03/26/2026
Memra and the Gospel of John
As we have seen in this series on the Memra, also known as the Logos or the Word, the opening verses of John’s Gospel do not present Yeshua as the fulfillment of Greek philosophy, but as the fulfillment of the Jewish Messianic hope. The truths the rabbis taught about the Memra are fully realized in Yeshua of Nazareth.
The concept of the Memra is rooted in the Hebrew word “davar,” which refers both to what is spoken and to what is accomplished. God spoke, and by His Word He created the universe. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the Word is described as the agent of creation (Ps. 33:4-6), the revealer of God (Gen. 15:1), and as that which is sent by God to accomplish His will (Isa. 55:10-11). At times, the Word is identified with God, yet also distinguished from Him. From these passages, the rabbis developed the concept of the Memra.
In light of this background, the prologue of John may be summarized in four points:
1. The Word—the Davar, the Memra, the Logos—entered history in visible form.
2. The world in general did not recognize Him.
3. His own Jewish people, more tragically, also failed to recognize Him.
4. Those individual Jews and Gentiles who did receive Him became children of the Shechinah light, receiving salvation through Him, the Agent of salvation.
We invite you to explore the full exposition of Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s teaching on the Memra in his work "Yeshua: The Life of Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective," available on our website.
