Introduction
It is will not be an easy task presenting Christianity to the Jews. This is because Christianity is founded on Judaism. In fact the founder of Christianity – Jesus Christ of Nazareth – was a Jew. Based on Jesus’ teachings and the eyewitness accounts of words and deeds, Jesus was a devout Jew who perfectly understood the requirements of Judaism and most importantly he faithfully observed the tenets of this religion.
The second reason why it would be difficult to present Christianity to the Jews is based on the fact that they have a narrow-minded understanding of the historical Jesus. Thus, there can be two ways that the gospel can be presented to them. Firstly, they must come to understand that Jesus was not an ordinary man and secondly they must realize the futility of rituals, religious practices, and righteous works when it comes to the attainment of salvation.
Overview
Judaism is a religion that was founded by Moses. Even at the very beginning the difficulty of association between Jews and Christians is very much evident simply because Moses is also a major part of Christianity. Moses is the prelude to Jesus. Yet starting from this point forward the discussion will focus on the Jewish worldview as if Christianity is non-existent. So going back to Moses it must be added that he came from a line of three important patriarchs in the history of Judaism and they are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Aside from the fact that Jacob fathered twelve sons and that these children went on to establish a nation called Israel, the importance of the patriarchs, from father Abraham to his grandson Jacob is the fact that they had a radical belief and this is the belief that there is only one true God. Monotheism is not a popular idea in ancient times but these men held on to this belief when the rest of the world considered it prudent to worship multiple deities (Forta, 18). The children of Jacob who went out of bondage from Egypt – where they were treated like slaves – became a mighty nation under the leadership of Moses. There in the wilderness, between their former life and their future goal Canaan, Moses gave them the law which in its entirety is the Old Testament part of the Christian Bible.
It must be pointed out that before Moses came into the picture and even before Abraham came into the picture there was one important person who is a major forerunner to Judaism. He is none other than Noah. According to Jewish traditions Noah was not just the builder of the ark that ensured the survival of mankind, he also received the basic universal laws that must be obeyed by all peoples (Forta, 20). According to Judaism the basis of this belief can be found in Genesis 9 of the Christian Bible. These laws are called Noachide laws and these forbid the first six while upholding the seventh law as seen in the following:
- Idolatry;
- Blasphemy;
- Murder;
- Theft;
- Sexual malpractice – adultery, incest, homosexuality, and sexual relations with animals;
- Cruelty to animals; and
- Promoting Justice.
The importance of the Noachide laws to Christians is that this set of rules is oftentimes used to convert non-Jews into Judaism. Thus, having in mind the goal of presenting the gospel to the Jews, a Christian must be reminded that they too are thinking of the same thing although it is not common to find Jews actively proselytizing non-Jews (Schoon, 112). In some quarters adherence to these basic beliefs is the path towards God or salvation. But salvation for the Jews is a different matter because they do not believe that there is an everlasting torment for those who disobey God (Forta, 24). For Jews hell is temporary and it serves to cleanse the soul from the impurities of sin. Therefore, being a Jew is the assurance that one has everlasting covenant and connection to the one true God.
Challenges Faced by Christians
Even the most basic description of Jewish beliefs, practices, and history revealed many challenges for the Christian who will attempt to make the presentation of the gospel. The most difficult thing to deal with is the idea that the Jews are highly esteemed by God and that they are the chosen people. As mentioned earlier the Jews had a concept similar to the idea that “once saved always saved” meaning that being Jewish is the ironclad assurance that a man or woman will forever be in the presence of God. This is in direct conflict with the Christian view that every human being has fallen short of God’s glory and that everyone is destined to everlasting torment in hell.
Christians believe that without the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ every righteous act or every good deed will come to nothing during the Day of Judgment. This is because through Adam the whole world sinned and since the wages of sin is death there is no escaping that awful certainty only the cleansing power of Jesus death and resurrection can give man everlasting life. For the Jews this is a non-issue because they truly believe that they need no help from a human being who offered himself as a sacrifice for many. As long as they obey the Noachide laws and the Torah they are safe from the wrath of God (Forta, 114).
Aside from the assurance of everlasting connection with God the other major challenge when it comes to convincing the Jews that they needed a savior is the fact that their concept of a messiah is a human being who will come to rebuild the Temple. This messiah is the descendant of King David and he will be a man of “…exceptional piety, learning and leadership qualities” but he is not a divine being (Forta, 24). Even if Jesus is the Messiah – which they seriously doubted – he would be regarded as an ordinary man and not God incarnate.
