February 2023

Letter from Celebrate Messiah Executive Director, Lawrence Hirsch

Dear Friends,

Shalom and blessings to you for a fruitful 2023. As we start a new year, it’s always helpful to reassess our vision and calling, to consider the questions: where are we, where are we heading, and are we being faithful to the vision and calling that God has for us? 

Louise and I started Celebrate Messiah 28 years ago, inspired by the Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 1:16 that describes his core motivation and raison d’etre (reason for being):

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV)

Traditionally, in our first newsletter of the year, we like to explore this Biblical principle articulated by the Apostle Paul, that the gospel is to the Jew first… and also to the Gentile.

We believe that sharing the gospel with Jewish people – Jewish evangelism – is a priority that is taught by Scripture.

As we explore this a little from the Bible, we will see that Jewish evangelism is a Historical Priority, a Covenant Priority, a Present Priority and a Prophetic Priority.

Historical Priority

The gospel was good news first for Jews, before it became good news for the rest of the world. Historically, the Jewish people were not only the first recipients of the gospel but the gospel itself represents God’s faithfulness to Israel.

At the beginning of his letter to the Romans, Paul points out that the Gospel is a fulfillment of God’s historical promises to Israel (Romans 1:1–2).

Also, remember that amazing account in the Gospel of John chapter 4, when Yeshua spoke to a Samaritan woman at the well. He said to her; “You [Samaritans] worship what you do not know; we [Jews] worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22, TLV) 

Yeshua must have believed it was important to point out to this spiritually-hungry woman at the well, that God’s message of salvation was first revealed to the world through the Jewish people. We too shouldn’t forget this historical and Biblical fact. 

Covenant Priority

Not only was the gospel “to the Jew first” historically, but it was also because of God’s covenant with his Chosen People. 

Ernst Kasemann in his commentary on Romans says; “God has, through his promises, given the elect people precedence with regards to the gospel not because they are more important than the Gentiles but because of his plan of salvation.”¹

In Scripture, the Apostle Paul describes this Covenant Priority this way:

“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 9:4–5, ESV) 

Present Priority

This Biblical priority is not only a historical priority, a covenant priority, but also a present priority. 

Going back to Romans 1:16, we notice that this passage is written in the present tense. The Apostle Paul says that the gospel IS the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. So, if the gospel is still “the power of God for salvation,” and it is still “for all who believe,” then the gospel must also still be “to the Jew first.”

The Greek word used for first in this passage is the word proton. This word implies a priority, rather than a sequential order of events.

The same word proton, is also used in Matthew 6:33 where the Lord Yeshua reminds us to “… seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV) 

Here again, the word proton (first) indicates that we must seek the Kingdom of God in our lives as a priority, even as we seek other things.

Franz Delitzsch, the well-known Old Testament scholar wrote, “For the church to evangelise the world without thinking of the Jews, is like a bird trying to fly with one broken wing.”

Thus, the order is not one of importance but one of priority, and it is a priority that has continuing validity even today.

As we look through the gospels and the Book of Acts, we can see that taking the gospel to the Jewish people first was a priority for both Yeshua and Paul.

In the first Great Commission, Yeshua instructed the twelve: “…Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:5–6, ESV) 

Later, Yeshua said to his disciples, in what can be described as the second Great Commission; ““Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19, ESV). 

Dr Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries, reminds us that the “first Great Commission, Jewish evangelism, is the starting point for the second Great Commission, world evangelism.”

The Apostle Paul, or as we refer to him in Messianic circles, Rabbi Sha’ul, was called by God to be an emissary (an apostle) to the Gentiles, even though he was an Orthodox Jew of his day.

Even so, he never stopped caring for the salvation of his Jewish people and he continued to carry a great burden for the salvation of his people as we read in Romans 9:3; “For I would pray that I myself were cursed, banished from Messiah for the sake of my people –  my own flesh and blood,” (Romans 9:3, TLV) 

In fact, wherever Rabbi Sha’ul travelled during his ministry among the Gentiles, he first preached the gospel to the Jewish people who lived in that area, before preaching the gospel to the Gentiles in that area (Acts 13:13– 52; 14:1–5; 18:7–11; 19:8–10).

