Chosen by Jesus
Christ came for everyone—but first to the Jews. A gentile and a completed Jew reveal what it takes to show we share the same God—and the same Messiah.
By Karen Covell
How do you talk to people who don’t think they need Jesus? That’s the story of my life. As a TV producer in the Hollywood entertainment industry, I work every day with Jewish people—some of the leading decision-makers in film and TV. Over the years, my admiration and respect for this creative, sharp and hard-working group of people has developed into good friendships. I have a special love for them. But I’ll be the first to say that sharing with them about the love of their Messiah, Y’Shua, can be a difficult feat.
What Jews Really Believe
One of the first things I discovered from these friends was that Jews—10% of all Americans—are diverse in their lifestyles and their beliefs. While most Jewish people are proud of their heritage and are acutely aware of the suffering of their people throughout history, the similarities end there.
Some are religious Jews, following the scriptures to the letter of the law and living conservative, holy, orthodox lives. Others are cultural Jews, commonly liberal, primarily committed to political and social causes, charities and the Jewish community at large—with little, if any, spiritual beliefs. Most cultural Jews have heard nothing about the many Old Testament prophecies foreshadowing Christ’s birth, crucifixion and resurrection. The people I know have never even read the Bible.
Today, many of God’s chosen few are humanists, atheists or cult members involved in various New Age thoughts. In fact, both Jews and non-Jews are attracted to a new resurgence of Kabbalah (a theosophical system of belief involving universal aspirations and spiritual mysteries allegedly originating from the Pentateuch) popularized by the pop singer Madonna.
And something else I have learned through the years: At some point in their lives, many Jews have been deeply hurt by gentiles—in the name of Jesus. I remember when my Jewish friend and producing partner, Sarah, told me about her first experiences with Christians. To give her the best education, her parents had sent her to parochial schools. But early on, the Christian kids had taunted her, calling her names like “Christ Killer” or “Jesus Killer” just because she was Jewish. While Sarah is distantly supportive of my faith, she has no clear belief of her own. She’s “spiritual,” she says, but wants nothing to do with God, Christians or religion.
Knowing her painful past, I understand her hesitancy to embrace my faith. In fact, Sarah’s grade school experience compelled me to find out more about the complicated relationship between Christians and Jews. Since meeting her and hearing her story, I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching Jewish history and talking with Jewish friends to learn how we can overcome the areas of misunderstanding between us and eventually show our friends and family members that we share the same God—and the same Messiah.
The Roadblock
For many Jews like Sarah, the name “Jesus” is often a spiritual roadblock. Some have been taught that all Christians hate Jews. My friend Nikki (see sidebar below), whose ancestors died in the Holocaust, grew up hearing about the Nazis who wore “For the Glory of Christ” on their belts. Others think Christians created a religion to stop Judaism from spreading, or that Jesus was a failed political figure. In fact, only atheist Jews say He never existed. The typical cultural Jew believes Jesus lived and was even a political leader, but that He lost power and died, leaving behind a mess and a divided nation. Or, they believe that He came only for the gentiles.
Given that history, it makes sense that Jews don’t think they need Jesus. Many have successful businesses, well-educated children and strong families so, on the surface, there appear to be no chinks in the armor. Some get that they are God’s chosen people, but they’re still waiting for the Messiah. Many of our Jewish friends and family members today don’t believe in God, let alone Jesus.
So where do we go from here? How do we tell God’s chosen people about His Son—who He is and why He came to Earth? And how do we tell them that they do indeed need Y’Shua?
Jews Don’t Need Converting
In my search to learn how to share Y’Shua with my Jewish friends, one of the most important discoveries I made is the need for knowledge—not just about Jews and their beliefs. I also needed to know the Jewish roots of my own faith. While Jews know about their heritage but nothing about Jesus, Christians are just the opposite. We know all about Jesus and even heaven and eternal life, but we know nothing about our Jewish history.
God wants us to understand Him and all that He has done with and through His people—and we can do that several different ways: reading both the Old and New Testaments, noting Jewish law and traditions and its profound prophecies; learning about the Jewish holy days, such as Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and Rosh Hashana; and asking our Jewish friends to tell us about their family’s history and its significance in their lives.
Once we have a strong understanding of our Jewish roots and the ties that bind us, we’ll make another startling discovery: We have to change our belief that Jews need to be “converted” to Christianity. Jews will always be Jewish. Jesus was Jewish. We gentiles are the ones who are converted when we become Christians, or followers of our Jewish Messiah, Y’Shua.
