Jesus and Jewishness

Over the past 2,000 years, a majority of Jews and Gentiles have accepted the misconception that Jesus and Jewishness have nothing in common. Nothing could be further from the truth!

According to the New Testament, which was written by Jews, Jesus was born in the Land of Israel to Jewish parents. He was a descendant of the royal family of King David. He was given the Hebrew name "Yeshua" which means salvation. As Israel's Messiah, Yeshua would save his people from their sins.

Yeshua is the most famous Rabbi of all time. He traveled throughout Israel, teaching the Jewish people and bringing mankind closer to God.

Yeshua demonstrated that he was the Messiah by displaying miraculous power. He fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread, healed the hopelessly sick and disabled, and brought the dead back to life!

Yeshua fulfilled many of the predictions in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the Messiah:

He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2)
He was a descendant of King David (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
He was more than an ordinary human being (Isaiah 9:6-7)
He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
He arrived before 70 AD (Daniel 9:24-27)
He was rejected and unjustly killed (Isaiah 53:1-12)
He defeated death (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:12)
He instituted a new covenant between God and His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
He brought the Gentiles to faith in the God of Israel (Isaiah 49:5-7)

Yeshua died in Jerusalem during Passover. Three days later, the power of God brought him back to life. Over 500 Jewish eyewitnesses saw Yeshua after His resurrection from death. These people were completely transformed by this unique event, and God used them to transform the entire course of human history. Because of the great impact Yeshua had among the nations, people have forgotten that all the first followers of Yeshua were Jewish.

Most Jewish people have overlooked the Jewishness of Yeshua for centuries. Consequently people question whether a Jewish person can believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. Ironically, the biggest controversy among the first century followers was: "Can a Gentile follow Yeshua without first becoming a Jew"? Like the apostles, Messianic Jews continue living Jewish lives. But we have a personal relationship with God that we never had before we encountered Yeshua.

Our lives are permeated by a new joy, peace, purpose and meaning that are impossible apart from the atonement and the eternal life that we have because of him. Ask the God of Israel to reveal to you whether Yeshua is the promised Messiah. Read the Bible, both the Tenach (the Hebrew Scriptures) and the Brit Chadasha (the New Testament) and ask God to show you whether or not these things are true. © 1989 Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations



	WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT YESHUA?
		Jesus and Jewishness Over the past 2,000 years, a majority of Jews and Gentiles have accepted the misconception that Jesus and Jewishness have nothing in common. Nothing could be further from the truth! According to the New Testament, which was written by Jews, Jesus was born in the Land of Israel to Jewish parents. He was a descendant of the royal family of King David. He was given the Hebrew name "Yeshua" which means salvation. As Israel's Messiah, Yeshua would save his people from their sins. Yeshua is the most famous Rabbi of all time. He traveled throughout Israel, teaching the Jewish people and bringing mankind closer to God. Yeshua demonstrated that he was the Messiah by displaying miraculous power. He fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread, healed the hopelessly sick and disabled, and brought the dead back to life! Yeshua fulfilled many of the predictions in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the Messiah: He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2) He was a descendant of King David (Jeremiah 23:5-6) He was more than an ordinary human being (Isaiah 9:6-7) He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) He arrived before 70 AD (Daniel 9:24-27) He was rejected and unjustly killed (Isaiah 53:1-12) He defeated death (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:12) He instituted a new covenant between God and His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34) He brought the Gentiles to faith in the God of Israel (Isaiah 49:5-7) Yeshua died in Jerusalem during Passover. Three days later, the power of God brought him back to life. Over 500 Jewish eyewitnesses saw Yeshua after His resurrection from death. These people were completely transformed by this unique event, and God used them to transform the entire course of human history. Because of the great impact Yeshua had among the nations, people have forgotten that all the first followers of Yeshua were Jewish. Most Jewish people have overlooked the Jewishness of Yeshua for centuries. Consequently people question whether a Jewish person can believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. Ironically, the biggest controversy among the first century followers was: "Can a Gentile follow Yeshua without first becoming a Jew"? Like the apostles, Messianic Jews continue living Jewish lives. But we have a personal relationship with God that we never had before we encountered Yeshua. Our lives are permeated by a new joy, peace, purpose and meaning that are impossible apart from the atonement and the eternal life that we have because of him. Ask the God of Israel to reveal to you whether Yeshua is the promised Messiah. Read the Bible, both the Tenach (the Hebrew Scriptures) and the Brit Chadasha (the New Testament) and ask God to show you whether or not these things are true. © 1989 Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations