Now not all Hebrew Christians are as vicious and uncaring as this person was. In fact many are very sincere and warm. I count several of them among my friends. I have many other Evangelical Christian friends who witness to me and pray for me all the time. But Hebrew Christianity - or "Messianic Judaism" as they prefer to call their faith - is different and in some ways deceptive. It is important to know who they are and why they can become such a troubling presence for new and newly observant Jews.
Who are these people?
So-called "Messianic Jews" are Jewish people who have embraced Christianity. They see themselves as having been given a special mission to present the Gospel to their Jewish brethren. If they would simply present themselves as Christian (which they are) there would be no confusion. The problem is that they know that no faithful Jew wants to become a Christian! So they try to convince the people to whom they witness that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and the only way to true salvation. To give their message an appearance of being authentically Jewish, they use Hebrew to present Christian concepts. Thus Jesus is called by the Hebrew name Yeshua, the New Testament becomes the Brit Hadashah, the Holy Spirit is the Ruah Hakodesh, etc.
"Messianic Judaism" isn't Judaism.
The message that these missionaries proclaim is the Christian gospel with a Jewish accent. In their belief system one can only come to G-d through an intermediary, that of course being Jesus. While they declare that this is an authentic expression of Judaism it is nothing of the sort. They are spreading New Testament theology, which is not the teaching of Torah or the Prophets. Yet they insist that it is and refuse to call themselves what they are: Christians. They observe all the Jewish holy days - Rosh Hashannah, Sukkot, Pesach, and others - but they have completely reinterpreted them in a distinctively Christian manner. Not only is their message slanted but their observance as well.
Be prepared!
Unlike some Evangelical groups that you might encounter preaching on the street corner, Hebrew Christians are usually more subtle. The encounter that I described above is not the normal method they employ. Often they begin by inviting you to a Torah study, a Sukkot party, a Pesach seder, or some other event. It sounds friendly enough but in the course of the proceedings it becomes obvious that they are sending a message that is not traditional Judaism. Frequently they target Jews who are not well-educated in Torah or are newly observant.
There are several things that you can do to be prepared for these unexpected encounters. Study Torah daily. Learn its true teachings. Become involved in your local synagogue community. Practice your Judaism: perform mitzvot, learn the proper way to perform our rituals, lay tefilin, light Shabbos candles. Be a proud and confident Jew! If you are confronted by a missionary, be polite but firm. My answer to them is often, "Thank you for your concern, but that is not my way." I simply leave it at that. As Torah observant Jews, you and I have nothing for which to apologize. We can be confident in our faith and in our G-d - the G-d of the Bible.
I encourage you to check out the links below for further study. If you have any questions that I have not answered, feel free to comment or click here to send me an email. (All email addressees are always kept confidential.) May you go from strength to strength.
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