First to the Jew, then to the gentile..

In Romans 1:16 Paul writes,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Many readers may understand the meaning of gentile, and many may not. I plan to elaborate the meaning behind this word and why God chose the Jews to reveal Himself to, and some reason's why Jews reject Jesus as The promised Messiah. First and foremost, before I go on any further I want to state: The gospel is intended for all people. The Gospel message was first revealed to the Jewish people before it was revealed to the gentiles. Gentiles are basically any one who is not Jewish.

If you are familiar with the Old Testament you would know that the old testament is also known as the Torah. The meaning of “Torah” signifies the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), also called the Law. Here are some things to acknowledge in the old testament:

1) We see that the Jews are God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6–7).

2)Through the Jews, God demonstrated His love and holiness to the world. Which simply means the Jews had a priority over gentiles as the chosen people of God.

Though there were many factors that led the Jewish people to reject Jesus as their Messiah, it can be summed up simply. They did not believe in Him because they did not/do not want to believe. It is the same reason most people throughout history have rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Aside from Judaism many religions acknowledge Jesus but reject Him as Lord!

Narrowed down all religions, even New age, rest's on the dependancy of self. Meaning all “salvation” (which is no salvation at all ) is based on works. Do this, and achieve this. No where in Scripture does it say we can earn our salvation. It truly is a gift from God. God's Word says that "We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works , so no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This bothers religious people, namely because there's nothing you can do to achieve God's favour. The law was given for people to recognize we couldn't uphold God's standards, thus Jesus, The Messiah was sent.

The Bible says that, if salvation were based on our own efforts, no one could be saved:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

Jesus was born as a Jew under the Law, and He fulfilled the Jewish Law perfectly. Hebrews 7 illustrates that Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and is superior to that Law. Jesus, The Messiah comes to the world as a Jew to Jews. Jesus died as a once-for-all sacrifice (for our sins) on behalf of all who would put their faith in Him (Hebrews 9:14–15, 23–28). When Jesus was crucified above His head they put up the charge against Him which read,

“THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Matthew 27:37 (Hence the crown of throne's)

Rejection as the Jewish Messiah via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejection_of_Jesus

"Jesus is rejected in Judaism as a failed Jewish messiah claimant and a false prophet by most Jewish denominations. Judaism also considers the worship of any person a form of idolatry, and rejects the claim that Jesus was divine. However, Messianic Jewish organisations, which are not considered Jewish by any mainstream Jewish denomination, like Jews for Jesus have made the case that he is the Messiah promised by the Torah and the Prophets".

Judaism deems the worship of any person a form of idolatry, rejecting the claims that Jesus was divine, born of a virgin, an intercessor to God, and the Trinity all-together.

Idolatry

The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the One, true God. The most common form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities. It is correct that “worshiping man rather than God” would be idolatry, I can see why Jews would think of it being pagan, however, implying we worship just an ordinary man shows a lack of understanding of the Christian doctrine of The incarnation of Christ. (“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” John 1:14)

“ I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.” Isaiah 43:11

Note the Caps in Lord- this matters. It appears as LORD in all translations of the bible!! In Hebrew it is pronounced “Yahweh,” and is built on the word for “I am". Centuries later, when Jesus used it to describe Himself to His disciples, He was referring back to these expressions every time, declaring that He is the I AM. Let’s not forget: when Jesus said

“Before Abraham was born, I am” John 8:58

Through such significant statements, Jesus alludes to His identity as divine. No wonder the Pharisees (members of an ancient Jewish sec) were dismayed with Jesus.

To be clear, Christian's believe there is only one God! Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—there is only one God.

Summed up this is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

Born of a virgin

For two thousand years, Jews rejected the claim that Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Bible- that he was born of a virgin, the son of God, part of a divine Trinity, and was resurrected after his death.

Prophecy:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (God with us) Isaiah 7:14

Fulfillment:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Before I go on, I think it would be important to cover: What exactly is the Messiah?

The word messiah is derived from the Hebrew word מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach) which is translated “one who is anointed.” The noun comes from the verb “to anoint,” The concept of a particular Anointed One, developed within the Jewish Scriptures and refers to a promised descendant from the line of King David who will redeem the Jewish people and reign on the Davidic throne.

In the Greek Bible, the word is translated Christos, from which we get the English word “Christ.”

Why some Jews reject Jesus 

The Jews rejected Jesus because He failed, in their eyes, to do what they expected their Messiah to do—destroy evil and all their enemies, and establish an eternal kingdom with Israel. The prophecies in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 describe a suffering Messiah who would be scorned rejected, mocked, despised and killed, but the Jews chose to focus instead on the prophecies that discuss His heroic victories, not His crucifixion.

All the gospel writers tell us that Jesus died on the cross. The death of Jesus Christ also means victory over death for those who trust in Christ as their God and Savior.

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”(Acts 2:24)

When Jesus died and rose again, He destroyed death.Rom. 6:5-10

Jesus's Kingdom is not limited to the land of Israel. It spreads across the earth as the gospel is preached and received, until one day when it will be said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15).

The Messiah's victory

quote via https://www.ifgathering.com/ifequip/studies/behold/jesus-victory-over-death

"Had Jesus not risen from the dead, He may have been remembered as a good man who lived a good life. Some two thousand years later, however, His life and death would have little impact on us. We would still be waiting on a Messiah to take away the burdensome weight of our sins. We would be confessing and hoping that God would consider us acceptable. There would be no assurance of heaven and no promise of an abundant life here. A life without the resurrection is a life with very little hope".

