S1 EP19 | Resolutions – Jewish and Christian Style

You’re a Christian, settled in your faith and the church you attend. But you just discovered something you never realized before – you have a Jewish background.   Wait,… ...

So, you run across a person you know is Gentile but who wears a Star of David, a prayer shawl and says and does Jewish things. And you just don’t get it. Wait, what? Why…? Huh? Or maybe you’re one of those people; you’re Gentile, and you love Israel and the Jewish people just like the Bible says you should. So, what’s the problem, right? In this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra dig into the subject of “Jewish affinity” to sort out the questions and mysteries surrounding it. They challenge both sides with pointed questions and insights. Join them as they discuss: What “Jewish affinity” is and where it sometimes comes from Biblical examples of Jesus being Jewish Where the words Jew and Jewish come from Invitation vs. obligation regarding Jewish observance The line where Jewish things could become not so good for Gentiles Along the Way As always, as the conversation progresses, some great insights emerge, like: Flipping the script on perceived weirdness of a Jewish affinity due to mixed marriage Jesus not only “was” Jewish, Jesus “is” Jewish Interesting tidbit about how the “Lost Tribes of Israel” identify themselves Three questions Ezra answers with: “I absolutely do,” “No, I don’t,” and “Sure, I do” The two types of “Why” questions Gentiles should ask themselves about participating in Jewish things Do Christians earn anything in God’s eyes by doing Jewish things? Reasons why Messianic Judaism may have gotten a bad rap among the Christian community Caution about fair-weather alignment with the Jewish people Loving Jewish things but not Jewish people – Ouch! – Good point of self-examination Words You Might Learn in This Episode Rabbi, rabboni, Yehuda, Ani Yehuda, Bnei Menashe, Cohen/Kohanim, Lost Tribes, “scattered Jewish communities,” WWJD, Shabbat, tallit, mezuzah, ...

Say what? Wait, didn’t baptism start with John the Baptist? Isn’t it a Christian thing? Hang onto your hats, folks – you’re about to discover another surprising element of Christianity that sprang from Jewish roots.     In this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra talk about the Jewish practice of water immersion and how it relates to the New Testament’s concept of baptism. Carly asks Ezra questions to piece together the Old and New Covenant practices, explore what it’s like today and what it means for Messianic Jewish Believers and Christians. Some of the topics they cover include:    Where the concept of water baptism or immersion started  What the baptism of John was about  If baptism is a sign of converting to Christianity  Why Jesus got baptized  The difference between the Jewish idea of immersion and Christian baptism  How a Jewish person today would view Christian baptism  How Jewish Believers in Jesus, or Messianic Jews, see baptism    You’ll also find out if Ezra, a Jewish believer in Jesus, was baptized and some encouragement if you’ve been wondering about being baptized yourself.    Along the way  You’ll learn:  Four reasons for the Old Testament practice of cleansing by immersion  ...