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| How Much do You Know about the Jewish People? Part Two Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:48 AM PDT
When we left George in Part 1, he needed answers to ten questions as a way to improve his friendship with Simon. It’s just the tip of a huge iceberg of information, but it would be so helpful if Christians could know these things before springing the gospel message on their Jewish friends. How good is my knowledge of the Old Testament compared to the New? I can relate a helpful story. My friend Betsy was raised in a “New Testament Christian” family. They believed the New Testament “overcame” the Old. But when she met and married a pastor, she discovered many Old Testament prophecies by comparing them to New Testament scriptures. The New Covenant between God and his people doesn’t overcome the Old; it enhances it. By studying the Jewish portion of the Bible (“Torah”), Betsy learned more about who Jesus was, the relationship between Judaism and the first “Christ followers,” Jesus as the reason for an end to animal sacrifices, and Jesus’ own Jewish upbringing as part of our Christian heritage. In what New Testament book and chapter does Paul concentrate on explaining God’s special place for the Jews to new Gentile believers? In Romans 10 and 11, Paul explains why many Jewish people are blinded to who Jesus really is. But he also warns Christians not to boast about being believers, comparing both Jews and Christians as branches being grafted on to an olive tree for salvation. Am I aware of how sensitive most Jewish people are to the mention of Jesus and the Gospel message? This goes with another question: Am I aware that Jewish people feel The Church in general supported Hitler’s actions? “Al S.” is a Jewish believer who accepted Jesus after being invited to a Christian church several times. He described his initial feelings to me: “I thought, how could I sit here listening to things about Jesus, a man who inspired the Christian faith that has caused so much persecution and pain among my own people?” You see, Al had to learn about true Christianity to understand that not all “gentiles” are Christians—a common Jewish misconception. When I was growing up as a young Jewish girl, I thought anyone who wasn’t Jewish was a Christian. Even today, many Jewish people feel if someone doesn’t identify themselves as a Muslim, Buddhist or something else, they are a gentile and therefore a Christian! This associates all Christians with heinous acts against Jews throughout the ages, especially the Holocaust. Was Hitler a Christian? Did all Protestants and Catholics ignore or take part in the crimes committed? This is in the back of every Jewish person’s mind when approached by a Christian with the gospel. They find it intrusive and frightening. What’s another name for Jesus that I can use when speaking with Jewish people? It is better to just say “my Messiah” or “The Messiah” in initial conversations. Later, you can refer to Jesus as “Yeshua.” Why is the phrase “Jewish person” more polite than the term “Jew”? The word “Jew” is offensive when referring to a single Jewish person because of the yellow stars and other labels forced onto Holocaust-era Jews in Hitler’s targeted countries. When talking about “Christians, Muslims and Jews,” the word “Jew” is alright. But one should never call a Jewish person “Jew.” Younger Jewish generations are not as sensitive to this as their baby boomer parents and grandparents. Am I aware of the significance of other Jewish holidays: Passover, Hanukkah and Purim – and their importance to Christians? Every Jewish holiday can have significance for Christians. Jesus celebrated them as was commanded by God. The Jewish High Holidays can be found in Leviticus 16 and 23; Passover in Exodus 12 and Luke 22; Purim in Esther 4, and also Sukkot (the “Festival of Booths” in October) in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16. Hanukkah didn’t make it into canonized Scripture, but the story of the Maccabees* and one day’s worth of oil that burned eight nights (circa 160 B.C.) is where the Bible derives being anointed with oil. Is Judaism a nationality, a religion or a culture? Judaism is a religion and a cultural way of life, but it’s not a nationality. A Jewish person’s nationality is wherever they come from. Being Jewish by religion makes them American Jews, Russian Jews, Spanish Jews, African Jews, etc. All Jewish people don’t come from Israel, and all Israelites are not Jewish. A Jewish person may truly believe in God, or they may be “culturally Jewish,” observing Jewish traditions without holding fast to the Scriptures. Do Jewish people need to be “converted” to Christianity? Jewish people need the knowledge of salvation by the grace of God, and that Jesus is the Messiah they are waiting for. A Jewish person doesn’t need to “convert” by leaving all Judaism behind; many actually feel a stronger love for their Jewish roots and culture once they’ve found Jesus. What’s a “Messianic” Jewish person? A Jewish person who comes to believe in Jesus as Messiah will usually call themselves a “Messianic Jew,” a Jewish Christian or a Jewish believer in Jesus. *Want to know more about the Jewish holidays and how to appreciate them from a Christian viewpoint? These answers are excerpts from Sheryl’s book “What Every Christian Should Know About the Jewish People.” See more excerpts and how to buy the book here. |
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