Was Jesus a Jew?
The Bible Clearly Defines Jesus as Jewish
The Bible explicitly teaches again and again Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, a descendant of David, born into the tribe of Judah, and given by God to minister, while here on earth, in the midst of His people the Israelites. His ministry, love and sacrifice were world-wide, but took place in the little nation of Israel, His people, according to the flesh.
The Seed of David
Romans 1:3-4 is as follows: “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
You can see from God’s own Word in this passage, “according to the flesh,” Jesus was “of the seed of David.” We can also see “according to the spirit of holiness,” in verse 4, Jesus is the Son of God. Luke 1:32-33 tells us the following words about Jesus:
“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
We can see once again God emphasizes in this passage Jesus is a descendant of David, according to the flesh, and therefore has the right to sit on His father David’s throne, and will do this very thing when He returns to earth.
Son of Abraham
Matthew 1:1 is as follows: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
We can see from this very first verse in the New Testament God emphasizes Jesus is not only a descendant of David, but He is also a descendant of Abraham. In this verse God traces Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham who is the father of the Jewish people. Yes indeed, Jesus was a Jew.
Because Jesus was born as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, does not mean God does not love other peoples. The Bible records Jesus’ explicit words in John 3:16, “…God so loved the world…” The Bible tells us in I John 2:2, “Jesus … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus is For Everyone
In Luke 2:10 we have the record of the angel who appeared to the shepherds on the hillside overlooking Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. Here we read that concerning the birth of Jesus, the angel said to those humble shepherds, “…I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
We can see from these verses that even though God saw fit to have Jesus born into the tribe of Judah as a descendant of David and as a descendant of Tribe of Abraham, as a Jew, God sent Him for all people not just for the tribe of Judah, but for all twelve tribes in Israel-not just for Israel, but for all nations. Jesus our Savior is for all people.
