Let's review a couple of fundamental truths.

• Jesus was Jewish.

• The disciples were Jewish.

• The prophets who had said he was coming for centuries were Jewish.

• The early church made up of the first "Christians" were Jewish.

Christianity is rooted in Judaism, but many people don't know this. 

If you're like most people, you may say that Jesus was a Christian and that the early church was started by Christians. And while that isn't totally incorrect, there is a nuance that is missing from that statement that removes the Jewishness from Jesus, His disciples, and the beginnings of the early church.

It's a Jewish story, and viewing the story from this lens changes everything. 

Too often, the Christian faith is separated from its Jewish roots. This can lead to a misunderstanding of the Bible and of Jesus Himself.

At the Jewish Road Podcast, we are starting a new series that explores "The Jewish Roots of the Early Church." In this first of five episodes leading to Shavuot (Pentecost), we take a look at the story of the Good Samaritan and learn how Jesus was truly a Jew who came to fulfill all of Israel's hopes and dreams and give you a perspective on this popular story you might not have heard before. Tune in!

Holocaust Remembrance Day was this week.

As we remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered along with millions of others, we also look to God's faithfulness and restoration. In this episode of The Jewish Road Podcast, we explore Ezekiel 37 and see how God brings life back to His people - not just flesh and bone, but eventually to breathe His spirit.

This podcast is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and love for His people. It's an important listen for anyone who wants to understand the Holocaust and the Jewish people better.

Have you ever wondered about the biblical origins of Resurrection Sunday?

In this episode of the Jewish Road Podcast, we explore the Feast of First Fruits and how it ties into the story of Jesus’ resurrection. We bring context to the resurrection story by going back to Act One, the Old Testament, and working through the themes of Jesus being the second Adam, what the Apostle Paul would later call the firstfruits of all creation.

You won’t want to miss this in-depth exploration of an important holiday. This episode is packed with insights that will help you understand the resurrection in a whole new light.

“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:21-23).

SO, four times Yeshua is confronted by the religious leaders, and four times He answers and shows Himself to be the perfect Lamb of God without spot or blemish. Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians all put Him to the test.

Now He turns the tables on them and He has a question for the religious leaders…on the last day that Yeshua is speaking publicly so it’s very important to hear what He says. And His last message is about His identity, who is He?

Entering Jerusalem as He did isn’t the end of the story. Unfortunately, in its modern day observance of Passion Week, it jumps from there right to the crucifixion. Palm Sunday → Good Friday. That is the result of the early church deciding not to follow the Jewish calendar. That decision was made at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD (It was a symptom of a deeper problem). What actually happened after the Triumphal Entry is that He went back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem every day, and entered into dialogue (confrontation-attack) with four different groups:

The Sadducees (Matthew 22:23-33)

A third confrontation was from the Sadducees…

This confrontation was a question of THEOLOGY. It had to do with the Resurrection

Entering Jerusalem as He did isn’t the end of the story. Unfortunately, in its modern day observance of Passion Week, it jumps from there right to the crucifixion. Palm Sunday → Good Friday. That is the result of the early church deciding not to follow the Jewish calendar. That decision was made at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD (It was a symptom of a deeper problem). What actually happened after the Triumphal Entry is that He went back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem every day, and entered into dialogue (confrontation-attack) with four different groups:

The Pharisees and the Herodians (Matthew 22:15-22)

A second confrontation was from the Pharisees and the Herodians…

This confrontation was a question of POLITICS.

Entering Jerusalem as He did isn’t the end of the story. Unfortunately, in its modern day observance of Passion Week, it jumps from there right to the crucifixion. Palm Sunday → Good Friday. That is the result of the early church deciding not to follow the Jewish calendar. That decision was made at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD (It was a symptom of a deeper problem). What actually happened after the Triumphal Entry is that He went back and forth from Bethany to Jerusalem every day, and entered into dialogue (confrontation-attack) with four different groups:

The Priests and the elders

The Pharisees and the Herodians

The Sadducees

The Pharisees (take one more shot)

The Priests and the Elders (Matthew 21:23-22:14)

So, the first line of attack comes from the priests and the elders and the question that is at issue is His AUTHORITY.

And it’s worth our time to pause for a moment and ponder the question of authority.

Does the Passover lamb in the Old Testament connect to Jesus as the Passover Lamb in the New Testament?

