Why was Jesus born a Jew?: THE DESTRUCTIVE MERCY OF HIS ETHNICITY

ANNOTATION: The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, was born a Jew. What was God’s purpose in Jesus being born a Jew? This story begins with Abraham and leads us to a community of saints from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Ultimately, Jesus was born a Jew to destroy any claim to ethnic superiority and create a new, joyful, compassionate race.

In our series of scholarly articles for pastors, leaders, and teachers, John Piper reflects on God's purpose in Jesus' Jewish background.

Jesus was born a Jew not only to strip the Christian claims of neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen, but also to destroy all ethnic and racial claims to superiority, including among the Jewish people. He was born a Jew so that every race and every people could humbly rely on God’s mercy. He was born a Jew so that every race would rejoice in mercy, not in the level of melanin; and that every people would rejoice in mercy more than in their ethnic customs; and that every tribe would rejoice in mercy more than in their tribal traits. Jesus was born a Jew to destroy all claims to ethnic superiority. This is not an easy conclusion to reach, even though historically Jesus« Jewish origin offended the ethnic pride of all peoples, including Jewish pride. But to say that it is difficult is to agree with the apostle Paul. As soon as He reaches this conclusion, He immediately says, »Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and past tracing out his ways!” (Rom. 11:33).

«"Jesus was born a Jew to destroy all boasting of ethnic superiority and create a new, joyful, compassionate race.".

This is the apostle Paul’s answer to the question of why the God of the universe associated Himself with the Jewish people as a means of salvation for people of every ethnic group. I say «associated» not because God is confused or lost, but because the interweaving of His ways of salvation with Jewish identity is, from our perspective, «incomprehensible.» Its complexity is beyond our capacity.

But God gave Paul the ability to delve deeper into this mystery than anyone else. No one has yet explored its depths. I invite you to explore this mystery with me, at least as far as I can take you in one article.

«From their lineage according to the flesh»

Jesus was born a Jew. The Samaritan woman at the well said to Him, «How is it that You, being a Jew, ask drink of me, a woman of Samaria?» (John 4:9). Later, Jesus answered her, «You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews» (John 4:22).

For the apostle Paul, Jesus« Jewish background was no coincidence. He asked, »What advantage do the Jews have, or what advantage is there in circumcision?« And he answered, »Great in every way. To them were entrusted first of all the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:1–2). And then he concluded his list with this:

«That is, to whom belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises. Whose are the fathers, and from whom according to the flesh is Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen» (Rom. 9:4–5).

The crowning privilege of the Jews is this: «Of their lineage, according to the flesh, is Christ.» Jesus was born a Jew. And to carry this privilege beyond the limits of this world, He is God incarnate—«God over all, blessed forever.» The supreme privilege of the Jewish people is that the Son of God was born among them.

«"All lips are silent. The pride of every ethnic group is disappearing. All are declared rebellious.".

So Jesus was born a Jew. And this was no accident, but became the pinnacle of the privilege of the Jewish people among all nations. The apostle Paul did not hide this as if it were something shameful; on the contrary, He held it up as a banner for every Jew and every nation to see.

The question is why. Not just in the sense of where it comes from, but also where it leads? What is God’s purpose in Jesus being a Jew? And if it no longer matters, because Jesus is now the Savior of all nations, why doesn’t Paul leave the subject alone?

Why—where did it come from?

God associated Himself with humanity as an ethnic Jew because two thousand years earlier He had associated Himself with Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. «You, O Lord, are the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham» (Neh. 9:7). From that time on, the Jews became God’s privileged covenant people. «You only have I known of all the families of the earth» (Amos 3:2). «The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth» (Deut. 7:6).

Of course, from the beginning God had purposed to bless all nations through Abraham and his descendants. «I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed» (Gen. 12:2–3). But Israel’s special privilege remained. For two thousand years God focused almost all of His saving activities in the world on Israel, not on other nations. «In past generations He allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways» (Acts 14:16). «The Lord set His love on your ancestors, and chose you after them above all peoples» (Deut. 10:15). Forgiveness of sins was granted to the Jews through the typical blood of Christ in sacrifice (Lev. 4:20; Rom. 3:25). And the Jews were promised that the Messiah would come from their people (Isa. 9:6–7). «The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end!» (Luke 1:32–33).

«"Jesus was born a Jew to destroy any pretensions to ethnic superiority.".

That is why Jesus was born a Jew. God chose the Jews to be «his own people out of all peoples» (Deut. 14:2). He focused his saving work on them for two thousand years—not on the Chinese, not on the Africans, not on the pale Germanic hordes. And «when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law»—that is, born a Jew (Gal. 4:4).

Why - where does this lead?