Our privilege is to reintroduce our Jewish friends to their God and let them know that Y’Shua is indeed their Messiah. In fact, Paul, a Jew, said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). We should be the ones who humbly accept Jesus as our Messiah, realizing that He came first for the Jews, then for us. Unless we place the Gospel in a Jewish context, they won’t listen to us, and you’ll most likely hear, “That’s nice for you, but I’m a Jew.”
I’m always thrilled when I get the opportunity to discuss Jesus with my Jewish friends. I especially love getting to tell them that Jesus was a Jew. And He came to Israel, to Jewish people (Matt. 15:24). Then He gave His life for them—His own people. What a difference that connection makes when we talk to our Jewish friends and family members.
Not Ashamed
Once we realize the importance of that vital connection, how do we gain the respect and attention of our Jewish friends? The Jews I know love an intellectual challenge. They respect go-getters, people who won’t take “no” for an answer—even if they hold an opposing view. They love intelligence, success and initiative. If we get into a spiritual discussion, most often they’ll take me on—with one caveat. I must be loving, honest, even funny, yet unwavering in my beliefs because in their eyes, anything that smacks of lukewarm reflects on my personal faith commitment and thus impacts their respect for me.
I’ve seen that when sincere and winsome Christians come alongside Jewish friends or co-workers and live out these qualities, they take notice.
And from there, we can start to ask challenging questions and let the Holy Spirit lead. Questions I ask: “What do you think about God?” “Who do you think Jesus was?” “Have you ever read the Scriptures? Would you be willing to?” “What do you think your Messiah will be like?” Here’s a powerful question that often spurs discussion: “Do you know about the 66 major prophecies in the Old and New Testaments that predict and explain the life and death of Y’Shua?” But I’ve learned the hard way not to ask this question without first studying these prophetic verses. I Peter 3:15 says that you should “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and reverence.”
It’s not up to us to argue anyone into the Kingdom or to convince someone of the truth of the Gospel. All we have to do is bring up the topic and pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal, convict and convince. Most Jews don’t know who Jesus is because no one has ever told them the truth. So we must tell them. We can’t assume they already know and have chosen not to believe. The World Inquiry for the Lausanne 2004 Forum for World Evangelism reported that the No. 2 reason for people becoming Christians (after the No. 1 reason that most people are witnessed to by their parents) is family members, friends or another person witnessing to them.
Because the truth has been revealed to us, we have the responsibility to tell Jews the Gospel and make the vital connection to their Jewish roots.
Betrayed
Jewish people who accept Jesus as their personal Savior (calling themselves Completed Jews, Messianic Jews or Jewish believers) have the best of both worlds. They are one of God’s original chosen people—and they have Jesus! However, they often pay a great price to embrace this gift. Accepting Jesus comes with a sobering personal sacrifice to Jews, because most likely, they’ll be shunned by their families and considered betrayers, for denying their family bloodline and heritage. Many Jewish believers I know feel as though they have fallen into a crack, as they’re not standing firmly with any group of people and not being fully understood.
In his book Betrayed! (Chosen), Jewish believer Stan Telchin writes, “For any of us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah is to betray our people, to join the enemy and to desecrate the memory of all of our ancestors over the last 2,000 years.”
Love and Pray
That’s one reason why—if God has brought Jewish friends, co-workers, neighbors or family members into your life—loving and praying for them is paramount. Prayer breaks down roadblocks, spiritual walls, fears or misunderstandings. Don’t let fear stop you from sharing the Good News that God loves Jews so much that He already sent His Son, who came down to earth to die for them. Pray for wisdom and the right words to say at the right time. Pray for other Christians to come into their lives. Pray for their hearts to be prepared for a divine appointment, and then wait for God’s miraculous gift of salvation for this group of people who have been chosen by Jesus.
Karen Covell has produced numerous TV shows, including “Headliners and Legends With Matt Lauer.” She speaks nationwide about the mission field of Hollywood and recently contributed to The Complete Evangelism Guidebook (Baker), writing the chapter about sharing Christ with Jews.
IN ORDER THAT SCRIPTURE MIGHT BE FULFILLED
Here are just 18 of the 66 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Christ’s birth, crucifixion and resurrection that often spur discussion:
1. The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. (Prophesied in Micah 5:2; fulfilled in Matt. 2:1–6 and Luke 2:1–20.)
2. The Messiah was to be born of a virgin. (Prophesied in Isaiah 7:14; fulfilled in Matt. 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38.)
