Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) became an influential theologian. He said “… Christianity is Judaism for the gentiles.” Think about that. He claimed it is likely that what Yeshua (Jesus) said in John 4:22, few thinkers in Christianity have digested. He felt the stumbling block lies in the fact that too many Christians cannot come to terms with the Jewishness of Yeshua, Jesus. “My Yeshua (Jesus) a Jew? Never!” (the voice of a Protestant Christian).

September 2019 brought a shocking headline to the world. An Orthodox Christian priest in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was forced to resign his profession because he asked his congregants to “pray for Israel” and reminded the congregation that “Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew.” (Israel Breaking News) “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?” the title of a brochure given to me years ago made people think. Who was, and is Yeshua, Jesus as far as His physical descent is concerned? Was He Catholic, Protestant or a Jew? In the next issue of For Zion’s Sake, we will examine the facts and ascertain who He was, and is, and forever will be, as we trace His Human ancestry (Romans 9:5, JNT).

The first red-letter New Testament ever to be published was in 1899, originating with Louis Klopsch who was a supporter of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois, and a man who desired to get the Bible into the hands of more people. Derek Prince, with his Bible in hand, always taught that the Church owed the Jewish people a great debt. Abraham was called to be a Father, to many nations (Romans 4: 17, JNT). God told Israel “… what great nation has laws and rules as perfect as are in all this teaching that I set before you this day?” (Deuteronomy 4:8, Israel Bible). Shaul (Paul) in his desire for Israel to awaken to Messiah, says, Moses received the “living oracles” (Acts 7:38, KJV); Paul also noted in Romans 3:1 (JNT) “What advantage has the Jew? … much in every way!” The oracles were not only given to them, but also the Torah was of the Spirit of God ac-cording to Romans 7:14 (JNT); all the families of the earth were blessed by the Jewish people (Acts 3:25, KJV); and “they (the Jews) were made God’s Children …” (Romans 9:4, JNT). They were His Sovereign Choice, not depending upon what they did, or didn’t do, but by God who does the calling”

(Romans 1:11, JNT). Even if the Jews were un-faithful, it did not cancel God’s faithfulness. Just as Christians fail and have been unfaithful, in many ways, God is faithful. We were not entrusted with the work God gave to the Jews. “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18). It was the Jews who first brought the Word of God regarding Messiah and the Coming Kingdom to us.

The name Yeshua is the Lord’s Hebrew name.  It precisely means “salvation.” When He pro-claimed “salvation is of the Jews,” He expressed the relationship between a particular people and deliverance from death. His position was clear. He recognized that the woman at the well needed to know the truth. His voice of authority made her think twice about salvific deliverance coming from a definite point of origin. She just needed to know the facts and then she went into her village and proclaimed them.

Many Christians have grasped that if we had no Jewish people, we would have no Scriptures, no Prophets, Psalmists, Apostles, Messiah, no understanding of blood sacrifice and no Yeshua (Jesus)! Jesus transparently said without shame, “I am a Jew!” showing that He did not lean toward giving up His identity with His people. The red-letter words of Yeshua (Jesus) in Revelation 22:16 He affirms “I, Yeshua (Jesus) … am the Root and the Offspring of David….” Then Revelation 5:5 backs those words again with the settling of the matter from the Jewish elders “… Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David ….” What a day of reckoning is coming, when Israel’s enemies bow low to the feet of the King of the Jews! (Matthew 27:37). Shaul (Paul) also reminds us in Romans 1:3 of his Jewish brother, Yeshua (Jesus) “… concerning … Yeshua (Jesus Christ our Lord), who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” Then Shaul brings to our attention his own Jewish background. “ .. for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin …” (Romans 11:1). Finally, Timothy the son of Eunice, reminds us, “Remember that Yeshua (Jesus Christ), of the seed of David, was raised from the dead…” (2 Timothy 2:8).

