The Jewishness of Jesus
Over the past 2,000 years, a majority of Jews and Gentiles have accepted the misconception that Jesus and
Jewishness have nothing in common. Nothing could be further from the truth!
According to the New Testament, which was written by Jews, Jesus was born in the Land of Israel to Jewish
parents. He was a descendant of the royal family of King David. He was given the Hebrew name Yeshua which
means salvation. As Israel’s Messiah, Yeshua would save his people from their sins.
Yeshua is the most famous Rabbi of all time. He traveled throughout Israel, teaching the Jewish people and
bringing mankind closer to G-d.
Yeshua demonstrated that He was the Messiah by displaying miraculous power. He fed thousands of people with
a few loaves of bread, healed the hopelessly sick and disabled, and brought the dead back to life!
Yeshua fulfilled many of the predictions in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the Messiah:
He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2)
He was a descendant of King David (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
He was more than an ordinary human being (Isaiah 9:6-7)
He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
He arrived before 70 AD (Daniel 9:24-27)
He was rejected and unjustly killed (Isaiah 53:1-12)
He defeated death (Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:12)
He instituted a new covenant between G-d and His people (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
He brought the Gentiles to faith in the G-d of Israel (Isaiah 49:5-7)
Yeshua died in Jerusalem during Passover. Three days later, the power of G-d brought Him back to life!
Over 500 Jewish eyewitnesses saw Yeshua after His resurrection from death. These people were completely
transformed by this unique event, and G-d used them to transform the entire course of human history.
Because of the great impact Yeshua has had among the nations, people have forgotten that all the first
followers of Yeshua were Jewish. Messianic Jewish congregations existed in the Middle East for the first
500 years of the Common Era.
Most people have overlooked the Jewishness of Yeshua for centuries. Consequently people question whether a Jewish person can believe in Jesus and still be Jewish. Ironically, the biggest controversy among his first
century followers was “Can a Gentile follow Yeshua without first becoming a Jew?”
Like the Apostles, Messianic Jews continue living Jewish lives. But we have a personal relationship with G-d
that we never had before we encountered Yeshua. Our lives are permeated by a new joy, peace, purpose and
meaning that are impossible apart from the atonement and the eternal life that we have because of Him.
Messianic Congregations are a place for us to worship G-d in keeping with our Jewish heritage and our faith in Yeshua as the Messiah. There are approximately 200 Messianic Congregations in the United States and another 80 in Israel.
Ask the G-d of Israel to reveal to you whether Yeshua is the Promised Messiah. Read the Bible, both the
Tenach (the Hebrew Scriptures) and the Brit Chadasha (the New Testament) and ask G-d to show you whether or not these things are true.