JBIJ: Understanding Jewish Sensitivities

Understanding Jewish Sensitivities...

Why Did God Make us Jewish and Gentile?

Understanding our roles
There is something truly exciting and freeing about understanding our roles as male and female, husband and wife. When we do, we end up complimenting one another, encouraging one another, and freeing one another up in ways that we could never imagine. It is more than obvious that God has not erased these complimentary distinctions. Just as we will always be male and female, we will always be Jewish or Gentile. The focus in the New Testament is not the eradication of our roles as male and female, or Jewish and Gentile. Those who teach this simply do not understand our roles. The focus rather is that we all come to God the same way, by faith, no matter who we are. It's in our oneness however, that male and female, Jew and Gentile, learn to appreciate, complement, and serve one another (Gal 3:28). I am convinced that more than anything else, the ONENESS of husband and wife shakes the gates of hell. I also believe that understanding the ONENESS of Jew and Gentile from God's perspective shakes the gates of hell in a very powerful way.

When we look at the New Testament in its original context there is a logical question that must be asked. It is, "Who exactly is being addressed?" Every time this must be answered. The answer will always be Jews, Gentiles, or both. Exegetical teaching will definitely take this into account. Today we hear mostly non-exegetical messages, and we need it, but let's not lose the original context of who was being addressed. This is one reason why I believe that we hear little about God's continued plan for His people Israel. The Jewish people are simply left out. Islam also uses replacement theology. They say that Moses, Abraham, King David, and Jesus, are all Muslims. Scripture never replaces Jews or Gentiles in any way, shape, or form. They both have unique roles in the plan of God.

To some it may sound funny, but Jesus was not a Christian. He was Jewish. This is vital for Scriptural interpretation, it is vital for Scriptural application, and it is vital for our Scriptural witness to the nation of Israel. Jews and Gentiles in the body of Messiah need to understand their roles. We must never let the institution of "Christendom," nor culture, nor the Church fathers, nor the majority vote, determine for us what Scripture plainly says. Instead, we must look to the source ourselves for clarification, wisdom, and proper interpretation (2 Peter 1:20).

I have been shocked over the years that most Gentiles have not considered why God made them a Gentile. As a young Jewish man, I remember asking my mother, "Mom, why am I Jewish?" Now that I have come to know the Messiah Y'shua (Jesus), I understand my role as never before. God made me Jewish to be a light to the Gentiles (Is 42:6, Psalm 67:67). He wanted our nation to lead the world to know the one true God (Is 61:6). Romans 15:8 says specifically, that as a Jewish man my role is to "confirm the truth of God's promises." That is so powerful.

Before reading and digesting these Jewish Sensitivities, it is also vital if you are a Gentile, that you also understand and embrace your role. If you are a Gentile, God did not make any mistake. In fact, He made so many more Gentiles than Jews that it is obvious His love abounds for the non-Jew. Understanding our roles has to do with God's plan and purpose for redeeming the world (The Abrahamic Covenant is still in effect) Gen 12:1-3. Both of us, Jew and Gentile are kept humble and vitally dependent on one another. A very specific part of your role is summed up in the following passage of Scripture. It brings great clarity to your role as a Gentile. In Romans 11:11, it says, "I say then, have they (the Jews) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid…BUT rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, (why), for to provoke them (the Jews), to jealousy."

A primary, God- given role of the Gentile is to make the people of Israel jealous that you have OUR Messiah. WOW, what a calling! Because God has shown such mercy to you by grafting you in spiritually to the root, you are told to share God's mercy back to the Jewish people. God is in this in a powerful way. It's as if He has literally commissioned, ordained, if you will, all Gentile believers in Jesus, for this task.

The greatest racial barrier that has come down in the Scriptures is not between red, yellow, black, or white, it's between Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:14). We must keep these barriers down and demonstrate to the world that it is our Messiah that has brought us together. It's in Him alone that we can understand that we are ONE because our God is One! You who are Gentiles, you are grafted into the Covenant, the promises that God made with His people Israel (Romans 11:7, Eph 2:11-17). I will list several of the Scriptures below that plainly state and affirm the role of the Gentile in the body of Messiah. We are implicitly tied together as Jew and Gentile in His plan to know Him and make Him known. The world can not understand this truth. They think that the Jews have their God and the Christians have theirs. We must show them that there is truly only ONE God for all people.

