The Jewish Jesus
Introduction
Jesus of Nazareth, the one who died on the cross, who rose again on the third day, was Jewish. Jesus was not a white European with long, flowing hair and a neatly cropped beard. And even right now, as he sits at the right hand of God in the heavens, waiting for the day that his enemies are made his footstool, he still is a Jewish man. He was born of Israel. He is a son of Abraham. He is a son of David.
If Jesus was Jewish and came to the Jewish people in the land of Israel 2,000 years ago, it’s essential to understand his words and life events through that cultural and historical lens. Jesus and the Jews of the first century shared a well-defined worldview—a particular way of understanding God, Israel's history, and the unfolding future for both Israel and the world. The events we read in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not the start of a new story, but rather later chapters in a long narrative that began in Genesis, specifically with God's promises to Abraham. It was through Abraham's family that all nations of the earth were to be blessed.
As we approach the life and teachings of Jesus—words that may be more familiar to us than those of the Old Testament—it’s important to remember that Jesus was Jewish, speaking to a Jewish audience, addressing distinctly Jewish themes, and affirming ideas rooted in their scriptures. This doesn’t mean that His words and life don’t matter to us as 21st-century Gentiles—far from it. In fact, they hold even greater significance when we view them through the lens of first-century Jewish apocalyptic thought. The apostles made it clear in their writings that the gospel story was not a completely new or redefined narrative. Jesus didn’t reinterpret or reimagine the prophecies of the Jewish scriptures; rather, His life, death, and resurrection affirmed their truth and fulfilled their ongoing story. This is what the apostles proclaim throughout Acts and their epistles. Understanding this Jewish context is crucial to fully grasp the depth and meaning of the Bible.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus would have been known as Yeshua of Nazareth. Yeshua is his Hebrew name. His disciples called Him “Lord” or “Master,” which were common titles of respectful deference. He was also called “Rabbi” — a teacher of the Torah. His Jewish identity has been obscured for most of church history because of replacement theology—the idea that the Jewish people were no longer the people of God and that the Torah had been annulled. Yeshua’s teachings draw out the inner meaning of the Torah’s commandments but do not replace them. Yeshua’s conflicts with the Pharisees over Sabbath-day healings and ritual washings are arguments over the specifics of Jewish law. All agreed that the Torah was still in force.
The gradual disconnection of the early church from the historical Yeshua left a void that had to be filled. Certainly, the person of Yeshua never lost His prominence. However, the image of the humble rabbi explaining the Torah to His disciples was eclipsed by the theological dissertations. The recovery of the historical Rabbi Yeshua is essential for any disciple. His Jewish identity impacts the foundations of our faith. We cannot follow Yeshua properly unless we see Him clearly. A life of discipleship is much more than just cognitive assent to Yeshua’s divine identity, atoning death, and resurrection. There is a distinct difference between the Jesus presented by church tradition and the real Yeshua of Nazareth.
Rabbi Yeshua
The Jewishness of Jesus—the fact that He lived, taught, and pronounced Judaism rather than sought to replace it—is an important historical fact and a cornerstone of biblical faith.
Jesus did not come to start a new, non-Jewish religion. Instead, He was a Jew, living among Jews, practicing Judaism, and teaching Judaism to the Jewish people. This makes a tremendous difference in how we understand Him and how we understand the Land, the People, and the Scriptures of Israel. Today, most people know that Jesus is Jewish, but very few people seem to realize just how completely, thoroughly Jewish He is.
His Hebrew name Yeshua, emphasizes His Jewish identity. Yeshua is a short version of the common biblical name Yehoshua or Joshua. Yeshua means “Salvation.”
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (Yeshua, meaning salvation), for he will save (yoshia) his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, ESV Bible)
The name Yeshua and Joshua are actually the same name. Yeshua is simply a short version of Yehoshua. A prophecy from Zechariah hints that the Messiah’s name would be Joshua. The prophet Zechariah cryptically revealed the name of the Messiah when he made an ornate crown of gold, placed it on the head of the priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak and declared:
And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. (Zechariah 6:12, ESV Bible)
“Branch” is a prophetic title for Messiah. The prophecy could be interpreted to mean that the high priest Joshua and the Messiah share the same name. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the same high priest appears by the Aramaic form of his name: Jeshua the son of Jozadak (Ezra 3:2).
The Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures transliterated the Hebrew name Yehoshua/Yeshua into the closest phonetic approximation: Iesous (pronounced Yay-soos). The “us” suffix on the end of the name indicated to the Greek reader that the name belongs to a man. The church translated the Bible into Latin, and as the Latin pronunciation of the name made its way into English, the English consonant J replaced the Latin consonant Y; therefore the name became Jay-soos, which English speakers today pronounce as Jesus.
Yeshua remains the closest and most accurate English transliteration of Messiah’s real name. It is properly pronounced Y’shua, not YAY-shuah. Some teachers mistakenly suppose the Master’s name should properly be pronounced YAH-shua, emphasizing the theistic element of His name. That’s not how Hebrew or Aramaic work. The most theistic element of his name is the correct Hebrew version Yehoshua, or in English Joshua of Nazareth.
Christ is not a name at all. Christ comes from the Greek Christos, which means “anointed” or “to be used as ointment.” It’s a translation of the Biblical Hebrew title Mashiach. Mashiach (which we bring to English as Messiah) means “anointed one.” “Anointed one” means king. The kings of Israel were anointed with oil.
Yeshua’s followers didn’t typically call Him by His first name. In those days, disciples of Jewish teachers and scholars addressed them by titles to indicate respect and reverence. They called Him “Lord” or “Master,” which is a title of respect.
Another title used in the Gospels to address Yeshua is “Rabbi,” which means something like “revered one.” This was a common title of respect for Jewish teachers in the first century. The job of a rabbi is to teach and interpret the Torah.
Jesus the Jew
Our view of Jesus invariably is filtered through the lenses of our culture, such as through Byzantine spectacles, Protestant Reformation spectacles, or American spectacles. We need to put on Hebraic lenses to see Jesus of Nazareth more clearly and to understand Him more fully.
A Summary of Jesus’ Jewish Life
Born to exceptionally devout Jewish parents.
Went up to Jerusalem for Passover every year (the fact that Mary and Jospeh go up to Passover every year shows piety).
Circumcised on the 8th day, according to Scripture and custom.
Dedicated and given a Hebrew name at his circumcision.
Kept the Biblical Festivals.
Regularly attended synagogue on Shabbat.
Read the Scriptures at synagogue and expounded upon them.
Recognized as a Jew by both fellow Jews and non-Jews. (The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” John 4:9)
Began memorizing the Torah at age 5.
Studied Jewish commentary on the Law at age 10.
At age 12, as a “son of the covenant,” conversed with Sages.
Began his public ministry at age 30 (when men came into full “spiritual vigor” and priests began serving at the Temple.
Jesus the Jewish Rabbi
“Rabbi” was a title of respect in Jesus’ time and not an ordained religious office. Formal office did not occur until 50-80 years after the life of Jesus.
In Matthew 23:7, Jesus illustrates its use as a term of high honor that some men hypocritically long for (They do all their deeds to be seen by others…they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. Matthew 23:5-7)
The term “Rabbi” basically means “my great teacher, my great master.” It is used in two contexts, salves to masters and students to teachers.
Jesus uses many well-known teaching methods of Israel’s Sages, such as parables and arguing from minor to major points.
Jesus was fully Torah observant and well versed with traditional Jewish teachings and commentaries on Hebrew Scriptures.
Jesus constantly makes “keshers” or connections between his teachings and the Hebrew Scriptures, such as his comment in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”) that links with God’s declaration in Exodus 3:14 (God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.”).
Jesus favorite theme—as a Rabbi, as a devout Jew, and as a Teacher of Scripture—was the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God. It is what Jesus initially proclaimed when he began his public ministry; its that which he explained in all his teachings; it’s that which he illustrated in his parables; it’s that which he demonstrated in his miracles, signs and wonders.