But answering the question of «why» about the past only exacerbates the question of the future. What was God’s purpose in connecting Himself to Israel through the covenant and to the Jewish Messiah through the incarnation? Where was it all leading? And why did God choose this particular path?

It is clear that the life, death, and resurrection of this Jewish Messiah were leading to the salvation of the Gentiles, or nations. During His life, Jesus said: «Many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness» (Matt. 8:11–12). He told the Jewish leaders: «The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruits» (Matt. 21:43). And He concluded His ministry with the command: «Go therefore and make disciples of all nations» (Matt. 28:19).

However, salvation is still «from the Jews» (John 4:22). Paul explains how this happens. When Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they became like natural branches that were broken off from the tree of the Abrahamic covenant. When Gentiles put faith in the Messiah Jesus, they became like wild branches grafted into that Jewish covenant.

«If some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and share in the root and sap of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you» (Rom. 11:17–18).

The root sustains you! This means that God's faithfulness to Israel is the cause of your salvation, because you are connected to this root.

«"There is no idea that there is one way to salvation for Gentiles and another for Jews. There is only one way.".

In other words, there is no separate path of salvation for Gentiles and another for Jews. There is only one path. To belong to the true Israel—to saved Israel. Paul clearly stated: «Not all who are of Israel are Israel» (Rom. 9:6). Natural descent does not make a person part of the true Israel. And many who are not of Israel become part of the true Israel: «For he called us, not from among the Jews only, but also from among the Gentiles. As he says in Hosea, »I will call her who was not my people, ‘My people,’ and her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’” (Rom. 9:24–25).

Being a true Jew is not a matter of ethnicity, but of faith in the Messiah: «For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter» (Rom. 2:28–29). In this sense, Gentiles «become Jews.».

Thus the promise made to Abraham in Gen. 12:3 is fulfilled: «The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, «In you all the nations will be blessed.»« (Gal. 3:8) This explains how Abraham becomes »the father of many nations” (Gen. 17:5; Rom. 4:17).

«Salvation from the Jews» is not only because Jesus was a Jew, but because He saves Gentiles, making them full heirs of the Jewish heritage. Through the blood of Christ «we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God» (Eph. 2:18–19). Gentile «strangers» become full citizens of the true, saved Jewish home. «…if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise» (Gal. 3:29).

«All Israel Will Be Saved»

Some believe that the inclusion of Gentiles in the Jewish heritage is the final stage of God’s work with ethnic Israel. But this is not so. Paul teaches that when «the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,» then «all Israel will be saved» (Rom. 11:25–26). This refers to the ethnic nation as a whole that will be converted to Christ in the future—after the «fullness of the Gentiles» has been gathered.

Some believe that the phrase «all Israel» does not refer to ethnic Israel but rather to the total number of the elect, both among Jews and Gentiles. However, there are at least five good reasons why this interpretation does not work. I will mention two.

«"No nation on earth was worthy of God's blessing. They all deserved destruction.".

First, it is highly unlikely that with only eleven Greek words between them, the meaning of «Israel» would change from «ethnic nation» to «chosen Jews and Gentiles» (Rom. 11:25–26). The first use of the word, almost everyone agrees, refers to ethnic Israel. So the second meaning is evidently the same: «Partial blindness has come upon Israel… All Israel will be saved.» So «all Israel» refers to the ethnic nation that was once partially blinded. One day this people will be saved.

Second, the parallel between the two parts of Rom. 11:28 indicates that «all Israel» is an ethnic nation. The first part of the verse says, «As regards the gospel, they [the ethnic nation of Israel] are enemies» of God. The second part of the verse says, «As regards election, they [the same ethnic nation that is an enemy] are beloved for the fathers» sake.” The point of this verse is to show that although ethnic Israel is now a covenant-breaking, unbelieving people, this will change. The people who are now enemies will later be converted through election and love. (See also the parallels at Rom. 11:12 and 15.)

Why did He do it this way?

Now we can take a step back and ask: why did God choose to save His people from all nations, including the Jews, in such a roundabout way?

