And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.
He who comes to Me shall never hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
John 6:35

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What is Messianic Christianity?

Messianic Christianity is a movement of Jewish-Gentiles from all walks of life, who believe that Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew) is the promised Jewish Messiah and Savior for Israel and the world.

For most of the first century A.D., this faith in Yeshua was predominantly Jewish.  As more and more Gentiles came into the Messianic faith however, some did not understand its Jewish roots and God's eternal covenant with Israel.  A "de-Judaizing" process set in.  A separation eventually led to the formulation of the second wing of this faith in Yeshua composed of Gentile believers i.e. "Christianity."  Messianic Christianity are Jews and Gentiles that are one in the Spirit, who hold to the Jewish expression of faith in Yeshua the Messiah.  We observe the Biblical feasts and holidays, while at the same time maintaining that the only way to be saved and truly born again of God's Spirit is through the great atoning work of the Messiah Yeshua (Romans 11:24-25).

When did Messianic Christianity begin?

Messianic Christianity is actually 2,000 years old, dating back to the time of the Messiah Yeshua.  Historically, Yeshua was Jewish.  He was raised in a Jewish home and ministered to Jewish people in a Jewish land (Eretz Yisrael). His disciples were Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. The writes of the Brit Hadashah (New Covenant or New Testament) were Jewish and for a time, the faith was strictly Jewish.  Some historians believe that more than one million Jewish people in the first century A.D. believed that Yeshua was the Messiah, both in Israel and outside Israel (Acts 2:37-42, 4:4, 21:20).

If Messianic Christianity was strictly Jewish at first, how did Gentiles come into the faith?

It was always God's will for the Gentile nations to also receive His Salvation (Is 49:6, 42:6).  God told Abraham that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).  At first, the early Messianic Jews did not understand that this was God's will and proclaimed the Good News of the Messiah only to Jewish people.

Ironically, the big controversy in the first century was not if it was Jewish to believe in Yeshua (naturally it was), but whether Gentiles could come to faith in Yeshua without having to "become Jewish"!  When Messianic Jews finally recognized that God's Salvation was also for the Gentile, they began to share the Messiah with non-Jews as well as with Jews.  As a result, many Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire began to come into this Messianic faith (Acts 15:3-31).

When did the modern movement of Messianic Christianity begin?

Even thought Messianic Christianity, as a distinct movement, faded from the ancient scene in the 7th century A.D., there have always been Jewish believers in the Messiah Yeshua.  However, beginning in the early 1800's, ever increasing numbers of Jewish people began to believe in Yeshua as the Messiah.  The modern movement came to fruition after 1967 when tens of thousands of Jewish people suddenly accepted Yeshua.

Why 1967? In 1967, after the 6-day war, Jerusalem came back into Jewish hands in fulfillment of a prophecy given by Yeshua in the New Testament (Luke 21:24).  This prophecy indicated that when Jerusalem was restored to the Jewish people, God would return once again to His Jewish people with national salvation through Messiah Yeshua (Zech.12:10 and 13:1, Psa.102:15-16). Messianic Christianity is a prophetic movement and a direct result of the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon His Chosen People (Hos.3:4-5, Joel 2:28-29, Deut.30:1-3).

Do Messianic Christians celebrate all the Jewish festivals and is so, why?

The New Testament stresses that Yeshua (Jesus) fulfills the message of these calendar events, providing them with added significance. Hebrews (8:5, 10:1) speaks in terms of them being "shadows of good things to come," that is, they highlight the Messiah.  But a shadow can't highlight anyone if it's removed from the picture. Therefore, the shadows still have important functions to perform. Yeshua taught (Matt.5:17-19) that anyone who annulled the least of God's commandments or taught others to do so, would be called least in his kingdom.  He didn't come to abolish or set aside the Law and its teachings; he came to do the opposite, to fulfill them. The term Yeshua used for fulfill carries the idea of bringing to full expression, showing forth in its true meaning. The image is that of a crown, showing someone off in His full radiance. The festivals are a beautiful picture of this.

We also celebrate all of the feasts because it is instructed by God in the Torah for Israel to observe these festivals forever (Lev.23:32, 32, 41, Ex.12:14). The Messiah Yeshua observed these festivals as did the early Messianic Jews and apostles such as Rabbi Shaul or Paul (Acts 20:16, 28:17, I Cor.16:8). We also believe that when the Messiah Yeshua returns to this earth these festivals will be re-established worldwide (Zech.14:1-21).

When we, as Messianic Christians, celebrate the festivals, we do so in a Messianic way, with the view that Yeshua is the fulfillment of all of these Holy days (i.e. He is our Passover Lamb. We celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in remembrance of His taking away our sins. He is the First Fruits of the dead, our Atonement on Yom Kippur, our Light in the menorah on Chanukah, etc.)

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