This book is primarily written to provide a simple and straightforward argument for the Messiahship of Yeshua (Jesus) for Jews who have yet to accept this. However, it also aims to help Messianic Jews by affirming their convictions and enabling them to answer objections from others in the Jewish community.

Introducing Messiah

Each of the 13 chapters starts with a Jewish prayer and two quotations, one from the Old Testament and one from the New (usually related). At the end of each chapter there are five well-chosen points to ponder which add to the challenge the book sets.

The opening chapter is simply entitled ‘God’. A good place to start! Here is something all Jews agree on: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator, the One God. This is a preparation for the next chapter: having a relationship with God, through prayer, meditation, study of Torah and the fear of God which leads to wisdom.

In the third chapter, a key one, the topic of Messiah is introduced. Why did some at the time accept Yeshua as Messiah while others denied him? Nessim explains that “What everyone needed was a willingness to accept that Messiah might be different from their preconceptions” (p29), something that remains true today. But he asserts that for Jews who are prepared to rethink, this ‘new faith’ won’t seem so new after all. The same God is “author of the Torah and of our salvation today” (p33).

The next two chapters continue the theme of Messiah and contain fascinating references to ancient Jewish texts on the prophesied Messiah, which demonstrate that Yeshua should not have been totally unexpected.

This book provides a simple, straightforward argument for the Messiahship of Yeshua for Jews who have yet to accept this.

The Adventure of Scripture

The second half of the book focuses on what constitutes ‘the way of salvation’ through Yeshua. Here are clear expositions of topics such as faith, sin, repentance and righteousness. Certain phrases stand out, such as “penitent trust”, “asking for faith is in itself an act of faith” and “making teshuvah [repentance] is by definition something that needs to be done not once, but as a lifestyle”. The author is also firm that “our faith is the source of our good deeds, not the other way round” (p54). There is much in these pages which also serves as a good reminder for Gentile Christians of the nature of their salvation and which stands in contrast to some of the watery and vague teaching that often passes for the Gospel in churches today.

Nessim also considers the role of the Hebrew Bible (Tanach) and the New Testament (Brit Hadashah). Regarding the latter, he states that “while it is often read as a Christian text, it really is best read as a set of Jewish books” (p75). He also spells out key principles for reading and studying Scripture, namely taking context into account and not seeking a mystical or otherworldly sense when none is intended. If the plain sense makes common sense, then stick with it! With all this in place, the Bible becomes an adventure, divulging truths that have enthralled and nourished souls for millennia and yielding nuggets of revelation concerning the Anointed One, Yeshua.

Yeshua and You

Towards the end there are chapters on Yeshua’s people (his ‘new’ community) and on ‘Yeshua and Torah’. In the latter, Nessim states his conviction that Yeshua’s message is true to Torah and that he “extends, amplifies and shows us how to properly interpret the Torah” (p100). Furthermore, Yeshua fundamentally changed our relationship to Torah, putting it in a new light through his death and resurrection. What may have previously been treated as a legal code can now live within us.

There is much here to remind Gentile Christians of the nature of their salvation, contrasting the watery, vague teaching that often passes for the Gospel in churches today.

The final chapter, ‘Yeshua and You’, shows how faith in Yeshua should lead to a life of discipleship and commitment. Yeshua embodied Israel’s calling to be a light to the world so that those who follow him can also shine to the rest of humanity. Nessim concludes that awareness of Yeshua as Messiah transforms lives, Jew and Gentile. Yeshua did not come to start a new religion and Jews are not called to abandon the faith of their fathers. Following Yeshua may create difficulties for Jews within their own community, but it is better to risk relationships with friends and family than deny who he really is.

After a brief bibliography come two appendices. The first is a comprehensive list of predictions in the Old Testament regarding Yeshua as Messiah. The second is a short glossary of Hebrew terms.

Overall the author is gently persuasive in his arguments and presents his message in a clear and forthright manner. This is an excellent resource that deserves to be better known.

‘Derech Yeshua’ (128 pages) is available from the publisher for £8 plus £2 P&P.