There’s a deep and often uncomfortable contradiction embedded in the heart of modern Christianity, one that raises profound questions for believers, theologians, and thinkers alike:
How do Christians reconcile worshipping Jesus Christ, who was rejected and condemned by the Jewish people, with their simultaneous reverence for the “God of Israel” and political support for modern Israel?
This isn’t just a theological curiosity. It touches on the identity of God, the legitimacy of Jesus as the Messiah, and the evolving relationship between Christianity, Judaism, and the modern state of Israel.
Jesus and the Jewish Rejection: A Foundational Divide
Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew. He taught in synagogues, observed the Law of Moses, and declared that he came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Yet he was rejected by the religious authorities of his time, condemned as a heretic, and crucified, largely at the instigation of Jewish leaders, though under Roman execution.
To the Jewish people, both then and now, Jesus is not the long-awaited Messiah. He did not bring about the age of peace, rebuild the Temple, or establish universal recognition of God, all hallmarks of the Jewish messianic expectation. For most Jews, Jesus was either a misguided preacher or a false prophet.
And yet, billions of Christians across the globe believe not only in his messiahship but also in his divinity. This forms the cornerstone of Christianity, that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy.
The God of Israel and the Christian Trinity
Here’s where the tension escalates.
Christians worship the God of Israel, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the same God who revealed Himself in the Torah, led the Israelites out of Egypt, and established a covenant with the Jewish people.
But unlike Jews, Christians believe this same God manifested Himself in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity.
In Christian belief, Jesus is not an alternative to the God of Israel; he is the incarnate revelation of that same God. Thus, the rejection of Jesus by most Jews is interpreted not as a denial of a foreign deity, but as a tragic refusal to accept their own God in human form.
This is the central paradox: Christians worship a Jewish man whom the Jewish people rejected as divine, yet claim to share faith in the same God as those who rejected him.
Paul’s Dilemma, and Answer, in Romans
The Apostle Paul, himself a Jew, wrestled with this contradiction. In his letter to the Romans (chapters 9–11), he makes a bold and painful admission: the Jewish people have, for now, rejected Jesus.
But he doesn’t stop there.
Paul insists that this rejection is temporary, even necessary, so that salvation could come to the Gentiles. And he prophesies that one day, “all Israel will be saved.” The Jews remain “beloved for the sake of the patriarchs,” and God’s promises to them are irrevocable.
In other words, Christians are not to hate or condemn Jews for rejecting Jesus. Instead, they are to love, honor, and pray for their eventual acceptance of Christ, because God is not finished with Israel.
Modern Israel: Spiritual Promise or Political Project?
Adding another layer is the modern State of Israel. Many Christians, especially evangelicals, see the rebirth of Israel in 1948 as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They support Israel politically and financially, believing that the return of Jews to the land is tied to end-time events and Christ’s second coming.
Yet, the irony persists: most Jews in modern Israel are secular and still reject Jesus.
This creates a strange situation: Christians support a nation whose dominant religious ideology denies the cornerstone of their faith, Jesus as Lord and Savior. But they do so in the belief that God is still at work through Israel, even in unbelief.
Messianic Jews: Bridging the Divide
Enter Messianic Judaism, Jews who accept Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah while retaining their Jewish identity and traditions. They view Jesus as the completion of the Law and the Prophets, not a break from them.
Messianic Jews represent a unique middle ground: honoring the God of Israel, embracing Jesus as the Messiah, and practicing the rituals of Judaism. For some Christians, they are living proof that the contradiction between Jesus and Judaism can be resolved.
Contradiction or Mystery?
So, how does the God of Israel “work with” the Jesus factor?
From the Christian viewpoint:
Jesus is the God of Israel in human form. The rejection of Jesus by most Jews is a mystery permitted by divine design, opening the door for global salvation. The promises of God to Israel are still intact, and one day, that veil will be lifted.
From the Jewish viewpoint:
Jesus was not the Messiah, and the God of Israel does not share His glory with a man. The messianic age is still to come, and it will look very different from the Christian version.
The tension remains unresolved, perhaps by divine intention. In this space between belief and fulfillment, between prophecy and reality, faith wrestles with mystery.
And in that wrestle, we find the heartbeat of both religions, yearning for truth, redemption, and the face of the true God.
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
Leave a comment