This
Christmas I have been hearing a lot about the Jewishness
of Jesus. Radio Preachers, Seminarians, Bible Scholars, and Rob-Bell-fans have
been reminding us that Mary and Joseph were Jews and that the Jewish baby Jesus
was wrapped in Jewish swaddling clothes and laid in a Jewish manger. These are
not particularly new this year; actually, such ruminations have been around for
ages. They just seem to be appearing with greater frequency (according to my anecdotal
evidence).
Why all the talk about Jews at Christmas? What is the significance of the Jewishness of Jesus?
Historicity:
I think one reason why we talk about the Jewishness
of Jesus is to defend the historicity of the event of
Christmas. We want to assert that this is not myth or a legend in the order of
Santa Claus. This story is real flesh and blood history that took place in the
time and space of the Jewish people. Such an emphasis on historicity is
especially important for apologetics, as it serves to shore up a potentially
floundering faith in the face of modern skeptics. The Jewishness
of Jesus' birth empowers us to say, "No, this is not a myth; it really
happened!"
Hermeneutics:
But historicity is not the whole picture. The apologetic concern is not the
only concern. We also talk about the Jewishness of
Jesus because it helps us understand the story better. Hearing
about the complexities of Jewish bethrothal practices
helps us to grasp why Mary and Joseph's situation was so harried. Knowing that
the shepherds were were the
lowest class in Jewish society helps us get the message of Luke's account. The Jewishness of Jesus helps the stories make more sense,
therefore making an old story come alive.
... but ...
But I wonder if these two aspects really get at the heart of what it means to
say Jesus is Jewish. I wonder what it is like for Jews to overhear Christians
talk about this stuff. I wonder if Jews think we don't take the Jewishness of Jesus seriously. Because if
we did, we would not just talk about historicity and hermeneutics. Why?
Because as long as its just about defending and understanding the story, the Jewishness of Jesus is still just accidental
to the story itself. In other words, it is not an essential or necessary aspect
of the story. We are interested in Jesus' Jewishness
because we are interested in Jesus, and he just happens to be Jewish.
If he happened to be Filipino, Belgian, or Kazakh, then we would be
studying one of these cultures. But he didn't. So we just happen
talk about Jews during Christmas.
Theology:
What would it mean for the Jewishness of Jesus to be
more than accidental to the Christmas story? It would start with remembering
that Jesus is a Jew because he is the the fulfiller
of God's covenant with
The Jewishness of God should give us pause concerning
how we treat our Jewish neighbors this holiday season. More importantly, the Jewishness of God should give us pause concerning how we
treat God this year. Do we really beleive
that he became this man? Do we take that seriously? Does it bring out awe in
our hearts? Does it color everything we do? Does it affect our picture of how
God relates to his creation? Does it imply something about what it means to be
human? Do we really worship the God of the Jews who became a Jew to save the
Gentiles?
In light of the Jewishness of God, Christmas is also
about identifying God. It did happen in history (historicity),
and its cultural context helps us understand it (hermeneutics). But it also
definitively and irreversibly identifies God as the God who became this Jewish
man. This God, and this God alone, we
celebrate this and every Christmas.
At 10:42 AM, December 08, 2005, David Drury
said...
Thanks for this insightful piece on the Jewishness of Jesus.
The most stark line it it
for me was: "God is a Jew."
As transcendent as God is from humanity... in a way this makes God more
"immanent" to a Jew than to a Gentile. He was "one of them"
more than he was just "one of us."
So this gives me more motivation to do the cross-cultural thing into the Bible
to understand the people Jesus not only came to... but understand the people
Jesus was a part of.
At 4:38 PM, December 08, 2005, Just
. Jay said...
amen. nice
piece... it is very nice.
interesting how the Jewishness
of the Bible is becoming so fashionable. I do wonder what's next... you know
Christians and fads. Dradel necklaces? "Shalom" replaces "In Him"
at the end of emails from your pastoral staff?
At 5:33 PM, December 08, 2005, pk
said...
Fabulous thoughts John. I
noticed this is just about the first time EVER you haven't put
thought-provoking questions at the end that make my brain hurt ;-)
You are for once giving us permission to sit back and enjoy your creative
mastery of the intersection of theology and life. Thanks for the respite. I'm
enjoying simply enjoying your writing.
At 7:37 PM, December 08, 2005, Keith.Drury
said...
Hmmmm...got me thinking...
for instance:
If God did not "become a Jew"...
then Jesus was not a Jew,
or Jesus was not God.
Very interesting was to think about the incarnation of God into a human AND
into Jewishness... facinating...
gotta go for a walk and think some more on that..
At 6:18 AM, December 09, 2005, Dakotaranger
said...
I think part of the importance that Christ was
Jewish was an extention of the promisis
God made with Abraham. And I think part of it is that it gives access to those
of Jewish heritage to accept Christ.
While granted most haven't, but if Christ was born Roman He could have been
easier seen as a cult leader (which I know He was) instead of keeping the door
open.
Well that's my plug nickel
At 1:50 PM, December 09, 2005, The AJ Thomas
said...
Hi, thanks for some great stuff to think about.
Don't tell Bono though, he still thinks God is Catholic.
At 3:48 PM, December 12, 2005, Jake said...
Well said, John. Well said.