8 Quick Scriptural Proofs that Yeshua is Still Jewish

I received an email the other day in regards to our recent post Ten Jewish Facts About the New Testament. This person said:

“It is a fact that Jesus is no longer Jewish. He has no nationality or ethnicity.”

It was a strong statement. When someone says, "It is a fact..." there is not much wiggle room. But rather t

han getting offended, I got in the Word! I love to be challenged and he brought up an intriguing question: What does the Bible say about Yeshua’s ethnic identity post-resurrection?

And to be clear, while I believe the Bible teaches that Yeshua is still Jewish, I don’t believe that being Jewish makes one better than someone else. NO! We are all made in God's image. He loves every child of His from every nation. There is no middle wall of partition (Eph. 2); any person from any place can come into the presence of God thanks to the sacrifice of Yeshua. Being Jewish is a calling (Rom. 11:29), not a sign of favoritism (Acts 10:34). And that calling is to serve the nations by being a light (Is. 49:6).

Okay, here we go! 8 Proofs that Yeshua is still Jewish

1. This may be shocking, but from the Book of Revelation, not only does Yeshua keep His ethnicity in heaven, but we do too! When John was able to peek into eternity, he said:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice (Rev. 7:9)

This is not on earth but in heaven. John is told that: “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:15). And yet, John was able to make out their ethnic identity. Isn’t this exciting?! God loves the nations. He has an eternal purpose for every country!—even in the age to come!

2. Post Resurrection, Yeshua is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David:

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Rev. 5:5)

Both of these titles reference His earthly ancestry and ethnic identity. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—not was.

3. When Yeshua returns, He comes to fight on behalf of Israel.

I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it...Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights on a day of battle. (Zech. 14:2-3)

4. His landing spot when He returns is the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (not Vatican City!)

On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. (Zech. 14:4)

5. He sets up His Messianic Kingdom and His Throne in Jerusalem (not Rome!)

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. (Zech. 14:8-9)

6. He calls the nations to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles—a feast given to Israel in the Torah.

Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:16)

7. He told His disciples:

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:14-18)

Yeshua will again celebrate the Passover when “the kingdom of God comes.” While the kingdom did come in one manifestation while He lived on earth, Yeshua is pointing to a time after His resurrection—most likely to the Messianic Age/Millennial Kingdom after He returns.

8. Paul refers to Yeshua as "Son of David."

...the gospel he promised before hand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David... (Rom. 1:2-3)

And then again, Paul mentions this in his passionate plea for Israel's salvation. he is even willing to go to hell for the sake of Israel.

I speak the truth in Messiah—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Messiah for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Why point this out if his Jewishness is irrelevant?

I didn't write this blog simply to say, "Hey, Jesus is still Jewish!"

I wrote it because his Hebraic heritage is connected to the future Jewish revival and His coming kingdom, which will be based in Israel and extended to all nations.

I wrote it because antisemitism is on the rise worldwide and Yeshua will not take a Jew-hating bride.

The Bible shows that at the end of the age all nations will attack Jerusalem. So we can expect antisemitism to continue to grow.

But oh what a shock it will be when the Messiah who comes to defend them is one of them. He is forever is the Lion of Judah!

[i] Technically, the better word would be Hebrew, but the word Jewish, while referring to those of the tribe of Judah, has become synonymous with any son or daughter of Abraham, and that is how I use it. Even in the New Covenant, the word Jew is actually Judean, meaning, an Israelite living in Judea.