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The Jewishness of Christmas

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The Good News (Luke 2:1-20)

When the angel appeared to the shepherds that night in the fields of Israel, surrounded by the glory of the Lord that shone around them, a great fear fell on them. The angel told them not to fear because they were chosen to be the first ones to receive the good news of the great joy of the Messiah’s birth. It would be for all people. (Luke 2:5-10) The good news (good tidings) is that God so loved all the people of the world that He gave His only begotten Son, to be born of a virgin in Beth Lehem, in the land of Judea, Israel, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish (a just sentence of death for their sins) but have everlasting (eternal) life.

The angel announced to them that the Savior of the world, the Lord Messiah (Christ) would be born that day. He is the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Hebrew bible about the redeemer, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world that humanity inherited from the first man, Adam, who was cursed with the sentence of death because of his sin of disobedience against God, Who created him.

According to the apostle John’s account, the Word of Father God was with God in the very beginning. He was actually God (God the Son) Who became flesh and blood (Human), sent to dwell among men for this purpose, to die for the sins of humanity. He came first to His own, the people of Israel. He was born to a Jewish mother, Miriam (known as Mary), and an adoptive Jewish father, Yoseph (known as Joseph) in the land of Israel (the city of the Jewish King David, Beth Lehem, the house of bread in Hebrew).
 
Sadly, He was rejected as the Messiah by His own, even though many of His people did receive Him, believe in Him, and follow Him. His disciples were Jewish, He spoke to them in Hebrew.
 
He went around the Land of Israel, healed many of His own people, and did many miracles among them. He lived and died in the Promised Land, the Land of Israel.

After Messiah’s death and resurrection, His Jewish disciples went to the world to preach to the nations the “Good News” of salvation, the Gospel of Messiah Yeshua, known as Jesus Christ the Lord.

The Jewish shepherds who were the first to hear the good news of the Savior’s birth were amazed to see the host of angels who appeared after the announcement of His birth, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

It was truly good tidings of great joy for all people.

Our calling is to

“go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach (the good news of salvation,) saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” 
 

Jewish People Do Not Recognize the Jewishness of the Good News Because It is Dressed in a Foreign Religion

One of the most serious obstacles for Jews to believe in Messiah Yeshua is religion. They immediately associate faith in Yeshua with the Christian religion. Christianity, to them, is Roman Catholicism, created in the 3rd century, which completely denied any connection to the roots of biblical Judaism.
 
Most Jews in Israel and around the world reject the idea that Christmas has anything to do with the Jews. As far as they are concerned, Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of someone they don’t believe to be the Jewish Messiah and is in direct opposition to their Jewish faith. 
 
Many Holocaust survivors claim that Hitler and the Nazis were Christians and that the Christian church is anti-Semitic; that in the Name of Jesus, the Church persecuted Jews as “Christ-killers.”

Even non-Jews around the world who celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day do not realize that, as well as being the savior of the world, He is also the Messiah of Israel.

The prophet Isaiah in chapter 9:6 made this Messianic prophecy to Israel about the Jewish Messiah, Who also fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through the Messiah all nations would be blessed. Therefore, the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming, His sacrifice for humanity, His resurrection, and return to earth apply to Israel as well as to all nations.

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be given the name Pele-Yo‘etz (wonderful counselor,) El Gibbor (mighty God,) Avi-‘Ad (everlasting Father) Sar-Shalom (Prince of Peace)”. Isaiah 9:6

The world celebrates Christmas with cheer, decorated evergreen trees, flickering lights, manger scenes, and baby Jesus, all the while unaware of its Jewish roots and connection. That the story took place in Israel with Israelites and angels who spoke Hebrew seems far away.
 
But the fact is that Mary’s original name was Miriam, Joseph was Yoseph, and Jesus was Yeshua – all Hebrew names. Yeshua (baby Jesus) was born in Beth Lehem (the house of bread in Hebrew), fulfilling the Hebrew prophet Micah’s words as recorded in the Hebrew bible, Micah 5:1:

“But you, Beth Lehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting days.”

The Christmas story starts with God’s angel appearing to the priest Zecharya (Zechariah in English, which means in Hebrew God remembers), who was chosen by lot to enter the Temple of the God of Israel for the incense offering (Luke 1:9-11).
 
This was in accordance with God’s law given to Moses for the priests from the tribe of Levi. Exodus 30:7-8: 

“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.”

The angel announced to Zecharya that his barren wife would conceive and bear a child to fulfill Malachi’s prophecy 

“to go as a forerunner before Him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children.” Luke 1:16 -17

The child’s name would be Yohanan, meaning God pardons (known as John the Baptist in English). A short time later, the angel Gavriel (Gabriel, meaning God is my strength) appeared to Miriam (Mary), announcing that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit of God. 
 
Miriam was a young Jewish virgin from the Jewish village of Natzeret, Israel, engaged to a Jewish man, Yoseph, of the house of David. 
 