So, for both Yeshua and Paul, bringing the gospel to Jewish people “first” was a priority. 

Prophetic Priority

Jewish evangelism is also a Prophetic Priority. 

In Matthew 23 we see Yeshua looking over to Jerusalem from some vantage point, perhaps the Mount of Olives, and he cries out in a heart-felt lament to his Jewish people. His people had rejected him as they had rejected the prophets before him and so he cries; “… you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”” (Matthew 23:39, ESV) 

Yet, there is a glimmer of hope in this passage. Yeshua vows that his people would not see him again until they are ready to welcome him back with those words; “baruch ha-ba b’shem Adonai – blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

As a Jewish bridegroom is welcomed to the wedding to his beautiful bride, so Yeshua is waiting to be welcomed by his Jewish people before he returns. 

Surely this captures the motivation for Jewish evangelism. If we want the Messiah to return, we need to work towards the day when our Jewish people will be ready to welcome him back. Only then will we see our Messiah. 

Another passage in the Prophets that captures this thought is Zechariah 12:10 speaking of the day when Messiah, the Pierced One, is revealed to his own Jewish people. Oh, what a day that will be!

Finally, Jewish evangelism is a Prophetic Priority because the Apostle Paul speaks about the day when the restoration of the Jewish people to their Messiah will result in hitherto, untold blessings for the Gentiles. 

He writes; “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” (Romans 11:12, ESV) 

And again he writes; “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15, ESV) 

God has a prophetic plan to bless the world when Israel comes back to their Messiah. “Riches for the world,” and “life from the dead” speaks of a world-wide revival and spiritual blessings when Israel is restored to faith in their Messiah. 

The salvation of the future remnant of Israel described by Paul is the final step in the chain of events preceding Yeshua’s second coming, and culmination of the Abrahamic blessings promised to the world (Genesis 12:1-3).

There is a remnant today of Messianic Jews. However, a great movement of Jewish people who will believe in Yeshua is coming, and this is the hope that really motivates us.

The priority of the gospel to the Jewish people is not because he specially loves the Jews, but it is precisely because he loves the world.

Baruch Maoz, a fellow Messianic Jew says:

Preaching the Gospel to Israel has universal implications. By preaching to the Jews first we are working toward that day when all mankind will enjoy the eternal goodness of God, every tear shall be wiped away, sorrow and sickness will be no more and all things will be made new.²

God has called us, as a mission, to reach out specifically to the Jewish people with the Message of Yeshua the Jewish Messiah, and to build congregations and communities that will sustain a Messianic Jewish spirituality, while providing a spiritual environment that nurtures all people, Jew and Gentile. 

God has not rejected his people Israel. His gifts and his calling upon them are irrevocable, i.e. without repentance (Rom. 11:29). For this reason, we continue to work towards Israel’s salvation and the blessing of the whole world.

God is both willing and able to graft the broken off branches, the Jewish people, back into their own olive tree (Rom. 11:24), and to this end we labour. 

What Is Our Role Today?

I pray the Lord will burden all of us to reach Jewish people for Yeshua as we see this as a Biblical Priority. 

In this newsletter we present some practical ways that you can reach Jewish people: we are expanding our network for Hosting Israelis, and introducing new courses in the Messianic Training Centre to help further train and equip you for ministry. We are continuing our work in Israel and in the Far East of Russia and supporting in partnership the work in New Zealand and in 19 countries around the world, through our partnership with Chosen People Global Ministries. 

From our base at the Caulfield Messianic Centre, located in the heart of the largest concentration of Jewish people in Australia, and from our various ministries in Canberra and Sydney, we are divinely placed to witness “to the Jew first,” thus fulfilling our mission of “Bringing the Message to the Original Messengers.”   

Thank you for your support and prayers for the ongoing work of Celebrate Messiah as we celebrate our 28th year as a ministry in Australia. 

Yours for the salvation of Israel,

Lawrence Hirsch

Executive Director, Celebrate Messiah 

¹ Kasemann, Ernst 1980. Commentary on Romans. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, p. 23.

² Maoz, Baruch 1991. "Priorities in Eschatology." A paper presented at the LCJE fourth International Conference, Zeist, Holland. 8-9 August 1991, pp. 252-267.