Who are the Jews?

This question is so important to understanding the Bible. There are many different angles from which to approach this question. I'm going to answer it from my personal story, a story that has given me even more reason to trust the Bible over the last few months.

My mother was adopted and I never knew my father or anything about his family background. I have long loved Israel and the Jewish people, and I have believed that they play a central role among the nations both in the past and in the future of God's redemptive plan. I have also previously shared how many commandments in the Bible directly address the Jews, giving them different standards to live by and setting them apart in certain ways from the rest of the nations.

You might expect that I would want to know if I might in some sense be Jewish. But I've never really thought about it...until recently. I knew it was a possibility, although I figured it was unlikely. But I took a DNA test last March and discovered that I am 46% Jewish!

Now, that's not quite right. You can't really be 46% Jewish any more than you can be 46% Christian. You either are a Jew or you aren't. Nevertheless, the discovery sent me on a quest to find out more about what it truly means to be Jewish, and it gets complicated.

According to Orthodox Jews, if your mother is Jewish, you are Jewish, regardless of your religious beliefs. Reformed Jews believe you can be Jewish through a Jewish father or mother, but you must practice Judaism to qualify. I don't fit by either standard. My mother took a DNA test and discovered that she is not Jewish at all, which means  that my father was Jewish. However, I have no cultural Jewish background. But should that matter? Does it matter what Orthodox Jews or Reformed Jews say about my Jewish background? I wanted to know, what does the Bible say?

Here's where the trustworthiness of Scripture comes shining through. This seems like an obscure case. Should someone who has a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother but never knew their father and was not raised Jewish consider themselves Jewish? Could the Bible really say anything about something like that? Well, yes, actually, as I began to think about relevant Scriptures I started finding one passage after another.

Think of Moses, who had Jewish ancestry but was raised in a pagan home. He was Jewish, but God did require that he begin living like a Jew and circumcise his children before he could lead the Israelites.

Ezra has a lot to say about Jewish men having children with Gentile wives. The children were not considered Jewish Throughout the book a great emphasis is placed on keeping accurate genealogical records.

Then there is the case of Timothy in Acts 16. Or Ruth from Moab. There are other genealogies throughout the Bible that trace someone's Jewish lineage through fathers.

I'm not going to give a detailed explanation on every verse here. My point is that even I was surprised at how much material there is in the Bible on this topic. Here is my conclusion: I have Jewish ancestry, but I am not Jewish. Like anyone else, I could become Jewish by formally adopting all the Jewish customs given in the Old Testament. But Paul discouraged Gentile Christians from adopting a Jewish identity. (1 Corinthians 7:17-18) However, in the case of Timothy where there was some confusion (Timothy had a Jewish mother), he encouraged Timothy to embrace a Jewish identity. So it is somewhat optional in my case, but I am not choosing to do so. I also do think there are valid reasons for holding to the Orthodox Jewish understanding on this issue. 

Through my study I have come to a much deeper appreciation of the Jewish people and the ways in which God continues to work among them, even those who do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. I am enjoying connecting more with Jewish Messianic ministries. I am also realizing how much more there is to the Bible when you begin to see it through Jewish eyes. I have discovered so many more reasons to Trust the Bible, and I will share more in time.


Trust the Bible's purpose is to grow your confidence that the Bible is true and the ultimate resource for life." You can join the Facebook group by clicking here. Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. Listen to previous programs online: www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html