The angel told her (in Hebrew):

“Do not be afraid, Miriam; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Yeshua” (meaning Salvation in Hebrew). (Jesus is the Hebrew letters of the name of Yeshua transliterated to English.)
 
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and God will give Him the throne of His father David (the Jewish king.) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
(Luke 1:26-33).

The Jewish connection is very clear in this account of the birth of Jesua/Yeshua. It is no coincidence that the Savior of the world would have a Hebrew name and would be born of a Jewish mother in a Jewish town near Jerusalem, the Jewish capital. He is Emmanuel (God with us in Hebrew), Who will sit on King David’s throne forever and rule from Jerusalem. All nations will come to hear the Word of the Lord from Zion (Jerusalem). (Isaiah 2:3.)

When Yoseph (Josheph) learned Miriam was pregnant, he feared she had been unfaithful to him. As a righteous man, he didn’t want to expose Miriam to public disgrace and planned to divorce her in secret. But the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to him (in Hebrew:)

“Yoseph,, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam as your wife because what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua (meaning Salvation) because He Yoshia (will save) his people (Israel) from their sins.“

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah 7:14:

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means (in Hebrew); God with us.”

We present this holiday to our Jewish people in this Jewish setting with Jewish characters, saying that Yeshua is our Jewish Messiah, as well as the Savior of the world, and that He didn’t come to start a new religion. As a matter of fact, Yeshua was against religion as well as man’s traditions.

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors to see that Christmas celebrates the birth of our Jewish Messiah Who came to the world in Israel.

From the first verses in the New Testament, we see how Jewish the New Testament is:

“This is the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah (a Hebrew word,) the son of David, the son of Abraham” (the father of the Jewish nation). 

Yeshua’s birth and reincarnation WERE prophesied in the Hebrew bible, written in Hebrew, by Hebrew prophets. His Jewish parents took him to the Jewish Holy Temple when He was eight days to be circumcised; how more Jewish can you get?

We wish you a very Merry Holiday of Yeshua’s birth and a very Happy New Year in 2026.

Missionary Law in Israel

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Israel is a Jewish and Democratic state, and as such its laws reflect both the Jewish Rabbinic traditions, as well as the obligation to international norms regarding human rights and freedoms. The courts and law enforcement authorities uphold the right of freedom of expression and freedom of religion for minority groups in Israel. A precedent was established when judges ruled that: “The spread of opinions by way of distribution of flyers to passersby in public places deserves special recognition and protection of the court…”

Questions regarding missionary activity in Israel usually concern Christian organizations, or Messianic Jewish groups, such as Jews for Jesus. The reason is that these believers often see evangelizing Israel as a fundamental expression of their faith.

In Israel, it is legal to express one’s worldview, including religious beliefs, even if they are not accepted by the majority of the public. The exception to this rule is what is known in Israel as the “Missionary Law.” The “law” is actually composed of two separate sections of the Israeli criminal code:

  1. Section 174 of the Penal Code – 1977 forbids a person to entice another to change his or her religion in exchange for material benefits (such as financial support and/or donations, helping feed and clothe the poor, or in any way give charity while evangelizing.)
  2. Section 368 of the Penal Code forbids persuading or encouraging a minor (under the age of 18) to change his or her religion. This law prohibits conducting any ceremony for a minor to change religion without the consent of both parents.

The Israeli Declaration of Independence, signed by David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister and the nation’s founding fathers, states the following:

“Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

In 1992, the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) passed the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, which declares Israel as a “Jewish and Democratic” State. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that basic human rights–such as the right of freedom of religion and conscience, as well as freedom of speech and expression–are protected in Israel since they are an inherent part of a person’s dignity as a human being.

Demographic statistics of the population in Israel

Israel’s population is estimated at 9,300,000 residents. Out of these, close to 7,000,000 (about 74% of the total population) are confirmed Jews. 1,966,000 (about 21.1%) are Arabs and 467,000 (5.0%) are considered Others.

Those identified as “Others” include; non-Arab Christians, Seventh-Day Adventists Bahai’s, Samaritans. Other “Others” are Karaite Jews, Messianic Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and immigrants from the former Soviet Union. They identify themselves as Jews but do not satisfy the Orthodox Rabbinical Authorities’ definition of “Jewish” which the Israeli government uses for civil procedures.

The Jewish (recognized as such by the government) population of Israel can be divided into three groups: Orthodox, Traditional, and Secular. Secular Jews make up 41.4% of the Jewish population, Traditional Jews 38.5% of the population, 20% are Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox. In Israel, the Reform and Conservative movements are estimated to make up 7.6% of the Jewish population, a significantly lower number compared to the Jewish diaspora.

Secular Jews

Secular Jews make up a little over 40% of the Jewish population. They identify themselves as Jewish, but not in a religious way and many don’t even believe in God. Many secular Jews practice certain aspects of the religion, such as celebrating the traditional Passover evening meal with family and friends, and/or observing the day of Yom Kippur by fasting and even attending synagogue services. They may even have Friday evening/ Saturday meals with the lighting of candles and blessing the wine and bread, but would drive afterward and light a cigarette. Secular Jews are largely supporters of the Israeli Labor Party and a Secular Zionist state.

