Mar
11
Do Gentiles Belong in Messianic Jewish Congregations?
“26 For you are all sons of God through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. 27 For all of you who were immersed in Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. 29 And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed — heirs according to the promise.” — Gal. 3:26-29 (TLV)
I’m not Jewish. Nor am I looking to join a Messianic Jewish congregation, though I certainly have nothing against them.
In fact, I’ve never had a <strong> interest in investigating the whole “Messianic” movement and the theology involved. What prompted this question, however, was a combination of a few things over the past couple years — “intro” to Dr. Michael Brown, purchase of a couple “Messianic” Bible translations (like the Tree of Live Version quoted above), comments by friends of friends, a few personal encounters (one face-to-face and at least a couple online).
The most recent “encounter” prompted me to start doing some research, and I found a helpful article at jewsforjesus.org, which in turn pointed me to a book they published in 2005, The Messianic Movement: A Field Guide for Evangelical Christians. I’m almost done with it, and it has a lot of very good information on the history of the movement, various organizations and ministries, “Torah-observance” and other controversies, etc. When I came across a particular section from Chapter 2, I thought, “That would make a great blogpost!” And,… voila!
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Why do so many Gentiles want to worship in what they perceive is a Jewish way? We don’t find a similar phenomenon with other ethnic groups. One doesn’t find groups of Anglos who want to worship Korean-style proclaiming that they are a “Korean Church” nor groups of Caucasians attempting to worship like African-Americans. It is one thing for non-Jewish Christians to join a congregation led by Jewish believers with a substantial Jewish membership, just as one might find a few Anglos who for one reason or another attend a Chinese church. But what are we to make of non-Jews calling themselves “Messianic rabbis,” heading congregations of mostly (or only) non-Jews, in areas of the country where few Jews live, who are attempting to worship in a Jewish mode?
One can discern various motivations as to why some non-Jews seek to adopt Jewish practices:
o Some non-Jews have a romantic view of the Jewish people and assume that rabbis are the custodians of ancient wisdom that the Church has lost. While rabbinic Judaism can provide insights in the areas of ethics and biblical understanding, the fact is that rabbinic Judaism is the creation of the rabbis following the events of A.D. 70. It is a post-biblical religion whose theology diverges in crucial ways from biblical theology. Its authority structure relies on the decisions of rabbis and it is a faith that denies the Messiahship of Jesus, the Incarnation, and the possibility that God is a Trinity. The rabbis of today are not custodians of ancient wisdom that dates to the foundation of the world; what they are custodians of is the past two thousand years of Jewish legal and community decision-making.
Incidentally, this kind of romanticized idea about Jewish people comes close to home. Often, Jews for Jesus receives phone calls or letters from people with a Bible question, convinced that we must have special expertise simply because we are Jewish. It may surprise them when we respond that they would do well to check a good Bible commentary; Jewishness is no guarantee that someone can explain a verse in the Bible but good scholarship is!
o There are those who believe that by worshiping in Jewish style, they are returning to the worship of the “original Church,” which is thought to be purer and unadulterated by so-called “pagan” traditions. For example, there are those non-Jews who look at the cultural traditions of Christmas and Easter celebrations and expect that those traditions will be excised in the Messianic congregation model. However, it is never the case that by worshiping in a Messianic congregation, one can worship in a first-century manner, since the early Christians worshiped at the Temple in the context of priesthood and sacrifices.
o Some people have a personal need for structure and liturgy that Jewish tradition seems to provide, not just in a worship service but in daily life. While some segments of the Church could learn much from Jewish practice in areas such as ethics, family life and celebration, the use of art and ritual in reinforcing biblical truths, etc., there are certainly models within the traditional church that offer liturgy and structure.
A Messianic congregation comprised largely or entirely of Gentiles might be sincere in its appreciation for the Jewishness of the gospel, but it is misguided for them to attempt to worship like Jews and to adopt Jewish practices as their way of life. This is not to say that churches or individual Christians who appreciate the Jewish roots of their faith in Christ shouldn’t, for example, celebrate Passover and incorporate the New Testament teaching from the Last Supper story. At Jews for Jesus, we actually encourage that kind of supportive involvement….
If you are not Jewish and are thinking of attending a Messianic congregation, ask yourself why. Your reasons may be good ones: for instance, you appreciate the Jewishness of the gospel and want to affirm Jewish believers in their faith or you are just curious to see what Jewish style worship and teaching are like. But if it’s because you wish that you were Jewish or you think there is something inherently more spiritual about Jewish forms of worship, then those are not good motivation. In general, the principle “bloom where you’re planted” is a good one. [Greg Koukl would agree!] If your present congregation is fine, then stay there. Perhaps you can help them learn to appreciate the Jewishness of Jesus more!
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I have come across instances of at least two of the above wrongheaded rationales for seeking more “Jewishness” in one’s walk with Jesus and/or Bible study, and it bugged me. I’m glad I’m not the only one. Jews for Jesus appears to have a much more balanced and reasonable approach to such things. Good advice and food for thought!
