Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 12/26/2011

Question
hello rabbi! I had recently asked about the different lineage of messiah accounted in the bible. Although it is said that the lukan lineage of Jesus is through Mary, it is clearly mentioned in luke 3:23 that he was son of Joseph who was son of heli and so forth. To derive or speculate that heli was joseph's father-in-law,from the text, is quiete difficult for me to comprehend and accept. Could you clarify that to me?
Also i am not familiar with the belief system of messianic Jews and i am curious to know. Could you suggest some website or book where i could get authentic information regarding the beliefs of messianic jews?
Please tell me what is your stand regarding-
1) Jesus as God
2) jesus as son of God
3) the trinity
4) satan- as an entity, evil force and tempter
5) evil spirits and
6) praying for the dead

thank you and hoping for answers soon..

Answer
Shalom Jesson,

The translations we use often add points for "clarification." These clarifications sometimes cause more confusion than they resolve. Luke 3:23 does not actually say (KJV): "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli... The Greek text says:

And Iesous [Jesus: Y'shua] himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed [nom-id'-zo: "properly according to the laws"]) the son of Joseph, which was [the son] of Heli...

The phrase "which was the son of" was added to the text. Heli is not stated as being his father nor his father-in-law.

The authors had difficulty describing his lineage as the authors were convinced that he was not the biological son of Joseph. At the same time they had demonstrate that he is qualified to be Moshiach by lineage.   

There is a curse on the biological lineage of Joseph. Were Y'shua his biological son he could not be the Moshiach. For more on this see my:

Does Jeremiah 22:28 and Matthew 1:11 Negate Rebbe Y'shua From Being Moshiach? No, They Demand It! at <a href=http://www.jewtoo.org/jeremiah22.html>http://www.jewtoo.org/jeremiah22.html</a>

Many people today are using the term "Messianic Judaism" to refer to Nicene Christians who merely adopt various outwardly Jewish symbols. In our view these are not Messianics, they are Nicene Christians (i.e. members of the Christian religion established through the Nicene Counsels).

We use the term in its Jewish context: Jews who accept that Rebbe Y'shua is haMoshiach (including those who convert to Judaism through our Rebbe's teachings). Those who accept these teachings are invited to convert to Judaism through our Temple Beth HaShem. In an effort to make this distinction we often refer to ourselves as "authentic Messianic Jews." To facilitate others in understanding and embracing these teachings we offer a free on-line school at: <a href=http://yeshivabethhashem.org/>http://yeshivabethhashem.org/</a>. Through these lessons our beliefs are made clear and supported both biblically and through Jewish traditions.


Your questions:

1) Jesus as God
The Bible is clear that God is One with a second:

Isaiah 46:5  To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?

It is equally clear to us that Rebbe Y'shua, as unique as he is, is a created being (Colossians 1:15), and one fully submissive to God's Will (John10:30 etc). God is not created and He submits to the Will of no one.

We affirm therefore the absolute oneness of the One True God and that Y'shua was the first created being. He is not God. As he repeatedly said, he is a fully obedient son of God.


2) jesus as son of God
We accept this without the addition baggage added by the Nicean Church. The word uihos ("hwee-os") or "son" means just that. In no way does this word imply or even allow for the idea of an incarnation or avatar.
What makes Rebbe Y'shua's "sonship" unique is that he was a completely realized and surrendered son.

3) the trinity
Almost every Pagan and Heathen religion believes in a trinity of gods in some form. The idea is contrary to Torah:

Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad
"Hear Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One"

Deuteronomy 6:4 , Mark 12:29 The God of the Bible is One.

4) satan- as an entity, evil force and tempter

This requires context to understand properly.
At Job 1 Satan is clearly shown as an individual being. When Rebbe Y'shua was being tempted on the mount it is likely (not certain) that it was not a literal being tempting him but his own inner struggle. According to Judaism and consistent with biblical doctrine we were created with a twin nature or impulse, known as yetzer tov and yetzer ra. These are the impulses to do good and evil, positive and negative. They establish our world in duality. By mastering these impulses as prescribed in Torah we draw closer to HaShem (God). By embracing yetzer ra we move further from Him. Yetzer ra is often referenced in a personified fashion. In the vast majority of cases our "demons" arise from within our own consciousness not from outward beings.

The answer then is both. God has no opposites. He exists above all and is comparable to none. By His Will the created beings exists within various parameters and fulfill various roles. Among these, the being known as Heylel, Lucifer or Satan exists as a servant of HaShem. He is a literally existing being. In his service he leads a rebellion based on an accusation as to God's righteousness. Is the creation better off living in harmony with HaShem or going it on our own.

5) evil spirits

According to Bible 1/3 of the celestial beings joined in the rebellion fomented by Lucifer. These beings may be thought of as demons.
There also exists other beings, beings that exist within the material construct of existence but that exist in slightly altered fields or planes of perception. These are described in various ways, as jinn, valley spirits, nature spirits and so on. These beings are all diverse. Some we say are evil, some positive, and some neutral. The main "evil spirits" we confront however come from within, from our struggles with yetzer tov and yetzer rav. The various atrocities, inequities, abuses, prejudices, sufferings and so on that we confront are, for the most part, of human invention.
Do possessions etc. happen? Yes. Sometimes. We need to maintain a balanced view of these sorts of things however.

and
6) praying for the dead

One can pray for whomever one wishes, however each of us are responsible for our own choices.

Based on our research the best link I can offer to you to learn authentic Messianic Judaism are:

Our free Yeshiva: <a href=http://yeshivabethhashem.org>http://yeshivabethhashem.org</a>
And
JewToo.org: <a href=http://jewtoo.org>http://jewtoo.org</a>

If you have further questions feel free to write.

~ Rabbi Yochanan