Traditional Jews make up about 30% of the Jewish population in Israel.Many of these “traditional Jews” differ from the Orthodox only by less severe observance of the Rabbinic laws. As far as political involvement, many traditional Jews join the Likud political party (the largest party headed by PM Benyamin Netanyahu) or the Sephardic (Jews from Middle East countries) religious party, Shas. they are often seen wearing knitted Kippahs (a small brimless cap.)

30% of the Jewish population identifies as Orthodox (“dati”) or “ultra-Orthodox” (“Haredi”).Politically, they join one of the major religious parties, such as Torah Judaism (Yahadut HaTorah, mainly Ashkenazi, Jews from eastern and western Europe.) Orthodox Jews also wear Kippas, not necessarily knitted.

The ultra-Orthodox (Charedi) is the smallest part of the population, representing only 12% of Jews living in Israel. The Charedim tend to live in their own communities, observing stricter Jewish law by following moral and dress codes passed down from many generations. This part of the population is seen wearing black hats and black Kippahs, and include some Hasidic (sect of ultra-orthodox Jews).

The Arab Population in Israel

Among the 17% of the Arab population in Israel (citizens,) 83% are Muslims, 9% are Arab Christians (mostly Nominal) 8% are Druze. About 10% of the ones who consider themselves Muslims are secular, about 30% are traditional – not so religious. About 50% are religious and 9% are very religious.

Enforcing the Messianic Law

There have been cases where the police detained people accused of illegal missionary activity in Israel, but no one has been charged or sentenced according to these laws. Thus, the authorities’ anti-missionary activity is largely in the form of border controls by the immigration authorities and through the Ministry of Interior’s limitations on aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) for missionary activists or those suspected of being involved in missionary activity in Israel.

The Israeli border control immigration officers are authorized to approve or refuse entry to Israel for foreign visitors who wish to enter the country as tourists. The border control officials have a wide range of discretion when making the crucial decision to deny entry to a potential visitor. In July 2017, the Ministry of Interior published an updated list of reasons that may cause denial of entry to Israel. Suspicion of missionary activity was also placed on this list for the first time in 2017.

It has happened that tourists have been expelled due to allegations of missionary activity. These cases usually involve participation in a public missionary campaign with a high-profile organization. This activity may attract resistance from the local public and complaints to the police. Although the allegations may be false, it is extremely difficult to stop the expulsion process once it starts.

The Ministry of Interior is particularly suspicious of Christians and Messianic Jews in relation to aliyah to Israel. It is therefore recommended to receive legal counsel prior to starting such a process. Regardless of the legally grey zone surrounding these issues, a person actively engaging in missionary activity in Israel will almost certainly be denied the right to immigrate. This is because Christian proselytizing is considered contrary to the purpose of the Law of Return.

In accordance with the Law of Return, any Jewish person (or descendant of a Jewish person up until the third generation) is entitled to obtain citizenship as a new Oleh (new immigrant) of Israel, so long as they did not convert to another religion. In general, the State of Israel considers Messianic Jews to be Christians, and so, any Jew in the Messianic stream of Judaism is deemed a convert to Christianity. Thus, aliyah becomes very difficult for a Jew who embraces faith in Yeshua (Jesus). That said, there is no legal prohibition against someone who is not Jewish according to Jewish Rabbinic Law (does not have a Jewish mother) making Aliyah if the father has a Jewish mother. This applies even if they are part of another religion, as long as they did not convert. This applies also to Messianic Jews whose mother converted to Christianity before they were born.

We’re Still Jews! – Part 2

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“For I am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, …of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews”…(Roman 11:1, Phil. 3:5)

The Modern state of Israel was established in 1948 on Zionism and not on Rabbinical Judaism, there are however religious offices in the government. In the constitution of the new Jewish state there was a statement of freedom of religion. Muslims, Christians, Druze, and other small religious groups enjoy full freedom to exercise their faith. [Read more…] about We’re Still Jews! – Part 2

We’re Still Jews – Part 1

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For I am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham,” …of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews…(Roman 11:1, Phil. 3:5)

One of the most important and misunderstood issues in witnessing to Jews and Israelis about faith in Yeshua is: “Are we still Jews now that we believe in Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach).

Unfortunately, Jewish history is filled with hate crime, persecution, liable, pogroms, expulsions and forced conversions (baptisms) to Christianity committed against Jews by “so-called” Christians and “The Church”. Today in Israel, Israeli Jews see themselves as Jews mainly according to Rabbinical Judaism that rejects Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, and considers anyone who has trusted their life to Yeshua and was baptized, as being no longer Jewish but Christian. The Israeli government has adopted this point of view and has ruled in the precedent case of “The Beredsfords” that Jews who have converted to Christianity are no longer Jews and don’t have the right of return to the Land of Israel as citizens; a privilege all Jews enjoy. [Read more…] about We’re Still Jews – Part 1