Jesus Was a Jew
Writer Author Janice F. Baca
Christian Article
:
Christianity
- Fiction No
Jesus was a Jew. He spoke the Jewish language, lived the Jewish life, and was very active in the Jewish community. Jesus studied and learned the Old Testament in His growing years, as well as celebrated the Jewish feasts and festivals. It makes sense that Jesus would use the culture, language, and traditions He was surrounded by, to send His new covenant message to the world throughout the ages. This is why it is vital, we as Christians, understand the full impact of His Jewish involvement. It should also be understood that the Jewish culture today is not the same culture of Jesus’ day. This is the reason we must study the complete context of the New Testament. The Jewish community has a way of understanding and interpreting scriptures Christians have not fully embraced. Understanding Jesus’ Jewish life reveals the fullness of His saving grace. He doesn’t want us to miss one syllable of His promise.
Do you remember what your parents taught when you were a child? You learned you can’t place a square peg in a round hole. Today’s world is not the world Jesus lived. We can’t place our ideals and perspective and apply them to the New Testament believing we have the answers. Instead, we must step outside our current worldview and realize His Jewish lifestyle and the message He delivered.
Jesus’ was an educated Jew. In fact, He was a synagogue Jew. The people gathered to hear Him teach in the synagogue. In fact, they gave him the title of “Rabbi,” or “Rabboni,” which means teacher . This is no small feat. Anyone who has been given a title of Rabbi during that period indicates an acceptance of his well-received status, wisdom, and qualification as a Jewish teacher. What’s interesting, is the synagogue is a Pharisee-directed institution, and not an institution that would accept anyone to teach within their establishment. But Jesus was influential, and certainly, involved in the community; even with the Pharisees.
Jesus had a relationship with the Pharisees? Yes! Jesus had a relationship and was accepted to dine with the Pharisees (Luke 7:36). The Pharisees had a close “table-fellowship” with one another and did not accept people outside of their realm of influence. “Pharisees,” as their Hebrew name indicates, are “people who are separate.” But Jesus was accepted and even invited into their realm of influence.
The Pharisees were not people who sought to destroy the Hebrew faith. They were people who interpreted the Torah and opened the door for continual interpretation . Don’t forget, Paul was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). The Pharisees played a vital role in the day of Jesus. The travesty for Christians is that we missed the connection of Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus corrected ideas and theologies that attempted to limit God. God can’t be placed in a box. How can man, who is a finite being, describe God, an infinite being?
Let’s review some interesting facts in church history. About 144BCE, a man named Marcion caused a tremendous stir in the Christian community. His heretical teachings brought about a tremendous ripple of destruction throughout the ages. He eliminated the Old Testament as a legitimate source of Scriptural reference as well as diverted teachings from the full and complete understanding of Jesus Jewish life. He taught that the God of the Old Testament God was mean and evil and the New Testament God was loving and kind; two different Gods!
Even though the church identified Marcion as a heretic, he remained influential and his heresies were delivered over the years to various Christian communities. This is why many Christians believe the Old Testament isn’t important. Several years ago, our Pastor instructed our church, “There’s one page that is worthless in the Bible. It serves no purpose and must be ripped from your Bible! That page is the blank page that divides the Old and New Testament!”
It may seem innocent, but the blank page, brings a division in our minds that must be destroyed. The Old and New Testament is one complete story and magnificent story. They should be studied as a complete story. In fact, the Old Testament points in the direction of the New Testament; and the New Testament contains the Old. Our God today is the same God who was then. He didn’t change beyond the blank page (Heb. 13:8).
These facts reveal we can’t deny the Jewishness of Jesus. His Jewishness, and the message he brought through the Hebrew faith, are what offers Christians a broad vision of His living message.
I know this message is difficult for many Christians. However, we need to be willing to receive the message He originally intended through the scope of His culture. By eliminating the Old Testament, or believing there were two different Gods, separates Christians from the missing puzzle piece that would enlarge their spirits. In fact, many people carry Bibles that only contain the New Testament! They did more than remove the blank page; they removed the foundation of the Christian belief. In doing this, they completely removed the complete depth of God’s message and established what they considered to be, the right to eliminate the perspective of the Jewish influence in Christ’s life as a Jew. This maneuver dominos to an animosity towards the Jews for the death of Jesus. The reality is, the Jews didn’t kill Jesus; nor did the Romans. Jesus offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for all of us. We are sinners and need salvation. We needed saving then, we need saving today, and we will need saving tomorrow. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22). Jesus serves as the perfect sacrificial lamb (Joh. 1:29; Joh. 1:36).
When Christians throw their fists at the Jews, they turn against their brothers. Anti-semitism was developed by Satan to further divide Christians and Jews. It’s disheartening to see people defy God’s command to love one another to despise people for an event they believe their hate is justified. Hate against a people, community, or individual is never justified.
We, as Christians, can learn a great deal from our brothers, the Jews. It’s important to understand the environment Jesus lived. He used the language, tradition, and culture of the Jews to bring a message to the world. Therefore, to understand the message, we need to understand the culture. We need to understand the Jewishness of Jesus. Within His Jewish life, Jesus gave a passionate statement to the world for all times. Don’t miss the message. Jesus was a Jew. Learn Him then - and know Him intimately now.
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About the Writer Author
State:
Texas
Country:
United States
Email:
Janice@4-Corners-Christian-Inspiration.com
Website:
www.JaniceFBaca.com
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