Romans 11:11, 30-31, 15:8-9, 3:29-30
Acts 11:18, 19
1 Cor 1:22-24, 7:18, 9:20-21
Eph 2:17-18, 4:4-6

Seven Practical Points to Understand

1) Establish that Jesus was Jewish- Being raised as a Jew I had never thought about this before. Believing in Jesus does not somehow make a Jewish person a Gentile, nor could it ever make a Gentile Jewish. The reason why this is so important to establish and understand is that it allows us Jews to see that you appreciate and love us as being Jewish and as part of the people of Israel. We are deeply moved by this affirmation for us as a people and as a nation. Most of us are not used to Gentiles understanding this. We usually think only 'persecution' when they hear about Jesus and Christianity as a whole. There are many other points that explain the Jewishness of Jesus.

2) Scripture goes out of its way to express that, "Salvation is of the Jews"- John 4:22 Thus, Jewishness can never be divorced from Jew or Gentile alike who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

3) The New Testament, (synonymous-Covenant), was a covenant made strictly with the Jewish people in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Read Jer 31:31) The Gentiles are grafted into that covenant that God made with Israel, by faith. They have become "partakers" of the spiritual promises (Eph 1:3, 2:12-13), not the physical promises. Thus, the New Covenant is a continuing aspect of the Abrahamic covenant which said that through the Jews, the Gentiles/Nations would be blessed. Most are not aware of this fact. We Jewish people who were once taught to be afraid of the New Testament, must now realize that God promised it to us and then grafted the Gentiles in also. One plan, One God, for all.

4) The first followers of Jesus were all Jewish (even the apostles), and believed He was our Jewish Messiah. Acts 11:19 says, "Now they which were scattered because of the persecution arose… preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only." See also John 1:41, 45, 49; and Matthew 15:24 where Jesus says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." A Jewish person needs to understand that by accepting Jesus they are fulfilling their God given Biblical heritage, and in no way repudiating it. They will always be Jewish, just as there have always been Jewish people who have known and followed Jesus, another fact which I never knew growing up in my Jewish home.

5) The whole concept/idea of the Messiah is of Jewish origin. Eph 2:11 (Gentiles did not expect or even have a Messiah, but worshipped other gods) Thus, following the Messiah is a very Jewish concept. Bringing the Messiah to the world fits the very purpose of our calling as Jews.

6) The New Covenant (Testament) was also written by the Jews, just as the Tenach was. (Romans 3:2, 9:4) Thus, Jewish people do not have to be afraid of reading it (most Rabbis forbid us to read it). Most people do not realize that all the Scriptures given to the world were given by the Jews.

7) Lastly, show me a Messianic Jew who does not love and appreciate their heritage, the Land of Israel, and their people. This would be quite rare because we have come back to the Scriptural understanding of who we are.

FACTORS THAT HAVE TURNED MANY AWAY

Any one of us reacts negatively when someone comes on too strong or wants to shove something down our throat. I think it is okay to nudge a little, but don't ever force. We absolutely do not believe in that type of methodology, but we do believe as Scripture says, that God is a God of loving-kindness and truth. The truth is sometimes not "convenient" to hear. We must always make sure we communicate clearly, only sharing objective facts and information that truly may have never been heard. Many times it's not what we say, it's how we say it. It's simply illogical for a person to make a decision without all the facts. We first hear; then we decide. If someone reacts too strongly they may be fighting the very thing they need the most, or you may need to ask, "Why are you so angry?" We can be bold as a lion, but at the same time we must be gentle as doves (Prov 28:1, Matt 10:16).

Terminology

Words can sometimes create unnecessary barriers. Words that tend to carry a great deal of negative historical baggage and that are NOT understood today by most Jewish people are:

The 6 C's and more…

1) Christ- it is more sensitive to say, "The Messiah." We are waiting for the Messiah, not, "the Christ." The English translations would do better to say, Jesus, The Christ, instead of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew always has the article. It's Y'shua, Ha (The) Mashiach. Jesus, the Messiah. Messiah is His title, not His last name. Daniel 9:26, John 1:42, Mat 1:1

2) Church- Congregation is a much more neutral term. Although we know the term Church really means "believers" or "called out ones," so many people associate 'Church' with a smorgasbord of negative religious institutions responsible for persecution and death over the centuries. Psalm 107:32

3) Cross - it is better understood by the Jewish person to speak of Jesus' death, or His Atonement. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, is the holiest day on our calendar. That the Messiah made atonement sounds reasonable and fits with Scripture (Is 56:3). We can not atone for our own sin. Historically, many Jewish people were slaughtered by others with crosses in their hands. It is the meaning that we must focus on, not on outward symbols which have been misused historically and thus are not understood by so many today.

