Eyebrow-raising [paraphrase] quote over at Derek Leman’s blog today. Derek is live blogging from the Hashivenu forum in Los Angeles, a Messianic forum held by the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI). He paraphrases MJTI leader Mark Kinzer:
Kinzer’s paper wraps up with a description of Messianic Jewish theology as a protest against the boundary drawn by mainstream Judaism against the deity of Yeshua. There are other boundary breakers too, such as the Lubavitch who believe their deceased rebbe is divine.
Kinzer says that MJ will only survive if we succeed in our protest against the boundaries. If MJ is never credited as a Judaism, but is always regarded as avodah zara [idolatry], then we will likely fade away in time. [Emphasis mine]
Holy cow. Did you fine blog readers catch that? Kinzer is saying if Messianic Judaism is never credited as an authentic Judaism by the mainstream Jewish world, the Messianic movement will perish.
To put it another way, our survival depends on approval of Jewish religious leadership.
A more explicit version is, our survival depends on men’s opinions of us.
Can you imagine any of the apostles making such a statement?
And Peter said, "Brothers, you know well that the Sanhedrin routinely persecutes those who love our Master and Lord, Yeshua. But we must gain their approval by defying the boundaries they have instituted. Only then will we survive."
-Imaginary Peter
But this shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’ve witnessed hints of this in the past years.
Inferiority Complex Rearing Its Ugly Head
Months ago, I argued Messianic Judaism has an inferiority complex. We’re so damn insecure about ourselves: ooh noes, we’re not Jewish enough, not enough liturgy, not enough rote prayer, too much Evangelicalism, too many Yeshua flags and dancing, not enough siddurs. Ooh noes, we’ve got too many undesirables (read: gentiles) in our midst.
We’re looking for approval from the in-crowd. And it’s about as Scriptural as bilateral ecclesiology. (…we’ll save that for another discussion.)
When I wrote that inferiority complex post months ago, one of you fine blog readers protested,
Can you show me who and where says that getting "accepted" by our non-Yeshua Jewish brothers is the goal of Messianic Jewish movement? Hogwash!
Hogwash, eh? I’ll take bazinga for $400, Alex.
Of course, this single paraphrased statement from Kinzer is just one in a continuing show of hands, a growing sect of the Messianic movement that sees Jewish acceptance as critical for our faith.
Oddly, the 2 most vocal voices on the web for this idea are also gentiles who are trying to formally convert to Messianic Judaism through MJTI.
Come to think of it, every person I’ve talked to who has taken MJTI classes comes out talking this talk.
MJTI aren’t the only ones. I sense this same inferiority complex among members of some UMJC-affiliated groups, and even some independent groups to a lesser extent.
Honest Questions
For those that think our survival depends on our acceptance within the larger Jewish world, I ask, where's the leading of the Spirit? What's the role of God's lead in the Messianic movement?
Seriously.
If our movement is really from God himself, Spirit-led for these prophecy-fulfilling times, with the goal of the restoration of all Israel, don’t you think that God, that great shepherd of the sheep, will care for us, no matter what other people think of us?
Remember what happened 2000 years ago? God’s spirit was leading Messiah’s disciples, and in retrospect, they were spot-on in what they said:
Peter and the apostles answered the religious court,
"We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while. And he said to them,
"Men of Israel, take care what you do with these men. … in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!"
Is Messianic Judaism an undertaking of men? If so, it will fail. If it’s of God, we’ll not be overthrown nor subverted. Even if the greater Jewish world despises us for our trusting in Messiah, and our exalting him as King of Israel, worshipping him as the Son of God.
I believe it’s from God. That big spark in the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, where Jews and gentiles came en masse to the realization the Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel, wow. That was something. That was God-at-work. It created Messianic Jews, and Torah observant gentiles. And people were wondering what happened, trying to make sense of it all.
Now we’re trying to formalize, settle down, make a religion out of it. At some point, the Jewish sect decided it didn’t really care for gentiles, and encouraged gentiles to go back to the church. Theologies were created and espoused that let them do this.
Now here we are, 40 odd years later, with a lot of strife between Jewish Messianic Judaism and the wider independent Messianic movement. And a potential for Yeshua-denial coming in the future.
The Bait
It should be said plainly: short of a miracle from God, Messianic Judaism won’t be accepted by mainstream Judaism, nor by the larger Jewish world.
At least, not as long as Yeshua is Lord.
Erase Yeshua as divine Lord, King of Yisrael, the glorified Son of God who sits at God’s right hand, who is Israel’s savior, offering forgiveness of sins, the one who gives repentance to Israel… deny him, and then, and only then, will the Jewish world accept Messianic Judaism. It has to deny Yeshua.
And that bait will be ever-so-tempting should more of Judaism’s leaders, like the modern Sanhedrin’s emissary to the Noahides, allow for Yeshua’s disciples to be accepted into the Israelite nation provided they deny Yeshua’s divinity.
The MJTI and Hashivenu have done marvelous work for the Lord, it’s true, great work for Messiah and his kingdom. More than I’ve ever done. God bless them for it. MJTI and Hashivenu are from God.
But my fear and prediction for the MJTI is, in the years to come, a split will take place, as some will take a leap backwards and rehash a theology, leading many astray, that Yeshua is something less than what the gospels make him out to be, something less than God. They’ll trade paradise for men’s approval.
It won’t be a “oh, we’re rejecting Yeshua” clear-cut thing.
It will be a gradual, easy-on-the-ears, “We have this theology, you see, where Yeshua is Messiah, but all this other stuff about him being divine, that’s misguided nonsense. Here are some proof texts from the New Testament. Now go on your way.”
It will be palatable to a lot of people. It will sound good to those looking for approval. It will be utterly divisive and lead many astray.
Fine blog readers, am I off my rocker? Are my fears unfounded?