The Bible is a Jewish book, written by Jewish prophets and apostles, and carefully preserved by Jewish sages throughout the centuries. Sadly, although God’s Words were entrusted to the Jewish people first, most of them do not have access to a copy of the Bible today. Therefore, our goal is to give back the Bible to the Jewish people, because it is their spiritual heritage. Our hope and prayer is that through God’s Word they will get to meet their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua. Our fieldworkers provide Bibles throughout the world. This happens both on the street, and through synagogues, libraries, and other Jewish institutions.
Five Reasons for Bible Distribution
1. God’s Word is Alive
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Heb. 4:12a). God still speaks through His Word. The Bible is as powerful and living today, as it was during the time it was written.
Testimonies of Messianic Jews remind us again and again of the important role that the Bible has played in changing their lives. The Lord says about His Word: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11).
2. No Bible
Although the Bible was given to the Jewish people first, most of them do not own a copy of it, much less a copy of the New Testament. It may come as surprise to you, but for many of them it is not customary to read the Old Testament, or the Tanakh, at home. Research data shows that 86 percent of the Israeli population do not read the Bible or the Talmud. However, as the majority of them are secular, this is not truly surprising.
3. The Messiah in the Word
The Scriptures direct our lives and reveal the Messiah. Think on Jesus’ words to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
4. Healing Distorted Views
Countless books tell the tragic history of the Jewish people. Much of what they suffered, they suffered in the name of Christianity. It is therefore not surprising that many Jewish people think of the New Testament as an anti-Semitic book. This is one of the reasons that we want to show them our love, and give them the opportunity to read the Book that changed our lives in so many blessed ways. This way, they can discover for themselves who the Messiah Yeshua truly is, read about what He has said and done, and find out that the New Testament is really a Jewish book through and through.
5. The Prophetic Word
The Scriptures tell us that difficult times lay ahead for the state of Israel and the entire world. The apostle Peter says that the word of prophecy is like a “light that shines in a dark place” (2Pet 1:19). In the Olivet Discourse Jesus says explicitly: “whoever reads, let him understand” (Mat. 24:15). In other words: The prophetic word will be of vital importance in this period! Luckily, the prophecies also point to Israel’s future restoration, because there are many wonderful unfulfilled promises for the land and the people of Israel.