The Full Story: Missing the Jewish Heart

A Gentle Call to Reclaim Your Faith’s Roots in Yeshua and a love for His People

Imagine a relationship so profound that it spans centuries—a bond forged through joy and sorrow, rescue and discipline, miracles and correction, love and forgiveness. Picture a partner who walks through every trial, revealing their heart through sacred words, promising to one day return in person, unveiling the fullness of their presence. This is no mere human tale; it is the story of God and His people—the Jewish people—a narrative of intimacy stretching from the Hebrew Scriptures to the dusty roads of Galilee, culminating in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah.

As a simple Jew who loves the Bible for what it is—a Jewish history book alive with God’s story—this article invites exploration of a truth often missed. The faith many Gentiles hold, beautiful as it is, rests on a foundation older than they might realize, a root that belongs to the Jewish people yet is shared by grace. History has tangled this story, and it’s heartbreaking to see how it’s drifted from what Yeshua intended. Let’s walk through this together—not as strangers, but as seekers—and uncover how the Hebrew Scriptures find their culmination in Him, offering a chance to realign with love and clarity.

A Covenant Extended: The Hebrew Scriptures

From the beginning, the Hebrew Scriptures paint a picture of a God who desires intimacy with His chosen people, Am Yisrael (the People of Israel). In Shemot (Exodus), He rescues them from Egypt, a deliverer who hears their cries (Shemot [Exodus] 3:7-8). He gives the Torah at Sinai—not a burden, but a blessing, a guide for living close to Him (Devarim [Deuteronomy] 10:13). Through the prophets, He promises a deeper bond: “I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion” (Hoshea [Hosea] 2:19, NIV).

Yet honesty compels this admission: the Jewish people have stumbled, and they still do. They’ve chased idols, from golden calves in the wilderness to today’s distractions, forgetting their first love time and again. Their history is littered with failures—rebelling in the desert (Shemot [Exodus] 32), ignoring the prophets’ calls to return (Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah] 2:13), even missing Yeshua when He walked among them. God always calls them back, patient beyond measure, but they’re not superior. In Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 53, a suffering servant appears, bearing their iniquities—a figure the sages wrestled with, some seeing a nation, others a person. It’s a promise of redemption woven into their story, one they’ve often failed to grasp.

And yet, here’s the mystery that humbles: God chose this people to carry His covenant. Why them? Not because they’re stronger or wiser—their failures prove otherwise—but because He’s a God of grace who works through the weak. In Bereshit (Genesis) 12:3, He calls Avraham (Abraham), a man from Ur with no claim to greatness, and says, “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Why? Rashi, a Jewish sage, points to God’s chesed (lovingkindness), not their merit. They’re a stiff-necked people (Shemot [Exodus] 32:9), yet He binds Himself to them with an everlasting covenant (Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah] 31:31-33), promising to write His Torah on their hearts.

This choice reflects His character, not their worth. He declares in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 7:7-8, “It was not because you were more numerous… but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers.” Rabbis debate this—some say they’re a light to the nations (Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 49:6), others a vessel for His Name. But it’s clear: He chose them to show His faithfulness outshines human frailty. They’ve carried the Torah, the promises, the hope of Mashiach (Messiah)—not perfectly, but as a cracked jar holding a treasure (Tehillim [Psalms] 78:8-10 tells of their waywardness). This isn’t just their history—it’s the soil from which Gentile hope grows. Jews stumble as Gentiles do, and together, all are held by His grace, not their goodness.

Yeshua: The Messiah Who Lived the Torah

Centuries later, Yeshua—a Jew from Jewish soil—steps into this story, claiming not to abolish the Torah but to live it to its fullest, bringing it to its intended purpose (Mattityahu [Matthew] 5:17). For Jews, this meant embodying its heart—like a seed becoming a tree, revealing God’s love in action. He’s no outsider; He’s the living Word who walked their wilderness (Yochanan [John] 1:14), showing what their covenant looks like fulfilled.

