The First Creed
Yeshua: The Jesus We Never Knew - Part 7
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Galatians 3:27-29, Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:28-29
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
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Jesus was Jewish. The Apostles were Jewish. Paul was Jewish, and a pharisee at that. What’s more, none of these so-called “founders of Christianity” ever declared themselves “Christian.” In fact, the term Christian is only used three times in the New Testament, once by the people of Antioch in Acts 11:26, once by King Agrippa in Acts 26:28, and once by Peter in 1 Peter 4:16. In the beginning, most “Christians” were Jews and the history of forming a completely separate religion involves a much longer and more complicated history beyond the lifespans of any of the Biblical writers.
In fact, some of the Jews in Galatia and elsewhere, called Judaizers, believed that in order for Gentiles to become “Christ followers”, they must first be circumcised and become Jews. Paul does not share their view. Following Christ is clearly not about some kind of religious conversion.
Despite our long and violent history of separation from our Jewish brothers and sisters, as Pope Francis says, “Inside every Christian is a Jew.”
Even as Christianity formally distanced itself from Judaism, there were many sects or branches of this new church. Today there are an estimated 40 to 45 thousand Christian denominations throughout the world, and though many fall under shared denominational families, they still represent thousands if not tens of thousands of differences over any number of beliefs.
By understanding Jesus’ Jewish roots and teachings, especially around the themes of neighbor love and the Kingdom of Heaven as we have done these past several weeks, we are actually seeking a better understanding of our own faith.
In the end, many of the distinctions between Christians, Jews and Muslims (the three Abrahamic monotheistic religions), may not even be as extreme or antagonistic as some of the battles within each religion themselves. We all have a lot more in common than we care to admit.
So why does it matter?
Because we Christians like to be right. We like to be certain about what we believe. And in doing so we like to assume everyone else is wrong, even among our fellow Christians. Perhaps it is time for a little less bickering over who is right or wrong, in or out, saved or unsaved, and a lot more humility as we seek to follow the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus on his own terms.