Pink Ink

Throughout history, Jewish people have been waiting and searching for their Messiah – the One who’ll redeem them.  Everything in Jewish history points toward the coming Messiah. Through Abraham, God chose the Jews to be His people; He loves them and longs to be in close relationship with them, which is why He sent many prophecies about the coming Saviour who would make a way for them to be with Him forever.

Why should we specifically consider why we need to reach out to Jewish people? Well, as Scripture points out in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” We need to have an understanding that the Gospel came for the Jews first and as Gentiles, we were grafted into the branches which is the vine of Christ: Romans 11:17-18: “And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you” so that we may receive the Gospel for ourselves.

Many non-Jewish people come to a place where they can recognise Who Jesus is: that He is the One through Whom we have access to God: He is the way, the truth an Eternal Life. But the Messiah was and continues to be a ‘stumbling block’ to many. As Stan Telchin [1] says: “How can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus? It’s impossible!” But it’s impossible to move out from under the wrath of God and live under His loving grace, without acknowledging the sacrificial offering of Jesus the Christ.

Everything in The Tanakh Scriptures point towards the Messiah: From the covenant made with the Forefathers to the Mosaic laws and resulting sacrificial system of atonement; The Passover and The Prophets were all God’s way of preparing His people. But at the time – many missed the salvation offered through faith in Jesus … and this dismissal of Jesus as the Messiah continues today.

The Covenant – Fulfilled:

The Covenant between God and Abraham allowed God to show him what He had in mind – of the continuous presence of “Emmanuel: God with us” to his many descendants. Although Abraham was old and childless at the time – his faith and belief of God’s promise was accredited to him as righteousness – right-standing with God. This righteousness came by grace through faith – not through works.

From the outset of The Covenant God made with Abraham, blood was always going to have to be shed to seal it: Jesus was the blood covenant to show God’s faithfulness: that He would never forget the promises He made to the seed of Abraham and would fulfil everything.

The blood of Jesus came not only fulfilling the Old Covenant, but bringing about a New Covenant as prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31; Matthew 26:28): The promise of salvation and right-standing with the Father freely available for all. It was necessary for God to bring this New Covenant through Jesus, because the people of Israel were unable to uphold the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8: 9). God had to make another way for His people to be with Him – the way of faith.

The way of faith is as Abraham demonstrated it: believing the truth of what God said, even when it is impossible to see the fulfilment of it. So when God looked upon Jesus and said “This is My Son…” for the modern day Jew, faith is to believe Jesus is the promised Messiah.

The Mosaic Law – Fulfilled:

Jewish people hold in the highest esteem the Laws of Moses; in the words of Michele Guiness[2] “Tradition matters more than piety”. To follow the Pentateuch is of utmost importance.

The Orthodox Jew strives to live up to the Mosaic Laws as a way to appease the wrath of God. For every sin, a sacrifice was required to appease God’s righteous anger. This blood sacrifice was to act as atonement for God’s people, allowing the wrath of God to subside, passing over them and bringing peace to their households. But the Good News is that God’s wrath was satisfied upon the Cross of Jesus – In Him all the laws were finally satisfied and laid to rest upon His shoulders (Romans 5:9; Hebrews 10:10). As the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7b), Jesus provided the ultimate atonement for all sins, freely giving righteousness to those who believe.

Jewish people have no concept of what it means to be in relationship with God – their fear of Yahweh allows them to only communicate with Him through the mediation of the Priesthood and ensuing Rabbis: Only they could commune directly with God, not the ‘ordinary man’.

Jesus came to fulfil the laws of Moses, not to destroy them. In His death the curtain of the temple separating man from God was torn from top to bottom as Jesus provided man with direct access into the presence of God – He became the Great High Priest and Mediator.

The Messianic Prophesies – Fulfilled:

According to Joseph Klausner[3]: “The prophetic hope for the end of this age is one in which a strong Redeemer, by his power and spirit, will bring complete redemption, politically and spiritually, to the people of Israel.” This belief has been passed through the generations from Scriptures such as: Psalm 130:7-8 and Zechariah 9:9-10. Because the ideal has not yet been seen, the common misconception is The Messiah has not yet arrived. Some grew weary waiting and no longer believe The Redeemer is coming. Many still hold on, clinging to the Old Testament Prophets; awaiting the arrival of Elijah to proclaim the coming Messiah.

At their Passover Jewish families prepare a place for Elijah, opening the front door, inviting him in to bring the “Good News” of the Messiah’s arrival. What many fail to realise is Elijah already prepared the way for The Messiah 2,000 years ago through John-The-Baptist (Matthew 17:12-13). And when Jesus was transfigured: Elijah appeared on the mountain talking with Him (Matthew 17:3). Thus indicating the fulfilment of the Old Testament Prophecies (such as Isaiah 61:1-3) through Jesus (in Luke 4:18-19).

In conclusion…

Paul spoke of the Jews being blinded to the truth until “the time of the fullness of the Gentiles”. Jewish people are the original inheritors of the promises made by God, and until now, they have been blinded from recognising their Messiah; but there is a greater inheritance to come. In both the Old and New Testaments, God faithfully promises a remnant will be saved; and at the appointed time, Jesus will return to take them home. God desires His people to be saved, through faith: believing in their hearts and confessing with their mouths Jesus Christ as Lord, in order to be with Him forever. This is why the Gospel needs to be taken to the House of Israel!