He heals, echoing Tehillim (Psalms) 103:3. He forgives, as Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:25 promises. He teaches love for God and neighbor (Mattityahu [Matthew] 22:37-40), stirring wonder and resistance alike. When He says, “I am going to prepare a place for you… I will come back” (Yochanan [John] 14:2-3), it’s a Jewish betrothal custom—a groom’s vow. Yet some Jews overcomplicated it, piling rules like Shabbat restrictions over its purpose (Marqos [Mark] 2:27). He corrected them with clarity, and a remnant followed—fishermen, tax collectors (Luqas [Luke] 5:27-28)—while others rejected Him (Yochanan [John] 19:15-16). Even that fulfilled their words: “He was pierced for our transgressions… by his wounds we are healed” (Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 53:5).

This is the Messiah for Gentiles too—but He’s the Jews’ first. Yeshua is the Mashiach (Messiah) promised to Israel, rooted in their covenant with HaShem (the Lord), the One their prophets foretold. He’s the shoot from Yishai’s (Jesse’s) stump (Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 11:1), the King of David’s line (Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah] 23:5), born in Beit Lechem (Bethlehem) as Mikhah (Micah) 5:2 predicted. His life, death, and rising are theirs—tied to their Pesach (Passover) lamb (Shemot [Exodus] 12), their atonement (Vayikra [Leviticus] 16). Yet through Him, Gentiles are grafted in. Shaul (Paul) explains in Romans 11:17-18—they’re wild olive branches, joined to Israel’s tree, drawing life from its root. Not replacing Jews, but sharing in the richness of their promises—Avraham’s (Abraham’s) blessing to all nations (Bereshit [Genesis] 12:3). Yeshua belongs to Israel, yet He opens His arms to Gentiles, not to uproot the Jewish people, but to weave others into their story—a family expanded by grace, where Jews remain the trunk, and Gentiles the branches, thriving together under His care.

Paul: The Bridge Between Worlds

The story doesn’t end there. Shaul (Paul)—a Pharisee steeped in Torah, trained under Gamaliel, a revered Jewish teacher (Ma’asei [Acts] 22:3)—once opposed Yeshua with a zealot’s fire, hunting His followers to preserve Jewish traditions. But on the road to Damascus, Yeshua met him—blinding light, a voice from heaven (Ma’asei [Acts] 9:3-6). His eyes opened, Shaul (Paul) saw the Jewish Messiah, and everything changed. Why Paul? Because no one else could bridge these worlds like he could.

Shaul (Paul) knew the Torah inside out—every mitzvah, every debate in the beit midrash. He was a Jew of Jews, yet God chose him to bring Yeshua to Gentiles, rooting his message in the Jewish covenant. In Romans 11, he paints a vivid picture: Gentiles are wild branches grafted into Israel’s olive tree—the Jewish tree—nourished by its roots, tied to its law (Devarim [Deuteronomy] 20:6). He writes, “The Torah reveals sin” (Romans 3:20), showing the need, then points to Yeshua’s grace that fulfills it (Romans 7:7). He’s the bridge—standing firm in Jewish faith, reaching out to others.

To believing Jews, Shaul (Paul) urged, “See your Messiah!” He showed how Yeshua fits their promises—like Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 53’s servant, pierced for them. To Gentiles, he said, “Know Him!”—not as a new god, but as Israel’s, extended by grace. In Galatim (Galatians) 3:28, he dreams of unity: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua.” Yet he never lets the root fade: “I ask, then, has God rejected His people? By no means!” (Romans 11:1). Shaul (Paul) was the perfect emissary—his feet in the Jewish camp, his heart open to Gentiles—calling believing Jews and Gentiles to stand together under this Messiah, never erasing the Jewish story but inviting others into it.

Where Gentiles Have Drifted: A Gentle Correction

Here’s where the heart grows heavy—not with blame, but with love. Shaul (Paul) warned Gentiles: “Do not be arrogant toward the branches… the root supports you” (Romans 11:18). They were meant to reflect God’s love back to the Jewish people, a humble thank-you for joining their covenant. But somewhere, Gentiles drifted, and there’s a longing to see this healed together.

It began early, with Constantine in 325 CE at the Council of Nicaea. His edicts banned Shabbat—the Jewish day of rest Yeshua kept—replacing it with Sunday, a Roman sun-day, severing Gentiles from Jewish rhythm. Pesach (Passover), the feast Yeshua celebrated as His last meal (Luqas [Luke] 22:15), was swapped for Easter, a name tied to a pagan goddess. These weren’t God’s commands but man’s, turning Yeshua’s Jewish faith into something foreign to His own people.

