Jerusalem Post publishes article that Jesus is Jewish
The Jerusalem Post published an article by Faydra Shapiro on January 5, 2020 entitled Jews today and Jesus’s Jewish body. The article opens as follows: Jesus not only was a Jew, but according to Christian theology, Jesus is still a Jew.
Shapiro points out that January 1st is eight days after December 25th. Since the time
of Abraham, baby boys from the house of Israel are circumcised all the eighth day in accordance with Genesis 17:12. Thus, celebrating the new year of the liturgical
calendar is tantamount to celebrating the circumcision day of Jesus (if indeed Jesus was born on December 25th which is debatable by Biblical scholars).
Shapiro writes that the gospel of Luke 2:21 is utterly clear:
“At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21). It’s interesting that Shapiro ends his Jerusalem Post article by calling on Christians to reflect on
Jesus’s Jewishness on each January 1st.
“So I call on all Christians, on this and each January 1st, as you are sleeping off headaches or enjoying the last days of vacation, to also take the time to reflect deeply on the day, on the circumcision and naming of Jesus (did Mary feel faint and need to be supported by a friend?) on Jesus’s Jewishness, and on the safety and security of the Jews right in front of you, today.”
Kehila News writer, Chava Stein, noticed that the Jpost article says “Jesus” but not
his Hebrew name “Yeshua” and submitted the following letter to the editor to the Jerusalem Post:
Yes, He was a Jew.
It is great to see the acknowledgment of Faydra Shapiro in her article, Jews Today
and Jesus’ Jewish Body (January 5, 2020, JPost.com) however, one important correction is vital. He wasn’t named “Jesus “ as Shapiro states. As a Jew, born in Israel, He was named Yeshua, a proper Jewish name, not the Anglicized version
which is associated to a non-Jewish person who had no connection to being a Jew.
Shapiro is correct that Christians should internalize their Messiah’s Jewishness in order to reject anti-Jewish sentiment which, today, is becoming more prevalent. By
the same token, Messianic Jews, those who believe that Yeshua was the promised Messiah should not be labeled as non-Jews who have converted to another faith, making them ineligible for Israeli citizenship.
If Yeshua was Jewish and lived as a Jew, which He did, then identifying Him as Messiah cannot eradicate one’s birth right. In short, both Christians and Jews need to be remember that Yeshua was Jewish, all His followers were Jewish and, most important, He did not start a new religion. Non-Jews simply recognized His Messiahship as well.
Chava Stein