In this episode of The Jewish Road Podcast, we explore the connection that gives away the entire reason Jesus came, to give His life as a ransom for many. We bridge the gap between Act One (the Old Testament) to Act Two (the New Testament), tracing the story of the Passover lamb to Jesus. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

And by the way, you don’t have to be a religious scholar to appreciate this podcast. We may go deep, but we try to keep things fun and friendly. We provide insightful commentary on scripture that will make you think about your faith in a new way.

Listen to our latest episode of The Jewish Road Podcast now!

Isaiah 11; Matthew 26, 1 Corinthians 5; John 1, 13-17

Does the Passover lamb in the Old Testament connect to Jesus as the Passover Lamb in the New Testament?

In this episode of The Jewish Road Podcast, we explore the connection that gives away the entire reason Jesus came, to give His life as a ransom for many. We bridge the gap between Act One (the Old Testament) to Act Two (the New Testament), tracing the story of the Passover lamb to Jesus. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

And by the way, you don’t have to be a religious scholar to appreciate this podcast. We may go deep, but we try to keep things fun and friendly. We provide insightful commentary on scripture that will make you think about your faith in a new way.

Listen to our latest episode of The Jewish Road Podcast now!

Isaiah 11; Matthew 26, 1 Corinthians 5; John 1, 13-17

Does the Passover lamb in the Old Testament connect to Jesus as the Passover Lamb in the New Testament?

In this episode of The Jewish Road Podcast, we explore the connection that gives away the entire reason Jesus came, to give His life as a ransom for many. We bridge the gap between Act One (the Old Testament) to Act Two (the New Testament), tracing the story of the Passover lamb to Jesus. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

And by the way, you don’t have to be a religious scholar to appreciate this podcast. We may go deep, but we try to keep things fun and friendly. We provide insightful commentary on scripture that will make you think about your faith in a new way.

Listen to our latest episode of The Jewish Road Podcast now!

Isaiah 11; Matthew 26, 1 Corinthians 5; John 1, 13-17

Ever wondered why the plagues of Egypt are recounted in the Torah?

In this episode of the Jewish Road Podcast, we take a deep dive into the plagues of Egypt. In the creation narrative, God brings order from chaos. We see in the plagues, that these are not just "bad things" that happen to Egypt, but God is reversing the creation narrative, moving from order to chaos, and then back to order again. God is demonstrating His power so not only all of Egypt would know He is God, but so would Israel. And even more so, that we would know He is God.

Join us as we explore this fascinating topic! Each plague has its own unique story and message. You won't want to miss this episode!

Listen to our latest episode on the plagues of Egypt now!

Genesis 1; Exodus 7-9

Are you looking for a deeper understanding of Passover?

On this episode of the Jewish Road Podcast, we explore Exodus 12 and the command to Israel, and subsequent generations, to observe the Passover. We focus on the instructions concerning the lamb and the blood on the doorposts. This was the only means of salvation and would later point to Jesus, the Lamb of God, our only means of salvation.

You will gain a deeper understanding of one of Israel’s most important holidays. The podcast is filled with insightful commentary that will make you think about this holiday in a new way and give the background from the Old Testament (Act One) to set up as a precursor to the New Testament (Act Two).

Ever wondered about the story of Moses and Pharaoh?

In this episode of the Jewish Road Podcast, we explore one of the most famous stories from the Bible. We start with a Pharoah who knew not Joseph but came to know Moses, and more importantly, the God who sent him. God demonstrates his power in the plagues of Egypt, but it's not only His power being displayed, but there is also something else God shows of Himself, and it's the very thing Pharoah seems to be interested in.

Join us on this journey as we explore one of history's most famous stories and discover what lessons we can learn from it today.

Listen to this episode now on our website or anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Exodus 1-12

The bones of Joseph.

Wondering about the story of Joseph and how it connects to Passover?

Join us on this episode of the Jewish Road Podcast as we explore the precursor to the Passover story. You’ll learn about Joseph’s life, his request to be buried in the Promised Land, and how that connects to the Exodus story.

This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the Jewish faith and its connection to history.

Key Passages:

Genesis 50

24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Exodus 13

18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”

Joshua 24

32 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

Hebrews 11

22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Empires and Kingdoms.

A moment to contextualize the moment we find ourselves in, what’s happening in our world today. The stage is being set. The actors are taking their place. The classic battle between allegiance to empire or kingdom is being waged. As we have gone through history, we have seen the Pharaohs building their empire demanding total commitment through oppression against the backdrop of a God leading His people through the wilderness, like a shepherd leads His sheep. We have seen empire rear its ugly head: Nebuchadnezzar and the empire of Babylon, Herod and the empire of Rome, Hitler and the Third Reich.

