God’s heart for Jew and Gentile alike shines through every page of Scripture. It started with the Jewish people and one small family, and now it spreads to us all.
“Jesus’ whole purpose and God’s purpose from the very beginning was to join Jew and Gentile together.”
Today God is reaching the Jewish people and showing them their Messiah. Don Finto is passionate about helping them see Jesus for who He is.
Don tells the story of a young man who was raised as an Orthodox Jew. His grandfather was training him in faith and he was a regular attender of the synagogue. As he got older he started asking about certain passages that bothered him. One of the verses he noticed was Zechariah 9:9,
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The rabbi explained it away as a translation error, saying ‘donkey’ was not the correct word, but the young man was not convinced. After being rebuffed time and again, he left the synagogue completely. One day as he was walking the street, someone handed him a book. He turned to give it back, but no one was there. He opened the book and realized it was the gospel of Matthew. As he read, one passage stood out to him:
“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'” Matthew 21:5-9
This young man instantly realized that this was the man he was looking for. He went on to believe in his Messiah and now leads a messianic congregation.
God’s love for the Jewish people is evident, but it extends beyond ethnic boundaries. The plan of redemption stretches back to the earliest pages of the Old Testament.
“There are so many ways in which God shows that His whole intention with the call of Israel was to join the nations together.”
Don Finto is the founder of the Caleb Company and the author of Your People Shall Be My People.
Key Scriptures: Romans 8:29; Romans 11; Ruth 1; Isaiah 43:5-6; Isaiah 19
Featured Songs: King of the World by Natalie Grant; Jesus, We Love You by Bethel Music; Faithful to the End by Bethel Musi
God's purpose for the Jewish people
