Monday, 31 October 2016

Marriage

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In the Messiah, the primary question is one of calling, not physical origin. Since Jews are called to maintain their identity with Israel, the main question is: Is God truly leading the on-Jewish person to take up a Jewish lifestyle and adopt a Jewish family as a lifetime commitment? We cannot preclude such a match because of physical origins any more than the match of Ruth and Boaz. Each couple and individual should prayerfully seek God's leading for their life in this serious step. For the non-Jewish partner, this entails a public commitment to identify as Ruth ("your people shall be my people"). For the man, I believe it entails circumcision. Care must be taken to assure that the calling is from God and not a rationalization of some romantic or marital desire.

It is very possible that God's Spirit may lead many to marry only those with physical Jewish roots as a witness to Jewish people, who might not accept the Jewish calling of a non-Jewish believer. I think this should be the proclivity of Messianic Jews. However, this should be by the leadig of the Spirit, not by legal requirement. We, both Jews and Gentiles, are one in the Messiah. In Him we are called to different lifestyles and to perhaps witness to and through different communities. However, we must be "up front" in our witness and honestly convey that we are New Covenant congregations where Jew and Gentile have become one in the Messiah.

Jewish Roots, Chapter Eight: Extra-Biblical Practices