3. The Messiah was to be a prophet like Moses. (Prophesied in Deut. 18:15, 18–19; fulfilled in John 7:40.)
4. The Messiah was to enter Jerusalem in triumph. (Prophesied in Zech. 9:9; fulfilled in Matt. 21:1–9 and John 12:12–16.)
5. The Messiah was to be rejected by His own people. (Prophesied in Isaiah 53:1–3 and Psalm 118:22; fulfilled in Matt. 26:3, 4; John 12:37–43; Acts 4:1–12.)
6. The Messiah was to be betrayed by one of his followers. (Prophesied in Psalm 41:9. Fulfilled in Matt. 26:14–16, 47–50, and Luke 22:19–23.)
7. The Messiah was to be tried and condemned. (Prophesied in Isaiah 53:8; fulfilled in Luke 23:1–25 and Matt. 27:1, 2.)
8. The Messiah was to be silent before His accusers. (Prophesied in Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Matt. 27:12–14, Mark 15:3–4 and Luke 23:8–10.)
9. The Messiah was to be struck and spat on by his enemies. (Prophesied in Isaiah 50:6; fulfilled in Matt. 26:67, 27:30 and Mark 14:65.)
10. The Messiah was to be mocked and insulted. (Prophesied in Psalm 22:7, 8; fulfilled in Matt. 27:39–44 and Luke 23:11, 35.)
11. The Messiah was to be put to death by crucifixion. (Prophesied in Psalm 22:14, 16, 17; fulfilled in Matt. 27:31 and Mark 15:20, 25.)
12. The Messiah was to suffer with criminals and pray for His enemies. (Prophesied in Isaiah 53:12; fulfilled in Matt. 27:38, Mark 15:27–28 and Luke 23:32–34.)
13. The Messiah was to be given vinegar and gall. (Prophesied in Psalm 69:21; fulfilled in Matt. 27:34 and John 19:28–30.)
14. Others were to cast lots for the Messiah’s garments. (Prophesied in Psalm 22:18; fulfilled in Matt. 27:35 and John 19:23–24.)
15. The Messiah’s bones were not to be broken. (Prophesied in Exodus 12:46; fulfilled in John 19:31–36.)
16. The Messiah was to die as a sacrifice for sin. (Prophesied in Isaiah 53:5–12; fulfilled in John 1:29; 11:29–52; Acts 10:43 and 13:38–39.)
17. The Messiah was to be raised from the dead. (Prophesied in Psalm 16:10; fulfilled in Acts 2:22–32 and Matt. 28:1–10.)
18. The Messiah is now at God’s right hand. (Prophesied in Psalm 110:1; fulfilled in Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:50–51.)
THE JEWISH CONNECTION
Outreach magazine sat down with a Hollywood director/producer and Jewish believer, Nikki H., who came to faith more than 20 years ago and now uses her experience and talents to impact the media and the people in it. In this interview, she shares her story and tells how Christians can more effectively connect with the approximately 14 million Jewish people in the world today.
Nikki, what makes someone Jewish?
Nikki H.: That question has two parts. Most Rabbis will say that if your mother is Jewish, you’re Jewish. However, biblically if your father or mother is Jewish, you’re born Jewish. What Jewish people believe about God and faith can be rather diverse. If you ask 10 Jews what they believe, you’ll get 12 different answers.
Generally, the idea of a personal relationship with God and the path to heaven is not inherent in modern Judaism, but really what Jewish people expect from their religion is more of a moral code. People say Jews believe in one God, a sense of tradition, community and cultural identification. The Jewish profession of “faith” (The Shiva) says Jews believe in one God, but actually many Jews today are agnostic, atheist, Buddhist or New Agers.
Growing up, how did you view people who weren’t Jews?
NH: I grew up in New York City. My mom worked a lot, so my grandparents helped raise me. They were orthodox Jews—the most religious sect of Judaism—but my
mom had rebelled against that. So I received differing viewpoints. I was sent to the Orthodox synagogue and Yeshiva, which is like a Jewish parochial school.
I grew up understanding that for about 2,000 years, the Christians tried to murder the Jews. Both sides of my mother’s family were killed in the Holocaust, and I heard stories from my grandparents about the Nazis having “For the Glory of Christ” on their belt buckles.
Most Jewish people grow up having a sort of “us and them” mentality, meaning there are Jews and there are Christians. “Christian” is more synonymous with “gentile” in the Jewish mind. I learned that generally, people who aren’t Jewish are Christian. There are good Christians and there are bad Christians, but they’re both non-Jews.
