by Harry BuererIt should go without saying that the Jews are God’s chosen people. Both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament attest to that.
In Genesis 12 God spoke to Abram, told him to go to Canaan, and promised to make him into a great nation, bless him, and bless all peoples through him. After he separated from Lot in chapter 13, God promised him the eternal possession of all the land he could see. Similar promises were made to Isaac and Jacob (Israel).
In speaking to Moses, God introduced himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 3:15). He said he would take Israel as his own people and be their God (Ex. 6:7). He promised not to reject them in spite of their sin (Lev. 26:44).
Fast forward to the prophets. Virtually all of the prophets envision the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom through Israel in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
Perhaps the most specific is the prophet Jeremiah. Immediately after sharing God’s plan for a new covenant, he assures Israel of God’s faithfulness to them. “‘Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,’ declares the Lord.” (Jer. 31:37)
He goes on to repeat this promise several times in chapter 33. “This is what the Lord says, ‘If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'” (Jer. 33:25-26)
It is perhaps no surprise that the Hebrew scriptures portray the Jews as God’s covenant people. But many people are surprised to find that the New Testament conveys the same message.
From his birth, Jesus is portrayed as a Jew, as the King of the Jews. (Luke 1:32-33) In his visit with the Samaritan woman, Jesus told her that salvation is from the Jews. (Jn. 4:22) Before his ascension, the disciples, who had listened to his teaching for years, asked him if he was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel. He had proclaimed himself as the son of David. His answer basically amounted to, “Not yet, but later.”
The apostle Paul was very affirming of the Jewish people and their culture. His religious self-identification was as a Jew (Acts 24:14) and even a Pharisee (Acts 23:6)
In his epistle to the Romans, Paul starts out by declaring that the gospel is first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. In chapter 3 he affirms that there is much value in being a Jew, because they were entrusted with the very words of God.
In chapter 11 of Romans he devotes an extended passage to the position of the Jews. First, he denies in the strongest possible terms that God has rejected Israel as his people. Certainly, not all of Israel was embracing Jesus as Messiah, but Paul pointed out that that was God’s doing in order to give the Gentiles a chance to come to him. In fact, Paul predicts that in the future all Israel will turn to Jesus. God’s calling of Israel is irrevocable.
Paul portrays Israel as an olive tree. Those Jews who don’t acknowledge the Messiah are like branches that are broken off. Gentiles who believe in Jesus are like wild olive branches that are grafted into the tree. They are still wild branches, but they become a part of the tree. Paul specifically warns the Gentiles not to boast or be arrogant in relation to Jews. They are beloved of God on account of the patriarchs.
In his epistle to the Ephesians Paul strikes the same chord. He explains that Gentiles were without citizenship in Israel, and thus without God. (Eph. 2:12) But in Jesus they are brought near to Israel and to God. They are combined with Israel into one people of God, here represented as a building. He describes this idea of Gentile believers being co-heirs with Israel as the mystery of the gospel, which had not been previously revealed.
It should be clear from the entirety of scripture that the Jewish people are God’s special people, selected by his mercy, and promised that they as a nation would never be otherwise. Followers of Jesus have not always held that view, but it’s clearly the teaching of the New Testament.