I once heard someone say "I love Jews because my Saviour was a Jew." Jesus, whom CHristians call Christ or Messiah, was a Jew. There is a lot in that, both in terms of ancestry and also culture. The problem with that link is that it is tenuous and can leave open the possibility of anti-semitism. It also demotes the Jewish Scriptures (Torah, Prophets and Writings: 'Old Testament') to second-class status.
However, I think there is another link. Both are "people of God" i.e. are those who represent God on earth. Representation of God is discussed elsewhere, but briefly, Jews represent God as a nation among nations; Christians represent God as individuals among individuals. Both are valid, both are important. That is why God told Paul that the Jews are still beloved of God and that when the "time of the Gentiles" is over, the Jews would be "grafted back in" (see Romans 9 - 11).
Seeing this link affords respect to both, each with their own role and relationship with God, and places a fundamental bar against anti-semitism. It maintains the dignity of both Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Old and New Testaments).
It clarifies the role that the Jewish Law and their Prophets have for Christians, and also vice versa. The Law now reveals God's heart, character, intentions, and what the fabric of Creation is, which God wove in order that Creation would (be able to) function with dignity and shalom.
Christian use of prophets is no longer selective or subjective (selective: only those verses that might foretell Jesus; subjective: verses that 'speak to me' and especially give me comfort). It gives a broader basks for the relevance of the prophets, in that they castigated the people of Judah and Israel for misrepresenting God, and yet assure them of God love for those who represent God, and so they might castigate Christians for a similar reason. But the castigations and assurances need some reinterpretation to take into account the difference and links between nations and individuals. See talk on "Relevance of the Prophets of Israel" as Youtube "https://youtu.be/gtNTjnKNK3g" or in Audio and written form "https://mscc.org/audio/talk20200223.html".
This page, URL= 'http://abxn.org/nv/jews.xns.html',
is part of the on-going work in developing a 'New View' in theology and practice that is appropriate to the days that are coming upon us. Comments, queries welcome by emailing
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Created: 17 July 2020. Last updated: