The British Messianic Jewish Alliance

Thoughts on the Messianic Movement in the Year 2000  

Spring 2000 Issue 208

The Messianic Jewish Movement is here to stay, and there are many encouraging signs of its growth and development. This is the impression gained from recent works such as Myths and Facts about the Messianic Congregations in Israel by Kai Kjaer-Hansen and Bodil Skjøtt, and two recent books by Rabbis Dan Cohn-Sherbok and Carol Harris-Shapiro on particular Messianic Congregations and the Messianic movement.

We now have a world-wide Messianic movement numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands, which is found in a variety of forms throughout the world. The Messianic movement can be very broadly defined as including congregations, fellowships, ministries and individuals who associate themselves with a Jewish expression of faith in Jesus as Messiah, and a “Christian” expression of what it means to be Jewish.

As we are encouraged by these trends, which are increasing noted by official Jewish and Christian groups, we in the movement are also aware of how much work there is still to be done. In particular, I want to mention four areas.  

Firstly, there is a continuing need for personal and spiritual maturity. Many of us come from “first-generation” backgrounds. We often bring difficult issues from our past to be dealt with when we become believers. The basic spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading the Scriptures, sharing our faith, participating in fellowship, developing our gifts and finding how we can contribute to the needs of others, are lifelong processes that promote spiritual and personal maturity. Without them we cannot become the men and women that the Lord has called us to be. There is as much a need for the Messianic movement today to grow up whole and healthy as there was in the days of the New Testament, when the disciples had to face everything from mission to martyrdom. Like us, they needed a strong  trust in the Lord, and a strength of character that came from their commitment to Him. May we in the Messianic movement be known not just because we happen to be Jewish and believe in Jesus, but also because we are men and women of prayer, faith and love, whose lives speak of our Messiah.

Secondly, there is a need for theological maturity. As the Messianic movement matures, we face the task of “fleshing out” what we believe and why, and this needs to be clear to us and to other interested parties. The basis of belief that we in the BMJA hold is in the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the divine nature of the Messiah, his death and resurrection, and other key items of faith. We have only just begun  to develop the full implications of such beliefs in the context of Messianic lifestyle, liturgy, congregational life and, to use a word that itself is not very Jewish, theology.  Jewish thought tends to be holistic (bringing parts together to form a whole) rather than systematic, and shies away from theological systems. Even the work of a great thinker like Maimonides was deemed heretical in its day. Theology is seen as a base on which to discuss matters of faith rather than the final answer. We in the Messianic movement, despite having a number of significant thinkers, have only just begun to produce a body of thought and discussion that sufficiently qualifies for the term “Messianic Jewish theology.” My hope is that we will continue to see such theology develop as we study deeply our roots and sources, and engage with one another in “arguments for the sake of heaven.” There are many issues of belief and practice in the Messianic movement that have yet to be clarified and defined, and there is an urgent need for such theological maturity. I would be most interested to hear from readers of Chai their thoughts and proposals on this topic, and to see how we in the UK can make a contribution to the subject.

Thirdly, we need leaders who are mature, able to give effective servant leadership in the groups in which they serve, and are able to co-operate with one another. As a relatively young movement we have yet to show such maturity in leadership. Sadly, we have often set a poor example to our people and the Body of the Messiah in the examples of leadership that have represented our movement. I have become increasingly concerned in recent years that the biblical guidelines for leaders (c.f. 1 Tim 3, Titus 1:5-9) should be observed as essential before putting people in positions of responsibility. This has not always been the case, and sadly we have seen the fall of a number of key people involved in Messianic ministry, which has affected us all. Let us pray that the Lord will raise up leaders in the coming years who will meet these criteria and live by them.

My fourth area of concern is our evangelistic effectiveness. When I first became involved in the Messianic movement in the late 1970's (it really does seem like the last century!) I considered that Messianic groups were potentially the most effective form of witness to our people. That was a key factor in why I want to be involved in such a radical movement. This potential, whilst evident to some extent, has yet to be fully realised. We in the Messianic movement have some way to go in making the Messiahship of Yeshua the key issue in our own lives and congregations, and in our relationships with our people and others. It is so easy to be side-tracked on to peripheral issues and to be inward rather than outward looking, talking to ourselves and other believers rather than to those who do not yet know the Messiah. We in the Messianic movement must make every effort to avoid becoming irrelevant, fossilised in time. Jewish identity is in a process of radical change and development at this time and we need to be aware of the trends, effectively engaging with them as we share the Good News of the Messiah with our people.

I have outlined some areas where we need to focus our energies in the coming years. With the Lord’s help, and until he returns, I believe we can look forward to great things. May we go forward together in his love, looking to the day when "all Israel will be saved."

 By Richard Harvey  

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