What makes Messianic Judaism different from other types of Judaism?

Messianic Rabbi David Levine writes:

First, we are centered on Yeshua. Yeshua is at the very center of the life of every Messianic Jew. If you move Him out of the center, you destroy the Messianic Jewish way of life. Only when our eyes are fixed on Him can we see the rest of our Jewishness clearly. All of our Jewishness is brought into focus by our understanding of who Yeshua is and how we are to relate to Him as Lord and Savior.

We understand that Yeshua is the Messiah, the God of Israel and of all the nations. He died as a sacrifice for our sins. He became the sacrifice for our sin, even though He had no sin. In this way, He has transferred to us the righteousness of God.

He was dead for three days, and then He rose from the grave. He appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem and Galilee, then He ascended into heaven. In His last words, He instructed His Jewish disciples to make disciples of all the nations, because this is the call of the Jewish people—to be a light to the nations. He sent His Holy Spirit, and He will return to Jerusalem as King Mashiach.

So we look for Him, and we wait for Him. He heals us of our sicknesses and diseases. And we worship Him. Everyone who puts his trust in Yeshua will be saved from their sins, will have their sins forgiven, and will have abundant life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

David Levine is an ordained Messianic Rabbi through the International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues. He is the Director of Congregational Development for Hear O Israel Ministries, where he oversees the planting and growth of Messianic congregations in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and the United States. He and his family are living in Budapest, Hungary. This article is excerpted from In That Day: How Jesus is Revealing Himself to the Jewish People in These Last Days (Lake Mary, Florida: Creation House, 1998), pp. 86-87. Used by permission.