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"Do you know why He did that?"

IT WAS A beautiful bris, a Jewish type of baby dedication. The newborn cradled in adult hands, smiles wreathed all the faces. Below it, the author of the post had written a comment. I scanned it and stopped at the last sentence. Were these tears mine or God’s? Both.

“Welcome to covenant.”

And there it was again. The faith of the Jews. Just moments earlier, in another post, by a different author, a Rebbe gave correction to what was translated as the world “matchmaking”, the Rebbe speaking Hebrew. The correction was interesting, but it was his comment halfway in that caught me.

“Anyone seeking salvation should first change their character.”

Salvation, the blessing of covenant.

“We’re so stupid,” I said to an empty room. I mean, I grew up in the church. I knew Jesus was a Jew. (The Spirit has recently corrected me on this. Jesus is Jew. Not one of, implied by the article “a” but all of.) I knew the Bible was the story of the Jews. But in all of our theology about salvation, healing, giving, and prophecy, I never heard anyone say they were saved. Well, except for the disciples and those who confessed Jesus as Lord after His Resurrection. And no one directly said it. To me, Israel was as lost as a goose in a snowstorm.

Now I’ve met Jesus.

Really met Him. And He’s nothing like the image drawn in the church. He’s so gentle and kind, so peaceful. In love with me. In love with the Jews. He looks past all our faults, mine, yours, theirs, on a scale much larger than we’ve given Him. We, in the Gentile church, make stupid comments about God being judgmental, and He just isn’t. We make Him critical. But Jesus sees the heart.

This is Jesus who died for the world that I’m talking about. Do you know why He did that? He SO LOVED everyone on it. Those who’d lived and died and awaited Him in Paradise, those who hung on crosses beside Him, those who’d put Him there, and the millions who’d be born in generations which followed. Jews and Greeks, barbarians and Scythians, bond and free (Colossians 3:11). People born here, who’d grown up here, who’d struggled and overcame things here.

I said this another day, but on the way to the cross, Jesus endured as much hatred as His people. The Romans stripped Him bare, pressed a crown of thorns on His brow, and said, “Hail, the king!” All the while, leading Him toward an excruciating, public death. He was despised, mocked for being Jewish, treated as worthless, and slain before the crowd. It was very public. His mother saw Him die (John 19:26). His best friends. And those who rejoiced to see it went right back to performing the sacrifices of the Law, which He represents.

What they couldn’t see was the heart of the Father. And in the days which followed, from Jesus’ Resurrection to the Day of Pentecost, refused to alter what would become in today’s Israel steps of faith. Why do I put it this way? Because a newborn was welcomed to their covenant, in the last few days, and salvation is theirs to seek and find. And we are a product of them, in the manner God chose to give to us.

Today’s Israel is not the Israel of Paul’s letters. Not the one of the days of the temple worship. They have survived persecution on a scale their King and Savior gets, though they know Him as Hashem. And they see, in a pattern, what G_d has done for them. They know what He’s still doing, that He’s faithful to them to keep His Word. And there’s heaven at the end of this life.

Heaven is full of Jews. And many people, I suspect, who we’ve condemned. But know this, God is merciful and longsuffering, His name be praised. Just ask Israel.

“They asked Jesus, ‘Can you hear what these children are saying?’ ‘Yes’, Jesus replied. ‘I am sure that you have read this message from God, ‘Babies and children say how important you are. Their words will be completely beautiful and correct.’” (Matthew 21:16 EasyEnglish)

Illustration by barsrsind on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com