Jews are God’s chosen people with a rich religious, cultural, and ethnic heritage, but they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Judaism centers on the Hebrew Bible, ethical living, and the hope of a future Messiah, while Christians believe Jesus fulfills that promise.
According to Jewish sources, Judaism was the first great faith to believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:5). The Jews use the Hebrew Bible, which contains the same Old Testament books as the Protestant Bible but arranged differently. The Old Testament records the Jewish story through Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 17:19, 28:13-14), Jacob's twelve sons who became the leaders of Israel's twelve tribes (Genesis 49), Moses leading Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3, 12, 14), generations of judges and kings (Judges; 1 Samuel 8:5-7; 1 Kings; 2 Kings), and times of conquest from outside nations (2 Kings 17:6, 25:1-21).
The Old Testament also contains many messianic prophecies (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2), which the New Testament shows that Jesus fulfilled. The book of Acts indicates that Christianity began as a sect within Judaism (Acts 24:14). Jesus and many of the first Christians were Jews (Matthew 1:1). Some early Jewish-Christians continued to practice Jewish traditions along with their Christian beliefs (Acts 3:1). However, disputes between Jewish religious leaders and Christians about whether Jesus is the Messiah and the implications of that belief, as well as political changes, eventually resulted in Christianity being viewed as a separate religion (John 9:22; Acts 4:1-3). The two most striking differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity include views of Jesus and of Scripture. On the whole, Jews believe in a Messiah, or at least a Messianic Age, that has yet to come (John 5:39-40). Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah the Jews have long sought (Matthew 16:15-16; John 1:41). Second, Jews accept only the Old Testament writings (which they call the Hebrew Bible) as their inspired texts (Romans 3:1-2). Christians accept the sixty-six books of the Bible, Old and New Testament, as the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:15-16). Christians today should see the Jews as part of our mission field (Matthew 28:19-20).
What is a Jew? Is it a religion? An ethnic group? A culture? Is it the nation of Israel? Or is it a family as some rabbis say? Maybe it’s all five. For believers today, though, focusing on Jewish religion can help us to witness to those who haven’t drunk from the life-giving water that is Christ. Knowing their beliefs can help. Though different varieties and beliefs within Judaism exist, Maimonides’ (AD 1135—1204) list of thirteen principles of Jewish faith helps us narrow it down. Jews generally believe in God’s existence, uniqueness, oneness, incorporeality, eternality, and omniscience. They believe prayer should be directed to God alone. In terms of Scripture, they accept the written and oral Torah, the words of the prophets, and consider Moses the greatest prophet. Jews believe God will reward the good and punish the wicked, that the Messiah (or Messianic Age) is yet to come, and that the dead will be resurrected.
Christians today can cull from that list to start conversations with Jewish friends, noting our commonalities to lead them to Jesus as Messiah and Lord.
“What is a Jew?” is perhaps best answered by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans: “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). May we all be “Jews” in this sense.