Jamin Bradley

For the earliest church, Christianity was Judaism. The early Christ followers were Jews who had filled in the gap of who they believed their coming King was. Therefore, no Jew would have been thinking, “I need to abandon my faith and join this Christian movement”—rather, their thoughts were more like, “We are the Jews who believe that the king we’ve been waiting for is Jesus.” This is why Paul could get away with preaching in the Jewish synagogues everywhere he went. These synagogues didn’t always turn him away, but allowed him to come back over and over again to make his theological and Scriptural points. The Jews didn’t always view Paul as a cult leader preaching a different religion, but as a Jewish Pharisee explaining how the Old Testament validated Jesus as the fulfillment of their religion.

That being said, Jews did not need to become unJewish to become Christian. From a Christian perspective, they were becoming more fully Jewish by believing their prophecies had been fulfilled in Christ. They did not necessarily need to abandon their cultures and customs to become Christian either. They could still circumcise their children, practice their feasts, live out their sabbaths, and so on. What they would have to do, however, is the same kind of cultural pruning that the Gentiles did.

Jesus deconstructed Jewish thinking all the time with his, “You’ve heard it said, but I say,” statements. The Sermon on the Mount is very much a, “Here’s where we’ve all missed the point,” kind of message. To find the point, the Jews would need to acknowledge Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. This fulfillment is important, because laws only work under rulers and judges who practice wisdom and righteousness. Laws themselves can become quite unethical if applied incorrectly, or if they fall into the hands of the wrong judge. Therefore, the Jews should expect to experience some pruning of their thinking as Jesus taught them how to correctly apply their own traditions, laws, and customs in a Godly way. They would have to undergo more “You’ve heard it said, but I say,” statements. Some of their Jewish customs might be able to stay, but the Gentiles won’t be expected to follow them. Some of their Jewish customs might be found to have missed the point all along and those might have to go. The same is true of the Gentiles. Some of their Gentile traditions, laws, and customs may be able to stay, but the Jews won’t be expected to follow them. And some of their Gentile customs might have to go entirely as well.

So if the Jews and the Gentiles make Jesus the king of their nations, they will all experience pruning. No Jew has to become unJewish except to prune to Jesus as the fulfillment of the law, via the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, no Gentile has to become unGentile, except to prune to Jesus as the fulfillment of the law, via the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For in the coming New Creation, we still have nations, languages, kings, cultures, and customs—and hence we will have a faith that is one in belief, but varied in expression.