Jewish Tradition – Messianic Apologetics

A Summarization of Shavuot Traditions

4 June, 2022 J.K. McKee

Shavuot is one of three pilgrimage festivals that is commanded in the Torah (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16). In Hebrew, its name means “weeks,” derived from the command in Deuteronomy 16:19, “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.” Many Christians know Shavuot from its Greek-derived name “Pentecost,” as Pentēkostē means “fiftieth,” indicative of the fifty days that are to be counted between Passover and this time.

Omer Count – FAQ

14 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Do you follow the method of the Pharisees or Sadducees for the counting of the omer to determine Shavuot? It seems that most in the independent Messianic movement follow the counting method of the Sadducees.

Passover, Objections to Last Supper – FAQ

13 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Is it true that there are some substantial objections to the Last Supper being a Passover meal? If there are any, how do you respond to these arguments?

Passover, Eating Lamb – FAQ

12 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Should we eat lamb as Messianics during Passover? Is it true that the Jews do not eat lamb during Passover?

Passover, Egg on Seder Plate – FAQ

12 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Why do Jews have an egg on their seder plates? Does this not come from Easter?

Passover, Traditional Seder Meal – FAQ

12 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Where did the traditions from the seder meal employed during Passover come from?

A Summarization of Passover Traditions

12 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Certainly, when Believers in Messiah Yeshua sit down to partake of the Passover meal, we are not just remembering the Exodus of the Ancient Israelites and the plagues that God dispensed upon the Egyptians. We are sitting down to remember great events in the salvation history of the world.

Adding to Torah? – Blogcast

10 April, 2022 J.K. McKee

Why do we see a great number of Jewish traditions practiced in today’s Messianic community. Would they not be in direct violation of Torah, and actually be seen to add to Torah?

A Summarization of Purim Traditions

16 March, 2022 J.K. McKee

The holiday of Purim is a relatively minor festival in the Tanach (Old Testament), yet it portrays a very important story that all of God’s people need to understand. Having been dispersed into Babylonian exile in 585 B.C.E., the Jewish people now find themselves under Persian rule. While many find their new Persian rulers more tolerant than the Babylonians, the Jews are still a minority and often find themselves subject to harassment and persecution. In the Book of Esther, King Ahasuerus’ (or Xerxes’) grand vizier, the evil Haman, devises a plot to kill the Jews when he is not worshipped by Mordecai. But Ahasuerus’ new wife, the Jewess Esther, is placed in just the right position at just the right time to see that this scheme does not come to pass. Instead, Haman is executed using the very means that he intended to use against the Jews.

How Do We Move Toward an Open Discussion?

7 February, 2022 J.K. McKee

John McKee evaluates some of the notable features of the Jewish worldview, Protestant worldview, and Fundamentalist Christian worldview. How do each of them customarily approach the issues of the day? How have they each affected, or not affected, the worldview of today’s Messianic community?