What’s a Nice Jewish Teacher Doing Defending Jesus?
Jewish people do not attend synagogue classes expecting to hear about Jesus, but it did happen one night. Understandably, those in attendance were shocked. The teacher, an upstanding and well-liked instructor from their community, was a Jewish man from Israel and was not a Christian.
Years ago, I wanted to expand my understanding of Jewish community life. As a Christian, I felt a certain kinship with the Jewish people and Israel. After all, the roots of my faith ran through Israel, and it was a Jewish person I believed to be the Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), who had radically changed my life when I put my faith and trust in Him. Because of this, I decided to enroll in some open classes that the local Jewish community held in a large Reform temple.
For a couple months, I attended classes once a week. One class was on the Hasmoneans, and the other class held in the sanctuary of the synagogue had a different speaker every week who gave a talk on Jewish spirituality or a related topic. I was very open when talking and interacting with others there. If they asked if I was Jewish, I told them, “No, I’m Christian.”
One week, the subject of Hannukah (also known as the Feast of Dedication) came up. During the discussion, the Jewish man from Israel who was teaching the class made the following comment, which had me wondering what the response would be. He said, “Well, I’m not opposed to Hannukah – I’m just not going to teach as a fact that the miracle of the oil happened.”
Almost immediately there was both agreement and sharp opposition to his statement. What the teacher said next, though, caught me and everyone else by surprise: “If you think I must believe and teach the event of this miracle as being absolutely true, then why do we reject the idea that Jesus was the Messiah and did miracles, as the Christians claim He did in their Book?”
Some loud voices confronted his declaration, even suggesting he should not be allowed to teach there any longer. You could feel the uneasy tension for the next couple of minutes as the teacher defended his statement, that (as he called it) “the Christian New Testament” contained a lot of historical truth. I looked around the classroom and saw several people looking at me, as most knew I was a Christian. They searched my face for my reaction as I listened to the lively debate between the teacher and a few who were angered by his statement.
This teacher made me wonder about the other people there that evening. Were there others who had read parts or all the New Testament, or researched archeological and historical works that verified many things in it, as this man had?
We often think that, for a Jewish person to believe Jesus is indeed the prophesied Messiah, all our proof must come only from the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). But is that true? Yes, we must be able to clearly show in context why we believe Jesus is the prophet like Moses and the Son of God, but I have witnessed many times over the years the power of words from the New Testament in opening the eyes and hearts of those who read the pages of Matthew, John, or Paul’s letter to the Hebrews.
A few weeks after that rather vocal debate in the class, I was riding the bus to the synagogue for classes again, and a Jewish man who also attended classes recognized me. He moved up a seat to sit across from me and struck up a conversation. At one point as we talked, he smiled warmly and said, “Your answers are pretty wise. You are a bit of a sage.”
I thanked him but quickly told him, “I just quoted to you a couple of verses from the New Testament that Jesus said, but did not tell you I was quoting Him.”
As we both got off at the same stop to walk a short distance to the synagogue, he said, “So your words were from the New Testament?”
“Yes, and you will not be disappointed if you were to read for yourself what is written there. I could give you a New Testament and recommend what to read first if you are interested.”
“No,” he said. “I know how to get one for myself. Thanks for offering though.”
“I really hope you will get one and read. Try the first book in the New Testament, named Matthew, just to see what is says. You’ll be surprised and challenged, I think.”
We entered the synagogue together and talked again as we both took the same bus after classes were finished. I never saw this man again, but as he exited the bus that night at his stop, he turned before stepping out to wave.
How about you? Do you believe the New Testament is a Christian book for Gentiles? If you are Jewish – well, so was Jesus and the men God used to write the New Testament. If you read the New Testament yourself, as the synagogue teacher did, I am sure you will be surprised. Contact us at Life in Messiah, and we would love to discuss who Messiah is and why the teacher in the synagogue was honest in his opinion about Yeshua and the New Testament.
Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah staff
What is your opinion on miracles? Do you believe the oil lasted for eight days during the rededication of the temple? How about the miracles performed by Yeshua during His lifetime?
This year, Hanukkah starts on the same day as Christmas – for the first time since 2005! Did you know Hanukkah is mentioned in the New Testament? Jesus walked in Jerusalem during this festival (see John 10:22). If you would like to learn more about what Jesus taught in the chapter where Hannukah is mentioned, you can read this blog: https://www.lifeinmessiah.org/blog/a-hanukkah-challenge.
Have you ever read the New Testament? If you are curious but not sure where to begin, we are happy to help. You can contact us here.