Judeo-Christian

 Judeo-Christian

By Richard P. Joseph

Genesis 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

The term Judeo-Christian has been used, especially since the 20th century, to describe the connection between Judaism and Christianity.  While there certainly is a connection, I believe it is actually inappropriate in today's world to use that term as it could be, and is, misleading.  

As is obvious, Jesus was a Jew who was born during the last days of the Mosaic economy.  Judaism is the cradle of Christianity.  Therefore many people believe that Christianity is a sect of Judaism while others believe that there are two active covenants operating at the time; the covenant between God and Abraham and a covenant between God and Jesus.  That is a blatant mistake.  

The first thing we need to remember is that God created a covenant with Abraham while he was still uncircumcised which means it had nothing to do with him being of the tribe of the Hebrews.  It was because Abraham had faith in the Eternal God, not because he was Jewish.  Besides that, the apostle Paul goes into great detail about who the seed of Abraham really is that would bless the nations.  The seed of Abraham is Jesus and therefore it is through Christ that the nations are blessed.  Therefore it is the faithful believers in God in both the old and the new covenants that are the real Israel.  As far as the unbelieving Jews are concerned, Moses told us in Deuteronomy 28:37 that they will actually be a curse to the nations.

  And you shall become an[j] astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.

The zionist crowd seems to have forgotten this verse, let alone the entire chapter or book of Deuteronomy when they talk about the modern day rabbinical Jews.  The blessing is in Jesus Christ, not in a group of people.  Those who hold to the idea that the modern day Jews are still the chosen people are attempting to put New Wine into Old Wineskins.  

Matthew 9:17

 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins [a]break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus gave a parable of the wineskins.  This parable was yet another attempt to convey the message that the old covenant would not be able to contain the new covenant.  The old was a precursor to the new but the old was about to fade away to make room for the new.  The new covenant would burst the old wineskin if it were attempted to be poured into it.  Jesus therefore established the New Covenant at the last supper and it was consummated at his second coming in AD 66-70.  Therefore the phrase “Judeo-Christian” could become misleading.  I propose the use of just “Christian”.  Jesus was the complete fulfillment of the law of Moses and therefore all is contained safely in the New Wineskin of Jesus Christ.