Today’s Reading 3 Nephi 20: 28-46
29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.
30 And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them;
31 And they shall believe in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.
32 Then shall their watchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye.
33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their inheritance.
A few months ago I sat awestruck by this video I saw of a Jewish man named Mottel Baleston who accepted Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah. He had been told to not read the New Testament, but curiosity overcame him, and he secretly did so anyways. The conclusions he came to astounded me, as did his unique courage. He says, “As I came to faith… that Jesus was the Messiah, it was clear that that was the most Jewish thing I could do.”
This opened my mind to the possibility that the spiritual gathering of the posterity of Judah has not only begun, but is well underway.
Jews Who Believe In Jesus
I have since learned that Mottel Baleston is not alone in his belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Indeed there are other Jews who believe in Jesus. “Today, there are an estimated 400 Messianic Jewish congregations worldwide, with 10,000-15,000 Messianic Jews in Israel, and about 200,000 in the United States. Congregations (called synagogues) can be found across the country, mainly in communities with a large existing Jewish community.” (i)
The Gathering of the Jews
The gathering of the Jews is both temporal and spiritual. Literally, they have been gathered to their land of promise. Their spiritual gathering, much like ours, is a current event. There will be more Jews who believe in Jesus.
The Splitting of the Mount of Olives
There is a touching, if not heart wrenching scene that plays out in the books of Zechariah and the Doctrine and Covenants of a future day. It is foretold that the Savior (Jesus) will split the mount of Olives and literally save the Jewish people from slaughter. As they behold the God who saves them, one will say, “What are these wounds in thine hands?” Can you imagine the tenderness and humility as they address their Savior? Jesus’ reply is beautiful, “These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.” (ii, iii)
My heart aches for them because, “then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.” (See footnote iii)
Then they will know. They will know that they had been waiting for a Messiah who already came. Comprehension will surely flood them as they realize that He is the literal Passover who now acts as a Passover to exaltation for all who will repent and make and keep covenants. Hearts will surely be overwhelmed by His tenderness, mercy, and compassion, even towards those who did not believe. Not only will they believe, they will know that Jesus is the “God of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New” Testament. (iv) In short, none will escape the knowledge of the Savior’s true identity. All Jews will believe in Jesus because they will know.
My Friends
In spite of the Jewish people spitting upon Him, condoning His scourging, and demanding His crucifixion, He will still refer to them as His “friends.” And- He- Saves- Them- Still. If Jesus can call them His friends then we can call the Jews our friends as well. On their day of rescue they will meet their Savior, kneel, and confess that Jesus is the Christ, but perhaps there is more that we can do to recover them now.
Here is what the Savior has to say about the Gentiles, “Have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them.” (v) Where as I cringe at the thought of disappointing my Savior, this is a painful thing to read.
I have come to my own conclusion that recovering the Jews is worthy of my efforts. While the application of this is not yet clear to me, I want to participate. I want to declare heart to heart, with any who will listen, that Jesus is the Christ. I desire to testify that because of the atonement, the obstacles of death and hell have been conquered. They (and all of us) can experience a future so sublime that imagination cannot suffice the actual reality.
If given the opportunity, I hope to declare that all of this and more is possible Because. Of. Him.
Note: My fellow author, Arianna Reese, has written a wonderful example of her conversation with a Jewish classmate. See it here.
Jeni Brockbank and her husband Bart are parents to 6 amazing children. She finds great joy in being a wife and mother and feels that both callings are sacred privileges. Jeni is a continual student of the scriptures and loves to share her testimony with anyone who will listen. She teaches choir, is crafty and is grateful on a daily basis to live a few blocks from the Brigham City, UT temple.