S2 EP2 | Why Are Christians Acting Like Jews?

A Jew and a Gentile Discuss

So, you run across a person you know is Gentile but who wears a Star of David, a prayer shawl and says and does Jewish things. And you just don’t get it. Wait, what? Why…? Huh?

Or maybe you’re one of those people; you’re Gentile, and you love Israel and the Jewish people just like the Bible says you should. So, what’s the problem, right?

In this episode of A Jew and A Gentile Discuss, Carly and Ezra dig into the subject of “Jewish affinity” to sort out the questions and mysteries surrounding it. They challenge both sides with pointed questions and insights. Join them as they discuss:

• What “Jewish affinity” is and where it sometimes comes from
• Biblical examples of Jesus being Jewish
• Where the words Jew and Jewish come from
• Invitation vs. obligation regarding Jewish observance
• The line where Jewish things could become not so good for Gentiles

Along the Way

As always, as the conversation progresses, some great insights emerge, like:

• Flipping the script on perceived weirdness of a Jewish affinity due to mixed marriage
• Jesus not only “was” Jewish, Jesus “is” Jewish
• Interesting tidbit about how the “Lost Tribes of Israel” identify themselves
• Three questions Ezra answers with: “I absolutely do,” “No, I don’t,” and “Sure, I do”
• The two types of “Why” questions Gentiles should ask themselves about participating in Jewish things
• Do Christians earn anything in God’s eyes by doing Jewish things?
• Reasons why Messianic Judaism may have gotten a bad rap among the Christian community
• Caution about fair-weather alignment with the Jewish people
• Loving Jewish things but not Jewish people – Ouch! – Good point of self-examination

Words You Might Learn in This Episode

Rabbi, rabboni, Yehuda, Ani Yehuda, Bnei Menashe, Cohen/Kohanim, Lost Tribes, “scattered Jewish communities,” WWJD, Shabbat, tallit, mezuzah, shin, Hashem

Scriptures Referenced in this Episode

Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:3, Hebrews 1:3, 0:12, 12:2, Revelation 3:21, Revelation 19:11–16, Haggai 2:7, Deuteronomy 7:7, 9:5–6, Isaiah 49:6, Romans 11:13–21, Romans 7:12–13, Galatians 3:24, Romans 3:20, Colossians 1:15

Previous Episodes Mentioned

S2 E1 | Jewish in America: What the Pew Survey Missed

S1 E49 | Mixed Marriages: Love and Marriage with Aaron and Maria Baer

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