Two Messianic Jews

Did Jesus do away with the Jewish dietary laws? Many Christians point to Mark 7.15-19 to say that he did, which is understandable, considering the common translation of Mark 7.19, “Thus he [Jesus] declared all foods clean.” In this video, I present five reasons why it is implausible that Jesus eliminated the Jewish dietary laws and then offer a reading of Mark 7.15-19 that makes better sense of Je...

Are non-Jews expected to become Torah-observant? Is this what the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 teaches? Many Hebrew Roots and One Law teachers read the Jerusalem Council as a decision to give non-Jewish Jesus-followers a Torah "starter pack" and expect them to become more and more observant as they learn the Torah in the synagogue each Shabbat. Is this the best way to read Acts 15? We do...

At the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) Messiah Conference 2022, Jonathan gave a presentation responding to arguments for replacement theology put forth in Pastor Andy Stanley’s book, Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World.    To support our work in combating replacement theology, you can visit https://www.twomessianicjews.com/donate Questions this presentat...

This week is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot which is also known as Pentecost. In Jewish tradition, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah. In Christian traditions, Pentecost commemorates the Holy Spirit descending after Jesus ascended to heaven. In Messianic Judaism, we commemorate both! Join us in exploring how Shavuot provides an occasion to see how Paul was both Torah-observant and Spirit-...

In Deuteronomy 13, we learn that false prophets can perform miracles. From this point, counter-missionary, Rabbi Michael Skobac reasons: “miracles don’t prove anything.” If he is right, then Jesus’s resurrection does not prove he is the Messiah. But is Rabbi Skobac right? In this video, I argue that when we understand Deuteronomy 13 in light of Passover and with the help of Maimonides, we see that...

What do Messianic Jews believe? How do Messianic Jews live and worship? Join us on Two Messianic Jews as we share with you the definition of a Messianic Jew, the core beliefs of the Messianic Jewish community, and the common ways Messianic Jews live and worship. In the end, I share how we view ourselves within the Jewish community and within the Body of Messiah. To support our work in strengthenin...

Recently, we were sent a Times of Israel blog by its author, Rabbi Joel Hoffman, entitled, "Why Messianic Judaism is Fake." We thought this was a good opportunity to try our hand at doing a live reaction as we read it for the first time! There is much more that could have been said, and much that we could have said more clearly. Hopefully, it is edifying and entertaining nonetheless! To...

While Christmas is not part of the Messianic Jewish calendar we affirm the Church's celebration of this tradition as a wonderful way to celebrate the birth and incarnation of the Messiah. There are many Hebrew Roots channels that argue Christmas is steeped in paganism and that the Church should not celebrate the holiday. For this episode, we are joined by Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy...

Not many people understand or have even heard of, Messianic Gentiles. Who are they? Who are they not? In this video, I define Messianic Gentiles as are non-Jewish members of Messianic synagogues who affirm the teachings of Messianic Judaism and live according to the Jewish norms of their synagogue. I then distinguish them from many groups with which they might be easily confused, particularly Hebr...

How should Messianic Jews understand the role of Torah, rabbinic tradition, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives and communities? There are multiple Messianic Jewish answers to this question and today we had on Messianic Jewish scholar, Dr. Jennifer Rosner and Messianic Jewish rabbi, Joshua Lessard to discuss their book "At the Foot of the Mountain: Two Views on the Torah and Spi...

Hebrew Roots and One Law teachers like Lex Meyer of Unlearn the Lies and Tim Hegg of Torah Resource frequently argue that Christians should celebrate Sukkot and all other Jewish Festivals because of the prophecy found in Zechariah 14:16-19. This is contrary to the Messianic Jewish position. I argue that Christians do not have this responsibility and appeal to Messianic Jewish leaders like Dr. Davi...

