecrate the memory of all our ancestors over the last two thousand years.



How could Judy do this to us?



Rage started to well up within me.



“Betrayed” copyright 1981, 2007 (pg 14)



But before we can say that non-Messianic Jews deny Messianic Jews their Jewishness, what makes a Jew a Jew needs to be defined?



1. Are Jews born into Judaism?

2. Do they have to make a public profession in front of other members accepting their scriptures as their own?

3. Or is it simply being a member of a community?



PaperbackWriter JPA KosherNinja defines Judaism:



***Judaism is like every other faith: we have members who are very strict in adhering to the letter of the law, and we have members who are less so. A person who is born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, whether they never set foot in a synagogue or whether they become a Rabbi - they are EQUALLY Jewish.***



According to her, Judaism is determined by birth. Because she continues and says they can ***never set foot in a synagogue*** and be a Jew.



Therefore, there is a sect of Judaism that believes that you are born into Judaism.



If one claims the scriptures as the way of determining Judaism, then Ahab would be a get place to start. He brought Baal worship into Israel and married a Gentile who delivered a son. If the Tanach has any value, then the fact that Ahab's son is considered a Jew should be all that is needed to prove Judaism is determined by birth.



Interesting enough, Elijah tells God how Ahab all Israel turn to worshipping Baal a few days after killing the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 19)



Here is the classic scriptural example of what should happen when a Jew believes differently that Judaism....nothing. All of Israel was NOT called "apostate" or "Baalians." There is not a word about classes reaffirming a faith that God. In this scriptural example, there isn't one shread of evidence to support the practice of non-Messianics.



So the scriptures support your position, "A Jew is a Jew by birth." While welcomed, conversions of Gentiles to non-Messianic Judaism is rare. However, non-Messianic Jews deny this right of conversion to Messianic Jews.



Therefore, they won't give a scriptural text to support their position.... though some might reference



Ex 32:***'Whoso is on HaShem'S side, let him come unto me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them: 'Thus saith HaShem, the G-d of Israel: Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.' 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.*** http://www.hareidi.org/bible/Exodus32.ht...



One can hardly confuse what Moses commanded be done to those who worshipped the golden calf with what occurred with Ahab or is done with Messianic Jews.



Stan answers your question when he says, "For any of us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah is to betray our people, to join the enemy and to desecrate the memory of all our ancestors over the last two thousand years."



So the intense hatred of Messianic Jews is identified as it is seen as betrayal. This concept of betrayal isn't taught by the Hebrew scriptures. There is no reference in the Tanach of this betrayal.



Therefore, this hatred is taught from an extra-Biblical source which is considered equal or superior to the Tanach....which is why non-Messianics don't like quoting their scriptures to support their position.



As Michelle R says,



***The problem with applying one religion's yardstick to another religion's belief system, is that it will never measure up. Orthodox Jews may believe that Reform Jews are not practicing true Judaism because they don't see the laws as binding***



Messianic Jews aren't the only ones accused of not practicing "true Judaism" by those who are divisive.



Hope this helps



EDIT



Marcuss: ***Well, the problem with doing that is you will be going to someone who is lying about what they are and thus you will get nothing but lies from them.***



The problem non-Messianic Jewish answers are they make big claims like calling MJs "lying" and then expects everyone to take what you say by blind faith. It should be simple to quote someone who has heard the voice of the God you claim is real but who non-Messianics have never actually heard or seen....so on what basis can the non-Messianics claim they are currently following God given they had prophets, scriptures and Solomon's Temple prior to conquest of Babylon. The Jewish scriptures bear witness through the prophets that the reason for the conquest of Israel was due to disobedience.



So how can the destruction of Herod's Temple be a result of obedience when the High Priest was selected by Rome and not the way the Torah mandated? It can't....which is why the non-Messianic position can't be defended so their highest defense is name calling.

