CMJ USA

09/01/2026

What did Jesus have to do on the 'other side' of the Sea of Galilee?

In the three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke – a similar account is repeated of a voyage to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and an encounter with a man possessed by many demons who tormented him. That man was not a Jew, which raises a question: Why did Jesus go there and why heal that person?

Despite minor differences between the three accounts, it is clear that they all describe the same event.

In all three narratives, the setting is the region on the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee – the slopes of what we know today as the Golan Heights. The area is referred to by different names in the various Gospels, as well as among different manuscript traditions of the same Gospel: the country of the Gadarenes, the Gerasenes, or the Gergesenes. These, however, are simply different names for the same general region.

In Matthew's Gospel, there are two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke mention only one, but this is virtually the only significant difference. The possessed man lived among the tombs, was wild, and could not be restrained with chains. The demons that possessed him recognized that Jesus was the Son of God and begged Him to send them into a herd of swine. The herd then rushed down the steep hillside and drowned in the Sea of Galilee. This description fits well with the geography of the eastern slopes descending sharply into the Sea of Galilee, where wild boars still inhabit the area today... - All Israel News

Read more: https://allisraelnews.com/edu/what-did-jesus-have-to-do-on-the-other-side-of-the-sea-of-galilee

Are you interested in taking a church group to where the church began? Consider Shoresh Study Tours!

Why did Jesus cross the Sea of Galilee to heal a demon-possessed Gentile? Biblical clues reveal a deeper connection to Bashan, the Exodus and the “Other Side.”

08/25/2026

CMJ USA visits Christ Church Midland with New Wineskins Anglican Partners
August has marked the restart travel for us at CMJ USA after a quieter season of working on office-focused projects. Rev. Cariño Casas flew to Midland, Texas to be part of the Anglican Global Mission Encounter with the New Wineskins Missionary Network and other members of the New Wineskins Anglican Partners.[1]

Rev. Andrew Petta at Christ Church Anglican Church in Midland reached out to New Wineskins for help hosting a missions fair. We at CMJ USA were excited to participate at an event with Christians interested in engaging with neighbors both near and far.

We spent Saturday and Sunday sharing about our various ministries. Cariño reminded the people of Christ Church Midland that there is a small Jewish population in the Permian Basin. These smaller Jewish communities report feeling less heard about their security concerns. It’s important that Christians in these smaller cities are attentive to the thoughts, feelings, and needs of their Jewish neighbors. Overall, only one third of American Jews feel safe in the United States. Two in three Jewish neighbors feel safe!

Why should Christians care if our Jewish neighbors are feeling safe?

Jesus, quoting the Torah, commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves, a mandate second only to loving God with our whole being. The call to love others as ourselves is a call to compassion.

We see another reason. Jesus himself is Jewish. Those of us who love Jesus are waiting for the day when we can see and hold him like the first century disciples did. We believe his promise that he will return and that we will see him on the other side of death. While we wait, his DNA family is here among us, our Jewish neighbors.

There is a vicious lie going around that many or most Jews today are not related to the ancient Israelites. The bad information can be traced in part to Arthur Koestler, who in his 1976 book The Thirteenth Tribe, argued that the Ashkenazi Jews come from a people in Central Asia called the Khazars.

Studies from the last 20 years show that Jews living today have genetic links to the ancient Israelites. See Tracing the Roots of Jewishness at Science.org and More evidence for modern Ashkenazi Jews' ancient Hebrew patrimony at Stanford Medicine New Center.

DNA studies in our time show that our Jewish neighbors are related to the people of the Bible. This must mean they have a genetic link to Jesus. We owe it to him to show kindness and care to his family, whether they believe he’s the Messiah of Israel or not.

Read more here:
https://www.cmj-usa.org/learning-about-loving-jesus-dna-family-in-texas

The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People in the USA. Jesus is Jewish. Stop Antisemitism. Build Bridges.

08/20/2026

Happy World Humanitarian Day!

We would like to introduce you to one of our partners! Christ Church Jerusalem 's Mercy Fund is a team of Messianic Jews and Christian Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, seeking the practical welfare of the peoples in the land, people of all faiths, nationalities and ethnicities, by strengthening individuals, families and communities through professional and holistic assistance.

Want to partner with the Mercy Fund? Click this link!

https://cmj-israel.org/initiative/mercy-fund/

08/18/2026

Happy National Nonprofit Day!

CMJ USA is a nonprofit dedicated to building bridges among those who practice Christianity and Judaism. We offer education, via our website, socials, and in person seminars.

Interested in partnering with us? Click the link!

CMJ USA | Church's Ministry Among Jewish People https://share.google/V2hIaqcoHJsrVNdrJ

08/12/2026

"Not only is Jesus jewish, the new testament is a Jewish text."

Cariño Casas speaks about the importance of understanding the jewishness of the new testament, and why it can teach us more about Jesus.

08/10/2026

CMJ USA was honored to be part of the first Anglican Global Missions Encounter at Christ Church Midland Several New Wineskins Anglican Partners traveled to Midland Texas to introduce themselves to the Anglican community. We had wonderful conversations with parishioners, and it is always a joy to fellowship with fellow servants of Yeshua Messiah.

So good to see and spend time with Bishop Steven Tighe of the and Joey Knight of , Kelli with , Kyle Spradley director of , Chris Royer of , Shelley Sorem of New Wineskins Missions Network.

Also, it was an honor to spend time with Fr Andrew B, Fr. Billy and Fr. Andrew P of Christ Church Midland!

Director Cariño Casas also met fellow alum David '75!

Stay tuned for a sneak peak at Rev. Cariño's talk she shared at the conference!

08/07/2026

Jesus is a Jew: Does That Affect the Gospel?

The Anglican Church in North America will hold a conference discussing this question on Wednesday October 21, 2026, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The conference will be held at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church (Anglican Diocese of All Nations) in Rowlett, Texas, which is a suburb on the eastern side of Dallas.

Cmj has been an Anglican voice on the jewishness of Jesus since the 1800's! Why it should matter to Christians and how understanding the jewishness of Jesus can further the Gospel! We are so thrilled to promote this conference being put on by the Anglican Diocese of All Nations!

If you are interested please click the link 👇

https://www.cmj-usa.org/jesus-is-a-jew-conference