"You can't be Jewish and believe in Jesus," a rabbi adamantly told me.
I said to him, "Since it's a fact of history that Jesus (1) was a Jewish Rabbi (2) was born in Israel to a Jewish mother (3) was a descendant of King David (4) claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and (5) Jesus' followers and biographers were devout Jewish men & women, then believing in the Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, sounds very Jewish to me."
The real issue is: "Who is a Jew?" Can a Jew remain a Jew if he/she is an atheist, or practices eastern mysticism or even denies that the events as recorded in the Bible actually happened? Most Jews would say that being Jewish has nothing to do with your personal philosophy of life.
Some Jewish theologians say that you must keep kosher and follow an elaborate system of man-made rabbinic traditions and laws. Are both views right?
"Is one a Jew based on what one believes, or does, or is Jewishness a permanent status inherited at birth? .
I personally know many Messianic Jews in Indianapolis that love the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, believe in the coming of the Messiah, life after death, and that God really answers prayer. They believe both the written Torah and the Jewish prophets and also believe in the New Covenant God promised to the Jewish people.
So maybe you can be Jewish and believe in Jesus. What do you think?
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Updated: 01/03/03