Examining the claims that “Jesus was not Jewish” and “Christians persecuted Jews for 2,000 years”—an invitation to the truth and to dive deeper. 

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by Rev. Tanya Owens

In This Article

We live in a world with many voices, many ideas, and many versions of history. With the advent of the internet and social media, ideas travel the globe before people can suss out the validity of the claims. Some ideas shift and rock nations, others condition people against ethnic groups or ideologies. Righteous Rivers Ministries is not here to litigate every idea to prove whether they are false or true. There are many websites and entities that exist to debunk or prove claims. However, we have uncovered two myths about the person and nature of Jesus that we feel compelled to address. 

One myth we have encountered in testimony videos and social-media conversations is that Jesus is not Jewish—that He was Roman, Greek, Catholic, or the founder of a religion detached from the people and Scriptures of Israel.

This is historically false. Jesus was Jewish—thoroughly, unmistakably, and eternally connected to the covenantal story of Israel. His Hebrew name was Yeshua. He was born to a Jewish mother, raised in a Jewish home, circumcised on the eighth day, presented at the Temple according to the Law of Moses, taught in synagogues, observed Israel’s feasts, read and fulfilled Israel’s Scriptures, and chose Jewish disciples. The earliest believers in Yeshua were Jewish, and the first proclamation of His resurrection was preached in Jerusalem by Jewish apostles.

Jesus did not come to begin a Roman religion or to become detached from the people of Israel. He came as Israel’s promised Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach. He came in fulfillment of the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the prophets.

Yet understanding that Yeshua was Jewish also helps correct another serious misunderstanding. Some speak of His death as though it were only a tragic mistake—something that should never have happened. The arrest, rejection, injustice, and violence surrounding the crucifixion reveal the evil of human sin. But Yeshua’s death was not a surprise to God, and it was not the failure of His mission.

Yeshua was born to die.

John the Baptist, Yochanan ben Zechariah, identified Him as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Before the cross, Yeshua Himself said, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18).

No person or group overpowered the Son of God against His will. Yeshua gave Himself willingly. He came to bear sin, to offer the sacrifice humanity could never offer for itself, and to reconcile sinners to God. The sacrificial pattern found throughout the Torah pointed beyond itself to God’s provision for sin. In Yeshua, Christians believe that provision has come.

Without His death, there is no Lamb of God who takes away sin. Without the cross, there is no atoning sacrifice. And without the resurrection, there is no victory over death.

But Yeshua did not remain in the grave. He rose on the third day according to the Scriptures. His resurrection declares that death did not defeat Him, His sacrifice was accepted, and the Messiah lives. The Christian message is not merely that Jesus died. It is that Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah, gave His life willingly, rose again, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who place their faith in Him. 

Another myth circulating is that Christians have persecuted Jews for 2,000 years. That statement is too broad to describe the whole history of Jewish-Christian relations accurately.

We do not have the space here to survey twenty centuries of complex history. The earliest followers of Yeshua were themselves Jewish. In the first century, followers of Yeshua faced opposition and persecution, violence, torture, imprisonment, and death from several directions: from some Jewish authorities who regarded their message as an aberration from Jewish faith, and from the Roman Empire.

As empires changed and religious institutions gained political power, some governments, rulers, and communities committed grievous sins against Jewish people while invoking the name of Christ. That history is real, dark, and cannot be softened. But such actions do not arise from the commands of Yeshua or the teaching of the New Testament. 

Scripture does not authorize Christians to persecute Jewish people—or any people. Nothing in the character, teaching, or command of Yeshua gives Christians permission to hate, coerce, mistreat, marginalize, or harm any people. Yeshua commanded His disciples to love one another as He loved them. Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). Yeshua taught His followers to be merciful, even toward the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35–36).

Love is not weakness, silence, or compromise with error. Love is the character of Christ expressed through truth, mercy, and faithfulness. Love also compels Christians to care for “the least of these,” those on the margins, those who suffer, and our fellow human beings. The command to love is a tenet of our faith.

A Christian may disagree deeply with Jewish lived practice or with the policies/actions of the Jewish state, as Jewish people may disagree deeply with Christian belief, without persecution or reduction. Those who bear Christ’s name are called to demonstrate His love.

This article is not asking anyone to abandon honest questions, personal history, or deep convictions. It is an invitation to look again at Yeshua—not through the lens of later religious conflict or cultural caricature, but through the writings that testify about His life, death, and resurrection.

If you are Jewish and have never read the New Testament for yourself, I invite you to begin with Matthew, Luke, Acts, and Hebrews. You do not have to begin by assuming they are Scripture or accepting every conclusion Christians draw from them. Read them first as first-century Jewish writings centered on Yeshua of Nazareth.

• Read Matthew and meet a Messiah introduced as “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” 

• Read Luke and see Yeshua circumcised, presented at the Temple, and situated in the worship and hope of Israel. 

• Read Acts and observe Jewish apostles in Jerusalem proclaiming that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob raised His Servant Yeshua. 

• Read Hebrews and consider its sustained engagement with the priesthood, covenant, sacrifices, Tabernacle, and promises given through Israel.

Then ask the question that matters: Could Yeshua truly be the Messiah promised in the Scriptures of Israel?

Coming to terms with who Jesus, Yeshua ben Yosef, is should not be taken lightly. Take some time to ponder, research, and pray. I hope these resources will benefit you on your journey.

Recommended Books:

• Brad H. Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian

• Brad H. Young, Meet the Rabbis: Rabbinic Thought and the Teachings of Jesus

• David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary

• David H. Stern, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel

• Michael L. Brown, Answering Objections to Jesus (5-volume series)

Messianic Jewish Ministries:

• ONE FOR ISRAEL — Israel-based Messianic ministry with video testimonies, teaching, articles, and Hebrew-language outreach. Its “I Met Messiah” collection is especially appropriate for readers who want to hear directly from Jewish believers in Yeshua.oneforisrael+1

• Jews for Jesus — Offers articles, videos, testimony, and introductory resources addressing common Jewish questions about Jesus, the Messiah, the Bible, and Jewish identity.

• Chosen People Ministries — Provides Bible studies, articles, evangelistic resources, testimony, and material for Jewish seekers. Its Chosen People Answers resource is designed specifically for questions about Jesus and messianic prophecy.chosenpeople+1

• Messianic Jewish Alliance of America — A longstanding Messianic Jewish organization founded in 1915, with educational and ministry resources as well as connections to the wider Messianic Jewish community.

• Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations — Useful for locating congregations and learning about Messianic Jewish community life, theology, and Jewish discipleship to Yeshua