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Jesus The Jew
Published By: Irene Petrakis
Anti-Israel activists vehemently deny the Jewish people’s ancestral connection to the land of Israel. A byproduct of this is the oft-repeated claim that Jesus was not Jewish but a Palestinian. Afterall, to acknowledge Jesus’ Jewish identity is to affirm the historical link between the Jewish people and the land, spanning over 2,000 years, which directly contradicts these activists’ claims. The idea was subtly implied in this year’s Vatican nativity scene, where Jesus was depicted in a keffiyeh-draped manger – the keffiyeh being a symbol of Palestinian identity. Although the Vatican eventually removed the keffiyeh, the viral image of Pope Francis standing before it has left a lasting impression. The recent controversy over an Israeli actress portraying Mary in a Netflix film further underscores continued efforts to sever Jesus from His Jewish heritage.
However, the claim that Jesus was a Palestinian is deeply anachronistic. The terms “Palestinian” and “Palestine” did not exist in Jesus’ time. Such terms were imposed by the Romans in 135 CE, more than a century after Jesus’ death, when Emperor Hadrian renamed the region “Syria Palaestina”. The name was intended to mock the Jewish people by associating them with their ancient enemies, the Philistines. The term ‘Palestine’ thus came to refer to the geographic area, culminating in the British Mandate of Palestine. During this time, even Jews in the region referred to themselves as “Palestinians,” indicating the term was more about geography than a separate ethnicity.
Still, some Christians downplay Jesus’ Jewishness on theological grounds, particularly those who adhere to replacement theology. However, the fact remains that Jesus was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, and promises to return as a Jew, ruling over a distinctly Jewish kingdom.
The Necessity of Jesus’ Jewishness
Separating Jesus from His Judaism limits our understanding of Him and undermines His humanity, which is central to the Christian doctrine of the incarnation. In her book The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Jewish New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine explains that recognising Jesus’ Jewish identity strengthens the Christian belief that Jesus is fully human and rooted in a specific historical time and place. As Levine puts it, “The church claims that divinity took on human flesh—was “incarnated”—in Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore the time and the place matter. Christianity follows Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus of Cleveland or Jesus of Mexico City; the incarnation dates to the first century, not the 21st.”
Like any human, Jesus’ ethnic identity is inseparable from who He is—it’s part of His DNA. Therefore, denying Jesus’ Jewishness weakens the Christian belief in Jesus as fully human, which is essential to His role as the “last Adam” (Rom. 5:12–21, 1 Cor. 15:20–49). Additionally, it was necessary for Jesus to enter history as a Jewish man to fulfil His role as our High Priest and intercessor, reconciling humanity to God. As Hebrews 2:17 states, “Therefore He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people”. Being made like His brothers may refer to being human, but by saying “in every respect,” the scripture highlights that Jesus also had to be made like His ethnic brothers.
Jesus’ Jewish Birth and Upbringing
If Jesus was not Jewish, He would also be disqualified from being the Messiah, as foretold in the Hebrew scriptures. Thankfully, the New Testament firmly establishes Jesus’ Jewish heritage, detailing His descent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and presenting Him as the promised son of David (Matt. 1:1-17, Lk. 3:23-38). Consistent with this, the birth narratives firmly align with Jewish messianic expectations and present Jesus as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant—the promised descendant of David who will restore the kingdom of Israel and reign eternally from David’s throne (2 Sam. 7:8-17).
When announcing Jesus’ birth to Mary, Gabriel presented Jesus as this promised Davidic descendant (Lk. 1:30-33). Correspondingly, Mary viewed Jesus’ birth in the context of God’s faithfulness to Abraham and the anticipated restoration of Israel. This is a primary yet overlooked theme in Mary’s famous Magnificat: “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.” (Lk. 1:54-55). Zechariah similarly viewed Jesus as the “horn of salvation” who would deliver Israel from her enemies (Lk. 1:67-75).
Jesus’ upbringing was also thoroughly Jewish. He was circumcised on the eighth day after His birth (Lk. 2:21) and was later presented at the Temple for purification rites, in accordance with the Law of Moses (Lk. 2:22-23). The family also went to Jerusalem every year to celebrate Passover, a practice Jesus maintained throughout His life, along with the other biblical feasts (Lk. 2:41-42; 22:7, Jn. 7:1-10; 10:22-23). This clearly demonstrates that Jesus and his family were deeply committed to their Jewish faith and eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, as reflected in the Christmas story.
Jesus’ Faithfulness To The Torah
Consistent with his Judaism, Jesus devoutly kept the Torah throughout his life and even defended it against what he perceived to be human traditions. It is commonly thought that Jesus’ disagreements with the Pharisees indicate that He viewed the Torah as obsolete. On the contrary, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). In line with this, Jesus saw Himself as defending the spirit of the Torah as revealed by Moses. For example, Jesus accused the Pharisees of breaking God’s commandment for the sake of their tradition (Matt. 15:1-9). Thus, Jesus was seeking to preserve the Torah, not undermine it.