4) Christian- substitute for this; "Jewish believer in Jesus" or "Gentile believer in Jesus." Many people do not realize that you are not born a Christian. They do not realize that this is a conscious, objective decision a person makes after examining many facts, even to the point of agonizing whether or not He may or may not be the Messiah. (John 3:3, even this old Jewish leader was searching) Is 43:10-11,Acts 11:16-18

5) Convert- Jewish people think you mean that they will no longer be Jewish when they accept Jesus as the Messiah. The very opposite is true. When a Jewish person comes to understand that Jesus is the Messiah, they will know and understand more of what it really means to be Jewish. Why? Because Scripture comes alive and real and you enter into a relationship with the God of our forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deut. 4: 29-30, Gen 17:3, Acts 21:20, John 5:46. What could be greater than knowing God?

6) Christianity- use BELIEVER instead. So many people think that Jesus started a new religion--- that has nothing to do with the Jews. They do not understand that "Christian" really means "follower of the Messiah." Nor do they understand that in the beginning, all "Christians" were Jewish. They think you want them to convert to another religious system that has nothing to do with them as Jews. This is in no way true! Either Jesus is the Messiah or He is not. If He is, both Jews and Gentiles need to wrestle with that fact seriously. We are not following another religion; we are following the Messiah alone, and we will always be Jewish or Gentile (I Cor 1:22-23, 7:18 ).

7) Saved- This is another "Christian buzz word" that so many people do not understand. This word must be clarified. What are we saved from? It's our Sin. We can truly know that God forgives/atones All of our sin." Do you believe or understand that? The Tenach (Hebrew Scriptures) stresses over and over that God has become our Salvation. Psalm 62, Leviticus 16:24, Hebrews 10:19-22,

8) Jew- say Jewish instead of "Jew." My father used to tell me not to let anyone call me a "Jew." Saying, "Jewish" is sensitive and more respectable.

REASONS TO BELIEVE

1) There is only ONE God. We do not believe in three gods. The New Covenant affirms this over and over. What God has done throughout all the Scriptures is clearly reveal Himself in three distinct ways. However, the Rabbis did not teach us this Gen 1:2, 3:8, 18, Is 48:16, Mark 12:28-29 1 Cor 8:4, Eph 4:4ff.

2) It is important for Jewish people to understand that Jesus is God revealed in the flesh, for a specific period of time and for a specific purpose. To accept Jesus as anything other than God would violate the first commandment given to the Jewish people, "You shall have no other gods before me." The Rabbis taught us growing up that when the Messiah comes, He would reveal God to us. And that's what Y'shua did. He was God, revealed to his people. God becoming man, never man becoming God! Gen 3:8, Zech 12:10, Is 9:6, Matt 14:33, Col 2:9-10

3) The majority of our Jewish people do not know the Scriptures. It is the Scriptures alone that define us, even giving us the name Jew. Yet, most of us have never read the whole Bible, let alone can call ourselves Biblical students.

4) Many atrocities have been committed in the name of God or Jesus and always will be, but that does not have ANY reflection on who God really is. It only reflects man trying to justify himself by using God's name. Prov 29:25, Malachi 3:16, Jer 23:11-16. Only God is perfect, we can trust Him alone, no man.

5) The Rabbis wrongly teach us that we are not sinners. Sin can be explained to a Jewish person in several ways:

a) We are all imperfect - 2 Chron 6:36, Proverbs 21:9

b) The largest theme of the Hebrew Scriptures is how far the people of Israel have strayed from God ( Gen 8:21, 2 Chron 7:14, 36:14-16)

c) Sin is not comparing ourselves with others, but with God, the only perfect standard. Deut 4, Psalm 51:4, 2Cor 10:12.

6) If God exists and He is really our Father, and we displease Him, then logically He is the only one that can forgive us. Just how does He forgive sin? This is the ultimate question? Can we truly know that our names are written in the Book of Life and not blotted out because of our sin? Moses did (Exodus 32:31-32), and we can, too. Whether Jewish or Gentile, we can have assurance that God has made a way for us to be restored into fellowship with Him. He has made a way for those who truly seek to know. That makes sense because He is God, and He knows that we were not meant to carry our own sin and guilt. He is so gracious. Ultimately God puts us all on the same level, the same playing field. There is not one way for Jews and another way for Gentiles. That is quite confusing. As Jews and Gentiles we must all acknowledge and confess that God's way is the only way. One God for all or not God at all. "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one." Zech 14:9.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Messiah, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (Romans 1:16)