The assumption is always that when a Jew believes in Jesus, they are no longer Jewish. But this simply isn't the case. Faith in Jesus doesn't make someone any less Jewish. In fact, for many of us, our faith in Jesus has actually made us more Jewish.

But this misunderstanding, on both sides, is what has kept Christians from intentionally reaching out to Jewish people and what has kept Jews from understanding that Jesus is for them. The offer on the table for the Jewish people is that if you want to come to Jesus (the Jewish Messiah), you essentially have to switch teams, put on a new jersey, and go to the other clubhouse.

We jokingly say that the Jewish people are just like everyone else in the world, only more so. It is not that we are better than anyone else, or smarter, or more numerous. In fact, our “chosenness” is something that most Jews would like to understand better. I certainly had no clue what being chosen meant. It didn’t always seem like a great deal to be chosen.

At sundown tonight, the 5th of the Hebrew month “Iyar,” it will be Yom Ha’atzmaut - Israel’s Independence Day. This day is not just about freedom for the Jewish people but also marks God's providential hand in their history. The Jewish people were brought back from near extinction by God Himself, and now they are flourishing as one of the most powerful nations in the world!