A Respectful Invitation
Shalom, dear friends,
We write with respect, humility, and sincere love.
Christian faith is deeply rooted in Israel's history and Scriptures. Jesus was Jewish. His mother, His apostles, and His earliest disciples were Jewish. The Scriptures He read and taught were the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
We also recognize with sorrow that Jewish communities have suffered contempt, coercion, and violence from people acting in the name of Christianity. Such actions contradict the teachings of Jesus and cannot be justified by the Gospel.
Jewish people as a whole must never be blamed for the death of Jesus. The Gospel teaches that He gave His life willingly because all humanity needs forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
Our purpose is not to dishonor Jewish identity or pretend that Judaism and Christianity have no serious differences. We simply invite you to consider Yeshua—Jesus—as He is presented in the Gospel and to ask whether He may be the Messiah promised through Israel's Scriptures.
Jesus said:
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify about Me."
Jesus Within Israel's Story
Jesus cannot be understood apart from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He affirmed Israel's central confession:
"Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one."
He taught that the greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He did not present Himself as an enemy of the Torah or the Prophets. Jesus said:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."
Christians believe that Jesus brings Israel's story and hope toward their fulfillment. The Gospel arose within Israel before going out to the nations. Jesus Himself said:
"Salvation is from the Jews."
Gentile Christians therefore have no reason to speak with arrogance toward Jewish people. We have received Scripture, the promises, and the Messiah through Israel.
Why Christians Believe He Is the Messiah
The Hebrew Scriptures express hope for God's deliverance: a righteous ruler from David's line, a humble king, a servant who brings justice, and a future in which the nations seek the God of Israel.
Isaiah wrote:
"A shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him."
Zechariah spoke of a humble king:
"Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey."
Christians and Jewish readers do not interpret every messianic passage in the same way. That difference should be acknowledged honestly. Christians read these Scriptures in light of the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We believe Israel's hope for a king, servant, deliverer, and source of blessing to the nations comes together in Him.
One of the deepest differences concerns the suffering servant described by Isaiah:
"He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
Jewish interpreters have often understood this servant as Israel or the faithful within Israel. Christians believe Jesus personally embodies and fulfills this passage through His suffering.
"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
His death was not the end. His earliest followers proclaimed that God raised Him from the dead. They understood His resurrection as God's confirmation that He is Messiah and Lord. Paul summarized their message:
"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
Christians therefore believe that Jesus came first in humility, gave His life for sins, and rose from the dead. We await the full establishment of God's Kingdom.
The New Covenant and Israel's Hope
Through Jeremiah, God promised:
"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." "I will put My law within them and write it on their heart." "For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember."
This promise is not hostile toward Israel or God's commandments. It speaks of forgiveness, renewed hearts, and a restored relationship with God. At His final meal with His disciples, Jesus said:
"This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood."
Christians believe that through His death and resurrection, Jesus inaugurated the promised New Covenant. Through Him, God offers forgiveness, reconciliation, His Spirit, and the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
This message began among Jewish followers of Jesus and then spread to the nations. Paul warned Gentile believers never to become proud:
"Do not be arrogant toward the branches… it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you."
He also wrote:
"The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Whatever Christians believe about Israel's future, there is no place in Christian faith for antisemitism, contempt, or spiritual pride. Gentile believers should respond with gratitude and humility.
Consider Yeshua
Dear friend,
We do not ask you to ignore history, silence difficult questions, or treat serious differences as unimportant. We invite you to examine Jesus honestly.
Read His words. Consider His life within Israel's story. Notice His compassion, His authority, His suffering, and the testimony that He rose from the dead. Ask whether He may be the One of whom Moses and the Prophets wrote. One of His earliest Jewish disciples said:
"We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
You may begin with the Gospel of Matthew, which frequently connects Jesus with Israel's Scriptures, or with the Gospel of John, which focuses deeply on His identity. You may also read alongside:
- Isaiah 9:1–7
- Isaiah 11:1–10
- Isaiah 52:13–53:12
- Jeremiah 31:31–34
- Micah 5:2–5
- Zechariah 9:9
- Psalm 16
- Psalm 22
These passages are interpreted differently, and not every question is simple. The invitation is not to force a conclusion, but to seek God sincerely and consider the whole testimony concerning Jesus.
God said through Jeremiah:
"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob guide all of us in truth, mercy, humility, and peace. May He help us turn from sin, love our neighbors, and recognize His work.