Messianic Judaism - Circumcision and Passover?

Question

If you are a male Gentile who subscribes to Messianic Judaism, can you keep the Passover with your ethnically-Jewish fellow Messianic Jews if you are uncircumcised, or does your being uncircumcised bar you from keeping the Passover? I'm looking at the following passage and thinking the answer is, "You can't keep the Passover until after you are circumcised."

Exodus 12:43,48-50 -- And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This [is] the ordinance of the passover....And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

Answer 1

I have not yet run into any Messianic Congregations that insist on physical circumcision before an uncircumcised non-Jewish male can attend a Passover Seder. The way in which most of them get around the issue raised in the passage you quoted is by pointing out that there is no Temple in Jerusalem, and thus no valid way to sacrifice the lamb for Pesach. Since the Seder does not contain a lamb properly sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem, there is no complete observance of Pesach, and thus no violation of this command by uncircumcised non-Jewish males. They would not be permitted to eat the Pesach lamb sacrificed at the Temple, but are permitted to participate in a Passover seder that is not serving a Pesach lamb sacrificed at the Temple. Thus, this entire question is put aside until the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt (may that happen soon, and in our day) and the sacrifical system is reinstituted. They will then cross that bridge when they come to it.

The other obvious way in which some Messianic groups would get around this commandment is by saying that non-Jews who are circumcised in their heart are permitted to participate.

Lastly, note that this passage does not specifiy that the circumcision must be performed by a rabbi. So while the rabbinic establishment would certainly disagree, it would appear that non-Jewish males who have received a hospital circumcision are permitted to participate in the Pesach. Of course, Messianic Judaism is already considered heretical by the vast majority of Judaism, so to that extent it really doesn't matter what practice Messianic Judaism comes up with to deal with this issue and they would thus have no need to be concerned with what the rabbis say.

Answer 2

There was a lot of stuff written down in the old days- for a variety of reasons.

You can believe anything that makes you happy, and celebrate any traditions that you enjoy.

To even think that some supreme being would somehow punish or look unfavorably upon you by enjoying the passover tradition with friends, just because you are uncircumcised makes no sense. So- enjoy life.

Answer 3

The important thing to remember is that you are redeemed from the law. When many "Judaizers" as Paul, ever so fondly, called certain Jews, wanted to insist that all new Gentile converts be circumcised, Paul suggested that the Judaizers should go all the way and emasculate themselves. This is a matter of the heart. Pray about it. If you feel God leading you to be circumcised, then do so. If you feel like it's your flesh trying to condemn you or put you into a religious box where you must obey the letter of the law, then you've made the sacrifice of Yeshua of no effect. Why do we need grace, if not to remind us that we are helpless to keep the whole of the law. If you want to celebrate Seder, celebrate! I'm sure your brothers and sisters will welcome you with open arms.

Answer 4

there's no such factor as a branch of Judaism called "Messianic Judaism". that's a CHRISTIAN flow all started with tips from Baptists. It has on no account been a factor of Judaism. So whilst a non-Jew "converts" to Messianic "Judaism" all they are doing is going from one branch of Christianity to a diverse. If the guy replaced into Jewish with tips from start and joined Messianic "Judaism" then he has exchange right into a Christian and isn't any longer considered to be Jewish with tips from Torah regulation. He has lost his place interior the Jewish community, he's a believer in idolatry and blasphemy and a faux Messiah. he's no longer allowed to take part in any synagogue events or any events interior the Jewish community in any respect.

Answer 5

Messianic Judaism is an oxymoron. One is either a Christian or a Jew. You cannot be both.
Many people, Christians and some Jews as well, erroneously believe that just as one can be Black and Christian, just as one can be Oriental and Christian, one can also be Jewish and Christian. It is not true. The Jews are not a race. There is no genetic code passed from either mother or father to the child that makes that child a Jew. Even if all, or some, of the genetic code in a child could be proved to be of Jewish Origin, that would not make the child a Jew. Jewish law determines who is a Jew, and Jewish law is quite clear. If a person's mother is a Jew, and that person has not converted to another faith, then that person will be considered fully Jewish, so long as that person wishes to identify solely as a Jew. Although one cannot convert to become a member of a race, for example one cannot convert to become an Oriental or an African-American, one who converts to Judaism does, indeed, become fully a Jew. Similarly, if one converts from Judaism to another faith, one is no longer a Jew.

Answer 6

keep the passover? What does that mean? What does that prevent or allow you to do in life if you can keep the passover. Does keeping the passover make you happier? A better person? Is it worth it? Not just in terms of money, but spiritual growth? In other words, what are you talking about?

Answer 7

There is no such thing as "Messianic Jews". They are Christians who prey on the down-and-out and elderly trying to convert them to Christianity.

Answer 8

The answer of Christ "I can circumcise who is uncircumcised, and uncircumcise who is circumcised.

Therefore it is only through Christ that you can be saved.

Answer 9

If there is a god why would the hood of a penis be on his Radar?