Answer 7

A Messianic Jew is either a person who converted to Judaism and follows the Jewish Messiah - OR - born into a Jewish family and chooses to embrace the Jewish Messiah. In BOTH cases, a Messianic Jew is Torah-observant and NOT Christian.



D1

Answer 8

A "messianic Jew" is not a type of Jew. The term is highly deceptive--"messianic Jews" are literally NOT Jews. They claim they are not Christians but their religious beliefs mesh well with Christianity (Jesus, Mother Mary, crucifixion,, resurrection, New Testament, etc) and bear little resemblance to those of Judaism, in which Jesus plays no role whatsoever. We are talking about religious identity theft and fraud here.



edit: Devoted says "When you want an answer as to what an MJ is, go to the source - an MJ." Well, the problem with doing that is you will be going to someone who is lying about what they are and thus you will get nothing but lies from them. They are NOT Jews. If you want to know something about Jews, go to Jews instead of going to people who claim to be Jews but who are not. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Answer 9

Basically a Messianic Jew believes that Jesus is Messiah. In Israel they are actually persecuted by the more traditional or Orthodox Jews. The main difference is the belief in Jesus as Messiah. Messianics are said (by Orthodox or traditional Jews) are sometimes called "former Jews".

Answer 10

'Messianic Jew' is the brand name of a theology which has decided that 'real Jews worship Jesus'.



In other words, they're Christian.



Meanwhile, the real 'real Jews' understand that worshiping other gods or following another religion is the dealbreaker. Any one who does either is not Jewish.

Answer 11

"Messianic Judaism" is a CHRISTIAN movement that uses deceit and misrepresentation to try and convert Jews. They dress the,selves up as Jews, they adopt outward Jewish appearance, they replace the standardChristiab terms with Hebrew ones- and then try to claim they are Jewish.



They are not- they are more like a bait and switch scam than anything else!

Answer 12

Very simply, a so called "Messianic Jew" is a Christian.

Answer 13

Judaism IS a messianic faith but there is NO separate branch or sect of Judaism called "Messianic Judaism". The people who identify themselves as “Messianic Jews” follow the New Testament doctrine/scriptures and are thus, not of the Jewish faith. More than 90% of the people who call themselves "messianic Jews" have no Jewish ancestry and are thus, not even apostate Jews. A group of pepole comprised of less than 10% apostate Jews who do not follow any form of Judaism, but only take Hebrew language, customs and holidays and impose replacement theology into holy Jewish observances does not get to redefine Torah for the Jewish people. They may not hijack the identity of the Jewish people without the whole world's Jewish population of EVERY branch on every continent speaking in unison that they are not following Judaism. If they do not want to call adherence to the New Testament Christian, that's not a Jewish concern. Jews simply do not want them to hijack Jewish identity.Jews consider them Christian since their statements of beliefs are Christian and not Judaism. It is not the function or job of Judaism to give other religions their own names. Honesty would dictate that they need to come up with something other than Messianic Judaism since Judaism IS a messianic faith...and because of some people giving them legitimacy..you have sometimes well meaning but very ignorant of Judaism actually saying the meaningless and mistaken term of "non-messianic Jews" to try to refer to ALL of Judaism. That's wrong statement because ALL of Judaism IS messianic

ALL branches of Judaism are in complete agreement that this assault to Jewish identity by people who profess faith in the doctrine of the New Testament is not telling these people what to believe, but just trying to inform the world that these people are not being honest when they hijack the identity of the Jewish people.



We currently have no other name to call them than what they were FORMERLY known as, Hebrew Christians. The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America was known by that name from it's beginning in 1915 until 1975. The term "Messianic Judaism" began around 1967 according to "Christianity Today" magazine. Their statements of faith are in contradiction to the statements of belief of every form of Judaism on planet earth. Every Chief Rabbi and Jewish organization of every branch on every continent you find Jews and every Jewish user from five continents here in Yahoo that I've seen posting on this issue are in full agreement. This isn't a schism within Judaism, It isn't Judaism.

