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I am a
Messianic Rabbi. Like the Apostles, I am Jewish
and convinced that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah
of Israel and the Savior of the world. I love
my Jewish people, and I love Yeshua and the New
Testament. In the past, especially in Europe,
teachings on the suffering and death of the Messiah
have fanned the flames of anti-Semitism. Like
many of my people, I am concerned that the new
movie, The Passion of the Christ, might
add to the anti-Semitism that is already present
in the world. To preclude this, I offer what I
think is a full and balanced perspective on the
death of the Messiah.
Who
is responsible for the death of Jesus?
It is neither fair nor accurate to blame
all Jewish people for the death of Yeshua.
Some Jewish people, but certainly not all of the
Jewish people who lived in His generation, are
responsible for the death of Yeshua. We cannot
blame, for example, the millions of Jews who were
at that time living outside of Jerusalem and Judea,
who had nothing to do with the events surrounding
Yeshua’s death. It was, in particular, a majority
of Israel’s leaders who were singled out for the
responsibility of Yeshua’s death (see Matthew
16 :21, 26:1-5, 59, and Acts 4:8-12). The New
Testament Historical Documents record that Yeshua
was loved and accepted by multitudes of the Jewish
people of His generation. Huge crowds of Jewish
people followed Him. By the mid-First Century,
tens of thousands of Messianic Jews believed in
Yeshua and followed Him (see Acts 21: 20). Since
the First Century there have been thousands more
who have believed in Him.
The Apostle
Paul, himself a Messianic Rabbi, and the special
teacher God sent to instruct Gentile Christians,
tells us how they should relate to Jewish people
who reject Yeshua. They should understand that
God has not rejected the Jewish people. Israel
still has a special relationship with God. That
does not mean that non-Messianic Jews are saved.
They aren’t. They must welcome and receive Yeshua
in order to be saved. Christians should relate
to the Jewish people, not as “ Christ-killers,”
but as beloved brothers - brothers who have stumbled
and fallen, and brothers who will one day rise
up again! The attitude of Christians toward the
Jewish people should be one of love, mercy, compassion,
and a passionate desire to tell them the truth.
There is no excuse for anti-Semitism among Christians.
Some
of the Gentiles who lived at that time share in
the responsibility for the death of Yeshua, particularly
Pontius Pilate and the Romans (see Matthew
27:24 37 and Acts 4:8-12). Pontius Pilate had
the authority and prerogative to prevent Yeshua’s
death, but refused to do so. Roman soldiers mocked,
beat, whipped and finally crucified the young
Rabbi from Nazareth. Just as it is unfair and
silly to blame all “the Italians” for the death
of Christ, so it is absurd to blame all “the Jews”
for Messiah’s death! The Son of God Himself
took responsibility for His own death. Yeshua
said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because
I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it
down on My own initiative. I have authority to
lay it down, and I have authority to take it up
again” (John 10:17-18). Yeshua willingly sacrificed
His life for us, knowing that He would come back
to life !
God
the Father is ultimately responsible for the death
of Yeshua. “Adonai was pleased to crush Him
(the Messiah), putting Him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10).
God, who is a Real Person, infinite, eternal,
wise, powerful and good, so loved this world made
up of fallen and depraved human beings, that He
sent His Son, the Messiah, to restore us to Himself.
The Son of God, who lives forever, and shares
God’s name and nature, deity and essence, became
a Man, in order to make full and final atonement
for us, so that we could be forgiven, and reconciled
to our Creator (see John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8).
In the city of Jerusalem, almost 2,000 years ago,
King Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with Jews
and Gentiles, gathered together against God’s
Messiah, to do what God had long before predestined
to occur.
All
of us are responsible for the death of Yeshua!
Every time you have failed to do what you should
have done, or did something that you shouldn’t
have done; whenever you have ignored God, or not
paid sufficient attention to the truth; all your
bad decisions, wrong attitudes, and hurtful behaviors,
and your thousands of violations of God’s just
laws that have accumulated over your lifetime
- all of this caused Yeshua to die on the cross
in order to atone for your sins. All of us have
sinned - Jews and Gentiles, and fallen short of
the glory of God! All of us are, in part, responsible
for His death. Keep in mind that, although
Yeshua did suffer and die, He also came back to
life! He was literally resurrected from the
dead! He is alive now and forever, and is the
Lord of Heaven and Earth! He is the only One who
can save Jews and Gentiles from sin, death and
Hell. He can enable us to live forever! But, the
salvation and the eternal life that He alone is
able to provide happens only when we believe in
Him, obey, follow, trust, love and honor Him.
What
Should You Do?
First, if you are a genuine Christian, you must
not harbor anti-Semitism in your heart. The New
Testament provides no basis whatsoever for hatred
of the Chosen People. Anti-Semitism is wrong and
cannot be tolerated .
Second,
if you are not a true Christian or Messianic Jew
you need to pray. Simply talk to God, as you would
to anyone else who is able to hear you, and ask
Him to reveal Himself to you. Pray that He would
reveal to you whether or not the New Testament
is true, and if Yeshua really is the Messiah.
Ask Him to give you the courage to follow the
truth, no matter what it costs. If you are ready,
then pray this prayer: “God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, please reveal Yourself to me in a deeper
way than I have ever known You before. Please
show me whether or not the New Testament is true,
and if Yeshua really is the Messiah. If I find
out that He is the Messiah, please give me the
courage to follow Him, no matter what the cost.”
Third,
get a copy of the Bible and begin reading it.
It is the most powerful and truest Book ever written.
It really is the divinely inspired Word of God,
and His message to us. It is 100% true, accurate,
reliable and trustworthy. The simple act of reading
this Book of Books often authenticates to the
reader the truth of what it says; just the simple
act of reading it can result in a powerful spiritual
experience! The Book of John in the New Testament
part of the Holy Scriptures is a good place to
start.
Fourth,
find a good Messianic Synagogue or Church that
really believes in and faithfully teaches the
Bible, and get involved.
Shalom!
Rabbi Loren
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