The Movement for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain, new Chairman of the Assembly of Rabbis and Rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue is a respected writer and broadcaster, frequently asked to comment on news issues on radio and television.

In this fortnightly feature he addresses your concerns, giving responses to modern issues and queries.

This week's topic: 'I have seen adverts in two national newspapers promoting ‘Jews for Jesus'. How Jewish are they?'

You are right to be sceptical, as many would consider them to be a religious con trick. The ‘Jews for Jesus' movement is a recent phenomenon arising in the late 1970s, although in character it is a modern version of a centuries -old attempt to convert Jews to Christianity. The only difference with ‘Jews for Jesus' is that they claim to believe in Jesus while still retaining their Jewish identity.
Thus they observe many Jewish practices, such as lighting candles to welcome the Sabbath on Fri-day evening, having a mezuzah on their doors, reciting the Shema, wearing a Star of David and supporting the State of Israel. Despite these outer Jewish symbols, their actual beliefs are totally in conformity with Christian theology. They accept Jesus as their Messiah and Saviour, as well as doctrines concerning the Resurrection of Jesus, Original Sin and Atonement. They harmonise this inconsistency between practice and belief by describing themselves as ‘fulfilled Jews', ‘completed Jews' or ‘Messianic Jews'. It would seem that this terminology, along with their maintenance of Jewish customs, is a way of assuaging their guilt at adopting Christianity, and is designed to reassure themselves that they have not betrayed their Jewish roots and family. Belief in Jesus has always been one of the major dividing lines between Judaism and Christianity. By all objective standards, therefore, Jews for Jesus have adopted views so alien to Judaism that they have crossed a theological bridge and must be considered to have left the Jewish faith. Although they themselves may genuinely believe otherwise, ‘Jews for Jesus' can only be viewed as Christian.

There are some very firm rebuttals of the ‘proofs' advanced by them or by other Christian missionary groups, such as the Christian Union on university campuses. They will often quote from biblical texts, but, like statistics, they can be manipulated to suit one's own argument.
Passages that may seem to point to Jesus fulfilling biblical prophecies, do not mean that he actually was the Messiah. Countless people, for instance have been born in Bethlehem (Micah 5.1) or have ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9.9), but that did not mean they brought the Messianic Age any closer. In Jewish eyes, the litmus test of the Messiah is that his arrival is accompanied by peace descending on the world, and that an era of universal harmony begins. This is clearly not the case at present, and so for Jews the Messianic Age has not yet come and none of those claiming to be the messiah, including Jesus, can be accepted as such. It should also be noted that, in Judaism, the Messiah will not be a divine being nor an object of worship, but just an important figure who helps usher in the new age. This is why there is a strong tradition to talk more of the Messianic Age rather than the person of the Messiah, as the former is what counts. It also means that every person can play a part in bringing that time closer.

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