To those who think that it is harsh to claim they are dishonest..there is simply no getting around the fact that they are. It is identity theft, plain and simple.

Jews are obligated by the commandments of God in Torah to speak up to the truth of the covenant of Israel and because the Jewish people should also have the same rights as all other nation peoples according to the Declaration of Human Rights, it is also our right and obligation to simply speak to the right of Jews to continue to use Jewish law for self-determination.

I am a Jewish believer. I am a real "messianic" Jew since my concept of the Davidic messiah is from the Tanakh. It has nothing to do with Jesus or the New Testament.



I am a monotheistic Jew. There is no trinity or tripartate deity in Judaism. There is absolutely no need to designate any particular branch of Judaism as monotheistic. It is every bit as illogical and redundant to have a phrase naming a separate branch of the Jewish religion as "Messianic Judaism"



I pray for the day when these explanations are no longer needed and such disrespect is no longer displayed to the Jewish people.



Shalom and may you be blessed



EDIT: OK..in response to if you want to know what they believe then go to the source. I do with the references of their own statements of faith below. One I copied from a direct page link in Y/A..the other from a site given in Y/A .



In addition here is the position statement from the Chief Rabbis of Israel. (The trinity aspect of New Testament doctrine is by NO means the only reason that the New Testament is incompatible with Judaism btw)

CHIEF Ashkenazi and CHIEF Sephardi Rabbis of Israel

"There are Christian groups that call themselves "Messianic Jews" whose faith is totally alien to the Jewish faith, and members of these groups who were born to Jewish parents have a status of apostates who removed themselves from the Jewish Nation."

-Official proclamation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, 1998.

NOTE..the above is a part of a larger piece that recognizes that these groups are primarily composed of Christians and is addressing those of their numbers who are apostate to Judaism. All of Judaism is in agreement with this position, they are not a part of the Jewish people..UNLESS or until they repent and return from their foreign belief. That can't be changed. Torah doesn't change. Shalom

Answer 14

Let me be really clear: “Messianic Jews”, “Jews for Jesus”, etc., are **not** Jewish. Period. They are Christians, many of whom, under false pretenses, aggressively seek to convert Jews and descendants of intermarriage to Christianity in a way that many of us find invasive, disrespectful, and anti-Semitic.



Before I even get to what Jewish law says about these impostors, consider this: not only does every Jewish organization completely reject them as Jewish, but so do a fair number of Christian groups (see links 2-4 below).

If no Jew thinks that you’re Jewish, and even some Christians don’t, then how can you possibly think that you are? And if one thinks that this rejection is a recent phenomenon, think again! Even St. Ignatius, of the 2nd century, felt the same way! In his Epistle to the Magnesians he wrote:



“Never allow yourselves to be led astray by false teachings and antiquated and useless fables. Nothing of any use can be got from them. If we are still living in the practice of Judaism, it is an admission that we have failed to receive the gift of grace…To profess Jesus Christ while continuing to follow Jewish customs ***is an absurdity***…[L]et us learn to live like Christians. To profess any other name but that is to be lost to God…For where there is Christianity there cannot be Judaism.”



And now for what **we** say:



Most Jewish scholars agree that you cannot convert away from Judaism (there are a minority who say you can convert away). However, this by no means implies that a Jew who joins another religion has the same standing as a Jew who has remained Jewish. A Jew who practices another religion, whether it be Christianity (in any of its forms, including Messianic "Judaism"), Islam or anything else, is known as an "apostate." An apostate is someone who has removed themselves from the Jewish people by joining another faith. The apostate cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Nor can the apostate be counted for a minyan, the minimum of ten adult Jews (or adult Jewish men, depending on one's denomination) needed for saying certain prayers. For nearly all practical purposes, they have the same status in the Jewish community as non-Jews. The only difference is that they do not have to undergo a full conversion to rejoin the Jewish community, though there is a process known as "Teshuvah" that they must go through to come back to the Jewish community with full Jewish status.



