Jewish identity & faith in Jesus

No serious person, Jew or Christian, would question that Jesus ofNazareth was a Jew. Neither is it a question for debate that his firstfollowers were also Jewish. They had come to believe that jesus wasthe Messiah of Israel. They had rro doubts that they remained Jewishthe contrary. What had happened with Jesus of Nazareth was afulfillment of what God had promised through the prophets. Theirfaith in Jesus was a continuation of what God had intended for allhis people. In Jerusalem, Jesus had risen from the dead and throughthis God had demonstrated that he was Messiah and Lord. The gospelwas first proclaimed in jerusalem by Jews and to Jews. Althoughsome Jews questioned Jesus'messiahship, nobody claimed that thosewho did proclaim him as the Messiah of Israel were no longer Jews.A lot has happened since then. Today, many Jews and Christiansfind it difficult to accept Jesus-believing jews when they insist ontheir Jewishness. It would be less problematic, for the synagogue aswell as for the church, had they cut themselves off from their peopleand heritage - as the majority of ]ewish converts to Christianityhave done over the centuries.This book looks at Jewish identily and Jewish identity i. Jesus.The authors are Jews and non-jews who have come to faith in Jesusand recognize that Jesus-believing Jews do not cease being Jewish.Just as the Christian cl'rurch is not unarrimous concerning all itsdogmas and practices, so too jewish believers are divided over similarissues. The careful reader will discern this in the following articles.Jesus-believing Jews continue to discuss l'row their fe'wisl'rncsscould or should be expressed, and no single self-desigrration has asyet been formulated to the satisfaction of all Jewish believers. Several.7 names are used in this book: for example, Messianic Jelvs, Messianicbelievers, Jesus-believing Jews, Jervish believers in Jesus, Jewishbelievers, Jewish Christians, Hebrerv Christians, and others. The term"Christian" is considered by many Jesus-believing Jews to bc pejoratrvein light of the disgraceful attitude of tl're church torvards the Jewishpeople over the centuries.Several times, the name. "Yeshua" is used ir-r this book insteadof "Jesus." The Hebrew form of the name indicates a desire on thepart of Jesus-believing Jews to separate themselves from thosc. wl'rooften perpetrated their misdeeds in the name of Jesus. At the sametime, they also want to maintain the fact that salvation for all - botl'rJews and gentiles - comes through one the Jew, Jesus.This book is primarily intended for gentile readers and theHebrew terminology use.d is explained in the glossary at the end.The book does not pretend to cover all aspects of the topic or to dealwith them exhaustively. Rather, it is an introduction to the subjectwhich hopefully will whet the reader's appetite and create a desireto understand the problems and challenges facirrg Messianic believers.Through the Jewish people, non-Jews have become partakers inthe blessing to Israel by faith in Jesus. Becoming aware of Jesusbelieving Jews will, it is hoped, lead gentile believers back to theroots of their faith, roots whicl'r are Jewisl'r. The Christian churchneeds to remember that it is no sin to be a Jew. On the contrary, Godhas used the Jewish people to accomplish his plan of salvation.Tl're apostle Paul who said, "I artt not ashamed of the gospel"(Rom 7:76), was also not ashamed of being a Jew - a Jesus-believingJerv. To his kinsmen he declared: "l am a Jew" (Acts 2Z:3).Will Jesus-believing Jews be allowed to say the same today?