Was there a difference between what you thought about Christians and what you thought about Jesus and the Gospel?
NH: I never thought about Jesus and the Gospel. I never knew who Jesus was other than a Jew that these people worshipped. Like my grandmother used to say—all these people worshipping this guy and he’s a Jew! How ridiculous! As a kid, I didn’t know if Jesus was a statue or a myth. I never even thought about it.
In the second grade, I learned the story of Hanukkah. And we were told that the “pagan” ruler at that time (Antiochus Epiphane) set up a pig on the altar of the temple of Jerusalem—before the Maccabees fought and reclaimed the temple. This ruler was forcing Jewish people to worship the pig or be beheaded. And I remember making a vow to God, I will never worship an idol. And in my mind, that idol was Jesus!
So are you saying that most Jewish people today don’t know what Christians believe?
NH: Jewish people in America are in the same place, spiritually, as people in the 10/40 window. They’ve never heard the Gospel. They may have heard a TV evangelist, but the words mean something so different.
There is nothing in how the Gospel is being communicated to the Jewish people that connects it to a Jewish mindset. And that connector is really important. For me, I met somebody during my last year of high school who was Jewish and yet believed in Jesus. And I just went through the roof! “You can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus,” I told him.
There are all these presuppositions for Jews. Unless you share the Gospel—everything from creation of man to separation from God and the coming Messiah—in a Jewish context and say that the Gospel is for Jewish people, most will think it’s just a Christian thing. Contextualizing the message in a Jewish context—and it really is a Jewish message—is key. The terminology that Christians use in sharing their faith means different things to Jewish people. If you talk about a Jewish person becoming a Christian, that’s like saying, “I’m a vegetarian who eats meat.” It doesn’t make any sense.
When and how did Christianity begin to make sense for you?
NH: As a teenager, I went on a quest for truth. l studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Satanism. I also started reading some of the prophecies in the Old Testament that a friend was sharing with me. And I came to the conclusion that the New Testament was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. But I didn’t know if any of it was true. If it was true, it was all true.
I narrowed it down to Christianity and Satanism. In the daytime, I’d visit a guy nicknamed Lucifer, and he’d read from the satanic bible, and I found it very appealing.Then at night, I’d go to this Christian coffeehouse, where a lot of Jewish believers hung out. They’d tell me that if I wanted to go to heaven, I needed to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. I told them, If that’s all I have to do, then right before I die I’ll say I believe, but I’m not going to worry about it now.
I determined that we were here just to have fun. I joined a witches’ coven and two days before my initiation date, I was walking down a street and was hit by a car at 60 mph. It was a miracle I lived. When I got out of the hospital, my friend asked me if I’d ever thought about why I was hit by that car. I realized I could die at any moment. The moment I took life and death seriously, I knew that everything I’d been reading about Jesus was true. Shortly after that, I understood that Christians were following my Messiah, and I gave my life to Him.
How did those around you respond?
NH: I went home and said, “Mom, I believe Jesus is the Messiah!” My liberal, open-minded mother started crying and saying, “I can’t believe I have a daughter who is a Jesus freak. Where did I go wrong?”
My grandmother went around the house taking down my pictures. She said, “I had four grandchildren, now I have only three.” Nobody would tell my grandfather; they were afraid that if he found out he’d have a heart attack.
So, how can Christians share Jesus with Jewish people like your grandparents?
NH: I personally feel that Christians who make even the slightest bit of effort to connect culturally and relationally to a Jewish person are better able to share the Gospel than a Jewish person because as a Christian, you’re supposed to believe in Jesus. No Jewish person is going to be surprised at this. Where the surprise will come and where the effectiveness happens is when you start connecting it and putting it in a Jewish context.
And don’t be afraid. Jewish people like to debate, challenge and discuss, and Christians are sometimes afraid of that and don’t want to offend, so they won’t say anything.
In your opinion, why should Christian churches care about equipping people to share Jesus in a Jewish context?
NH: I believe it’s one of the Church’s jobs to provoke Israel to jealousy. In Romans, Paul says, “I would wish myself a curse for the sake of my brethren that they might
be saved.” And he’s talking about Israel—Israel is not just a place; it’s a people. Scriptures say that the Gospel is to the Jews first. Christians are to provoke Jews to jealousy over the salvation and life they have in the Jewish Messiah.
-Outreach magazine, "Features," November/December 2006
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