So, once we delve into Jewish law we see that a Jew who joins another religion, though still Jewish, has ostensibly the status of a non-Jew and is no longer able to participate as a full member of the Jewish community. The apostate has the weakest of all grasps to their Jewish identity, they are Jewish by birth but otherwise have no position in the Jewish community.



This then brings us to a discussion on the difference between "doing Jewish" and "being Jewish." By "doing Jewish", I am referring to someone who is actually practicing Jewish beliefs and laws. By "being Jewish", I mean someone who has been born Jewish. Now, there are many people who are born Jewish but are not practicing Judaism. For instance, if a Jewish person murders a family, the Jewish person may be "born Jewish" but certainly was not "doing Jewish" as murder is a violation of the Ten Commandments.



Similarly, we can see examples of this in the Jewish Bible. The prime example of this would be the Jews who worshipped the Golden Calf at Mount Sinai. These individuals were unquestionably Jewish by their birth, thus we can argue that they were "being Jewish." However, were they "doing Jewish?" The Bible is quite clear that these individuals, though born Jewish, were not practicing Judaism. The worship of the Golden Calf, though it was a monotheistic form of worship, was clearly a violation of the Biblical law regarding the making of idols. Thus, they were not "doing Jewish." Similarly, in the Prophets we see countless reprimands of people who were undeniably Jewish by birth, but had entered into apostasy by worshipping gods such as Baal and Ashtoret. They were not "doing Jewish" but "doing pagan" and had violated the very underpinning of Judaism. That they were "being Jewish" by their birth was clearly not sufficient. One must also "do Jewish" in their actions.



Along the same lines, many of Jesus' original followers were unquestionably born Jewish. However, by adopting non-Jewish beliefs, such as thinking that Jesus was a god (a violation of several places in the Jewish Bible, Numbers 23:19 and Hoshea 11:9 provide a few examples of this), were no longer "doing Jewish." The same is true for individuals in the Messianic movement today. The Messianic movement was created by Christianity, and its beliefs and values reflect Christianity. By practicing Messianic "Judaism", the individual who was "born Jewish" is no longer "doing Jewish." They have removed themselves from the Jewish community by their practice and beliefs. Unfortunately, too few of these individuals have an understanding of the difference between "being Jewish" and "doing Jewish", mistakenly believing that they can both believe in Jesus and still have the same status in Jewish community as before. They not only have lost status, but also have lost the practice of Judaism. As has been pointed out in the Talmud, the emphasis for us is on the action, the "doing Jewish.







This is taken from the reference section of the first link:



1. "There is virtual unanimity across all denominations (of Judaism) that Jews for Jesus are not Jewish." (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, pp. 139-140).

2. "For most American Jews, it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. Jews for Jesus and other Messianic Jewish groups are thus seen as antithetical to Judaism and are completely rejected by the majority of Jews". (Kaplan, Dana Evan. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism, Cambridge University Press, Aug 15, 2005, p. 9).

3. Jewish groups:

o "To make the record clear, Jews for Jesus is a Christian missionary organization – period." (last link).

o "Messianic Jewish organizations, such as Jews for Jesus, often refer to their faith as fulfilled Judaism, in that they believe Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. Although Messianic Judaism claims to be Jewish, and many adherents observe Jewish holidays, most Jews regard Messianic Judaism as deceptive at best, fraudulent at worst. They charge that Messianic Judaism is actually Christianity presenting itself as Judaism." (Balmer, Randall. Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, Baylor University Press, Nov 2004, p. 448).

Answer 15

Truthfully, I'm not sure how a person can believe Jesus is the Messiah & still be Jewish.

Answer 16

It is a Jewish person who has believed that Jesus is the Messiah and not a false prophet. Like the earliest Christians.