Among the dozens of prophecies proclaimed, fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled, (such as the second coming of Christ), many Jews expected that when the Messiah comes He would:

• Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

• Bring about the end of war so that everyone can live in peace.

• Unite all people regardless of differences like religion or culture.

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? But the temple he had spoken of was the temple of His body.”John 2:18-22

"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb". Revelation 21:22

Peace

In Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming Messiah, he says:

   “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

   And the government will rest on His shoulders;

   And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

   Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

"In a world filled with war and violence, it’s difficult to see how Jesus could be the all-powerful God who acts in human history and be the embodiment of peace. But physical safety and political harmony don’t necessarily reflect the kind of peace He’s talking about".

A wonderful explanation found via https://www.gotquestions.org/Prince-of-Peace.html

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, yet the kind of peace He brings is not necessarily what most people are thinking of when they hear of “peace on earth”. We all need peace with God. But what is humanities response to the authority of God? It is rebellion against Him. Because we have all sinned and rebelled against God, we do not have peace with Him. 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are restored to a relationship of peace with God when we receive Christ as LORD.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Jesus came to bring peace on earth. First and foremost, He came to make peace between God and rebellious, sinful human beings. While we were God’s enemies, “we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). Jesus paid the penalty. aka -The Gospel !!

Descendant of King David

Jews believe the Messiah will be a direct (blood) descendant of King David through Solomon on his father's side and will be born naturally to a husband and wife.

Prophecy: (2 Samuel 7:12–13)

“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”

Fulfillment:

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1)

Line of David

Jesus was the son of Joseph in the full legal sense, because he was adopted when Joseph married Mary, and thus Jesus is also considered to be a legal descendant of David. Some may ask how is he from the line of King David if his real father is God and not Joseph? The purpose of the genealogy in Matthew’s gospel is to demonstrate that Jesus is “the son of David, the son of Abraham,” that is, the legal heir of both of these men and thus the beneficiary (and ultimate fulfillment) of the covenant promises that God made to them.

Joseph, who was descended from David, married Mary, constituting his legal adoption of the son she would bear. The genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus’ lineage through His mother, Mary. Jesus is a descendant of David by adoption through Joseph and by blood through Mary.

“As to his earthly life [Christ Jesus] was a descendant of David” Romans 1:3

The title “Son of David” is more than a statement of physical ancestry. It is a Messianic title. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited Deliverer, and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

The relation between our Lord's teaching and that of the Old Testament is cleared up by our Lord in one sentence. He (Jesus) says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them". Matthew 5:17

Quote by J.C. Ryle 

"Jesus came to fulfill the predictions of the prophets, who had long foretold that a Savior would one day appear. He came to fulfill the ceremonial law, by becoming the great sacrifice for sin, to which all the Old Testament offerings had ever pointed. He came to fulfill the moral law, by yielding to it a perfect obedience, which we could never have yielded - and by paying the penalty for our breaking of it with His atoning blood, which we could never have paid." 

I just finished reading Acts, and I recognized even as Paul traveled through proclaiming the gospel, still, the Jews had priority! Every time they would come to a new city, Paul and Barnabas would preach first in the synagogues to the Jews in that city. God did not cease saving Jews in order to save Gentiles. The good news is for all!

“We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” Acts 13:46

How do the Jews have priority over Gentiles?

In Genesis 12, God chooses Abraham and His offspring freely from all the people of the world to bless with His covenant and promise. It was through the seed of Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed” (Acts 3:25; Genesis 22:18; 26:4). God told Abraham that through him every nation on earth would be blessed. By now you know exactly where this is going-

Jesus is that blessing!

" Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins" Romans 3:24

All must come to Jesus in faith for salvation, and all are equally accepted by Him when they do.

Jesus’ story reveals God’s incredible love for us throughout the Old Testament. When we read and study the bible we discover how incredibly thorough His plan for rescuing us was, and now we can all be reconciled to Him through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

Reconciliation "is the restoration of a relationship to a harmonious state after a dispute; it is the bringing of accord out of discord between two parties. Christian reconciliation is the work of God through Christ by which He restores mankind to a favorable relationship with Himself. Reconciliation necessarily involves change. In Christian reconciliation, God does not change. He remains perfect. But He changes us. As a result, our relationship with Him changes."

end quote (via got questions)

"For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"Romans 5:10

"For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Romans 11:15

Jesus IS our blessing. Not just His death, but also His very life. Many have forgotten that He is the sacrificial offering for sins, for all time. He became a curse for us by hanging on a tree so that we could have life, everlasting. Without Him, we are dead in our sins, and sadly enemies of God. Without the recognition of our depravity, and the reality of our sin, we need no savior. The apostle Paul referred to unsaved sinners as "enemies of God". But there's hope!!

There is good news!!

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son” Romans 5:10

Sadly both the Jews and Gentiles rejected Jesus then, and many still reject Jesus today. Jews still await for the coming of their "messiah". Jews are neither better nor worse than Gentiles. All are in need of a Savior. The believing Gentile is just as welcome in the family of God as the believing Jew. But here's a very important take-away> Jews, for example believe in Jesus, even Muslim's believe! However, to truly believe in Jesus is more than believing that He walked this earth. Do you believe Jesus was more than a great teacher? or Prophet? We must accept Jesus as our Lord and savior! Accepting that He is the promised Messiah! We must believe that He is God incarnate. (in the flesh). We must accept the Gospel to be true, if we claim to be christians our lives should be evident of this belief. Believers of Christ, believe that He is the Only way!

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

stay tuned for my next blog: He is the Only way.