Jesus of Nazareth has been projected on the screen of 2000 years of Christian theology and creeds. The big image of Jesus, as the risen and reigning Lord, as the divine Son of God is true. But it is not the fullness of truth—because Jesus also was fully a man. Jesus was so human that his own brothers and sisters did not come to faith in him as Messiah until after the resurrection.
The word “carpenter” in English doesn’t quite convey the full picture of the job. As a carpenter, Jesus could have been a stone worker, a craftsman, or did many things with the hands. From age twelve to thirty nothing is written of Yeshua’s life in the Gospels. We an deduce from the culture of the day, however, that he would be studying Torah and learning his father Joseph’s trade of carpentry. Perhaps they would have worked together the many construction projects at the large developing city of Sepphoris (4 miles from Nazareth). Having a trade and studying Torah was an honorable way to live in Jewish tradition. We this with Paul as well, who had a trade of working with leather and studying Torah.
Yeshua was first a wonder worker and healer, and then a Rabbi or Sage who raised up many disciples—to whom he gave extended, in-depth teaching about the Kingdom of God. Eventually he arrived at the culminating climax of his cosmically ordained death, burial and resurrection.
Robert Lindsay noticed a pattern in the life of Jesus. In the early stages of His public ministry, Yeshua was primarily known as a healer. He healed, delivered, and set captives free. He was also an itinerant teacher, in the manner of rabbis of the time. The main focus of his teaching was repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven (God). He begins calling disciples, those students committed to walking after him, learning of him, and into whom he can impart His life. Ultimately, his God-ordained mission was to be crucified, buried and to rise again in victory over sin and death, once and for all time.
Another pattern that Robert Lindsay noticed was that Jesus typically teaches in response to an incident or question. He would seize these moments to teach. He would typically punctuate (drive home) his teaching with two parables. In the Jewish tradition, it is out of the mouth of two or three witnesses that a matter is established.
Jesus continually encouraged people to see great truths in a new light. One-third of his teachings were in parables (see Matthew 13:1). He appreciated the Jewish tradition of using short visual stories to convey profound spiritual truths. The use of parables is found in the Hebrew Bible and in Jewish literature from the inter-testamental period. Rather than being ”the 400 silent years” (between Malachi and Matthew), this was one of the most fertile and formative times in Jewish thought. Over 4,000 parables can be found in the teachings of the Sages of Israel. To the Hebraic mind, great spiritual truths are best conveyed, not in theological propositions, but in evocative stories. Indeed we remember so much of the Old Testament because it is narrative. It is story.
Parables are components of Hebrew literature called Aggadah (or Haggadah). Aggadah (from the Hebrew word “to tell”) consists of stories, sermons, illustrations, aphorisms—essentially anything that is not halakhic or legal in character. This deals with ethical and moral issues. It speaks to the heart. It evokes you to change your conduct and turn your heart toward God. His primary emphasis was to exhort people to live Godly, moral lives, in right relationship to God and to people.
Halakhah, on the other hand, is the body of Jewish literature and rituals that addresses issues of conduct related to the commands of the Torah or Law. The Hebrew term halavah stems from the word meaning “to walk.” These are legal type decisions. A lot of literature of ancient sages deals with conduct. You would be permitted or prohibited from engaging in certain actions depending on interpretation of God’s word.
Through his teaching methods Yeshua always emphasized, at the most profound levels, points about the character of God: the God revealed in the Scriptures of Israel, the God revealed in the redemption of Israel, the God who revealed his covenant faithfulness to Israel. Jesus was always God-centered in his theology and his teaching.
Jesus taught in the manner of the Sages. He used methods of instruction that the people of his day understood. In many ways he was a typical first century Jewish rabbi, and yet one who taught with uncommon authority.
Conclusion
Understanding Jesus within His Jewish context brings clarity to His teachings and mission. It reveals that His life, death, and resurrection are not isolated events or a departure from God's plan, but a continuation and fulfillment of the promises made to Israel. This context deepens our faith and challenges us to see the Bible not as a collection of disconnected stories, but as a unified narrative, where Jesus is both the promised Messiah and the King who brings salvation to all nations. As we grow in this understanding, we are called not only to believe but to follow Jesus with renewed perspective and commitment.