Did Jesus oppose Judaism and come to replace it with his brand-new religion of Christianity? Was ancient Judaism a legalistic religion of works-righteousness? Did Jesus make the Law obsolete? Many people assume the answer to all these questions is yes. But is that true? In this video, we tackle these questions, building the case that the way Jesus teaches, lives, and debates situates him within Se...

Many people believe that Jesus came to replace Judaism and its Torah with something brand new. His teachings then stand in stark conflict with his Jewish contemporaries. Rabbi Matt Rosenberg essentially says, “I beg to differ” in his newly released book, Jesus Never Said Anything New. In this interview, he tackles this important subject that affects how Jews and Christians understand Jesus and liv...

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Earlier this year, Reverend Brandan Robertson came out with a Tik Tok video claiming that Jesus was a racist. In a later YouTube video with Dr. Miguel De La Torre, he elaborates that Jesus inherited his racism from his Jewish community. De La Torre makes these same claims in this video and in his sermon, “Was Jesus a Racist?” Their teaching is not just historically and exegetically wrong; it fuels...

For centuries, scholars have argued that Paul thought the Church replaced Israel as God's chosen people and that Jewish identity is erased upon the acceptance of Jesus's Gospel message. Here, I argue that when you carefully read Paul's use of the Shema in Romans 3.27-31 and use the Tanakh, Josephus, and later rabbinic literature to expand your interpretative imagination, you find Paul...

Traditional Jewish scholar, Dr. Zev Garber and Messianic Jewish scholar, Dr. Mark Kinzer participate in a discussion on whether a divine Messiah fits within Judaism and how Messianic Judaism's view of Jesus's incarnation affects its relationship to the broader Jewish world. This discussion took place at the 2020 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting to interact with the ideas prese...

Traditional Jewish scholar, Dr. Kenneth Hanson and Messianic Jewish scholar, Dr. David Rudolph participate in a discussion on whether Jesus claimed to be God and the impact these readings of the New Testament have on Messianic Judaism's relationship to the broader Jewish world. This discussion took place at the 2020 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting to interact with the ideas prese...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this final video of the three-part series, we show why this argument is historically implausible based on what our sources tell us about first-century Jewish views of paganism and the fact that the...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this second video of the three-part series, we go directly to the primary sources. Long story short, this counter-missionary is wrong about the parallels between Jesus and Osiris and Dionysus. To su...

One of the primary arguments a prominent Jewish counter-missionary gave us for why we should leave Messianic Judaism is that Jesus was a copy of pagan myths and never existed as a historical figure. In this episode, we show why his argument suffers from a logical fallacy, and even if this argument were true and sound, it would mean that one of Judaism’s greatest heroes never existed. It’s a weak a...

Listen in as we share our story of how we navigated conversations with atheist professors, atheist and agnostic classmates, and Jewish counter-missionaries while in college! We hope you find encouragement, entertainment, and empowerment as we give you a sneak peek into parts of the journey that has led to us launching Two Messianic Jews! Enjoy!  To support our work in responding to counter-mission...

Does Acts 21 confirm that Paul taught against Torah-observance for Jews?  According to Rabbi Michael Skobac of Jews for Judaism, Acts 21 shows  Paul's "real position" was that Jews should stop obeying the Torah. I  walk through the whole account of Acts 21.17-26 to demonstrate that it  says the exact opposite! Acts 21 shows that Paul was a Torah-observant  Jew himself and taught othe...

Rabbi Tovia Singer argues that in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus claims that if one is even tempted to commit adultery, then they have already committed the sin. Jesus's point, therefore, is that the Torah is impossible to follow. In this video, we respond to this argument and show why Rabbi Singer is misunderstanding Jesus.    To support our work in responding to counter-missionaries,you can visit ht...

Rabbi Michael Skobac claims Paul did not mention "literally anything whatsoever" about the life and teachings of Jesus. If true, this casts doubt on whether Paul knew anything about Jesus's life and teachings.  For some (not Rabbi Skobac), they make this claim to support an argument that Jesus did not exist! We explore Paul's letters to show that Paul does mention Jesus's lif...