What does the Bible say about this? Are the Jews today still Abraham’s children, or are they just converts? A look at biblical history and the Jewish identity of the Messiah. A captivating examination of a complex topic. By Kai Mester
Reading time: 6 minutes
For many, the continued existence of the Jewish people and the rebirth of Israel after almost 2,000 years is tantamount to an unprecedented miracle. Others counter this impression with Jesus’ statement: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.” (John 8:39) The apostle Paul also said: “Those who are of faith are the children of Abraham.”
Nevertheless, the same Paul writes about the Jews who continued to reject Jesus even after Pentecost: “I wish that I myself were accursed and separated from the Messiah for my brethren who are my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises, to whom also belong the fathers, and from whom the Messiah comes according to the flesh.” (Romans 9:3-5) He calls them “beloved for the sake of the fathers” (Romans 11:28).
Some even doubt the legitimacy with which many Jews today call themselves Abraham’s descendants and believe that the Ashkenazi Jews in particular actually go back to a Turkic people, the Khazars, who possibly converted to Judaism for political reasons. They are therefore not descendants of Abraham.
Even if this were true, it is forgotten that even at the time of the Apostle Paul, quite a few Jews were converts who were not genetically descended from Abraham; even more were descendants of such converts. Since the Exodus from Egypt, many non-Jews have joined the people of Israel. Caleb, Rahab and Ruth are just the best-known examples. Nevertheless, they were all recognized as fully-fledged Jews.
A further argument against the founding of the state of Israel as a divine miracle is the violence towards Palestinians and the military nature of the state, as well as the immorality to be found in Israel today. In fact, the kings of the Old Testament were often morally dubious. David, for example, killed more people and had more wives than the one who is often heavily criticized by Christians for this: Mohammed. Nevertheless, biblical history shows that God always treated his people with great patience, tried to improve and save them because of a few sincere hearts. Many Jews, who did not know any better and to whom we as Christians, and especially German Christians, have given such a daunting image of Christianity, have sincerely invoked the biblical collection promises in prayer. Would God turn a deaf ear?
“Yet despite the terrible fate that befell the Jewish people from the time they rejected Jesus of Nazareth, there lived among them honorable, God-fearing men and women who suffered in silence. God comforted their hearts during the tribulation and looked with compassion on their terrible situation. He heard the anguished pleas of those who sought Him with all their hearts to come to a right understanding of His Word. Some have learned to see the true Messiah of Israel in the simple Nazarene whom their ancestors rejected and crucified. Then, when they had grasped the meaning of the familiar prophecies, so long obscured by tradition and misinterpretation, their hearts were filled with gratitude to God for the unspeakable gift He bestows upon every child of man who accepts the Messiah as his personal Savior.” (Ellen White, Work of the Apostles, 376.1; cf. Acts of the Apostles, 379.3)
“No ordinary desire animated the apostle Paul. He constantly asked God to work for the Israelites who had failed to recognize the promised Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth … He assured the believers in Rome, ‘I myself would be accursed and separated from the Messiah for the sake of my brethren who are my kinsmen according to the flesh; who are of Israel, to whom belongs the adoption and the glory and the covenant and the law and the worship and the promises; who also are the fathers, and from whom comes the Messiah according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever.’ The Jews were God’s chosen people, through whom he wanted to bless the whole human race … Although Israel rejected the Son of God, it was not rejected by God … ‘Has God rejected his people? Be far from it! For I also am an Israelite, of the lineage of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew’ … Israel had indeed stumbled and fallen, but that was not to make it impossible to rise again … It was God’s intention that his grace should be revealed among the gentiles as well as among the Israelites.”( Acts of the Apostles, 371-372; cf. Acts of the Apostles, 375-376)
Even if the special divine election does not necessarily only bring the Jews advantages, but also more responsibility and possibly great suffering, I still believe that God remains faithful to his people, even beyond the death of Jesus.
The survival of the Jews as a people to this day and the re-emergence of the state of Israel is a miracle and a thorn in the side of the dark forces. For through Israel, which many people have already visited as tourists, the Old Testament roots of the Gospel have become so well known that the Sabbath and the Jewish identity of the Messiah are taken for granted today. A sensitive blow to Roman propaganda. Sabbath-keeping Christians or Muslims have not yet managed this. In addition, they hardly get any attention from the world compared to Israel.
Why do so many Christians emphasize that the Jews are rejected as a people? Why do they consider themselves to be the only way to the Father, when Jesus, who is still a Jew to this day and has never converted to any other faith, is the only way to the Father? Why do we lack the love of our enemies that would have enabled us to show Jews and Muslims their Messiah? Instead of trying our evangelization strategy on them and failing and giving up because they are so blinded?
It is true that the violent resurrection of Israel in 1948 did not completely fulfill the biblical promises of gathering. But even the violent conquest of the Promised Land by Joshua and continued by David did not ultimately fulfill God’s promises. Both were a partial fulfillment, a beginning, and only paved the way for the Messiah, his first and second coming. This is how the rest recognized him then and will recognize him today.
The revival of the Hebrew language by Ben Yehuda and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem are of grave importance for the salvation of many Jews today. It is their point of contact with God’s promises and shows their longing for salvation.
Let us be careful that we as Christians do not overreach ourselves here. Perhaps God will one day show us that we were no better than they were.
Could it perhaps be a form of spiritual pride if we do not want to see any kind of ordering intervention by God in the way the Jews are going as a people today? Are we arrogant because in our eyes it simply must not be? Not because God could then bypass us in his rescue operation, in which he prepares the remnant of physical Israel for the return of the Messiah. Not that we then stand there grumpy like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, because God grafts in the original olive branches again, and in a way that we consider questionable. Worrisome, because the context and politics in the Middle East are rather unpleasant, as are all the string-pullers in the background. Perhaps this is an arrogance that we are not yet aware of.
I am curious to see what will happen in Israel when the worldwide Sunday law is enacted, which is prophesied in the Bible under the image of the mark.
Source: hoffnung-weltweit.info
