Jewish people were the first to receive God's word. Through them came the Scriptures, the prophets, the covenants, and, as Christians believe, the Messiah himself. Christians owe a debt to Israel that can never be repaid. This article is written with respect and gratitude, for our Jewish neighbours and for anyone who wants to understand how Christians read the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanakh. We begin with what we share, speak honestly about where we differ, and invite you to look at Jesus for yourself.
What we share
We share the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms as God's word. We confess that the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), that he made heaven and earth, that he chose Abraham and made covenants with Israel, and that he will one day put the world right. Jesus, his first disciples and the writers of the New Testament were all Jewish. Paul wrote: "to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises" (Romans 9:4, ESV).
A word of sorrow
We must also say plainly that Jewish people have suffered terribly, at times at the hands of people who called themselves Christians. The charge that "the Jews killed Christ" is false, and the persecution it fed was a grave sin and a betrayal of Jesus, who was himself a Jew. Jesus said that no one takes his life from him, but that he lays it down of his own accord (John 10:18). We are sorry for those who have done this, and we reject anti-Jewish hatred in every form.
Why Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah
The New Testament presents Jesus as the fulfilment of promises already made in the Hebrew Bible. We invite you to read these passages for yourself, in your own Bible:
The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2, ESV).
He would suffer for others
Psalm 22 describes a righteous sufferer whose hands and feet are pierced. Isaiah 53 says of the Servant: "he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5, ESV). Many Jewish interpreters read the Servant as the people of Israel, and we respect that reading. Yet the passage speaks of the Servant bearing the sins of "my people", which is hard to read of Israel itself, and some ancient Jewish writers, such as the Targum of Jonathan, applied it to the Messiah.
He would bring a new covenant
"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts... for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:31-34, ESV). Jesus took the cup at his last Passover meal and said, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20, ESV).
The timing
Daniel 9:24-26 speaks of an anointed one who would be "cut off" after a set period and before the destruction of the city and the sanctuary. Christians see in this a pointer to the time of Jesus. Interpreters differ on the details, and we invite you to weigh them for yourself.
The honest objections
Jewish people raise serious objections, and they deserve a serious hearing. Some say that the Messiah is to bring world peace, and that this has not happened. Christians reply that the prophets describe two comings, a suffering Servant and a reigning King, and that Jesus will return to complete what he began. Some say that a Messiah cannot be divine, because God is one. Christians believe that the one God has revealed himself as Father, Son and Spirit, and we point to passages such as Isaiah 9:6, where the promised child is called "Mighty God", and Psalm 110:1, where David calls his descendant "my Lord". These are real disagreements, and we have no wish to hide them or to pretend they are small.
What Jesus says
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, ESV). Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17). Paul says that God has not rejected his people: "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29, ESV).
Questions to sit with
If you are Jewish and reading this, we invite you to read Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 and Jeremiah 31 side by side with the Gospel of Matthew, and to ask your own questions of both. You are always welcome to ask us. If you are a Christian reading this, remember that the people of Israel are those to whom God made promises he will keep. Speak with our Jewish neighbours "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).
