by Pari Johnson
Since the Reformation, Gentile Christians have been trying to discover and replicate the early church, with the awareness that the early church was basically Jewish. Today we have Jewish and Gentile worshippers of Yeshua coming together in a messianic context. Messianic is defined as those who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah and follow a "Biblical" lifestyle, including incorporating many of the worship and celebration practices of Biblical Judaism into their lives.
As in any movement, members need to be watchful that excesses don`t creep in. Believers who are seeking the Jewishness of their faith, run the risk of getting side-tracked as they search to restore all things Hebrew/Jewish.
This can lead to imposing traditional, so-called "Torah observance" on Messianic believers. This sounds all well and good, but there is a problem. When the rabbis talk about "Torah observance," they are not talking merely about believing and obeying the Mosaic Law. They are talking about a way of life that encompasses not only the Biblical Torah (the five books of Moses), but also the traditions of Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah.
Since the rabbis consider Oral Torah (ei: the Talmud) even more binding than the written Torah, many non-Biblical beliefs and practices have crept into traditional Torah observance. One example is that in certain Orthodox Jewish groups, an observant lifestyle includes practices that are more cultural than they are either Biblical or even Talmudic. The wearing of black coats and hats, payot (side curls), and kippot (skullcaps) are examples of cultural practices that arose among the Chassidim in medieval Europe, and among the Yemenite Jews in Africa. Yet, for some reason, we have people in the Messianic Movement who attempt to emulate the Chassidic or Yemenite versions of Torah observance, complete with black attire, payot and other traditional, religious practices.
My Perspective on this is that only the Bible itself is binding and authoritative. I believe that true Torah observance is not following the interpretations developed by generations of rabbis, or adopting medieval Jewish cultural practices, but one of Biblical Judaism that draws worshippers into a closer relationship with Adonai and Yeshua. I believe that keeping a balance between the teachings on the Tanach and the apostolic writings is one way to achieve this goal.Messianic Congregations have a great challenge today as more and more Gentile Christians join with the Jewish remnant of believers in America to seek their common roots for worship and obedience to the Torah. Those roots go back to the first century, which is where I believe Messianic Congregations needs to begin…not with Modern Judaism.
My vision is to see the people of Adonai, both Jew and Gentile, united in the worship and service of the one true God and His Messiah, Yeshua, by not forcing the Jews to become Western Christian, and by teaching the Gentiles about their first century, Biblical Jewish roots. My vision also includes more outreach to the Jewish Community to show them Yeshua their Messiah in a non-threatening way.
Somewhere, there must be a 'middle ground`.
"And so, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." (Rom 14:19)
Marvin R. Wilson-The Search for Jewish Roots: Steppingstones and Pitfalls (audiotapes) Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, Dayton, OH, 937-434-4550
The First and Second Jewish Books of Why
by Albert J. Kolatch
(Order from: First Fruits of Zion)
Should
Christians Be "Torah Observant"?
(Caveat: While I don`t agree with the conclusion, I do believe that the article makes some
good points at the beginning.)
The Karaites-Jewish people who follow the Torah alone (no Oral Torah)
The Karaite Korner More about the Jewish people who "preserve the original religion of the Hebrew Bible, rejecting later innovations such as the Rabbinic Oral Law"
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Created November 5, 1999