Christ for Jews: Chapter 1 - The Jewishness of Jesus

For centuries, the person of Jesus of Nazareth has been viewed in various ways—by Christians as the Messiah and the Son of God and by many Jews as either a respected teacher or, at times, a figure of controversy. What often gets lost in these discussions, however, is something fundamental: Jesus was Jewish. His identity, upbringing, teachings, and mission were deeply rooted in the traditions and Scriptures of Judaism. In fact, it’s impossible to fully understand who Jesus is or what He claimed without first recognizing that His Jewish heritage shaped everything about Him.

This chapter will explore the Jewish identity of Jesus and how His life reflected His deep commitment to the Torah and the Hebrew Scriptures. It’s an invitation for Jewish readers to consider Jesus not as a figure disconnected from their faith but as someone who lived, breathed, and taught within the very context of Jewish tradition.

A Child of the Covenant

Jesus was born into a Jewish family in the first century in the town of Bethlehem, in the land of Israel. His parents, Joseph and Mary, were observant Jews, and from His earliest days, Jesus would have been raised according to the laws and customs of the Torah. Like every Jewish boy, He was circumcised on the eighth day in accordance with the covenant of Abraham (Luke 2:21). This moment marked Him as a child of the Abrahamic covenant, the same covenant that has been at the heart of Jewish identity for millennia.

As He grew up, Jesus would have participated in all the significant festivals of Jewish life. We know from the Gospel accounts that His family made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover each year (Luke 2:41). This was not just a matter of ritual but a deep engagement with the history of God’s redemption of Israel—something Jesus Himself would later point to in His own life and ministry.

Beyond His participation in these rituals, Jesus’ entire worldview was formed within the covenantal framework of Jewish life. The covenant of Abraham, renewed in Moses, established the identity of Israel as God’s chosen people, and Jesus fully embraced this identity. The Torah, with its laws and precepts, was not merely a set of rules to Him but a living expression of Yahweh’s will for His people.

Jesus and the Torah

One of the most important aspects of Jesus’ life was His relationship to the Torah. Contrary to the view that Jesus came to abolish or replace the Law, He consistently affirmed its importance. In His own words, He said: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). This statement is crucial because it shows that Jesus viewed Himself as the fulfillment of the Torah, not its opponent.

Jesus’ teachings were saturated with references to the Hebrew Scriptures. He frequently quoted from the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (כְּתוּבִים Ketuvim). When challenged by the Pharisees or Sadducees, Jesus often responded by citing passages from the Scriptures, showing not only His deep knowledge of them but also His profound understanding of their meaning and significance. His debates with Jewish leaders were not about whether the Torah was valid but how to rightly interpret it in light of the deeper spiritual and moral intent behind the Law.

Take, for example, the time when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment in the Law. His response was drawn directly from the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), the foundational declaration of Jewish faith:  “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD, AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” In this, Jesus aligned Himself with the core belief of Judaism—monotheism, the oneness of God—and called His followers to a life of love and obedience to God, just as the Torah commands.

A Teacher with Authority

What set Jesus apart, however, was not only His adherence to the Torah but the authority with which He taught. Throughout the Gospels, people were amazed at the way He spoke about the Scriptures. “And they were astonished at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22). Unlike the religious leaders of His day, Jesus didn’t simply interpret the Law—He spoke as though He had the authority to fulfill it.

One of the key aspects of Jesus’ teaching was His focus on the heart of the Torah. He didn’t reject the external observances of the Law but emphasized that the internal disposition—the condition of one’s heart toward God and others—was just as important. When He was asked about what it means to follow the Torah, Jesus often spoke about the need to love God and love one’s neighbor, summarizing the Law and the Prophets in these two commands (Matthew 22:37-40).

Jesus challenged those who focused only on external observance, calling people back to the deeper spiritual intent of the Torah. He said, for example, that anger in one’s heart could be as harmful as the act of murder (Matthew 5:21-22) and that lustful thoughts were as damaging as adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). In doing so, Jesus wasn’t adding to the Law but showing its true depth and meaning.

The Jewish Messiah

As we consider Jesus’ Jewishness, it’s important to understand that His mission was deeply tied to the Messianic hopes of Israel. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, there are prophecies about a coming Messiah—a figure who would bring about the restoration of Israel and establish God’s reign of justice and peace. Many Jews of the first century were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this Messiah, and it was within this context that Jesus began His ministry.

From the beginning, Jesus’ followers believed He was the fulfillment of these prophecies. The angel’s announcement to Mary at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke is particularly striking: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom.” (Luke 1:31-33). This passage speaks directly to the Davidic line, a key expectation for the Messiah.

Jesus Himself spoke of His mission in terms that echoed the prophetic hopes of Israel. When He began His public ministry, He read from the scroll of Isaiah, saying:

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD” (Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2).

After reading this, Jesus declared, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). This moment was a direct statement that He was the fulfillment of the Messianic promises—the one who would bring about the restoration and salvation of Israel.

An Invitation to Explore

As we conclude this chapter, I invite you to consider Jesus in His Jewish context. His life, His teachings, and His mission were deeply connected to the hopes and promises of the Hebrew Scriptures. He never sought to distance Himself from Judaism but instead presented Himself as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Israel.

If you are reading this book as someone who has grown up in or practices Judaism, you may have heard many things about Jesus—some positive, some negative. I hope that you will take this opportunity to explore Jesus for yourself through the lens of your own faith and Scriptures. Jesus does not ask us to abandon our questions but to approach Him with an open heart and a willingness to discover what He offers.

 

Jesus declared to be the Messiah of Israel and the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. Whether or not you accept that statement is a personal decision, but it is one worth considering. As we continue through this book, I invite you to explore His life, teachings, and mission through the lens of your Jewish heritage and to ask: Could He be the Messiah we’ve been waiting for?

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