Messianic Judaism

Monday's discussion about Messianic Judaism was very interesting and confusing. I never really have learned much about this group of Jews that believe that Jesus or Yeshua is the “Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world.” I never really acknowledged that there was a group that thought such things that existed within the Jewish religion, I always thought it was crazy when my non-Jewish friends would ask me if I believed that Jesus was the son of g-d… I never thought of this as part of my religion. So, messianic Jews are committed as Jews and committed to the Jewish religion, yet believe that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel and is a savior? This is all so confusing to me. I do not really understand where these teachings come from and how it is part of the Jewish religion. I find it all very interesting, but confusing too, it seems as though Christians are Christians and believe in Jesus, Jews are Jewish and follow Jewish laws and traditions and do not believe in Jesus, but in this case…it all becomes highly contradictive. And although these Messianic Jews retain a Jewish identity and culture and history, they still believe in Jesus? I just do not understand how this works in the temple and among other Jews and among other Christians, it does make sense that they face some sort of double persecution this movement seems so strange to me.