עברית
Facts in Judaism
Can a Jew Believe in Jesus? A Clear and Witty Rabbinic Response
Rabbi Aaron Moss explains the Jewish view on missionaries and the “Jews for Jesus” movement
- Rabbi Aaron Moss
- |Updated
“While I was at the beach, a young man from the movement ‘Jews for Jesus’ approached me. He offered me the New Testament in Yiddish and said that many Jews were ‘saved’ because they accepted Jesus as the Messiah. I simply ignored him. Later, I saw a large advertisement in the newspaper from the same group. My question is: can a Jew believe in Jesus?”
***
“Of course a Jew can believe in Jesus. Just as a vegetarian can enjoy a juicy steak, a peace activist can join a violent demonstration, and a dictator who preaches dying for the ideal can himself surrender to his enemies. As long as a person suspends logic and clear thinking, anything can make sense.
“I think your reaction to the missionary you encountered was the correct one: to ignore him. Missionary activity is not a new phenomenon. There are Christian sects that believe their messiah will arrive only when the Jews accept him. Throughout history, Jews were threatened with death, torture, and expulsion if they did not convert. In recent times, missionaries have chosen the weak within society as their target audience, including elderly people, new immigrants, and disadvantaged populations, in an attempt to exploit their vulnerability. All these efforts have met with very little success. Whether religious or secular, Jews do not want to give up their Judaism.
“Therefore, the missionaries devised a new tactic. Instead of demanding conversion, they offer Jews the option of remaining Jewish, even ‘completing’ their Judaism by accepting Jesus. Thus was born the movement called ‘Jews for Jesus.’
“This is a movement of non-Jews who masquerade as Jews by presenting themselves with Jewish-sounding names. Usually, they have a token Jewish representative who is either completely ignorant of Judaism at best, or mentally unstable at worst. These people are impostors and frauds.
“All religions are free to present their beliefs in the open marketplace of ideas. But if they must resort to repulsive tactics like those used by ‘Jews for Jesus,’ then it is clear that they have nothing to offer a thinking person,” Rabbi Moss concludes in his sharp and thought-provoking response.
