If Jews are the chosen people, Why dont christians practice Judaism and vice versa?

Question

MATURE responses only!!! Dont take offense, this is a serious question I've wanted to know the answer to for a long time. Can some one with a good understaning of both religions explain this to me.

I dont know that much about Christianity or Judaism but I've heard it said that in the Bible the Jews are God's chosen people, so I was wondering why dont they believe in Jesus ( maybe some do, I dont really know) and wasnt Jesus himself also a Jew?

Answer 1

Jews were the chosen people by God. Thats why He sent His son down to be born into a Jewish culture. However, when Jesus started preaching, His own people, the Jews, didn't believe He was the Messiah, God's son. Eventually, Jesus left them and preached to the non-jews, the Gentiles. The Gentiles that followed Him later became known as Christians, as is any person who follows in Christ's footsteps. Now Gods chosen people is whoever decides to follow Him, they will get to Heaven, not just Jews.

Answer 2

Yes, Jesus was born a Jew and died a Jew. All of the apostles were Jews.
Christians can only explain "their" version of Judaism to you. The Roman Catholic Church banned the Talmud and burned every copy they could find during the Dark Ages. Ask Christians about the Talmud and see how many know what it is.
Jews are waiting for a messiah (a great human leader) who will bring peace on earth. Jews have followed many great leaders whom they believed to be the messiah, but when the leader died and there was no "peace on earth" they knew he was not the messiah.
There are many other reasons why Jews cannot accept Jesus as the messiah. You can find the basics here, or find a synogogue and sign up for some of the courses.
http://www.jewfaq.org/moshiach.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm
BTW: Jews are definitely not a race. Ruth was the first convert to Judaism and many others from all over the world have followed in her footsteps. The only "bloodline" to be followed is that of the priests (Kohane, Cohen, Cohn, etc.).

Answer 3

The "Old Testament" relates that God, through Moses, told the Jews that they are His "treasured nation". God made an eternal covenant with the Jews; he said he would never leave them.

Personally, I agree with your premise. Once it is accepted that the Jews had "The Truth" at some point, there is no reason to change that status. All adherents to religions which are built upon Judaism, directly or indirectly, such as Christians, Muslims, and Bahai, should all convert to Judaism.

Today, many Christians assert that the Jews were once the "Chosen nation," but God changed his mind. (In this view, "eternal" doesn't mean eternal and "never" doesn't mean never.)

There are some Christians who believe that God has a two track plan, one for Jews and another one for the rest of humanity.

As to the second part of your question - why Jews don't believe in Jesus - we, the guardians of "The Truth" have a problem with thinking of Jesus as "Messiah", and we have a p[roblem with thinking of him as divine.

We know what the definition of God is, and the Christian belief in Jesus violates it. God is perfect; he cannot be imperfect. People are imperfect, having various needs and limits. If God cannot be less than God - less than perfect - it follows that God cannot be "made flesh". Gods perfection doesn't not allow for Him to do what is impossible.

And as Messiah? We know of a long list of things that the Messaih is to accomplish. Just to pick one: The Messiah is to bring an end to war. Jesus didn't make an end to war - just watch the evening news. If war still exists, the Messiah has not yet arrived.

Answer 4

When you talk about "Chosen People" the question is chosen for what. The answer is they were chosen to bring redemption to the world. (Forgiveness for sins) This was to be accomplished through a Messiah (Anointed One) who would be born to the Nation of Israel. Christians believe that Jesus (A Jew) was the Messiah and has brought salvation to mankind through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross 2,000 years ago. This salvation has now been extended to the whole world, no longer just the Jewish people. We agree with Judaism but the old covenant has now passed away and we live under the New Testament. Most Jewish people do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and are still waiting for Him to come. There are many Jewish people who do believe in Jesus and have become Christians.

Answer 5

Indeed the Jews were chosen as the people through whom the Saviour would come. In that sense they are special, however, when the Saviour came they rejected Him and put Him to death through the Romans. And so now they stand outside of God's plan.

One of the things the Saviour was to accomplish was to bring all people together and lead them back to God. That's exactly what Jesus did, Christianity, unlike all religions prior to it, was never a local religion, or a state religion, or the religion of any particular race. From the beginning people of all races and sexes, regardless of their social status have come to be one in Christ.

You see, Judaism is the foundation of Christianity, there would be no Christianity without it but Judaism without Christianity is only a "half-religion" you can say. They're looking for a Saviour that already came. They're in the dark until they accept Jesus, the Saviour of all men, not just Jews.

In other words, for Christians to practice Judaism they would have to renounce Jesus and go back instead of forward. Christianity is the continuation of Judaism. That's why we have the Old Testament and the New Testament. They only have the Old Testament.

Answer 6

Jew's are God's chosen people. However Satan also chooses them for tempting. The propechies said that when our savior came we would reject him. That was what happened with the Jews. You can say Jesus was a Jew, but He didn't believe in Judism, He believed in his Father, God the Almighty. Christianity is like the updated version of Judism. We were all same religions, then Jesus came, some Jews believed Jesus was their savior and became Christians, while the other Jews thought he was some big crazy dude saying he was the son of God. Therefore we have our Mesiah, and the Jews are still waiting. We have developed our Church status over the past 2000 years, while the Jewish still have almost the same identical practices.

Answer 7

In John 4:22 JESUS said "For salvation is of the Jews." But, HE also said in Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." meaning HE is accomplishing all the figures and prophecies; and perfecting all that was imperfect of/in the "Old Law" of the Jews.

Everything what the Jewish people did before the coming of Christ prefigured HIS purpose and what He has come to do. You can say that Noah's Ark prefigured the purpose of Baptism or "Jonah in the Whale" prefigured JESUS death and resurrection. Or, Jewish Passover used a lamb blood for the atonement of their household sins (which is weak) while JESUS being the "Lamb of GOD" HIS blood was used for the atonement of the world (which is perfect and strong).

So now, salvation is not through Israel of the Jewish people but through the Church of Christianity, the "New fulfilled Israel."

Now if you were Jewish and you enter to a Catholic Church, which is Christian and the Church that JESUS founded (that's for another topic), a lot of the Jewish traditions can be found in the Church. Like the sacrifice, priesthood, prayers and etc... Some remains the same but some have a different meaning due to the fulfillment of that tradition. Like circumcision no longer needed to enter God’s covenant (an Old Law) but Baptism replaces it (New Law).

Jews do not do it vice-versa because they do not believe JESUS is their Christ or Messiah. Also from JESUS and up till now, Christian do not need to follow any new traditions or ways of Judaism since their authority has no ruling over Christianity.

I hope I gave some good basis to your question.

Answer 8

To answer your question, Christians do practice Judaism as deals with the spirit of the Law. That and the fact that we are not of the Jewish race, persay.

As to the others, who say that the Jews are NOT God's chosen people, here's God's response:

Exodus 9:13 Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine:

Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I [am] the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 ....and will be their God, and they shall be my people

Answer 9

Christians and Jews only agree on the first 5 books of the Bible. Jews don't believe in Christ, therefore they think it's still necessary to practice all those things. But Christians, however, follow Christ and we know that you don't have to be a Jew to get into Heaven (or do any of their practices), just trust in Christ and follow Him every day of your life.

Answer 10

yes jesus was a jew, that a little fact christians like to forget. yes the jews are refered to as gods chosen people, historical it's instrating there hasnt been an empire to mess with them and not fall.