DEFINITION | MESSIANIC JEW

1. Definition of a Messianic Jew

a) A Messianic Jew is a person who, either by conversion or birth, is Jewish and who comes to understand and accept that Jesus Christ is the Old Testament's Messiah and Israel's Savior. Interestingly, the early New Testament church was composed ENTIRELY of Jews who converted to Christianity. They were often referred to as a sect of the Jews by even Jewish leaders.

i) 5 We (Jewish religious leaders) found this man (the apostle Paul) to be a dangerous nuisance (the Greek literally means a plague or pestilence!); he starts riots among Jews all over the world (actually, it was the Jews who started riots because of Paul!) and is a leader of the party (sect) of the Nazarenes. (Acts 24)

b) Messianic Jews are not all in one monolithic group with the same set of beliefs and practices. In fact, there exists a fairly wide difference of doctrinal understanding among those considered Messianic.

c) A Jewish person who believes in Jesus as the Messiah of mankind may keep most of the observances they did in the past and which others of their former religious affiliation still keep. He may keep God's annual Feast days and avoid eating unclean meats (e.g. pork) and seafood (e.g. lobster, shrimp). He may wear prayer shawls with fringes and other related religious clothing. He may continue in some traditional Jewish observances and customs but add in the beliefs and practices of standard Protestant theology (observance of Sunday, not Saturday, as day to worship God, celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter, eat pork and shellfish, etc.).

d) There are also many groups that label themselves Messianic whose members are primarily non-Jewish by birth. They prefer this label as opposed to strictly calling themselves Christians because they have adopted many of the same Jewish customs and traditions that purely Jewish-based groups who believe in the Messiah observe.