Patrick Elcabache: a Jew discovers the Messiah after his mother is miraculously cured in the name of Jesus

Summary:

The following is Patrick Elcabache's testimony, which you can find in this video published on the Jews for Jesus YouTube channel (12 minutes, in French):

"The first time I heard about Jesus was on a school playground. I was playing with children of my own age, and I heard them say about me: "You can't play with him because he's a Jew. He crucified Christ." It was the first time I'd heard about Jesus.

Because my father was working for the Ministry of Water and Forestry, my parents and I moved to an outpost in Algeria. My father was in charge of a sector of land, woodland, etc. It was the period of the rise of the FLN (National Liberation Front). Algeria wanted independence and my father was ambushed and killed. That was in 1957. This was a terrible tragedy for my mother and me, and we returned to my maternal grandfather's family home.

My grandfather was a rabbi in the town of Mostaganem. We lived in a big house with several members of my mother's family. In Algeria, the way of life was a bit tribal, meaning that grandparents, parents and children lived together. On the ground floor of this house was a large vacant room. My family rented it out, probably for financial reasons.

One evening, a gentleman knocked on the door - in those days people didn't go through agencies to lease and rent, we would go directly to the owners. This gentleman came into the house and said to me: "I'm a pastor and I see that there is a place to rent. I'd like to open an evangelical 'Assembly of God' church".We thought carefully about his request, but as long as he paid the rent, why not? So he moved in and set up a church in that room. The lower part of the house became a room for worship and various meetings. And in the upper part, my grandfather, who was a rabbi, had an upper room where, every morning, he wore the tefillin and said the Jewish prayers that are essential to the life of a rabbi. We lived like that for a year.

Then, after a year, my mother fell seriously ill. We didn't know what was wrong with her. Doctor after doctor came to her bedside, and their prognosis was grim. When one says that the prognosis is grim, it usually means there's no hope. She had been isolated in the house and was expected to die. The pastor downstairs heard about it. He came up one evening when the family was all together and said, "Look,I know there's a daughter of Israel who's dying, and I'd like to pray for her healing, but I'll pray in Jesus' name." There must have been a moment of silence, certainly, when everyone considered this request. But in the face of death, we yielded.

Why not in the name of Jesus? So this man prayed. And when he prayed, I think he may not have fully anticipated what was going to happen, because my mother was healed. She lived for another 54 years and died in March 2012, in her 97th year. This story happened in 1958.

It was later discovered that she had contracted typhoid fever. By reading newspaper cuttings, we realised that typhoid fever is fatal in 80-90% of cases. She was healed without supplements, without medication, without anything, in a supernatural way, and that day she understood that Jesus was the Messiah; that it was he who had healed her, that he was "Yechoua ben David", the Son of the living God. She went down one floor and found herself in this Christian room, where people were praising the Lord Jesus and the Father with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I was a witness to this. Some of my family too saw what happened. We could not deny it. The whole family respected my mother's new faith, because she was a widow and widowhood is highly respected in the Jewish religion. She wasn't rejected or driven away. She really remained standing in her family, with this testimony of faith that Jesus is the Messiah.

As for me, I observed the change in her beliefs from afar, but I didn't share her faith. I didn't believe that Jesus was born of a virgin; it didn't make sense to me. But, in my heart of hearts, I reasoned this way: if I could find things in the Old Testament that announce the Messiah, that announce Jesus, then I'll turn to him.

After the events of 1962, Algeria gained its independence and we came here to France. I wasn't close to Christian circles, but one day I was invited to a meeting, and there was a man there who was talking about salvation through Jesus. At one point, he said: "If you really want to understand that everything in the Old Testament points to the coming of the Messiah, reread Isaiah 53."

When I got home after that meeting, I read Isaiah 53. And that's when I realised that Isaiah was talking about Jesus. It was Jesus who had died on the Cross for me. And, as I had heard many years before, I understood the prophecy, that if Jesus died for us, if he was crucified, it was to save us; to save us from eternal punishment, from eternal death.

So I really understood that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. This truth has the power to radically change lives, and it changed mine.

Everything changed in a wonderful way. That doesn't mean that we don't face struggles or suffer the ups and downs of life, but we find solutions in Jesus. He is our solution: instead of lies, he has given us the truth; instead of hatred, he has given us love; instead of death, he has given us life."

Beyond reasons to believe:

More and more Jews are coming to recognise Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, and their contribution is very important for understanding the full breadth, length, height and depth of the mystery of Christ.

Going further:

Patrick Elcabache's magnificent video testimonial (12 minutes, in French).

More information:

• The YouTube channel Jews for Jesus.