The Testimony of Jesus Christ

The Testimony of Jesus Christ towards the Jewish People by Klaus Moshe Puelz

Facing the urgency of the matter as well as my personal responsibility hereby in a more and more apocalyptic development nowadays the sixth European Witness- Congress in Drogeham (Friesland, Netherlands) from 27th to 30th of August 1996 has also discussed the relationship towards Judaism.

The members of the workshop 4 agreed principally with the following resolutions of the chairman of the „Messianic Witness Fellowship“, Mr. Klaus Moshe Puelz.

1. It remains an everlasting fundamental fact of salvation that Jesus Christ must be announced to all people - notwithstanding their different spiritual trends - as Lord and Redeemer. This has also relevance after the Holocaust particularly towards the Jews, to whom we have to testify Him as their own Messiah (Matth. 24,14; 28,19-20; Acts 1,8; 4,12, Romans 1,16-17). To keep the Jews away from their Messiah-Christ would make us guilty again towards God and his own chosen Redeemer as well as towards the people having returned in our own days to Zion (Zechariah 12,10; John 1,49; 8,21; Revelation 5,12).
   
    
2. We Christians out of the nations are painfully aware that in the conscience of the Jewish people worldwide and in Israel such Messianic testimony - mainly by Germans - is overshadowed. Unforgotten are their persecutions during nearly two millennia lasting diaspora among the nations. Involved herein was often a triumphal church, even in the „name of Jesus Christ“. Parallel to this genocide- program a theological „substitute dogma“ turned against the „Israel in exile“ by which God should have substituted the ancient Israel through the new Israel, the church. The aim of this theory is that the Jewish people as a whole should be excluded from their future missionary charge to become the „light for the nations“ (Isaiah 42,6; 49,6; 60,1; Acts 13,47). To ignore many committed injuries against Israel – still living „in worldly mind“ - is evidently a serious sin, because it is not in harmony with the commandment of love of Jesus in John 13,34-35. True upright repentance is the only competent answer to guilt done in the past. We distance ourselves vehemently from that spirit that caused us to become guilty towards the Jewish Messiah, because we did not practice His love credibly; but were led, however, by a spirit of the world full of presumption, Anti- Judaism, Anti-Semitism which is in its last consequence an expression of Antichristian mind. What has once risen out of a source of unkindness has never the right to rise again.
    
3. We stand for the existential living right of all Jews worldwide and especially in the „ancestral homeland“ in harmony with God's promises. (Genesis 17,8; Joshua 1,3-6; Ezechiel 36,33-38; 47,14-23).The biblical commentary is the competent answer to the Palestinian people's claims towards the same country: The Palestinians (arab.: falestin = Philistines) should not come into conflict with God's intention to let his people live in acknowledged and safe borders. This is mainly to be emphasized under the „shelter“ of a pan-islamic hegemonial claim. Thereby Israel has to respect and to treat the strangers in its country - also after the time of the return to their Messiah Yeshuah = (Jesus) - like their own people (Ezechiel 47,22).
    
4. The efforts to gain a revised relation to the Rabbinic-doctrines and the Jewish self-understanding must not lead Christians to deny the gospel of Jesus Christ because the Jews had quasi their own way of salvation. The „testimony of God's salvation“ revealed in the redemption on the cross must not be given up in favor of an disobliging dialogue. This would mean that the Jews would still further be separated from the salvation of their own Messiah on account of philosemitical motives. This goes conform with the fatal tactic of the „diabolos“.
   
   From the Talmudian interpretations in the „Telodot Jeshu-reports“ we recognize that Jesus Christ is still defamed therein, degraded and titled as „etnan-zonah“ (gift of a prostitute) and as „Jeshu“ which is the abbreviation of „Imah shmo u- sihero“ = his name and the remembrance of Him shall be excluded forever. (tractates: Tossefot Chul. II.. 22,24; Sabbath 104b; Sanhedrin 67a; Origenes C. Cels. I.9.) This shows that the national Israel is still without repentance and will therefore consequently honor at last the false Messiah, the Anti-Christ on account of still denying their true redeemer and king of peace (John 5,43). As Christians out of the nations, who have been engrafted to the „good“ olive-tree, it ,however, still remains our permanent duty to lead the Jewish people (after having returned as a whole nation as promised by God) to acknowledge their Redeemer-Christ and thus they will be engrafted again in their own olive-tree (Romans 11,15-27).
   
