A Jewish View of John 3

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Written by Scott N.

While Jesus was in Jerusalem observing the Passover, many began to follow Him, seeing the miraculous signs he performed (John 2:23). The crowds following Jesus and His purification of the Temple courtyard caused quite a commotion and piqued the curiosity of Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees and a member of the ruling council known as the Sanhedrin (3:1). Nicodemus approached Jesus seeking answers, because he believed the miracles signified that Jesus was a teacher who had come from God (3:2).

In What Ways Did Jesus Live as a Jew?

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Written by David Sedaca

We can assess the Jewishness of Jesus by His relationship to the people of His day, by His relationship to the Jewish religion, and by His relationship with His followers.

His own Jewishness stands out when we consider the audience of most of His teachings. He spoke to the common folk: fishermen, farmers, tax collectors, housewives, inquisitive rabbis, learned teachers of the Torah. What do these people all have in common? They made up the fabric of the Jewish community at the time of Jesus. They are all Jewish, and they all connected to His message – or even reacted negatively – because they understood what Jesus was saying.

Do You Have to Stop Being Jewish to Believe in Jesus?

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Written by David Sedaca

Although this question is frequently asked, many attempts to answer it are based on misconceptions or prejudices rather than pure facts. The simple answer to this question is that a person DOES NOT have to stop being Jewish to believe in Jesus. The reasons for this are as follows.

In first place, being Jewish is much more than being a practicing Jew. According to the American Jewish Congress, more than 50% of American Jews are either non-practicing, secular, humanistic, agnostic or atheist. But the remarkable fact is that those Jewish people are still considered Jews! So if religion does not define one’s “Jewishness,” why should the belief in Jesus change one’s “Jewish status”?

Jesus and the Rabbis

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Written by Daniel Nessim

“Totally unacceptable!” That was the basic response of a respected friend in Seattle, upon considering the claims of scholars that everything Yeshua (Jesus) taught can be paralleled in ancient Jewish literature.

I can understand my friend’s sentiment. After all, we who believe He is the Messiah want to honor Yeshua in every way conceivable. It seems abhorrent to lower Him in any way to the level of a common, itinerant, Galilean teacher. He was so much more than that.

Did Jesus Fulfill the Promise of Emmanuel: God With Us?

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Written by Ben Volman

Many of us who grew up in Jewish homes were told, “It’s impossible for God to become a man.” Indeed, the second commandment forbids Israel to fabricate an image of any living thing for worship (Ex. 20:4). But the issue is much more profound. How does God promise to be present with His people?

Isaiah framed the promise in the name of a miraculous child yet to be born: “Emmanu-el” meaning “God with us” (Is. 7:14). The Jewish Scriptures repeatedly show God communicating with His people in human form.

Did Jesus Intentionally Create a New Religion?

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Written by Daniel Nessi

If Yeshua (Jesus) intended to create a new religion, He went about it all wrong: He aroused the suspicion, and then the hostility, of the religious establishment. He picked an oddball assortment of disciples, deliberately allowed Himself to fall into harm’s way, left no writings of his own (an essential if you ever want to start your own religion!), and after making a good start, generally resisted performing further signs and wonders that were convincing the crowds to follow Him.

Yeshua’s key message was not revolutionary, but simply the cry of the prophets before Him: “Make teshuvah [repent], for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17). His apparent aims were parochial: “I have only come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). His followers generally had no idea of his Messianic claims.

Nevertheless, it is indisputable that a new religion was born out of His teachings and life. Christianity and Judaism are indeed different religions – Judaism the mother, Christianity a child. Is this what Yeshua intended – to start Christianity?

No, Yeshua did not intend to start a new religion. Yeshua intended to bring people back to God. He intended to draw ‘all peoples’ to Himself (John 12:32). John Lennon wistfully sang, “Imagine there’s no religion.” Was Yeshua enamored with religious systems? What really matters is that we follow His command to repent, turn to God, and lift Him up.

 

No Longer Jewish?

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Written by Ben Volman

It is a widely-held misconception that a Jewish person who follows Yeshua as Messiah is no longer Jewish. This view has been mistakenly repeated both by Christians and Jews.

But if well-known atheists such as Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud are still considered Jews, how could a dedicated Jewish follower of a Jewish rabbi lose his or her Jewish identity? Some will answer that Messianic Jews are apostates who have left their religion, traitors who joined a Gentile faith that despises and degrades Judaism. However, neither passion nor mocking makes an argument true.

Experience the Passover

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Passover symbolsThis sermonic demonstration of the ancient Passover Seder meal powerfully reveals the sacrificial ministry of Jesus as the Lamb of God, and uncovers the roots of the Christian communion, using the very elements God prescribed for the Seder itself.   The 2-2.5 hour banquet is an unforgettable hands-on journey through the “Last Supper,” which was, in fact, the Messiah’s last Passover Seder…until He returns!

Join us for a Passover banquet near you.  If you don’t see a Seder listed near you, request one by clicking here.  Or check back later.  This page is updated regularly.

How to Prepare for a Messianic Passover Seder

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Please Note: Click here to skip to the links for DOWNLOADS at the bottom of this post.

Seder is the Hebrew word for “order” or “procedure.” It is the liturgy of Passover, a living tradition that links the present with the past. Like the other feasts of Israel, Passover is a fascinating blend of elements designed to make the story of the Exodus from Egypt as riveting as possible.

You may at first find the preparations to be daunting.  But if you gather a reliable team and serve the Lord with gladness, we believe you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.

“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sac­rificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” …They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So, they prepared the Passover.” (Luke 22:7-8, 13)

Consider Hosting a Passover Seder

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Why Host a Passover Seder? ^

Christians learning about the SederOne of the most moving moments in the life of Jesus occurs at the very end of His earthly ministry. It is known as the Last Supper – the final gathering of Jesus and the disciples to celebrate Passover on the last night of His earthly life.

Although many believers have been aware of the Jewish Passover, many have not experienced the full impact of the relationship between this joyful, ancient celebration and one of the oldest and most important observances of Christianity, the Lord’s Supper.