FOLLOW DEREK LEMAN ONLINE
Information and Resources: MJPassages.com
As an author and speaker: DerekLeman.com
On Facebook: Facebook.com/DerekLeman
On Twitter: Twitter.com/derek4messiah
My Yeshua blog: YeshuaInContext.com
My publishing company: MountOlivePress.com
Journey to Jerusalem: JourneyToJerusalem.com
My Tolkien blog: derek4lotr.wordpress.com
My novel-in-process: derek4fantasy.wordpress.com
Category Archives: Judeo-Christian
Learning, MJ Style
Lots of new and relatively new learning centers are making a bright future for Messianic Judaism and Judeo-Christians. I will list here some of the great learning resources, some new and others not-so-new, that are out there. I also want … Continue reading
18 Things to Love About Passover
If you’ve had a boring Passover before, I’m sorry. There’s lots to love. And even if you are not the leader of the Seder, there are plenty of things to do to make the whole Passover season fun and rewarding. … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Passover
6 Comments
What is Our [Congregational] Purpose?
A friend and congregant asked, in a group setting with core people in our community discussing the near future, what is our purpose exactly?
Posted in Judeo-Christian, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Mysticism
4 Comments
Teaching Faith to Youth
I’ve been doing a short series on Sabbath afternoons with the youth of our congregation talking about faith. I didn’t have any when I was a teenager and was not raised in any sort of religious environment. So I find, … Continue reading
Posted in Abraham Joshua Heschel, Atheism, C.S. Lewis, Christian, Faith, Judaism, Judeo-Christian
5 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 8
This article is way overdue! I had people facebooking me two weeks ago saying, “Hurry up!” A short summary of the issue in this series: many non-Jews have been drawn into Messianic Judaism and various Judeo-Christian groups in the past … Continue reading
Posted in Gentiles, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
56 Comments
Vital Commentary: Exodus 12:29-51
This commentary struck me as so vital to our understanding of history in the Bible and also issues of such great importance to our communities in Messianic Judaism, Christianity, and Judaism today. The commentary is necessarily brief. If commenters request … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, History, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
2 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 7
It has been a long series, but this post will be short. I said in “Summary and Perspective on Part 5” to some of those who were dubious about my views: “If you, as Jews, do not understand the spiritual … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
8 Comments
Congregations of Yeshua (Jesus)
I know readers are waiting for Part 7 of “Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah” and also for me to revive the “Conversations on Law and Grace” series. They are coming. I appreciate your patience. Believe it or not, I … Continue reading
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 6
This post should not be read in isolation from previous ones in this series. If you are short on time, at least read “Part 5” here. We have now come to the part of this series which some readers have … Continue reading
Posted in Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
28 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 5
I have a friend who led a Messianic congregation with few Jews. In the early days, he assumed that non-Jewish followers of Yeshua could and should take on a life of Torah and even specifically Jewish ways of keeping the … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
31 Comments
Not Jewish Yet Drawn to Torah, Part 4
I’ve had many emails asking me to resume this series. Sometimes I start something and fail to complete it. The series has been my thinking, as a rabbi with plenty of non-Jewish members in my synagogue, about the phenomenon of … Continue reading
Posted in Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
25 Comments
Empowered Experience: Laying Tefillin
Life with God isn’t purely intellectual. It isn’t purely emotional. And emotional-rationality doesn’t explain it all either. I am not alone, in the vast see of Jews and Christians, who feel we have connected in reality with God through experience. … Continue reading
Empowering Jewish Identity in Yeshua
Being Jewish has long been growing less and less meaningful to Jews. A few symbols of the covenant are clung to. I think of the popularity of the Passover Seder and High Holidays and Hanukkah. But when Adam Sandler has … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
1 Comment
Feasting in the Age to Come
Visions of feasting recur in our dreams. Two images of happiness predominate: the adventure and the feast. God describes what he has for us in the age to come in terms of a rich banquet with wine and meat. There … Continue reading
Joseph and the Covenant of Blessing
The Joseph stories have long been thought to be more than simple reporting of the life of the patriarch. Too much resemblance between Joseph’s life, and the life of all the patriarchs, and Israel’s later history is present to ignore. … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
Tagged Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis
1 Comment
Vridar Against the Messiah Concept
Vridar is the moniker of Neil Godfrey, an avid fan of some rather extreme historians such as Thomas L. Thompson, Philip R. Davies, Niels Peter Lemche, and other pleasant individuals (avid politickers for the Palestinian cause using historical writing to … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Yeshua, Yeshua In Context
Tagged Copenhagen School, Neil Godfrey, Vridar
Leave a comment
Announcement: MJPassages
http://MJPassages.com Your intersection for good things Jewish, Christian, Messianic Jewish, Judeo-Christian, biblical, archaeological, and theological. It’s not yet a finished product, but there’s a good bit already to explore. Should be easy to explore on your triptophan buzz this Thanksgiving … Continue reading
The Misunderstood Kingship of Yeshua
The following commentary is on Matthew 21:1-11. I consider the larger context of Zechariah 9 and how it affects our reading of the Triumphal Entry. I’d say that even modern commentators have not given this sufficient attention in many cases. … Continue reading
SBL 2010, Amy-Jill Levine
Amy-Jill Levine is a rockstar. That’s my conclusion after hearing her speak for the first time. It was a panel discussing whether faith is incompatible with “objective” historical research in the historical Jesus project. Several evangelical Christian panelists made their … Continue reading
PODCAST: Yeshua in Context – Failure and Faith
The story of a failure on the disciples’ part turns into a lesson on the secret identity of Yeshua in Mark. But in Matthew it becomes a lesson on faith as the way we are united with God and Yeshua. … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Yeshua, Yeshua In Context
Tagged Podcast
Leave a comment
Classic Repost: Hanukkah, MJ Style
The first candles of Hanukkah will be lit on December 1 (a Wednesday night). People are already searching for Hanukkah articles and information. Here is a Messianic Jewish Musings Classic, a telling of the Hanukkah story Messianic Jewish style. Enjoy. … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
Tagged Hanukkah
1 Comment
Shmuley Boteach’s Non-Divine, Non-Messianic Jesus
Shmuley Boteach has a book soon to be released about how non-Jews can save Judaism and how Jesus is a prophet, but not divine or any kind of messiah. Judaism is a failure, he says. It’s too tribal. It has … Continue reading
Posted in Christian, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Yeshua, Yeshua In Context
Tagged Shmuley Boteach
5 Comments
Good Reads Coming in Messiah Journal 105
I just got an advance copy of Messiah Journal 105 (available at ffoz.com). Aside from the fact that I have an article in this issue (“Yeshua’s Example in Spirituality and Ethics”), this new issue is another example of why First … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, FFOZ, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism
2 Comments
Not Jewish yet Drawn to Torah, Part 3
In Part 1 of this series, I had one main point and several sub-points. The main point: non-Jews learning Torah should realize that the primary audience of Torah is the Jewish people. Sub-points: (1) Torah, like gospel, is not anyone’s … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christian, Gentiles, Judaism, Judeo-Christian, messianic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Judaism, Torah
16 Comments
Yeshua in Your Car
Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. So says Ecclesiastes 12:12. I’m a book guy. I start my mornings with coffee and surround myself with a Bible and some commentaries. … Continue reading
Messianic Jewish Musings 
You must be logged in to post a comment.