​​THE ROOT OF JESSE

"To Abraham was born Isaac; and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and his brothers; and to Judah were born Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and to Perez was born Hezron; and to Hezron, Ram; and to Ram was born Aminadab; and to Amminadab, Nashon; and to Nashon, Salmon; and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; and to Jesse was born David the king.

"And to David was born Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah; and to Solomon was born Rehoboam; and to Rehoboam, Abijah; and to Abijah, Asa; and to Asa was born Jehoshaphat; and to Jehoshaphat, Joram; and to Joram, Uzziah; and to Uzziah was born Jotham; and to Jotham, Ahaz; and to Ahaz, Hezekiah; and to Hezekiah was born Manasseh; and to Manasseh, Amon; and to Amon, Josiah; and to Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

"And after the deportation to Babylon, to Jeconiah was born Shealtiel; and to Shealtiel, Zerubbabel; and to Zerubbabel was born Abihud; and to Abihud, Eliakin; and to Eliakin, Azor; and to Azor was born Zadok; and to Zadok, Achim; and to Achim, Eliud; and to Eliud was born Eleazar; and to Eleazar, Matthan; and to Matthan, Jacob; and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ." (Matt. 1:1-16)

Those who believe in Jesus as the Messiah (Christ, in Greek) are called Christians. This term serves to set apart these believers from Jews, most of whom do not believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. However, this separation was never intended by God when He sent His Son as Messiah.

Jesus was born as a Jew and attended the Jewish synagogue (Luke 4:16). He celebrated Jewish Feasts (Luke 2:41, 42; 22:7, 8; John 7:1-14; 10:22, 23).  He instructed His disciples to serve their own: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritan; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 10:5, 6) Jesus told the multitudes that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.  He came to fulfill them. (Matt. 5:17)  His fulfillment was to be a completion of what His Father had begun when He first called Abraham. (Ex. 12:1-3)  After His death and resurrection He told the eleven disciples, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18, 19) Jesus never "commanded" His disciples to start a new "church", set apart from the existing worship system of the Jews.

Unfortunately, this is the very thing that happened.  As the teachings of Jesus spread throughout the inhabited world, the people who came to believe in Him "adjusted" the truth that He taught to fit the culture in which they lived.  As a result, the Jewish roots of Christianity were played down, neglected, disregarded, and eventually shunned.  Today, if Jesus were to walk into a place of Christian worship, He would not recognize the proceedings for their lack of "Jewishness".  Yes, He would recognize His words, as quoted from the Gospels during the service. And He would hear the promises of the Old Testament, as they are being applied to today's living.  But He would not find the roots of the Hebrew people being taught as the foundation of a relationship with His Father.   Nor would He sense in the hearts of the people His Father's Heart for Israel.   He would not hear, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deut. 6:4) being proclaimed over Jew and Gentile alike.  Yet Jews and Christians are from the same Source. "...for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:28, 29)  Paul explained to the Romans (Chapter 11) how the "family tree" was to grow.  The Jews who did not accept Jesus as Messiah were broken off from the olive tree and the Gentile believers were grafted in.  However, if Jewish unbelievers become believers, they are grafted back into the tree.  The tree, whose Root is God (Yahweh), is the Jewish family tree.  The Gentiles are accepted into the family by their acceptance of Jesus (Yeshua), the Jewish Messiah (Yeshua ha Mashiah).  The tree was not cut down and a new one planted when Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.   "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph. 4:4-6)

Bottom Line

"Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.  For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written,

"THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO THEE AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO THY NAME."

And again he says,

"REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE."

And again,

"PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM."

And again Isaiah says,

"THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.'" (Rom. 15:5-12)

CHOICE

The Christian Church has many different denominations: Baptist, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, to name a few, as well as non-denominational and inter-denominational churches.  The Jews have their varieties, too: Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, etc.  Each of us chooses to (or not to) attend a particular house of worship, usually according to our beliefs, and likes or dislikes.  Does the place you attend proclaim Jesus as the Jewish Messiah Who came to bring salvation to the Jew first?  Most churches do not.  We are not advocating the creation of another denomination that recognizes the Jewish roots of Christianity. We are informing you of the design of God’s House of Worship from its beginning, which is the plan He desires you to follow in your own worship.  If you will fervently search the depths of the Spirit of God which dwells within you, you will find the love of God for His People Israel.  And, if you truly love God, you will love His People Israel.

HE IS THE GOD OF ISRAEL!

Does the God of Israel dwell within you?  Do you know His Son Jesus as your Messiah?  The "Root" of who you are is contained within Them, within you.  Welcome Them into your life. (Ps. 41:13; 59:5; 68:8; 69:6; 72:18; 106:48)

CURRENT EVENTS

During the 1930's, when Hitler was busy ravaging Europe and exterminating the Jews, the United States and Great Britian were not interested in getting involved in the plight of the Jews and others who were being murdered by Hitler.

Today, NATO's involvement in Serbia and Kosovo is questionable, to say the least.  Similar situations exist in other countries today.  Why has NATO decided to enter this battle at this time?  We don't present that question in order to provide you with an answer, but to cause you to think about the repercussions of such a decision on other countries facing similar situations...specifically Israel.  There is often a hidden agenda that the "human eye" cannot see.  Will Israel be the next country forced to accept the (further) loss of their land by NATO intrusion in their matters of state?  This is indeed a foreboding precedent!

"Blow the trumpet in Zion.  Sound the alarm on God's holy mountain." (Joel 2:1)

GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.  When she told me that her father had been in a Nazi concentration camp I felt a stab in my heart that brought grief to my spirit and tears to my eyes. The Spirit of Father God within me was wounded by her very words concerning one of His Children.  The ill-treatment of His people has always grieved Him and always will.  Does it grieve you - NOW?  It should, if you know the Father's Heart for His People.  NOW - because the persecution has never ended; it has just taken on a new face.  Watch, with His eyes, and listen, with His ears, and you will understand that God's People still are and always will be a target of enmity.

Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai!

Blessed is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord!

In Jesus' Name, Be Blessed!