He is a Messianic Jew who lives in Northern Israel telling our dear Christian brothers and sisters that the wife of acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid wife is a Messianic Jew! Then, right smack in the middle of our elections last week, the video takes off and spreads around like a virus across the Hebrew-language airwaves.
Well, of course Lapid’s political opponents went berserk with joy and spread the nonsense far and wide that his wife believes in Jesus! Oy Veh! In his zeal to stir Christians to support evangelizing Jews (he is an evangelist supported by Christian donations) this Messianic tees up Israel’s Prime Minister to be clobbered by his rivals with fake news.
You understand that even the slightest mention of Yeshua (Jesus) in a positive light, let alone a confession of faith in Yeshua, is political suicide in Israel. Lapid once innocently and correctly mentioned that “my ancestral lineage includes Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses), Jesus and the Rambam,” a confession for which he continues to receive nonstop hate mail and harsh criticism from ravenous political rivals.
I cannot imagine why a Messianic Jew, even if he was misinformed, does not understand the seriousness of flippantly saying things like this as though it were a simple matter of fact. Using the good name of a leader in Israel to stir up a crowd in this way without getting their permission or even checking the facts is unprincipled and just plain ignorant no matter how it’s diced.
To read the hundreds of comments to the video calling Messianic Jews idiots, lovers of Christian mammon, and scheming connivers is depressing after so many of us have worked so hard for so many years to exalt the good name of our Lord Yeshua among our people.
To set the record straight, Lapid’s wife is not a believer in Yeshua. The real story is that there was some chatter a while back when it was alleged that Lapid’s sister-in-law Il’il Keren (not his wife) was part of a Messianic Jewish group. This “accusation” came from critics who were unhappy with her appointment to the board of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Keren later denied the allegation and I contacted the Messianic group in question to find out what really happened. There had been some contact with the Keren family, but at that point nothing was conclusive, and they pleaded with me not to publish anything on this story and that Keren had specifically demanded not to report on this under any circumstances.
As disturbing as this video is, it is not uncommon. Overstating missionary effectiveness and even false reporting has been a troubling problem within Evangelicalism for a long time, and its tactics are being widely adopted by many here in Israel, as well. Who can forget the reports of Yasser Arafat accepting Jesus or large numbers of rabbis following Yeshua. Given the tragic history of Israel with the Church, these insincere promotional pronouncements do great damage to the name of our Lord Yeshua among our people.
It seems that modern religion has lost the centrality of the individual person, the human beings we are commanded to love and care for. Instead, religion has become an impersonal, institutional allegiance that thrives on “programs” and has fallen victim to the model of a feel-good, survey-based society fueled by publicity.
See also: Overstated Figures Regarding Israeli Jewish Believers and How Many Messianic Jews Actually Live in Israel?
Commitment to the Torah (The Testimony, Instruction, Teaching, Commandments, Statutes, and Judgments) of YHVH Elohim is not a commitment to a religious organization. It is a commitment to love YHVH with all our being, love our neighbors as ourselves, love the stranger, and even our enemies according to the writing of Elohim, and the words he gave to Moses for us. Likewise, commitment to be a disciple of Ye’shua haMashiach is not a commitment to a religious organization. It is the same commitment to the Torah, from the least of its commandments to its greatest commandment (Mark 12:28-31; Matt 5:10-20). Ye’shua never lowered the standard of the Torah but endorsed it fully.
Ye’shua’s church never persecuted Jews or Israelis. He said that many deceivers would come in his name, acknowledging him, even calling him Lord, but not doing what he said. The truth is Greco-Roman religion and its adherents killed and persecuted the disciples of Ye’shua and other Jews in general. Besides, Ye’shua never called his followers “Christians”. He called them his “Disciples” (Talmidym). It was their persecutors who first called them “Chrestians” (mostly likely later updated to “Christians” in texts; Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet 4:16; Reference: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia).
The Torah disapproves passing judgment upon a person before he gets to testify for himself. Ye’shua haMashiach (a.k.a. Jesus the Christ) presented more than sufficient evidence that he was that Prophet like Moses, the Mashiach, and “the House Seed” (BeN=Son) of Elohim. He admonished us to not judge according to the apperance, but to judge righteous judgment according to the Torah.
A true disciple of Ye’shua consider it honorable before Elohim (God) to suffer rejection at the hands of ones own people or others, even as Moses also did, when standing for the truth. It is unfortunate and shameful that anyone who follows Ye’shua would associate or misidentify non-believers with him, as if he is desperate for support. Ye’shua testimony is already clearly established for anyone and all who are willing to consider who he is. He needs not the testimony of men. Nevertheless, the true testimony of men can be helpful to others who don’t yet know Ye’shua. All who follow him are truly one according to the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Messianic Jews in Israel experience similar challenges as do Messianic Joes and their companions inside or outside the land of Israel. A true disciple or student primarily measured in relation to his teacher, not his peers.
Yeshua hates institions of man. The church at large is heavily institutioalized and it is failing.
I agree with you David.