Do Jewish People
need Jesus ?
Dr Daniel Juster, Director of Tikkun Ministries
The question has
challenged both the Jewish and the Christian communities since the first
century. Our answer determines much in the way we approach relationships and
priorities. The fact that we ask this question, means
that there are some who may answer this question with a no, or at least a
partial no. Since our lives are passionately invested in the primary question
of the Jewish need for Yeshua, it is important to answer it clearly and biblically.
The view that Jews do not need Yeshua, or at least not so
much, can be described in three categories:
Some teaching says
that the covenant made by Yeshua is for the Gentiles and not intended for the
Jewish people. This view holds that God has two covenants - one for Jews
through Abraham and Moses and one for Gentiles though Jesus - and that it is
not God's intention for Jews to believe in Yeshua. This view was put forth by
the Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenweig in The Star of
Redemption. It is today held by some denominational liberal Christians. Jewish
people are to find their salvation though Judaism, not Jesus. Very few
Christian Zionists and no Messianic Jews to my knowledge hold to this position because
they value the authority of Scripture. The witness of the New Testament is
overwhelmingly against this view. Paul writes that the Gospel is "To the
Jew first." The original disciples were Jewish. All sought to convince as
many Jews as possible to believe in Yeshua. So there must by this evidence be
at least some need for Jews to believe in Yeshua.
Secondly
are those who believe that Jews need to eventually believe in Jesus, but this
eventuality is after his return. Until then, the one New Covenant that all will
embrace, is primarily being offered to Gentiles. In this Age, Judaism is an
adequate religion and way of salvation for the Jewish people. When Romans says,
"God has blinded their minds," it means that it is not their fault
that they do not yet believe in Yeshua, but is rather the will of God.
Ultimately all the saved will acknowledge that the atonement of Yeshua was the
means of their salvation.
Again,
this position is belied by the example of Paul and the other apostles who were
zealous to bring Jewish people to the knowledge of God. While a significant
number of Christian Zionists have adopted this position, I know of no Messianic
Jews who believe this, for it would contradict their own identity.
Thirdly
are those who believe that it is important for a minority of Jews to believe in
Yeshua as part of God's end time plan, but not for personal salvation. While
Jews may find an adequate means of salvation through Judaism, it is
nevertheless true that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah and the Savior for all. To
believe in Yeshua offers a fuller and richer faith. Beyond this, the Bible
predicts that a large remnant will believe before Yeshua comes and will play a
great role in the ultimate conversion of the nation to faith in Yeshua.
However, Judaism without Yeshua is a very good faith and Jewish people may find
personal salvation through it.
This
view is held by a significant minority of Christian Zionists and a small but
significant minority of Messianic Jews. This is a far better view than the
first two. It recognizes that the New Covenant in Yeshua is made with the house
of
The Conviction that Jewish People
Desperately Need Yeshua.
This is the position of
the vast majority of Messianic Jews, and many Christian Zionists. They believe
that Jews need Yeshua desperately, and for several reasons. I count myself in
this number. We agree with the third view that our destiny is tied to a large
minority of Jews believing before the return of Yeshua. A significant minority
of Jews need to believe in Yeshua for
Rabbinic Judaism is a
faith with roots in the Bible and a heritage that preserves much which is good
and beautiful. However, there are some aspects of Rabbinic Judaism which appeal
to intellectual pride and can elevate religious culture above the need for
God-initiated salvation. These pitfalls exist in any religion. Yet we can
become enamoured of a Yeshua-less Judaism in a
way that weakens the conviction that Jewish people need the Messiah. The
conclusion of the great apostle Paul with regard to first century Judaism and
the condition of the Jewish people fits orthodox Jews today. It is that most
have not come to understand the way of salvation by grace. While we must not
presume to judge the destiny of any individual, the general conclusion of
Romans is clear. Many practicing Jews have sought to establish their own
self-righteousness and have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:1 ff.) Romans 3 includes
Jewish people within the category of people who are in need of faith in Yeshua
for personal salvation. Peter's preaching in Acts, where thousands embraced
Yeshua, shows the same urgency. While there is an element of grace to be found
in Judaism, without a blood sacrifice for his sins, the Orthodox Jew becomes focused
on his own actions instead of the divinely - granted atonement first presented
in Torah. This "way back to God" was never cancelled or superceded
and was ultimately fulfilled by Yeshua's sacrifice on
a Roman cross (Hebrews
Furthermore, the condition
of the Jewish people today is much worse than in the first century. This
includes both those in
In this vacuum of
unbelief, the Messianic Jew and his Christian friend have a great opportunity.
The Gospel itself is God's clear and powerful instrument in offering the grace
of God for salvation. It dispels the fog and presents our people with a
resurrected Messiah and Savior. It breaks the bondage of secular liberalism and
orthodox legalism. Indeed, without the Gospel, the general conclusion, rightly
drawn, is that the Jewish people are lost. Yes, we are preserved as a chosen
nation for God's purposes, but individually and communally we need Yeshua. Most
Jewish people have no sense of real fellowship with their Creator, the One who
called them His inheritance. So the eternal destiny of the nation and the
Jewish individual makes it a necessity for us to proclaim the Good News.
Indeed, it is "the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also
to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Of course salvation is much more than
personal eternal life. It is the wholeness of our lives now, including joyful
and redemptive participation in community. This is why the first priority of Tikkun is seeing Jewish people come to faith in Yeshua, and
as part of this to be discipled to walk in His ways.
To be involved in this historic awakening is the privilege of a lifetime.
February
2004 http://www.tikkunministries.org/