Then came doctrines like supersessionism—the idea that the church replaced Israel as God’s chosen. From Augustine to Luther, this teaching claimed Jewish covenants were obsolete, ignoring Shaul’s (Paul’s) clear words: “To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants” (Romans 9:4). Creeds emerged saying the Jewish role ended, yet Yeshua lived as a Jew, died as their King, and rose to fulfill their promises—not to erase them.

History piled on more. The Crusades turned His name into a war cry against Jews, when He taught peace. The Spanish Inquisition forced conversions, forgetting His call to love (Yochanan [John] 13:35). Even today, some Gentile traditions—like calling the Torah “Old” as if it’s outdated—miss that Yeshua said, “I have not come to abolish [it]” (Mattityahu [Matthew] 5:17). Pogroms and prejudice grew from these roots, not from His heart. Gentiles have held a treasure, but often missed its Jewish soul—the soul of Israel—that beats within it.

The True Israel: A Clarification

A common confusion arises here, one the church often stumbles over: the idea of “true Israel.” Some Gentiles take Shaul’s (Paul’s) words—like in Galatim (Galatians) 6:16, where he calls believers “the Israel of God”—and twist them to mean they’ve replaced the Jewish people. That’s not the intent. True Israel isn’t about pushing Jews out; it’s about who lives the covenant in faith. Shaul (Paul) says in Romans 2:28-29, it’s “not outward” but “a matter of the heart”—Jews and Gentiles who believe in Yeshua, grafted together into Israel’s tree (Romans 11:17). The Jewish people remain the root, and Gentiles are joined to them—not over them. God’s love flows to all who trust Him and live it out—Jews who see their Messiah, and Gentiles who embrace Him too. No replacement, just real love, binding all as one family under His care.

When He Returns: A Reckoning for All

The Scriptures promise Yeshua’s return. Zekharyah (Zechariah) 12:10 says the Jewish people will “look on… the one they have pierced” and mourn—a reunion with their Messiah, who lived their Torah and bore their pain. For Gentiles, it’s a reckoning too. “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter,” He warns (Mattityahu [Matthew] 7:21). It’s not about systems—it’s a heart aligned with His, loving His people as He does.

Gentiles may grieve—not just for themselves, but for the Jewish people. For when Catholicism traded the Torah for power, banning Jewish ways. For when Reformed theology called Jews a relic, ignoring their covenant (Romans 11:29). For crusades and creeds that forgot Yeshua wept over Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) (Luqas [Luke] 19:41). It wasn’t a lack of faith—pride obscured His love for Israel. When He returns, Gentiles will see the walls built, but His grace invites repentance, joining the Jewish people in awe of the root that holds all together.

An Invitation to Explore

This story isn’t just Jewish—it’s for all of humanity, if they’ll see it anew. The Hebrew Scriptures and Yeshua’s life are open to explore. Read Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 53 with Yochanan (John) 19. Trace the Torah in His words. Ask—Does He fulfill it? Does this love draw closer? The evidence is there, but the step is optional. Yeshua bridges the old and new, inviting love for His people as He loves them. Reflect on this—consider Him who came in humility and returns in glory. “Come, follow me” (Mattityahu [Matthew] 4:19), He says. Will that call be heard?

The Good News of Yeshua

Here’s the heart of it: Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, came as God’s love for His people—and for Gentiles. He took their sins—and those of others—offering His life as the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb who takes away the world’s sin (Yochanan [John] 1:29). His death and resurrection fulfill Yeshayahu (Isaiah): “By his wounds we are healed” (Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 53:5), reconciling all to God. This isn’t foreign—it’s the Jewish covenant, opened wide. Trust Him today, turn to His love, and find peace with the God of Israel. In Yeshua, forgiveness and life await—if that gift is received.

If you found this article insightful or helpful in your walk with Yeshua, please share it with others seeking biblical truth. Together, let’s grow in covenant faithfulness. Shalom!

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The Gospel Unfolded: Yeshua’s Love Completes the Story

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For more, explore the Tanakh (OT) with Yeshua’s life or “The Real Kosher Jesus” by Michael L. Brown.