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“Mommy, Michael’s Jewish like us!” My five year old commented as we walked by his friend’s house. That simple statement is what makes me feel qualified to write this book. But I’ll explain to you like I explained to my son, “No honey, we’re not Jewish, we love the holidays, and the people, and Israel but we’re not Jewish.”
“You mean we’re Gentiles!?” he asked a little disgustedly.
My son isn’t the first one to think our family is Jewish. When we lived in Israel many neighbors tried to convince us of our Jewishness.
“You celebrate the holidays, you light the Sabbath candles, you love God…you’re Jewish!”
“But remember we believe Yeshua, Jesus is the Messiah…”
“So, nobody’s perfect.”
Well, we are not Jewish and that’s because of our heritage not because of our belief in the Messiah. I have many Jewish friends who do believe Jesus is the Messiah, and yet, they are still very Jewish. The question is why aren’t we, Gentiles who believe in this Jewish Messiah, more Jewish? Why did the Christian Church give up the Jewishness of Christianity? Heck, we started as a small sect of Judaism. The church centers around this Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who celebrated the holidays, had a very Jewish mother, and even had the only Bar Mitzvah ever mentioned in the Bible.
This sect was continued by a band of Jews who, at first, required those that joined to convert. They had to have a conference to decide whether or not to allow gentiles into The Way. Thankfully, we were allowed and welcomed. Soon we even became the majority, but lost our Jewish roots.
The Jewish holidays are really the Biblical holidays and the beauty, there in, is something that should not be missed. Jesus celebrated these holidays and you shall see that he IS these holidays. His life, death, resurrection, and even his return are seen and foretold within them. They are pictures, reflections of Jesus, our Messiah or in Greek, Christ or in English, the Anointed One.
Let me introduce you to another nice Jewish boy, Paul the apostle, or St. Paul, or his Hebrew name Saul. Paul was “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” (Phil. 3:5) Zealous and righteous, well educated, he loved the Torah, the Law, and the Prophets. He was also a writer and wrote a wonderful letter to us, Gentiles called Romans.
In Romans 10:19, Paul gives us one of the reasons we, Gentiles (nations other than Israel and Judah) were brought to the light of Messiah, Jesus.
He quotes from Moses and Isaiah:
19. I will make you (Israel) jealous by that which is not a nation
By a nation without understanding will I anger you
20. And Isaiah is very bold and says
“I was found by those who sought Me not
I became manifest to those who did not ask for me.
So we are saved, in part, as a means to make Israel jealous. We found Messiah, because of God’s love for us, but also because of God’s love for Israel, in order to make them long for God once again. Just let me say, “It works.”
It works especially when a Jewish person sees a Gentile like me get totally into the Biblical holidays. I love the holidays because God gave them to me. But, it’s cool to see Him use this love of mine to make a Jew long for Him.
Another point Paul wanted us, Gentiles to get was where our roots are…
Romans 11:17 and 18
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
We are but wild olive branches grafted into the rich root of a cultivated tree, that tree being Judaism, Israel, the Torah, our Father God, Elohim Himself. Drinking deeply from these roots, we will discover the beauty of the Biblical Holidays. Like Paul, we can see how these roots point to the Messiah. Unlike Paul, we can have a special thankfulness that we, Gentiles have been grafted into the Olive Tree.
Questions for Chapter One
1. Read Acts 22:3-21 to find out more about this man, Paul. Who was he?
2. Notice in verses 17 and 19 of Acts 22 that the temple and synagogues are mentioned. Who was worshipping in these places? Why?
3. Acts 15:1-21 is about the debate over whether or not Gentiles should convert to Judaism. How does the fact that this debate even took place make you feel?
4. Read Romans 11:11. Can you accept this statement that salvation has come to the Gentile in part to make the Jew jealous for God? Does this bring some new insight into your purpose in life?
5. Romans 11:25 and 26 speaks of the Olive tree. How can we stay grafted to this cultivated olive tree?
“You mean we’re Gentiles!?” he asked a little disgustedly.
My son isn’t the first one to think our family is Jewish. When we lived in Israel many neighbors tried to convince us of our Jewishness.
“You celebrate the holidays, you light the Sabbath candles, you love God…you’re Jewish!”
“But remember we believe Yeshua, Jesus is the Messiah…”
“So, nobody’s perfect.”
