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Yeshua, Different Versions of – FAQ: YouTube
McKee Moment Short, 22 December, 2023
Can you please explain to me your concept of “different versions” of Yeshua (Jesus)?
One of the most provocative subjects can be contemplating the “different versions” of Yeshua.[1] Have you ever asked yourself the question, how many different versions of Yeshua or Jesus may actually be out there?
In much of our Messianic experience, and certainly within the orbit of things Messianic, people we tend to interact with have two main versions of Yeshua. (1) The version of Yeshua which upheld the Torah of Moses, and lived as a Torah observant Jew. Or, (2) a version of Jesus which came to do away with the Law of Moses and the Old Testament. And, that tends to be about as far as many people within the Messianic sphere of influence go. There is a version of Yeshua which upheld the Torah and Tanach. And then there is a Jesus who came to abolish or abrogate the Law of Moses and the Old Testament.
It is clear enough, however, that when you get into Biblical Studies and theology, that there are many other versions of Yeshua out there. Our purpose, as students of the Word and as disciples, is to not only make sure that we have the right version of Yeshua, the Messiah. We also have to be able to identify and dialogue with people who hold to other, additional versions of Yeshua or Jesus.
So, what might be some of these different versions? How many versions are out there?
For many of us who would be conservative in our theology, we would first recognize Yeshua of Nazareth as the prophesied Messiah of Israel. We would also recognize Yeshua as the eternal Son of God, who was incarnated in human flesh, who Himself is God and is to be worshiped as God, and to whom all of Creation must eventually acknowledge. Those of us who hold to what would commonly be called a high Christology, believe Yeshua is the Messiah and we believe that He is God.
While there can indeed be discussion and debate over the Divinity of Yeshua, within the Messianic movement—but far, far more in the independent Hebrew Roots movement—there are definitely other sectors where a lower, or low Christology of Yeshua being Messiah but not God can be found. It is not as though all people in the Christian world think that Jesus is God, after all. There are many people in the Christian world, especially in liberal or progressive circles, who simply think that Jesus was just a good teacher. He was a social reformer. He was a good philosopher.
Many of those in the Jewish community, who are open to dialogue with Christians, may recognize that Jesus was a Jewish sage. Perhaps Jesus was a good rabbi. Jesus may have even been some kind of a prophet or prophetic figure. An open minded Jewish person, interested in interreligious dialogue, may indeed be seen to say something like, “I appreciate the challenges of Jesus. I appreciate Jesus’ points of view. They are very consistent with many of the Rabbis. But I don’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, and I certainly don’t believe Jesus was God.” But, many Jews appreciate the perspective of Jesus. He may be regarded as a sage, a rabbi, and perhaps even a prophetic figure of sorts.
Then, when you get further out into the religious world, other views of Yeshua can be encountered. I remember how when my late father, Kimball McKee, went to Madras, India (Chennai) to lead the first men’s Walk to Emmas (January 1991). He went there with well over 30 people from the United States, and certainly he made different Indian friends. While at one of the gatherings, he talked with one of the caterers, who was a Hindu, and of course he wanted to talk to this gentleman about Jesus—the main reason why he came from America! He presented a basic gospel message of, “Would you like to know about Jesus, how He came and died for your sins? Would you like to receive His salvation?”
This Indian gentleman, who was Hindu, told my father, “Oh, I already believe in Jesus. I believe Jesus was a good man. He was a good philosopher, a good reformer, an ascended master.” After telling my father that he recognized Jesus, he then listed off all of these other, main Hindu gods he also believed in. So, for a number of people in the world, Yeshua is an ascended master, right alongside of various other religious figures.
One of the more intriguing views of Yeshua or Jesus, is one which I think is going to come into prominence in the future. Those of you who are avid sci-fi watchers, you probably already know about this. How do we know that Yeshua, Jesus, was not just some highly evolved extraterrestrial? How do we know that what we think of as being “miracles” and His resurrection from the dead, were not some of the natural abilities possessed by His species? And, what if what we think to be supernatural healings, were not just the application of certain frequencies of energy—which as a highly evolved extraterrestrial, Yeshua was obviously able to apply to those in need? Beyond this, of course, what if what we think to be Yeshua’s death and resurrection, was just Him going into some kind of hibernation for a few days, and then He self-resuscitated? The view that Jesus was just an alien, is one which is growing in prominence, in sectors out there, and you are probably going to hear about it more and more.
There are a number of different versions of Yeshua or Jesus out there. I adhere to the view which I believe is the Biblical view.
Yeshua of Nazareth is the prophesied Messiah of Israel. He is God in the flesh. He has ascended to the right hand of the Father. And, we are waiting for His return to Planet Earth to restore Israel and reign over this planet from Jerusalem. That I believe is the biblical Yeshua.
In Yeshua’s teachings, we see Him operate as a dynamic teacher, reformer, philosopher, sage, rabbi, prophet. But, Yeshua is so much more than that! Yet for many people today, well, He is just one of many different voices.
How do we know He was not just some highly evolved extraterrestrial? This is a matter which is going to be raised to us by more and more young people, especially those who were not raised in any kind of definite religious tradition. Their parents did not take them to church, did not take them to synagogue. They decided that when they were old enough, they could decide for themselves what religion they wanted to be. And if they do not end up as atheist or agnostic, then they are probably going to end up adhering to some belief in “all paths lead to the same universal consciousness or divine intelligence.”
Being able to recognize what some of the different versions of Yeshua or Jesus are, out there in the world of ideas, is imperative for us who are involved and are engaged in this ongoing spiritual war. And when you get out there into the world of ideas, you find out that things are not as simple as you want them to be, and also how things are getting more and more complicated. All of us need to make sure that we know Yeshua as our Divine Savior, that we have been cleansed from our sins, that we have had some kind of supernatural experience with Him, and that we never let go of such truth!
NOTES
[1] This has been adapted and edited from the textual transcription provided by YouTube.
