Are the Jewish People Still God's People? - Part 1

 

Dennis Edwards with Sam Shamounian

I have heard a lot of arguments for and against the Jewish people being God’s people. A friend of mine has asked me to get together some verses to show what the New Testament says on the subject. The first section will look at is Jesus’ parable about the wicked husbandmen, that Jesus gave to the chief priests and elders of the people, when he spoke to them in the temple, a few days before His arrest and death.

Matthew 21:33-43 The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen: ³³ Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: ³⁴ And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

³⁵ And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. ³⁷ But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. ³⁸ But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. ³⁹ And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

⁴⁰ When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

⁴¹ They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

⁴² Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? ⁴³ Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. ⁴⁴ And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

⁴⁵ And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. ⁴⁶ But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

Jesus is plainly saying that the leaders of the Jewish nation are no longer worthy to be leaders of the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, God will raise up another nation more worthy of the commission. That new nation is true Christianity. I say, “true Christianity,” because much of today’s Christianity is similar to Judaism at the time of Christ, more interested in religious ceremonialism than in bringing the Good News of the Gospel to nations of the world. Jesus has said that the kingdom was taken from the Jewish people and given to a nation which will bring forth the fruits thereof. That nation is the true living church of God made up of true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. It is not the nation of Israel.

Matthew 8:5-13 The Centurion Soldier: ⁵ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, ⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. ⁷ And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him. ⁸ The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. ⁹ For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ¹¹ And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ¹³ And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.

Again, we see a similar comment by Jesus in relation to the Jewish people or nation of Israel. We find the Roman Centurion being complimented for his great faith. Jesus in fact says that He hasn’t found such faith as the centurion’s in all of Israel. He finishes up saying that many shall come from the east and the west, in other words from Gentile countries, and sit down with the Fathers of faith, while the children of the kingdom, the Jewish people, will be cast out into outer darkness. Jesus is prophesizing what will happen to the unbelieving Jewish people if they continue to walk in unbelief and rejection of Christ.

From here, we will go to the Epistles.

Romans 2:26-29 ²⁶ Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁷ And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge you, who by the letter and circumcision do transgress the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:²⁹ But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Apostle Paul is making the point the real follower of God is the one that truly follows the ways of God, whether or not he is fulfilling certain religious or ceremonial laws. Being a “Jew” is not a matter of observing certain religious and ceremonial laws and, therefore, having an appearance of righteousness. Being a real “Jew” is having our hearts and lives circumcised by the Spirit of God, so that we walk in obedience to His commandments, in that we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and that we love our neighbour as ourselves.

Apostle Paul goes on to clarify to the early church who the true seed of Abraham was.

Galatians 4:21-31 ²¹ Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? ²² For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. ²⁴ Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which genders to bondage, which is Agar.

²⁵ For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. ²⁶ But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷ For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bears not; break forth and cry, thou that travails not: for the desolate has many more children than she which has a husband.

²⁸ Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. ²⁹ But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. ³⁰ Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. ³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Apostle Paul is showing the difference between the two seeds of Abraham: the seed of Hagar which was after the flesh, and the seed of Sarah which was after the promise of God. He equates the Jewish people after the flesh, the flesh and blood descendants of Sarah and Abraham, as the seed of bondage, and in reality, being the seed of Hagar. He equates the new Christian believers as the true seed of promise, the true seed of Sarah and Abraham born after the Spirit of God. In other words, Apostle Paul is equating the unbelieving seed of Abraham, the Jewish people, with the unbelieving seed of Hagar. They are both under bondage and not free.

Let us look quickly at Genesis 21 where Sarah asks Abraham to remove Hagar and Ismael from their camp.

Genesis 21:8-12 ⁸ And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. ⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. ¹⁰ Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. ¹¹ And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. ¹² And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Here is the historical event that Apostle Paul was making reference to. It is literally an allegory of what is to take place. The true seed of Abraham is the seed of promise, the seed of faith, and not the seed of the flesh. Jesus Himself said to the Pharisees:

John 8:39b-40 If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God; this did not Abraham.

In the book of Revelation Jesus has a similar condemnation to the leaders of the Jewish nation who rejected Him.

Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which do say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Jesus is giving that message to the Philadelphian church, the church that has kept His word and has not denied His name. The Philadelphian church represents the true and obedient followers of God.

The leaders of the Jewish people who have rejected Jesus will receive condemnation unless they repent and bow before the Son of Man. Ultimately, all mankind will bow to Jesus and confess Him as Lord.

Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the passage in Galatians above Apostle Paul mentions “Jerusalem that is above,” which is the same new Jerusalem we find in Revelation 21. Though Jesus may return on Mount Zion in physical Jerusalem according to Zechariah 14:4, our home is in heavenly new Jerusalem, for we look for a city that is not made with hands.

Hebrews 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He has prepared for them a city.

That’s not earthly Jerusalem, but new Jerusalem that is from above.

Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel.

We that believe on and follow the words of Jesus the Christ are destined for new Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. ² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. ⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

That’s the Jerusalem we are living and dying for, a heavenly city, eternal, cut out without hands where God will dwell with His creation.

Let us go back to Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul makes the point that Jesus is the One Seed of Abraham that would bless all families of the earth (Genesis 12:3).

Galatians 3:15-18 ¹⁵ Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls, or adds thereto. ¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Apostle Paul is reaffirming that Jesus is the Promised Seed of Abraham that would bless all the families of the earth. “But as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to those that believe on His name,” John 1:12. As a side note, Jesus is also the seed of Eve that would crush the head of the serpent found in Genesis 3:15. Apostle Paul goes on to say that the seed of Abraham are the true believers in Christ and heirs of all the promises of God to the Fathers.

Galatians 3:26-29 ²⁶ For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

God told Abraham that He would bless them that blessed him, and curse them that cursed him: and that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed, (Genesis 12:3). It is in Abraham’s seed, Jesus Christ, that all the families of the earth are blessed. We that believe and follow Christ are also Abraham’s seed. We should be a blessing to the world for as Jesus has said, we are the light of the world, and salt of the earth. Let men, therefore, see your good works and glorify God.

The Jewish people, though bright and blessed mentally and in many ways above their brethren, have failed in being a blessing they were ordained to be. They rejected the true Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. We Christians should take note and not fall from our faithfulness through the deceitfulness of sin which results in unbelief.

Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

To go to Part 2                             

Credits to Sam Shamounian. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvWrjCDn2KQ