In the church growing up, I never really thought about Yeshua being a Jew. Yes, I knew He was a part of Israel, but I really never gave his culture/race much consideration. In fact, He seemed to look more like a Pastor to me. Until I started journeying back to the Torah.
The truth is, Yeshua was born a Jew. His parents were Jews, and at the beginning of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we see genealogies tracing His heritage back to the tribe of Judah (one of the twelve tribes). That is why He is sometimes referred to as the “Lion of Judah.” When someone is from the tribe of Judah, we call him/her a Jew. To become a talmidim of a Jewish Rabbi, we must understand what it means to be a part of Judaism. If we are to look like our Rabbi, we may definitely begin to look Jewish.
Yeshua was Circumcised
Eight days after Yeshua was born, his parents followed the Law and took Him to the Temple to be circumcised. Luke 2:21 describes this, “And when eight days were completed, for the circumcision of the Child, His Name was called Yeshua, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” This was in accordance with this Commandment in Leviticus 12:3, “And on the eighth day the flesh of his (baby) shall be circumcised.” Mary and Joseph obeyed the Torah.
And again, Yeshua’s parents, early on, follow another prescribed Commandment, that of dedicating their firstborn to Hashem. We read about it in Luke 2:22: “Now when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present him to Hashem, as it is written in the Law of Hashem, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to Hashem'. This Law is written in Exodus 13:2.
You see, even in the first year of Yeshua’s life, He is following the Torah through His parents' obedient actions. There was no other way to be. To do otherwise would have been disobedience or sin. And we know He was righteous.
Yeshua grows up, and the next time we hear of Him is when He is twelve. In modern times, a “Bar Mitzvah” is celebrated when a young Jewish man becomes thirteen. Bar Mitzvah means “son of the Commandment”. It is a time when a young child becomes a man. And as a man, he is expected to now follow the Torah to its fullest. Over time, many Jewish boys have memorized the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. Maybe in the time of Yeshua, this age was twelve; no one knows for sure. What we do know is that his family takes him to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pesach (Passover).
The story goes like this, “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Yeshua lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it.” Luke 2:43. Yes, it was required to go to the Temple for the Feast of Pesach; again, His parents are following Torah. But what is so interesting about this account is that Yeshua is twelve years old. The time when he would be formally recognized as a man.
This would make sense because, as the story continues, we read, “Now so it was that after three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” Luke 2:46-47. Yeshua was sitting among the Rabbis, discussing the Torah, and they were amazed at his knowledge. He was now to be looked upon as a man, and if they had bar mitzvah ceremonies in the early first century, I am guessing that Yeshua had already had his.
Think about it. Yeshua, a young Jewish man, was hanging out with the learned and well-respected teachers in the Temple. He came to earth as a shaliah of Hashem, an appointed representative. And this verse, the only one that describes his early life during this season, confirms His dedication to learning and sharing the Law.
Attended the Temple
This young Jewish man grows up to be a Jewish Rabbi. My thought is that He probably spent as much time in the Temple as he could. After all, it is his “Father’s House”. Interestingly, he does not become a formal Rabbi until approximately 30 years of age. I wonder if he had a Rabbi on earth that he studied under. Some say He studied in the house of Rabbi Hillel, a famous Rabbi who lived and died before Yeshua came to earth.
The point is, he grew up a Jew. His parents followed the Law, and so did he, of course. Now, if we are to follow him and his Torah teachings and become his talmidim, shouldn’t we be doing what he was doing?
Special Nugget
One of Hillel’s recorded key teachings in the Talmud was this:
"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is explanation; go and learn."
One of Yeshua’s recorded key teachings in the Apostolic Writings was this:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12