I have a question about why it is thought by some that if a Jew comes to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, that person is no longer Jewish. In my understanding a Jew is born a Jew and does not have to practice Judaism or even believe in God to retain their status as a jew. If that is the case why would a faith in Jesus forfiet their jewishness?
I have also heard that jews believe that evangelism to jews is seen as an attempt to exterminate jewish people. Personally I strongly disagree with that position and believe that Jesus came for the jews first and for the gentiles second.
I guess my question is, is there fear that if a jew believes in Jesus the jews begin to die out as a people through marriage. Meaning they would be less likely to marry another jew and lose their jewish identity in future generations? I hope that makes sense.
Jews can still be Jews and beileve in Y'shua. Jews will never die as a people, but become stronger because of the worship of Y'shua. If you truely dont want to marry another jew then that is up to you. Y'shua cant stop you from marrying a non-beliver.
Shalom,
It makes sense.
First you need to understand, as you have eluded to in your questions, that to be Jewish encompases many things.
1) It is a nationality. If you live outside of Isreal you are not a Jew in this sense.
2) It is an ethnicity. In this you are a Jew no matter where you live by virtue of your ethnic decent.
3) It is a religion and in this case to become a believer in Y'SHUA haMASHIYACH is to change "religions" in the mind of the average Jew. They see this as taking on more than one god. To them the TRINITY is not one god but three different and distinct gods; a pluralism which contradicts the Old Testament teachings...
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD:
Please remember that as they were about to enter the Promised Land Joshua was told that they were not to intermix or marry with the people of the land. They were told that they were to kill them all. They were to stay a pure race of people. This would keep them from losing their faith and keep them from accepting different gods as well as keeping their bloodlines pure. When they see a marriage outside of Jew to Jew they see this problem coming home.
Curently the third temple has been dug out and rededicated below the mosque on the Temple Rock. Next all of the furniture has to be rebuilt or rededicated to the LORD and in the process the Jewish people will be doing DNA research to determine who are the decendents of Aaron, or in other words, who are to be the Temple Priest. This is not possible is there exist a trace of any other ethnic decent within the person. Only "pure" decendents are allowed into the Holy of Holies.
Thus the problem of believing in Y'SHUA haMASHIYACH may be ethnic or religious purity. When witnessing to another Jew one of the ways to draw them into a conversation is to approach them with a question asking if they believe in a MESSIAH? If they do, then you can ask what one would be? What would he have to do? How would it be proven that he is The MESSIAH? Once the hook has been baited then you can show them how Y'SHUA fulfilled their beliefs. At the end of this then you can identify Y'SHUA as The MESSIAH. At the very least this will leave them questioning and it may actually lead them to Y'SHUA haMASHIYACH.
.
Yes, Yeshua told the Desciples to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles (Lost sheep of the House of Israel). many Jews are still blind to the Identity of Messiah, and they are afraid that if one eccepts Yeshua as savior, that they will be cut off from the commonwealth of Israel. Why? because Torah says that if one goes against the commandments, he shall be cut off from the people. Many of our Jewish brethern, are blindly thinking that we are commiting Idolatry. I will also remind you to this. the term Jesus to a jew, paints a picture of a Lawless man who came against Torah. Yeshua only enforced Torah. and in the Talmud, Jesus is accosiated with baal. So everything actually makes since.