The Jewish Roots of our Faith

   In this post I would like to make a couple of points about the Jewish roots of Christianity. There are a number of reasons for why I consider this to be important. The first of these is that the New Covenant or ברת חדשה which Jesus the Messiah brought was promised and offered first to the House of Israel and then to the Gentiles. The second reason is that I believe this issue, though often addressed in some circles, still needs to be discussed by wider groups both Jewish and non-Jewish. Thirdly, considering the years of bad relations between the Church and the Jews both recently and in more ancient times, I feel it is good to make this reminder about the common links we share in order to help people make informed decisions about Judaism and Christianity. As always, my words will serve merely as an introduction to this subject, and I hope they will encourage people to do their own personal study.

   My first point is that Jesus is Jewish. When I was at school, I remember a friend of mine observing how commonly Jesus is depicted in European art as blond-haired and blue-eyed. While I make no claims as to Jesus' actual appearance, I would like to highlight, as my friend did, the tendency to imagine Jesus  according to our own ethnic background. In reality, he was born not of Germanic or African parents, but to Mary, who was Jewish. He was a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Jacob/Israel, who was the grandson of Abraham, who was descended from Shem (see Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). 

  Similarly, our Western art and the largely Gentile composition of the Church has led some to imagine the disciples, Apostles, and early Christians as Gentiles, whereas in fact they were largely Jewish. In the early days of the Church, which started in Jerusalem, Jesus' followers met to worship God in the Temple or in people's homes (Acts 2:42-3:1). The Apostle Paul, or Sha'ul as he was formerly known, whenever he came to a new town would generally preach in the local synagogue first, before preaching elsewhere (e.g. Acts 17:1-4). So far as we can tell, Christian communities often started out among the local Jews of a given city and Gentiles would join them, meeting in people's homes (Acts 18:1-8). It is hard to say at what point exactly Christian evangelists dropped Paul's pattern of preaching to the Jew first and then the Gentile (see Romans 1:16), but this appears to have set in by the Late Antique period (3rd century AD onward) - but your guess is as good as mine.

   This leads on to another point: that the New Covenant was promised first to the Jews and then the Gentiles and that Paul maintained this priority in his Apostolic and evangelistic ministry. I'm not sure how well known this is, but the New Covenant was not plucked out of thin air when Jesus came - it had been declared by God through his holy prophet Jeremiah, centuries before Jesus was born to Mary (or Mariam מרים, if you prefer). The relevant passage is Jeremiah 31:31-34, and it is discussed at Hebrews 8:7-13 (but see the preceding passage and chapters for fuller context). Throughout the Law and the Prophets God makes a series of Covenants, some of the most famous being the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. A notable feature of these covenants is that they are often connected with God's people Israel. The same is true for the New Covenant - God speaks it through the Jewish prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish kingdom of Judah. The verses that follow this announcement, interestingly, are a promise that Israel will always be a people before God - this promise is witnessed by history: the Jews have never ceased from being a distinctive people among the Gentiles, known for their special connection to the One and Only God. The Church is a recipient of the New Covenant, but one must remember how Paul explains this in Romans 11:11-36. We Gentile believers are grafted into the tree of Israel; Israel's roots support us, not we them. Therefore a  degree of respect, gratitude and humility is to be shown the Jews by Gentile believers - it is through Israel that Messiah came who brought the New Covenant whereby our sins are forgiven, as God promised. Jesus himself says, 'salvation is from the Jews' (John 4:22, NIV).

  Lastly, I would like to point out that Jesus' title, Messiah, is Jewish. He is commonly referred to as 'the Christ' by Gentiles because the New Testament was written in Koine Greek and Christos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Mashiach (Hellenized to Messias), which means 'Anointed One'. The coming of the Messiah was formally announced to the prophet Daniel by the angel Gabriel:

“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.

 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined." 

(Daniel 9:25-26, NKJV)

There are of course many other prophecies that are held to refer to the Messiah by both Jewish and Christian scholars, but this is one of the occasions where the word Messiah is used directly. Thus the Messiah is not a concept dreamed up by Christians - God proclaimed that He would send the Messiah at the right time.
  More could be said on this topic, and I intend to address it again in a future post, but for now, this is plenty of food for thought.

Shalom al-Yerushalaim.
God bless.

Why did Jesus Come?

   At Christmas time Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is often sung and it contains these lyrics:

Mild, he lays his glory by;
Born, that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

  I would like to draw on these wonderful words for this post's discussion. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans says, 'Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.' (Romans 5:12-14, NKJV). A link here is made between sin and death: death is the consequence of sin. Paul earlier emphasizes the Biblical line that, 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23, NKJV).  Therefore, just as all have sinned, so all are subject to death. But wait, there's more: the Epistle to the Hebrews states that 'it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment' (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV). The question that arises from this is the nature of the judgement and the potential results of the decision made. 

   Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV) says, 'Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.'

   From this it emerges that the way to escape the judgement is to be written in the Book of Life. Earlier the Book of Life is related to 'the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world ' (Revelation 13:8, NKJV). John the Baptist described Jesus as the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29, NKJV). This is a reference to the sacrificial system found in the Law of Moses (sidenote: animal sacrifices were carried out before Moses' time; see Genesis 4:1-5, 8:20-22, 46:1). 

   In the Mosaic sacrificial system several important concepts are present. The Passover (Pesach) sacrifice, a lamb, protected the Israelites from Death, when they applied the blood of the sacrifice to the lintel and jambs of their doorways (Exodus 12:1-13). The Lamb in the sacrificial system was especially celebrated with Passover. By referring to Jesus as the 'Lamb of God', John was pointing to Passover, and Passover was the time of year when Jesus was crucified (Luke 22:7-23:56; John 18:39-19:16). 

  Secondly, the sacrifices were meant to take away the sin of those who offered them: that is, they served as substitutes - the innocent died in place of the wicked. Leviticus 17:11 (NKJV) reads, 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ This is particularly emphasized in the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) ceremony, which can be found at Leviticus 16, while a New Testament commentary on it may be found at Hebrews 10:1-22.  

  Thirdly, the sacrifices were meant to restore fellowship between God and Man. That is, sin caused separation of Man from God, because God is righteous and holy and will not tolerate sin (Habbakuk 1:13). Once the sacrifice had taken away the sin of the offender, he was no longer viewed by God as unrighteous, and therefore the two could commune together. This is the desire of God's heart - before Adam sinned, God would walk in the Garden of Eden and talk with Adam (Genesis 2-3). When Jesus offered Himself up to take away sin and restore fellowship between God and Man, God tore the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:37-38; Luke 23:45-46 ). This is commented on in Hebrews 10:19-22. The meaning is that Jesus made the way open for Man and God to come together and be one.

  Much more could be said about why Jesus came. He came to destroy the works of Satan - that is, death and evil (1 John 3:8). He came to bear witness to the Truth (John 18:37). He came to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17-20).

  I would like to end with this quotation: 'For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit' (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV).

May you know the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless.

Who is Jesus?

  Truly knowing someone means being in a relationship with them. By spending time together people get to know one another. That being the case, what I offer in this post cannot serve as a replacement for a personal relationship with Jesus. But I hope that this post may serve as an introduction to Him, and encourage others to meet Him, be it for the first time or after some time apart. The basis for my statements will be the Bible.

Jesus is God

  The Bible clearly declares that Jesus is God, the one who created us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5, NKJV)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.   (Colossians 1:16-17, NKJV)

Jesus is God who became Man

  Jesus has always existed; through Him God the Father created the universe. But at a point in history Jesus was made known to the world as a man who walked among us. In this way God knows what it is like to see life through our eyes and can sympathise with us in all our experiences.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”  (John 1:14-15, NKJV)

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—

To do Your will, O God.’” 

(Hebrews 10:5-7, NKJV)

Jesus is the Messiah or Christ

The prophets foretold that God would one day send them the Messiah. This term comes from the Hebrew verb mashach, which means to anoint. Historically priests, kings, and sometimes prophets, were anointed in ancient Israel. This symbolised their being set apart ('consecrated') for special service to God and the people of Israel. The King represented the government and justice of God to the people; the Priest represented the people to God, making atonement on their behalf through sacrifices; the Prophet spoke the words of God to the people. The anointing oil also symbolised the Holy Spirit, who guided and empowered these people to do the work set before them. Jesus is the Anointed One: He was anointed by God with His Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) to bring salvation to Israel and the world. He holds all three offices in their fullness: as King He will rule the world from Jerusalem when He sits upon the throne of David, dispensing justice to the nations (Luke 1:29-32); as Priest He has made atonement for us by His death on the Cross (Hebrews 10:1-18); as Prophet He is the perfect communication of God to Man (John 1:18) - He is the Word of God (Revelation 19:11-16). When Jesus came, he fulfilled a number of prophecies that refer to the Messiah - I invite any reader to make a detailed study of the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, to see how Jesus is who He claims to be.                              

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21, NKJV) 

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:25-26, NKJV)

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. (Matthew 16:13-20, NKJV)

Jesus is the Saviour

  A saviour is for those who need saving. The Bible calls Jesus the Saviour because He rescues people from their sins.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NKJV)

If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:9-12, NKJV)

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:12-14, NKJV)

Many more things could be said about the character of Jesus. My prayer is that this short introduction will help people seeking to find out more about who Jesus is, and inspire them to read about Him in the Bible and ask Him to reveal more of Himself to them.

God bless.