Who and what is a Jew? Was Jesus a Jew? 

Some use Rev. 3:9 that says those Jews but are not but are "of the synagogue of SATAN." This does not mean every Jew is of the synagogue of Satan but only certain individuals. Here is how it actually reads “ I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. ”

John is not saying all Jews are of Satan as some have mistakenly interpreted this (some on purpose showing their prejudice). Nor is he saying there are no Jews.

Some want you to believe that that there are either no Jews or that being Jewish is not the same as being a Hebrew, an Israelite.

What does the Scripture say?

Rom. 3:29 “ is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? In other words the God of Scripture is the God of the Jews who is Israelites

The Jews are mentioned as Israel in 2 Kings, and in Ezra

Paul in Rom. 3:1 “ What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision ? Which was given to Abraham as the covenant seal.

Paul identifies himself as a Jew in Acts 21:39 Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus.”

Lord said to Ananias of Paul, " Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15)

The fact is that all the apostles were of Israel, they were Jewish.

We read of the New Jerusalem in heaven in Rev. 21:12 “ and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel . Rev. 21:14-15 the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Rev. 7:4 “ One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: There are twelve tribes of Israel. V.8 mentions the Tribe of Benjamen of whom Paul says he is. In Esther 2:5 we find that Mordacai was a Benjamite.

Israelite, Hebrew, a Jew.

Paul said “ For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin .” (Rom. 11:1)

Paul states , “Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.” (2 Cor. 11:22)

Here Paul makes the correlation of him being a Hebrew and an Israelite. He has already established that an Israelite is a Hebrew, a Jew (as Paul makes clear in Romans 11:1).

Yet in Acts 22:2-3 Paul says of himself "I am indeed a Jew” showing these mean the same, as
Paul writes, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews , why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews ? v.15 “We who are Jews by nature.” (Gal 2:14-15)

According to the Bible, it says of Jesus “ This is Jesus the King of the Jews (Matt. 27:37). (shows his Kingship over his people)

John 18:35 Pilate says the same thing to Jesus who is from the tribe of Judah (another one of the 12 tribes) "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

Matt 27:11 Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” So Jesus said to him, “ It is as you say.”

Luke 23:38 “ And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS .”

The Bible makes it clear, those who deny Jesus was a Jew or that to be a Jew is an Israelite, a Hebrew shows on their part either a lack of education to interpret the Bbible correctly or they are prejudice and do no care what the Word says. The nation of Israel are the Jews.

Rev 7:5 tells us that “ twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribes of the children of Israel” Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5) one of the 12 tribes

The Samaritan woman said to Jesus he is a Jew, (Jn. 4:9) from the tribe of Judah, a tribe of the Israelites. Num. 34:19-35:1 These are the names of the men: from the tribe[s] of Judah, v.29 These are the ones the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance among the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. Judah is the tribe Jesus came from.

John 4:22 for salvation is of the Jews which was said byJesus but we are to believe Jesus is not a Jew? How convoluted - How could Jesus say this unless he was a Jew? Salvation is of the Jews is not possible unless the one who brought salvation was a Jew.

The term “Jew” comes from the word “Judah” and in Hebrew is actually the same word. Only in English do we find there to be a distinction. The term “Hebrew” originated with Eber (great-grandson of Shem, who was the son of Noah), and through most of biblical history the term was used only when Jews identified themselves to Gentiles, as did Jonah (1:9), for example. By New Testament times, the terms “Hebrew,” “Israelite,” and “Jew” became synonymous.

 

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