While studying Jeremiah 23 there was a striking epiphany behind the Prophet’s words as I under-stood Jeremiah was admonishing the Jewish leaders of his time. We likewise need to share lovingly with our own spiritual leaders that the people (sheep) need closer tending to spiritually and that in these accelerated days of prophecy, that “meat in due season” (Matthew 24:45) must be served from our pulpits. In other words, finest teachings drawn from the wells of Jacob, need to be given to thirsty congregants. A day is approaching in Jerusalem, when the King returns, that He will host a royal banquet, in His Father’s Honor, for which the nations are invited to come and worship the One True God. “The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with mar-row, and refined, aged wine” (Isaiah 25:6, NAS). If God will not serve anything but the very best for His Children, why would we not also?

Deception in churches is rampant and there is a need to prepare the sheep for what lies ahead, which would mean incorporating prophetic messages from the Bible. “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due sea-son” (Psalm 145:15). Where there are services devoid of Bible Prophecy, the Second Coming, the Church’s Responsibility to Israel, the Jewishness of Jesus and the Coming Kingdom to earth, there is spiritual emptiness on people’s plates. People from all nations are now coming up to Jerusalem to raise the bar on their Biblical understanding of the latter days simply because it has been left out in their churches.

Our churches need to work toward the restoration of Israel in every possible way and rejoice with God’s People, that His Eternal Words are coming to pass before our eyes. “Again, He saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His People” Romans 15:10 (KJV). CFI answered the call, many years ago, to offer Hebraic understanding to our readers as one arm of the ministry. By focusing more fully on the Lord, we peer deeper into why Yeshua (Jesus) said, “Salvation is of the Jews.” His visitor at the well was a woman from Samaria. Since Samaritans did not follow the Torah, and veered off the spiritual path, He clearly desired her to know the truth. From His Jewish vantage point of knowing Torah, plus being the Living Torah-the Word made flesh, He clearly articulated His pronouncement. Pastor Chuck Swindoll said, “Yeshua, Jesus never lied. He could not lie.” Amen. Can we welcome all of His Words and gain further understanding from the red letters? If anyone reading this article draws back repulsively, it might mean the difference between life and death, due to the fact that there will be absolutely no anti-Semitism in God’s Coming Kingdom on earth.

Shocked, as the woman was that a Jewish man spoke to her, and recognizing His dark hair, eyes, beard and typical prayer shawl, she blurted out, “You, a Jew want to speak with me?” It was shortly after entering into their conversation that Jesus made known to her what we are looking into. He could have proclaimed “Salvation is of Me.” Instead, He chose the words, “of the Jews.” Why? I believe He was speaking to the hearts of all generations that were to come. As God’s Son, He already knew that future Gentile followers would forget He was a Jew, persecute His People (Matthew 25:40), separate from and betray His Jewish brethren. This generation of Israel bashers and Christian anti-Semites need to realize that redemption has a lot to do with the Jewish people and that we should never forget the message Yeshua, (Jesus) gave the woman. He is the way to the Father, but Father God is the God of the Hebrews, and will be for all nations in the Coming Kingdom.

Dr. Yaakov Geller, Professor at the Schulman Center for Jewish Life and Dr. Eli Lyzorken-Eisen-berg, President of the Israel Center Bible Studies program, assists us in learning a bit more about the Samaritans. They settled in the hills of Ephraim and had brought their pagan practices with them. They had accepted parts of the Torah, but did not integrate into the Jewish people, living as a separate group. The Samaritans did not believe in the sanctity of Jerusalem; instead, they believed only in Mt. Gerizim. They claimed to be the true Israel. Does this sound like anyone we know? God forbid that the Church take on the characteristics of Samaritanism but it is out there! They also opposed worship of Israel’s God in Jerusalem. The God of Israel is not separable from the people of Israel…it follows logically then, that to be in relationship with Him is to be in relationship with His People. Because of Yeshua (Jesus), we share in the richness of their olive tree, but we do not replace it.

For those who have never thought about this red-letter statement of the Lord, it is critical to listen to what He is saying. If anyone is thinking, “this idea goes against the grain of what I’ve been taught” or “it is difficult to accept” because it conflicts with previous assumptions held all our lives, you will need to stand against the grain of unchallenged belief systems. Some may feel like they are rubbing up against a piece of lumber and got some splinters for not agreeing with what the establishment has spoken about the Jewish people. It is our prayer that you will allow the Word of God to present the challenge–and not be fearful to go against the flow, or the grain of long-held creeds or dogmas.

