Author Rebekah Simon-Peter says "Jesus was born a Jew, raised a Jew, lived a Jew, died a Jew, and resurrected a Jew. He was no backsliding Jew, but an observant Jew. He honored and observed the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays. But most of all, he honored and observed the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, or what we call the Old Testament . . . How could he do anything but love his own people? I believe it’s important for the church to own that and to claim it proudly. Jesus was Jewish—through and through. Why is that important? I believe how we see, name, and claim Jesus has everything to do with how we see, name, and claim each other." Simon-Peter, an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, was born and raised a Jew, first Reform, then later Orthodox. She challenges Christians to rethink Jesus’ identity as a Jew, and in the process, to consider ways traditional Christian theology has contributed to anti-semitism. How can we continue to heal the breaches between Jews and Christians? How can the biblical texts enrich our understanding of Jesus as a practicing Jew? How can our Christian faith deepen and grow as we consider ways to respect Jesus’ identity as a faithful Jew?