This week we’ve seen Vladimir Putin demand allegiance to the Russian empire.

“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

By their wit and wile – though behind the scenes orchestrated by God – Esther and Mordecai foiled Haman’s plot. Following Haman’s execution and the deliverance of the Jews, Esther and Mordecai established a feast for future generations to celebrate their people’s survival for “their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration” (Esther 9:22).

And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews… obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies… that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Esther 9:20-22)

"Some sort of national security threat is going on."

That was the call from the flight tower in Burbank yesterday, and for seven minutes yesterday, planes were grounded. North Korea fired off a hypersonic missile and the surrounding nations scrambled.

It's hard to know what's going on in the world, and it seems like every day the news is worse. 

It feels like we're living in the end times. Wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, economic instability.

With tensions between the nations coming to a boil, missiles being tested turning up the heat, where is God at, and how does all of this impact the Biblical calendar and God's plan for the nation of Israel? 

In a special breaking podcast episode, we talk through God's eyes on Israel and what in the world is going on.

Are you looking for a good laugh? We have the perfect solution!

We have a bonus podcast episode for you. Our bonus episode is packed with some of our "best of" Jewish humor from season one. How is it possible that we have a "best of" already in the first season? You're asking too many questions!

If you want to finish out this tough year with some laughs, then our show is just what your Jewish doctor ordered. You’ll be laughing out loud in no time!

Sit back and relax as we take care of all your laughter needs for today! 

And if you missed any of our other episodes, this is the perfect time to check them out. 

See you for season TWO coming Spring 2022!

Jesus did NOT begin His existence with His birth out of the womb of Mary.

He is the eternal Son of God. He “became” flesh in the womb of Mary through the supernatural work of the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit). It was a miracle from the beginning to end!

We want the birth of Jesus to be relevant to our Jewish people as the Messiah intended it to be. 

We want to highlight the incarnation through Jewish eyes and provide an understanding of what this word, incarnation, could mean if you are a Jew reading this.

We want the birth of Jesus to be relevant to our Gentile Christian brothers and sisters as we reclaim the Jewishness of Jesus, especially in His birth. 

We’re not telling you to throw away the tree and get rid of the presents, but to faithfully examine Scripture and your remembrance of the birth of Jesus, and celebrate it for what it truly is, not for what it has become. We’re not going to be any more prescriptive than that, but to ask you to bring deep meaning to the annual celebration. 

Wherever you may find yourself during this season, our hope is that you find yourself getting curious. This means for many of us we will begin to challenge our preconceived notions and traditions, and seriously contemplate what the birth of this baby, the Promised Messiah of Israel, means for us today.

To read our eBook, "5 Questions Every Jew Should Be Asking About Christmas" go to our website at thejewishroad.com/christmas to download it for free.

THE MESSIAH WAS TO BE BORN OF A VIRGIN.

When we approach the subject of the virgin birth, whether Jew or Gentile, we tend to think about the story we are most familiar with: Mary and Joseph, the baby in the manger, angels and shepherds. Though this miracle is a complicated thing to explain, we are dancing in familiar space in the Christian world. For us Jews, exploring this topic means we have wandered into foreign territory that’s “not for us.” At least that’s what our mothers told us. 

The subject we’re talking about is obviously Christmas and yet, it has nothing to do with anything Jewish. But does anybody meditate on the deeper significance of what was going on that day in Bethlehem? For Jews, it’s a non-issue. For many Gentiles, they don’t want the ugliness of the cross to interfere with the stocking celebration. 

It seems pretty obvious that as our culture has become more and more secularized, it has also become enamored with a one-dimensional, simplistic view of reality that leads us to focus so much on the story and the sweetness of a baby boy that we can forget the bigger reason for the season. 

Question number two in our series is, "When will the Messiah be born?" Knowing WHEN the Messiah (Jesus) would come is important to know whether He has actually already come, is still yet to come, or maybe even both.

THE MESSIAH MUST COME WHILE THE SECOND TEMPLE WAS STILL STANDING.

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)

Malachi was not promising that Elijah would appear before the first coming of Messiah, but before the second. Malachi says Elijah would come before the second coming: 

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

(Malachi 4:5-6)