Jesus’ life was very simple. He spent it walking from place to place and meeting the needs of the people, ministering almost exclusively to His fellow Jews. However, by the time of His ascension He commanded His disciples, and subsequently us, to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). He was born a Jew, raised a Jew, and died as the Savior of the world.
In my next devotional (to tentatively debut in February, 2016), we will be looking at the life of Jesus – specifically His Jewish upbringing and influence. This is often overlooked today. In fact, I’ve noticed that there are three groups of people that don’t concern themselves with Jesus’ life as a Jew.
First, I daresay many American Christians subconsciously view Jesus as a white-skinned, English speaking man who wrote the King James Bible. That perception is simply not based in reality. It is highly doubtful that most churches today would even allow Jesus to preach from their pulpit. Let’s be honest, who would allow this plainly clothed Man without a seminary degree, with no possessions to His name, and with only His feet as transportation to be given a place of authority in the church?
Second, there are those who believe that the Jewishness of Jesus is just not important. They believe that the church completely replaced Israel as God’s chosen people because they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They also believe that whatever happens to modern-day political or spiritual Israel has no relation to the church today or to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. They believe God now only calls the church “His people”. The Jews and Israel had their chance and missed it.
Last, there are many believers who just don’t know or seem to care about Jesus’ life as a Jew. They walk in ignorance of this crucial aspect of His life. They mainly read the Bible at face value, rarely seeking to understand the historical, religious, or cultural context, and they display an inadequate commitment to know God’s Word. Let’s face it: we’re all a little guilty of this.
What commonality ties all three viewpoints together is a self-centered Gospel. Instead of studying the Bible and its context objectively and with a whole-hearted passion to know the full truth of God’s message, biases and laziness take over.
From the Old Testament law and prophecies to Jesus’ birth, upbringing, and ministry, we’ll look at the Jewish religious culture, customs, and influence in His life and beyond. I hope you’ll commit to the study. It should be enlightening for all of us.