Let me summarize this God-given workaround:

1. All mankind fell into sin and corruption when Adam and Eve rejected God’s goodness in favor of their own wisdom (Gen. 3:6; Rom. 5:12). When various ethnic groups appeared (Gen. 10–11), all their individual members were «children of wrath» (Eph. 2:3). No nation on earth was worthy of God’s blessing. All were deserving of destruction.
2. When God set in motion the plan of redemption for mankind, He chose Israel as the primary focus of His redemptive work for two thousand years (Deut. 7:6; Amos 3:2). This selection of Israel from among all nations was not because of any special qualities that made them better than other nations. Abraham was an idolater before God called him (Isa. 24:2, 14). «What then? Have we any advantage? No, for we have already charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin» (Rom. 3:9).
3.  For two thousand years God had been offering salvation to Israel (Rom. 9:4–5) and had foretold the Messiah in Jewish history and Scripture (Luke 24:27). Their consistent response was largely unbelief, as Stephen said: «You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you!» (Acts 7:51). Or as Paul said: «But to Israel he says [quoting God from Isaiah 65:2], “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient people who rebel against me”» (Rom. 10:21).
4. The result of this Jewish unbelief, despite its great advantages, was that the Law, without a Redeemer, does not lead to justification, but only to the exposure and increase of sin (Rom. 3:20; 5:20). Because of this experience, the lips of the whole world are silent. For if Israel, with all her advantages, «has not attained to the Law» (Rom. 9:31), then other nations should not think that they are better off. «We know that when the Law speaks, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty of God» (Rom. 3:19).
5. Through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah, the promises made to the patriarchs were confirmed, and grace was opened to all nations. «Christ became a minister to the circumcision… to confirm the promises given to the fathers, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy» (Rom. 15:8–9).
6. Israel was struck with a spiritual blindness (Rom. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:14) that continues into the 21st century. It will remain «until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in» (Rom. 11:25).
7. During this time—«the times of the Gentiles» (Luke 21:24)—a mighty missionary movement will take place among all the nations of the world. «And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then the end will come» (Matthew 24:14).
8. When «the fullness of the Gentiles is come in… all Israel shall be saved» (Rom. 11:25–26).
9. Christ will return and establish His Kingdom (Rom. 11:26).

«"The highest privilege of the Jewish people is that the Son of God was born a Jew.".

This is the circuitous way in which God planned to redeem His people from every ethnic group, including the eventual conversion of «all Israel»—an entire generation that would come to faith en masse at the end of this age. Why this circuitous way? Here is Paul’s answer in Rom. 11:30–32:

«For just as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient to God, but have now received mercy because of their [Jewish] disobedience, so they [Jews] have now become disobedient because of mercy toward you [Gentiles], so that now they [Jews] may also receive mercy. Therefore God has confined all [Jews and Gentiles] to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.».

To summarize briefly, we can say:

The pagan nations lived in disobedience after the Fall.

So God chose Israel. Israel lived in disobedience, despite all its advantages.

So God was filled with mercy toward the pagan nations.

This mercy to the nations will lead to great mercy in the conversion of Israel.

Therefore, all nations are absolutely dependent on mercy, not on merit.

It is complex. It is amazing. It is incomprehensible. So much so that Paul’s next words are: «Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and past tracing out his ways!» (Rom. 11:33).

Final goal: Every people humble and full of hope for mercy

What is the ultimate purpose of this roundabout way of salvation? Paul puts it this way: «God has confined all [Jews and Gentiles] to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all» (Rom. 11:32). Earlier, Paul said that the purpose was «that every mouth might be silenced, and all the world might become accountable to God» (Rom. 3:19). This is a negative purpose. Every ethnic group was subject to disobedience.

«"God's faithfulness to Israel is the reason you are saved, because you are connected to that root.".

The Jews are humbled because, despite all their advantages, they are like broken-off branches, and the Gentiles take their place in the Abrahamic covenant by faith (Rom. 11:19; 9:30–31). The Gentile nations are also humbled because they are held together by faith alone (Rom. 11:20), and because it is the Jewish root that sustains them, not the other way around (Rom. 11:18). To be saved, you must become a «son of Abraham» (Gal. 3:7). But no Jew is saved solely by ethnicity, for not all who are descended from Israel are true Israel (Rom. 9:6). «Do not think to say to yourselves, «We have Abraham as our father.» For I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matt. 3:9).

Every mouth is stopped. The boasting of every ethnic group is silenced. All are condemned for disobedience. Each is made to swallow his pride. Gentiles must become Jews (including Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen) to be saved. And Jews must renounce all dependence on their Jewish identity and join the Gentiles in dependence on grace.

One mercy-dependent race that nurtures mercy

Jesus was born a Jew—every other element of God’s «incomprehensible» and «unsearchable» wisdom was put in place—to accomplish this goal. To shut the mouths of everyone who flaunts ethnic or racial superiority, including Jews, and to bring every race and ethnicity to a humble reliance on God’s mercy.

Christ was born a Jew so that every race might rejoice in mercy, not in the level of melanin; and that every people might rejoice in mercy more than in their ethnic customs; and that every tribe might rejoice in mercy more than in their tribal traits. Jesus was born a Jew to destroy all boasting of ethnic superiority and to create one new, joyful, mercy-loving race.