Ken & Lea's Place

Christianity Is Jewish?

Edith Schaeffer, wife of the late Francis Schaeffer, wrote a book with the title, "Christianity is Jewish." Her point is that Christianity, no matter how un-Jewish some of its current forms of expression may be, has its roots in Judaism and in the Jewish people. The facts are simply not a matter of debate. For years all the disciples of Jesus were Jewish. The New Testament was entirely written by Jews (Luke being, in all likelihood, a Jewish proselyte). The very concept of a Messiah is nothing but Jewish. Finally, Jesus himself was Jewish - was then and apparently is still, since nowhere does Scripture say or suggest that he has ceased to be a Jew. It was Jews who brought the Gospel to Gentiles. Paul, the chief emissary to the Gentiles was an observant Jew all his life. Indeed the main issue in the early Church was whether without undergoing complete conversion to Judaism a Gentile could be a Christian at all. The Messiah's vicarious atonement is rooted in the Jewish sacrificial system; the Lord's Supper is rooted in the Jewish Passover traditions; baptism is a Jewish practice; and indeed the entire New Testament is built on the Hebrew Bible, with its prophecies and its promise of a New Covenant, so that the New Testament without the Old is as impossible as the second floor of a house without the first. Moreover, much of what is written in the New Testament is incomprehensible apart from Judaism. Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, "If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." (Mt. 6:23) What is an evil eye? Someone not knowing the Jewish background might suppose he was talking about casting spells. But in Hebrew, having an "evil eye," means being stingy; while having a "good eye" means being generous. Jesus is warning against a lack of generosity and nothing else. Moreover, this fits the context perfectly: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...You cannot serve both God and money."The Jewishness of Christian faith is clear throughout the New Testament, but Paul makes it explicit in the book of Romans. He writes, "In the first place, the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God." (Rom. 3:2) meaning the Hebrew Bible, and then expands on the theme, adding that the people of Israel were made God's children, the Shekinah (God's glory manifested) has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah, the Temple service and the promises; the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah...(Romans 9:4-5). Thus, although the Gospel message is for Jew and Gentile equally, the context of Messianic faith is Jewish. Even if one were to accept the false premise of Replacement Theology that the Jews are no longer God's people, this would not change the fact that Christianity is Jewish. To try to understand it differently can only distort God's message.

Used with permission from:
The Menorah Light—Nov./Dec.1997 Edition
A Messianic Jewish Missions Publication
Published by:
MENORAH MINISTRIES
P.O. Box 460024
Glendale, CO 80246-0024
Voice: 303-355-2009 
Fax: 303-355-6901 
Web: www.menorah.org

Back to articles