One day after a game, the club's tennis pro invited Gary to come over for a meal. Other club members had previously warned Gary that this guy was a "Jesus freak." Confident in his religious standpoint and on friendly terms with the man, Gary accepted the offer.

At dinner, Gary and his wife were led into a conversation about Jesus as the Messiah foretold by the Jewish prophets. But Gary couldn't believe in Jesus, the Christian Savior. "I was Jewish! My social circles were all Jewish: the country club, the close-knit Orthodox community, and I was also a member of the Hebrew Order of David," exclaimed Gary. His wife, too, was heavily involved in the Jewish community. It was unthinkable that they would even consider Yeshua (Jesus) as their personal Saviour.

But the impossible happened. After a couple of weeks of spending some time with this couple, his wife told him that she believed Yeshua was the Messiah. Gary could not accept this. "Was she not aware what had been done to the Jewish people in the name of this Christian messiah?" Gary asked himself.

Out of love for his wife, Gary agreed to do some research into the Jewish Messiah and the signs pointing to Him. "I was reading through Daniel, chapter 9, and came to the verse that said, 'after 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off…'" The context of the chapter shows that Daniel is speaking about a time before the destruction of the second temple. No one seems to have fit the bill at that time. Of course, this "Christian Saviour" was around at that time…

Relaxing in a bath one evening, Gary was listening to a cassette tape, an admonishment to Christians and their regard to the Jewish people. The speaker focused on Jesus' (Yeshua's) role as a rabbi, and the fact that He was Jewish.

Suddenly, it was obvious to Gary that Yeshua, was the Messiah the Jewish people had been waiting for. He came to faith lying in a bathtub. But his life still did not change. Despite his realization he was rather withdrawn about his new knowledge. "I didn't understand why everyone was so excited, because Yeshua had been dead for two thousand years."

After three months, Gary's knowledge had grown. "I now had a relationship with God I thought could never exist," he exclaimed.

Since that time, the concept of the morality of the Torah and of Yeshua being a Torah teacher has changed Gary's life. "It has given us a better understanding of being Jewish.
My wife and I practice Judaism with our heart instead of just going through the motions."

"Jewish people need an easy way to learn the truth about the Messiah, and that's why I fully support The Messianic Prophecy Bible Project. I believe that one of the big problems today is lack of time. To wade through tons of books and materials is next to impossible. With the Messianic Prophecy Bible, unsaved people will be able to easily find any and all references to the Messiah in the Tanakh (Old Testament), along with scholarly explanation and how it relates to the overall message of God's covenant with His people. This Bible will be such a tremendous help for those who are searching for the truth," said Gary.

Gary Beresford is the Messianic Rabbi of Ohr Yeshua Messianic Synagogue in Florida.