Greg and Amy address the question of why Jesus was born specifically to the Jewish people, pointing out that Jesus’ arrival was not random, but the fulfillment of a long-standing promise that ties together the entire biblical story of redemption.
Transcript
Question: My husband, who is a new Christian, asked, “Why didn’t Jesus come to a Chinese family or African or any other nationality? Why specifically the Jews? And how did those other nationalities arrive through a white Jewish survivor called Noah? Were any of the survivors black or Chinese or as distinguishable as they are today?
Greg: Well, this is a fair question, but it’s an odd one.
We do not know what color Noah was. There’s no indication anywhere that he was white, and he wasn’t Jewish because there were no Jews then. There does seem to be groupings of people, and a lot of this has to do with isolation in geographic areas. By reproduction, certain genetic traits become predominant, and over time, that whole group of people takes on a very particular way of looking—physical appearance.
In Genesis 11, you have the people being confused with the different languages. This isolates people into different groups already. So, you can talk to geneticists about that, but I don’t think there’s any mystery. By the way, this is the case even without God intervening at Babel. Humans were one thing. Then, over time, through genetic pooling and stuff like that, you have these variations. It isn’t like you had Swedes all developing through an evolutionary process on their own, and then you have a whole other group of people developing through the evolutionary process completely separate. No. There was a core group that ended up moving out, and then they developed these distinctive characteristics. That’s not an issue.
Here’s the other thing that’s interesting. Let’s just say that Jesus was born of a Chinese family. Wouldn’t the same question apply there? Why was he born of a Chinese family and not of a Jewish family, or a black family, or a Swedish family? Well, because he’s got to be born somewhere. If God’s going to send a Messiah, he’s got to be born somewhere with some group of people. So, you’re not going to be able to avoid that fact.
Now, there is a specific answer why he was born to the Jewish race. It’s because the Jewish race was started by God for the purpose of bringing the Messiah into the world. And, by the way, it wasn’t just, “Okay, here’s a bunch of Jewish people. Have a baby. He’ll be the Messiah.” There’s thousands of years—at least 2,000 years, actually more—of recorded history of God speaking to prepare and develop the circumstances in which the nation of Israel would be the mouthpiece through which this rescuer would be proclaimed because it came from their race.
This is where the Bible Fast Forward series is going to help. People will see there’s a whole process that’s involved for God preparing the mouthpiece, the people, and all kinds of details for the arrival of the Messiah, who would rescue the world. A blessing to all nations, according to Genesis 12 in the first three verses. That’s the promise to Abraham. The ultimate goal of the Abrahamic Covenant is to rescue the world.
So, there is a theological reason why Jesus came through the Jews. God purposed to set aside one person—Abraham—and build from that one person a great nation through whom he would reach the world. That’s God’s purpose. And, of course, from that nation came the Messiah, who would be the one who saves the world. But the mouthpiece was the Jews, and they were supposed to be. Ironically, even Dennis Prager, the Jewish talk show host and intellectual—not a Christian, though he’s very Christian-friendly—says the same thing. This was the Jews’ job, to bring—he would characterize it as—ethical monotheism to the world. But the point is, God commissioned the Jews to accomplish the spiritual salvation of the world. Even on his way of thinking about it—his understanding of spiritual salvation of the world is a little different, but notice we agree on the same thing. He understands God commissions the Jews for that purpose. This is God’s great rescue plan for the world.
Amy: I think the mistake is—especially for a new Christian who may not understand what the Bible’s about—to think Jesus just plopped into the middle of this story that had nothing to do with him. But it’s all leading up to him. God chose Abraham, and the Bible talks a lot about how God didn’t choose the Jews because they were greater than everyone and more numerous and better and all that. He chose them because he wanted to reveal his glory, his power, his grace.
So, he chose one person, and out of one person, Abraham—who was after Noah—he builds up this entire culture. He gives them the Law. He gives them the promises. He gives them the temple. He creates this whole culture where they understand the need for holiness and the need for a sacrifice in order to be holy so that they can be with God. They come to understand sin and what sin is and what things are sin. This takes so much time. He’s building up an entire culture so that, when Jesus came, they would recognize him, and he would make sense—not just as something out of the blue, but something that was actually the result of all of the things he had set up over the years since Abraham.
Greg: Just take a moment and read the birth narratives. So, that would be in Matthew, and that would be in Luke. Then, look at the particular things, especially in Luke. Look at the particular things. Well, Matthew starts out with the genealogy. It goes all the way back to David. I think Luke’s genealogy might go back to Adam. But, nevertheless, why the genealogies in either case? Because there was a promise about a Savior that would come from the line of David. In both genealogies, we see the line going back in two different directions back to David through two different sons, and it converges. Mary and Joseph are on two different lines from David.
Look at the birth narratives, and you’ll see everything that’s being said by the angel regarding John the Baptist. The things that are said when they bring Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and dedicated—all of the things that the different people are saying—the particulars of what they’re saying are tying back into the thread that goes all the way back to Abraham and continues on. They’re making reference—they’re tying it all—to the past. “Yes, this is the one, the Savior promised to our fathers and the promise of Abraham and the Savior.” It’s all in there. Just read them, and you can isolate the claims being made by all these people that pertain to the history leading up to the coming of Jesus, and you will see the appeal to the continuity of history that brings its culmination in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
Amy: And, of course, we’re talking about Abraham because he’s asking about the Jews specifically. But, of course, this goes back to Adam and Eve because God promised way back in the garden that there would be a Messiah.
Greg: The snake would bruise his heel, but he will strike the snake on his head.
Amy: So, the promise goes all the way back to then. But the Jews start with Abraham. So, that’s why we’re focusing on that here. But, of course, the whole story of the Bible is all connected. It’s all one story.