The second related challenge is the fact that in order for Jews to be saved they must accept that Jesus is the Word who became flesh and by so doing God came to the earth in the form of man. For Jews monotheism is a very strict code and they will not break it by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. For a Christian who will attempt to make a presentation of the gospel to the Jews all these things must be considered. The best way to start is to look for similarities in the Jewish Bible and the Christian’s New Testament. Then using the words of the prophets, the apostles and the Jesus himself the Christian must point out to the Jews that their Bible, the Tenakh (Old Testament) is merely a foreshadowing of things to come.
The Presentation of the Gospel
The Apostle Paul was able to rightly divide the word of truth in order to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus was not only the Messiah but he is also the one who will save them from the everlasting torment of hell (Cohn-Sherbok, 107). Using the Jewish Bible (Old Testament), it can be argued that one of the best opening lines would be to ask the Jews why they are no longer doing what Moses has commanded. This will make their minds and hearts attentive to the discussion because as many have known they really want to follow the letter of the law.
Then the Christian will proceed by saying that Moses commanded them to sacrifice animals as a substitute for their sins. The knowledgeable Jew will reply that they are not doing this specific practice anymore because they do not have the Temple. Therefore they do not have the facility to perform these deeds. In this regard the Christian can interject that he believes in the importance of animal sacrifice but he is not doing it simply because it was a foreshadowing of things to come.
There is no other explanation for the elaborate rituals found in the Mosaic Law other than the fact that it is a prelude for better things to come. This can be ascertained by knowing the purpose of the animal sacrifice. A basic study of the Tenakh will reveal that the wrath of God was appeased by animal sacrifices. If this was used to appease God then it means that animal sacrifice was used to pay for the sins of God’s children. Now, in the same vein one can argue as to why the life of another being must be used to pay for the debts of another? The animals did not sin but why is it that they must suffer for the sin of another?
At this point the Christian must go back to Genesis, where it all started, and point to the Jews that when Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, God said that he will die. In the same chapter God made coverings for Adam and Eve because leaves of fig trees were not enough to cover their nakedness. It is very clear that even at the very beginning the death of the animal was used to sustain the life of man. But it is also very clear that the end goal of God was not merely to cover them with dead animal skins but to restore them to their former glory. The original design of God was for man and woman to walk blameless and they are pure enough not to mind walking naked in the Garden of Eden.
It is therefore impossible to believe that God is contented to let his most beloved creation to continually live on earth as imperfect beings and sustained only by a frail covering and saved only by the sacrifices of animals. Lambs, goats, cows, and pigeons are not in the same league as man then how can these little creatures be used as payment for man’s sins? There is only one explanation these are merely a foreshadowing of things to come.
The second clue that all of these things are temporary can be understood when one will take a closer look at the promise of a Messiah. For the Jews the Messiah is merely a human being but this is because they were unable to understand the basic premise that every ritual and religious practice was a mere shadow of the perfect means for saving the whole world. The Messiah could never be human because every human being is flawed from birth. This is the reason why up until today Jews are still waiting for that might descendant of David to rescue them and turn this world around.
The Messiah must be a divine being in order for him to fulfill his mission. On the other hand the Messiah must also come as a human being because this is the only way that he can rule the earth, if he is spirit no one can see him, much less do the work that he must fulfill on this planet. In all of human history there is only one person who fits this description and he is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He was born of the virgin and this is made possible by the Holy Spirit. His divinity was further attested by his miracles and finally by his death and resurrection.
Turning to the Jew the Christian presenting the gospel will say that he is the reason why there is no more need for animal sacrifices. Jesus is the reason why there can be full forgiveness from God. The Christian will proceed by saying that there is a reason why Jesus must suffer terribly and die hanging on the cross. This is because there is a terrible judgment coming and that when man is judged he will not experience temporary pain through the cleansing of his soul.
The accursed person will suffer for all of eternity. This is the reason why Jesus came and ended the practice of animal sacrifice. The blood of cows and sheep could not be enough to pay for the sins of man. It is only when God became flesh that he was able to become the perfect substitute for every human being in history. When God became man and died on the cross he was able to satisfy the full requirements of the law. But he also said that by believing in his Son, the one that he sent from heaven, people can be saved.
Works Cited
Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. Judaism: History, Belief, and Practice. New York: Routledge, 2003.
Forta, Arye. Judaism. UK: Heinemann Educational, 1995.
Schoon, Simon. “Noachides and Converts to Judaism.” Cultures of Conversions. Ed. Jan Bremmer. Walpole, MA: Peeters Publishers, 2006.