A related misunderstanding is that Jesus opposed Sabbath observance. However, Jesus carefully observed the Sabbath, teaching in synagogues on the day and upholding its significance (Matt. 24:20, Mk. 1:21, Lk. 4:16). Jesus’ criticism was not of the Sabbath itself but of the Pharisees’ adding rules that Jesus felt distorted its true purpose, such as refusing to heal on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:9-13, Mk. 3:1-6). Again, Jesus was defending the Torah, rather than undermining it.
Such interactions with the Pharisees are thus best understood as intra-Jewish “halakhic” debates on how to keep the Torah, rather than whether it should be kept at all. There were various groups with different interpretations of the Torah during the Second Temple period, and Jesus was simply adding His voice to the discussion – a very Jewish act! The very fact that Jesus passionately engaged in these discussions is indicative of His great care for Judaism, rather than His rejection of it.
Jesus also adhered to Jewish purity laws and presented Himself as the ultimate healer of impurity. In his groundbreaking book Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism, Matthew Thiessen challenges the popular belief that Jesus viewed Jewish purity laws as irrelevant. Thiessen highlights Jesus’ interactions with individuals suffering from ritual impurity, stemming from conditions like leprosy, as outlined in Jewish law. By healing these impurities, Jesus enabled these individuals to return to worship in the Temple.
A significant example is the story of the woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years but was healed when she touched the “fringe” of Jesus’ garment (Matt. 9:20-22). Under Jewish law, this discharge made her ritually unclean, but by touching Jesus, she was instantly restored to purity, and free to worship in the Temple. In this way, Jesus is portrayed as the agent of purification and restoration. Just as death itself cannot withstand Jesus, neither could these diseases, which symbolise death and cause ritual impurity among the Jewish people.
That the healing occurred through the touch of Jesus’ tzitzit—ritual fringes worn by Jewish men—further illustrates the Jewish nature of this story. In fact, some Jewish sages believed, based on Malachi 4:2, that there would be healing power in the Messiah’s tzitzit or “wings.” Thus, through such acts, Jesus demonstrated his Messianic authority, as well as His deep commitment to Jewish purity laws and the sanctity of the Temple.
Jesus’ Future Jewish kingdom
As we have seen, the New Testament clearly portrays Jesus as the promised Davidic descendant who will restore Israel and establish an eternal Jewish kingdom from Jerusalem. This remains a future hope that Christians believe will be realised at Christ’s return. The Hebrew prophets linked the enthronement of this promised king to Israel’s physical restoration and a messianic era of peace across the earth (Jer. 23:5; 33:15-16, Isa. 9:6-7, Ezk. 37:15-28). This adds a kingly dimension to God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land as an eternal possession (Gen. 12:1-7; 15; 17:1-8). The New Testament continually identifies Jesus as this anticipated Davidic king (Matt. 1:1, 9:27, 21:9; Rom. 1:3). In fulfilment of these promises, Jesus will return as a Jewish king to rule over a literal Jewish kingdom.
If Jesus’ first advent represented some spiritualised fulfillment of these Davidic promises, as some proponents of replacement theology claim, this would have been news to the apostles. Prior to His ascension, the apostles asked Jesus if He would now restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus did not object to their question but implicitly affirmed it, saying it was simply not for them to know the timing (Act. 1:6-7). Had Jesus intended to overthrow this longstanding Jewish hope, we would expect Him to have made this more explicit. On the contrary, Jesus consistently affirmed this hope throughout His ministry, even telling His followers that they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28).
Furthermore, Revelation 5:5 presents Jesus as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” This aligns with Jacob’s prophecy concerning Judah in Genesis 49:8-12: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” Accordingly, John is highlighting that Jesus is the promised ruler from the tribe of Judah who will establish an everlasting Jewish kingdom. Additionally, Revelation 20:1-6 anticipates the time when Jesus will establish His millennial reign, fulfilling God’s promise to David and the patriarchs that their descendant would rule from a restored Israelite kingdom.
The Truth Of Jesus’ Jewish Identity
Denying Jesus’ Jewish heritage carries significant spiritual consequences. It not only challenges His claim to be the Messiah but also undermines the truth of His incarnation. Such denial often aligns with replacement theology, which does not envision literal Israel as having a future role in God’s redemptive plan. However, scripture is clear that Jesus will return as a Jewish king, reigning over the world from a literal Jewish kingdom.
Attempts to dejudaise Jesus strikingly echo the Nazi regime’s promotion of an Aryanised Jesus, coupled with a rejection of the Old Testament. Christians must remain vigilant against these modern manifestations of the ‘Marcionite’ heresy, which have historically had tragic consequences and contradict God’s character, particularly the belief that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Mal. 3:6, Heb. 13:8).
Denying Jesus’ Jewish identity is ultimately a denial of the truth, and as Christians, we are called to uphold truth in love, just as Jesus did when He declared to the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is from the Jews” (Jn. 4:22).
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