by Harry Buerer- Jesus was a Jew.
- Jesus lived a Torah-observant lifestyle. If he had not, he couldn’t be a sinless sacrifice.
- Jesus’ ministry was almost entirely to Jews, although he alluded to others joining his flock.
- Jesus denied that his message was new.
- Jesus affirmed the eternality of the Torah.
- The faith of Jesus and all his immediate followers was Judaism.
- Jesus commended those who lived and taught obedience to Torah.
- Jesus criticized some Pharisees for not following Torah enough.
- Jesus claimed to understand Sabbath law better than the Torah teachers.
- Jesus didn’t hint at any intention of creating a new religion.
- The message of most of Jesus’ ministry was that he was offering the kingdom of God that the prophets promised.
- Great crowds of Jews believed and followed Jesus.
- The religious leaders rejected Jesus’ offer of the kingdom.
- The death of Jesus was in a sense plan B, but was necessary for redemption and planned by God.
- When the disciples asked if Jesus was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel, his reply was basically, “Not now.”
- After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples continued with temple and synagogue worship.
- Stephen accused the crowd of not following Torah. That’s why they stoned him.
- Paul did not “convert to Christianity”, but he was called by Jesus to a new ministry.
- Paul claimed that he followed “the way”, a sect of Judaism.
- In talking to Agrippa, Paul called Pharisaism a “sect of our religion”.
- Well into his ministry Paul claimed to be a Pharisee.
- Paul continued to orient his life around the biblical festivals: Passover, Pentecost, Yom Kippur, and others.
- Paul went out of his way to demonstrate that he favored following Torah.
- Paul insisted that he was teaching only what the prophets had taught.
- The Hebrew scripture describes aliens who lived among Israel and were responsible to obey many of the same laws.
- Isaiah describes how God accepts foreigners who embrace him and keep his laws.
- The council in Acts 15 was dealing with the question of whether Gentile believers should become Jews.
- The council in Acts 15 gives Gentile believers a few laws to begin their new lifestyle, and implies that they would learn the entire Torah during their synagogue attendance.
- The epistle to the Galatians deals with the same question as Acts 15, whether Gentile believers should convert to Judaism.
- Paul states blatantly to the Corinthians that Gentile believers should not become Jews, but should obey God’s commands.
- When Jesus told his apostles to go make disciples, he defined that as teaching people to follow the commandments.
- Paul taught in Romans that Gentile believers who followed Torah are just as good as Jews.
- Paul taught in Ephesians that believers should no longer live like Gentiles, implying that they should live like Jews.
- Paul taught in Romans that Gentile believers are like wild olive branches grafted into the cultivated olive tree which is Israel.
- Paul taught in Ephesians that Gentiles who had been far off from the covenants and people of Israel had been brought near by faith in Jesus.
- God promised throughout the Hebrew Bible that he would not reject the Jews as his people.
- God promised through the prophets that though Israel was scattered among the nations, they would be brought back to the land God promised them.
- Gentile believers in Jesus become part of the covenant people of Israel, while remaining Gentiles.
- Part of the promise of the last days is that people from many nations will join the people of Israel in worshiping the God of Israel.
- The saints in Revelation are described as those “who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.”
- In the prophetic kingdom of God, a son of David (Jesus) will reign in Jerusalem.
- In the prophesied kingdom of God, the Torah will be the rule of life.
- The end-time kingdom of God will last a thousand years.
- The Gentiles in the end-time kingdom will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the biblical feasts.
- James alludes to believers worshiping in the synagogue.
- James claims that the law gives freedom, and we should keep it rather than judge it.
- Peter writes that people distort the letters of Paul and fall into “the error of lawless men”.
- John writes in his epistle that loving God is shown by keeping his commands.
- The new covenant was to be made with the people of Israel.
- Gentile believers are only included in the new covenant by their association with Israel.
- The full effects of the new covenant will not be present until the end-time kingdom.
- Although Channukah is not a biblical festival, Jesus is described as being in Jerusalem for it.
- Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples the night before he died.
- When Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, he pointed out that the symbols of redemption from Egypt, the bread and wine, should also be seen as symbols of the redemption his death would provide.
- Ruth was an example of a Gentile who embraced the God and the people of Israel.
- In the late first century the Romans levied an onerous tax upon all Jews and those who lived Jewishly, the Fiscus Judaicus.
- In order to avoid the heavy tax on Jews, the Fiscus Judaicus, most of the Gentile believers began to distance themselves from Judaism, setting aside the biblical law and festivals, and started to define their religion in contrast with Judaism.
- Gentile believers in the second century, calling themselves “Christians” in order to contrast themselves with Judaism, began to hate and persecute God’s people Israel.
- In recent times there has been a growing realization of the Jewish background of the teaching of Jesus and his followers.
- Those who follow the teachings of the Bible today, whether Jews or Gentiles, will observe the biblical Sabbath and festivals.
- Paul stated that “all Scripture (meaning the Hebrew scriptures) is God-breathed and profitable” for following to guide one’s life.
- God often punished his people for disobedience by sending plagues.
- Jews have preserved the keeping of God’s Torah through the centuries after “Christians” abandoned it.
- The “church” in the New Testament was not a new creation but a continuation of the congregation of Israel, embellished by adding Gentiles.
- The idea that the “Christian church” has replaced Israel in God’s plan is refuted by God’s many promises never to reject Israel from being his people.
- The modern state of Israel demonstrates the beginning of God fulfilling his promises to regather her from among the nations.
- Jesus was likely referred to in his Hebrew culture as “Yeshua”.
- Jesus from his birth was declared to be the king of Israel and the one who would redeem Israel.
- Paul declared that the good news of Jesus was “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”
- Jesus declared that salvation was “of the Jews”.
- A biblical faith today needs to be a form of Judaism, but one that believes that Jesus will return as the promised Messiah, hence Messianic Judaism.
- It should never be the purpose of Messianic Judaism to convert Jews to “Christianity”, but rather to provide both Jews and Gentiles with a chance to live and worship biblically.
- Paul stated very strongly that his faith did not nullify the law, but rather upheld it.
- Jews have in large part not embraced Jesus because they have been presented with a Messiah who taught against Torah. They are to be commended for rejecting such a Messiah.
- The true Messiah will teach and practice Torah. At the end, Jews as a nation will turn to Jesus.