   
5. As Christians we are challenged therefore to bring Israel the gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve them by announcing eternal forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ without works required by the Law and to confess them the reconciliation we got ourselves by grace. The Messianic witness serves to realize Israel's restoration with the renewed New Covenant of grace on the fundament of Golgotha and Pentecost (Schawuot) (Jeremiah 31,31-34; Hebrew 10,16-17). This covenant alone puts everyone right with the holy God by faithfully accepting Christ's sacrifice in opposition to the Rabbinic teaching of being put right through works (Romans 10,3-4; 11,27).
   
   
6. True Messianic witness towards Israel must highly esteem the special blessings of the ancient people of covenant (Romans 10,4-5). Israel's Messianic Jews (Hebrew-Christians) have the prime responsibility for such a witness-service towards the Israelian people after having returned to their homeland (Isaiah 62,6-7). As watchmen upon Jerusalem's walls they are the relevant messengers of peace „who announce the gospel of Jesus Christ and His salvation“ (Isaiah 52,7-10) so that Israel will recognize that the still despised „figure“ of the „Suffering Servant of Jehovah“ (Ewed ha-Shem, Isaiah 53,1-12) is God's Revelation of His eternal everlasting plan of salvation exceptionally to all people. This Evangelistic witness must be offered in all effort as an invitation to the people of Israel. „They accept it, or they don't!“ (Ezechiel 2,7; 3,11; 33,8-9; 2.Corinthians 5,20). The appeal to come to „Yeshuah ha-Mashiah“ (Jesus, the Christ) does in no way challenge the Jews at all to deny their history or to give up their Jewish national identity. No, clearly spoken, only by this way the Jews will come to their original universal vocation to bring God's blessings to all nations (Genesis 12,3; Ex. 2,19,4-6; 1.Peter 2,9; Romans 11,11-15).
   
   
7. The Christian churches therefore are neither authorised to shorten the gospel, of Jesus Christ of its Christian elements, nor- having Israel in view- to reduce it to a mere partner's dialogue in favor of a false ecumenical idea. The confession and witness to the Messianity of Jesus and to Him as Son of God (Matth. 16,16) as well as to his - mainly for the Jewish people - provocative death on the cross; His resurrection, the gathering up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, Jesus' enthronization, His second advent and to the Trinity of God, should never be given up on account of accommodating monotheistic religions. This would not only mean abandoning the faith, but would also mean a future theological justification of the rejection and condemnation of Christ through the ancient leaders of Israel and would lead doubtlessly to an Antichristian Messiah- imagination (2.Cor. 11,3-4) which would please utterly, however, the Jewish orthodoxy .
   
   
8. The commandment to love one another urges us to stand for the written human rights, the civil right, and the religious freedom of faith and of assembling for those brethren and sisters in the State of Israel who came as Jews to faith in our same Messiah Yeshua. This includes also the possibility to confess in public. Due to the fact that Messianic Jews must reckon with isolation or even persecution they have the right on our full intercession-prayer, solidarity and brotherly love. Visits to the Holy Land offer the possibility to come in contact with our Messianic brethren and sisters. Bibles you had with you as a gift can help to meet our need of Evangelistic literature.
   
   
9. Without doubt the apocalyptic signs show the second advent of Jesus Christ. Therefore our earnest appeal to permanent intercession-prayer for an oppressed Israel - as well as to a bible-conform preaching of God's salvation plan for Israel - should be directed first of all to all Christian churches and all Christian congregations. Let us try hard to prevent that the Jews do not get the chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ because this attitude is similar to a theological confusion as well as to a hidden abandoning faith. On the contrary, we invite all Christians to support every sincere service which enables the Jews to come into unification with their own Messiah in a credible way. Collections and special gifts - mainly those from the tenth Sunday after Trinitatis - should be given first of all to those institutions which are faithfully practicing such service and also document it. The EKD (Evangelical Church of Germany) was not willing until today - against better knowing - to do so, therefore RRIB and ICN should open an own fond for this project (Gal. 6,10).

One in mind with the Apostle Paul we, too, confess „For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jews first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1,16). May the Lord give us always strength and joy at all times.