Had Yeshua (Jesus) never spoken these words in John 4:22, some of us might create our own Yeshua (Jesus) to fit our culture, background and liking. Others may feel God finished with the Jews. In China, I remember seeing the face of Yeshua (Jesus) painted as Chinese, in Africa black and in America and Europe, He appeared Aryan. Protestant Christians see Him today as the Good Shepherd with a Gentile face–especially around Christmas time (a babe lying in a manger, with blond hair and blue eyes). Catholic Christians visualize Him as an iconic figure on the Cross, His human identity hijacked. Centuries ago, men took it upon themselves, with no authority from God, to throw out the Jewishness of the Lord, His family background and His People. Yeshua (Jesus) was sitting there to remind the Samaritan woman and all who would read the story generations later, to not forget the Jewish people and that they are linked with some-thing significant: Salvation.

Those afraid of our Hebraic foundations make a major mistake. Nowhere in the New Testament does Yeshua (Jesus) ever teach or practice anything that wasn’t from the Torah. He simply interpreted it differently than the religious leaders at that time. It makes one sad that most churches never give a second thought about caring for the Jewish people. They have no idea what they are missing and some do not even know who they worship. I asked around the world in many places, “What God do we worship?” Few gave an answer as they never thought about it before! While we do not worship the Jewish people, we do worship the God of the Jewish people, as He clearly identifies Himself.  (Isaiah 43:3). “’What ye worship ye do not know, we worship what we do know …” are His words to the Samaritan woman (John 4:22).

Dr. Eyzenberg also teaches that the understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, are clouded by centuries of western misunderstanding. If someone says they can be saved without the foundation the Lord laid down (John 4:22) then they are saying they can be saved independently of His teachings. One cannot deny truth and accept truth at the same time. By learning to understand the meanings behind the words that the Prophets and Apostles as well as what Yeshua (Jesus) spoke, under-standing can grow and knowledge can increase into new dimensions. As layers of translation are uncovered, the Hebrew text that supports a Biblical passage often feels like drinking refreshing water from a pure well. One pastor asked, “I’ve been preaching for twenty-five years, why didn’t I know this before?” It is time we believe all of the red-letter words of Yeshua (Jesus), not just “some words.” We need to allow the Bible to challenge us. The meat of the Word needs to be thundered from pulpits to awaken our people. If the Church is to reach her fullness, it must awaken toward Israel. If Israel is to reach her fullness, she must awaken to the King, not change religions. Finding the missing link of Israel in our faith will bring us into a deeper understanding of what Yeshua did for us. How He fulfilled Scripture and the Torah on every point. This link has been buried for centuries in the graveyards of our churches.

Shaul (Paul) clearly states that if we are proud against the Jewish people, who cannot see Him, we are to be reminded that we are not the pillars of faith for the Jewish people, they are the pillars of faith for us. Let us get that right. (Romans 11:18). Then he says the unthinkable (so we do not preach about it), “For if God did not spare the natural branches (Israel), take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold there-fore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His Goodness: (toward them: Israel) otherwise thou shalt be cut off”. (Romans 11:21-22, NIV). The next time you hear someone say “Why do you want to study about the Jews? They are the last people I care about!” Tell them: “Go read the red-letter words of Jesus and come back and we will talk.”

The Lord will one day be Israel’s vindicator when He judges the nations for their disrespectful treatment of His People. His Fathers ideals and values for which the rebuilt City of Jerusalem will be established, will be known around the world. When kings hold a banquet, there are always seating arrangements, and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just may likely be at the Head Table (Matthew 8:11). Now is the time to recognize “Salvation is of the Jews.” The church should no longer avoid these Words of Yeshua (Jesus), in view of the fact they came from His heart. We need to understand clearly that the next inevitable step to spiritual maturity is to re-establish our God-given Destiny with the Jewish people” (Ephesians 2:12).

By Sharon Sanders

“lf we are going to find our seat at the banquet table to be held in Jerusalem when The Lord returns, we will truly want to get to know Yeshua (Jesus) and His Family. The more we comprehend the Torah Scrolls, which He taught from, the more we come to treasure and to understand Him.”