S1 EP1 | Misconceptions Christians have about Jews

Why are we doing this podcast? Partially, it’s because we want to understand and talk about what brings us together. But, it’s also to address the distinctions within the body of Believers we commonly refer to as the Church. Jesus prayed for unity, not uniformity. So, we also want to talk openly about what distinguishes us from one another.

We also want to talk about current events, headlines we’re seeing in what really does feel like unprecedented times, and what God’s doing with Israel and the Jewish people around the world.

In this first full-length episode of A Jew & A Gentile Discuss, Carly puts Ezra on the hot seat to answer questions relating to common misconceptions and preconceived notions that Christians might have about Jewish people and Messianic Jews. Subjects included in this episode are:

• Can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus?
• What do Jewish people think about Jesus? Who do they think He is?
• Can you bless Israel while agreeing/believing that Jewish people don’t need the Gospel, don’t need Jesus, but have their own way to salvation?
• Does every Jewish person or Messianic Jew believe the same things
• Do all Jewish people study and know the Torah?
• What makes someone Jewish? How is Jewish identity passed on?
• How does Israel accept someone as eligible for “aliyah” or immigration as a Jew?
• The Jews are called God’s Chosen People; are they better than everyone else?
• There are over 600 commandments in the Scriptures: do the Jews have to follow all of them still today?
• If you have Jewish heritage, is your religion automatically Jewish?
• Do most Jews live primarily in Europe, Israel and North America?
• Bonus Question: Did Jesus have a bar mitzvah?

Ezra often gives what he jokes are typical Jewish answers of “Yes and no” before expounding with insights of the nuances and conditions. With touches of Jewish history and context, he provides an understanding of Jewish thought and the historical baggage that comes with Jewish disbelief in Jesus. He notes how important this understanding is for the Christian listener who carries a burden to share the Gospel with Jewish friends and relatives.

Ezra reveals through Scripture that there’s no middle ground when it comes to belief about Jesus and how political correctness fails the less stringently religious who attempt to take it.

Words you might learn in this episode: Messianic Jew, meshugenah, Yeshua/yeshua, dual-covenant theology, Torah, bar/bat mitzvah, aliyah, rabbinic Judaism, mitzvot.

Tune in this week wherever you listen to podcasts or go to www.ajewandagentilediscuss.org for more information.