John Wakeman is pastor of Greenfield Faith Church.
The pivotal figure of Jesus is the dominant thread connecting Judaism and Christianity. Even the secular world acknowledges Jesus by marking the calendar years since His birth, by the many religions that claim to be connected to Him, and unfortunately by frivolously using His name in vain.
To those following Judeo-Christian values, Jesus is very prominent. Jesus is foretold in the Jewish Torah. Isaiah 7:14 says a child will be born and the Lord will call Him Immanuel (meaning “God is with us”). Isaiah 9:7 says this child will be a King from the line of King David. This “King” will also be connected to the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:6 describes “a covenant for the people (Israel) and a light for the Gentiles.”
Christians embrace the Torah in the form of the Old Testament of the Bible. The New Testament portrays the ministry of Jesus first as a Jewish Rabbi. Jesus kept the Law and followed all the traditions and festivals of the Jewish faith.
As a rabbi, Jesus typically taught in parables, in line with His Jewish background.
The familiar parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is particularly telling. The elder son represents Israel, as the father tells him (verse 31) “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
The younger son represents the church. He was lost but was restored by grace. So, this parable shows God’s continued covenant with Israel and the institution of a new covenant with all people.
Jesus is known as Priest (Rabbi), Prophet and King (through David). As Prophet, Jesus fulfilled many events foretold in the Old Testament and also predicts future events to come in the end times. He is also a Prophet who is authorized to speak on behalf of God, as the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament did.
The nation of Israel was told to watch for a Redeemer, an Anointed One, a Messiah (the Christ). In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses told the Israelites, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.” My Jewish brothers and sisters may not recognize Jesus as their Deliverer, but my Christian brothers and sisters who do come only as a people “grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root (Israel)” (Romans 11:17).
There is a strong and enduring relationship, through Jesus, between the synagogue and the church. There is a connecting bond between the people to whom Jesus belonged (Jews), and the people who belong to Jesus (Christians). The church has not replaced Israel in the eyes of God (replacement theology). God is a covenant-keeping God, and the Israelites are still God’s Chosen People. God is unchanging as Hebrews 13:8 says that “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
In light of the current wave of antisemitism against the Jewish people, here and around the world, we should ask these questions: Would these atrocities occur if Christians viewed Mary, not only as the Mother of God, but also as the Jewish Maiden? Would there have been an Auschwitz, if Jesus was not only the Chosen One, but also Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth, and the Son of David? We need to love our Jewish neighbors and support the nation of Israel.
In Genesis 12:2-3, God said concerning Israel, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
May the peace of God be with us all as He draws us all ever closer to Him.
John Wakeman is pastor of Greenfield Faith Church. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