Well, we are not Jewish and that’s because of our heritage not because of our belief in the Messiah. I have many Jewish friends who do believe Jesus is the Messiah, and yet, they are still very Jewish. The question is why aren’t we, Gentiles who believe in this Jewish Messiah, more Jewish? Why did the Christian Church give up the Jewishness of Christianity? Heck, we started as a small sect of Judaism. The church centers around this Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who celebrated the holidays, had a very Jewish mother, and even had the only Bar Mitzvah ever mentioned in the Bible.
This sect was continued by a band of Jews who, at first, required those that joined to convert. They had to have a conference to decide whether or not to allow gentiles into The Way. Thankfully, we were allowed and welcomed. Soon we even became the majority, but lost our Jewish roots.
The Jewish holidays are really the Biblical holidays and the beauty, there in, is something that should not be missed. Jesus celebrated these holidays and you shall see that he IS these holidays. His life, death, resurrection, and even his return are seen and foretold within them. They are pictures, reflections of Jesus, our Messiah or in Greek, Christ or in English, the Anointed One.
Let me introduce you to another nice Jewish boy, Paul the apostle, or St. Paul, or his Hebrew name Saul. Paul was “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” (Phil. 3:5) Zealous and righteous, well educated, he loved the Torah, the Law, and the Prophets. He was also a writer and wrote a wonderful letter to us, Gentiles called Romans.
In Romans 10:19, Paul gives us one of the reasons we, Gentiles (nations other than Israel and Judah) were brought to the light of Messiah, Jesus.
He quotes from Moses and Isaiah:
19. I will make you (Israel) jealous by that which is not a nation
By a nation without understanding will I anger you
20. And Isaiah is very bold and says
“I was found by those who sought Me not
I became manifest to those who did not ask for me.
So we are saved, in part, as a means to make Israel jealous. We found Messiah, because of God’s love for us, but also because of God’s love for Israel, in order to make them long for God once again. Just let me say, “It works.”
It works especially when a Jewish person sees a Gentile like me get totally into the Biblical holidays. I love the holidays because God gave them to me. But, it’s cool to see Him use this love of mine to make a Jew long for Him.
Another point Paul wanted us, Gentiles to get was where our roots are…
Romans 11:17 and 18
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
We are but wild olive branches grafted into the rich root of a cultivated tree, that tree being Judaism, Israel, the Torah, our Father God, Elohim Himself. Drinking deeply from these roots, we will discover the beauty of the Biblical Holidays. Like Paul, we can see how these roots point to the Messiah. Unlike Paul, we can have a special thankfulness that we, Gentiles have been grafted into the Olive Tree.
Questions for Chapter One
1. Read Acts 22:3-21 to find out more about this man, Paul. Who was he?
2. Notice in verses 17 and 19 of Acts 22 that the temple and synagogues are mentioned. Who was worshipping in these places? Why?
3. Acts 15:1-21 is about the debate over whether or not Gentiles should convert to Judaism. How does the fact that this debate even took place make you feel?
4. Read Romans 11:11. Can you accept this statement that salvation has come to the Gentile in part to make the Jew jealous for God? Does this bring some new insight into your purpose in life?
5. Romans 11:25 and 26 speaks of the Olive tree. How can we stay grafted to this cultivated olive tree?
4 comments:
You have a wonderful way of bringing together the idea of the Jewish roots of Christianity with the freedom of worship that we have in Jesus Christ. I like your approach to both the Scriptures and the festivals.
Blessings,
John
You are so smart! I am amazed that you know so much about a judaism AND christianity. This info was really interesting and helpful thank you!
Thanks so much! I needed your encouraging words. Channukah is coming !
Hello! My name is Anders Branderud and I found your blog on google. You wrote this: “So we are saved, in part, as a means to make Israel jealous. We found Messiah, because of God’s love for us, but also because of God’s love for Israel, in order to make them long for God once again. Just let me say, “It works.””
You write “we are saved”, which implies that you adhere to the Christian view of salvation and how to get foregiveness. I want to comment about foregiveness, which has implications for eternal life.
How to live in order to enable the Creator in His loving kindness to provide His foregivness is outlined in the Jewish Bible ; and was also taught by the first century Ribi Yehoshua from Nazareth (the Mashiakh; the Messiah). The Jewish Bible – for example Yekhëzqeil (Hezekiel) 18 – promises foregivness to those who do their sincerest to keep Torah. The Creator cannot lie and He does not change (Malakhi 3:6)! According to Tehilim (“Psalms”) 103 the Creator gives his foregivness to those who do their sincerest to keep His berit (“covenant”; the pre-conditions to be included in the berit is according to the Jewish Bible to do ones sincerest to keep Torah).
You will find Ribi Yehoshuas teachings here: www.netzarim.co.il
Anders Branderud
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