“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” – Ephesians 3:6
On a recent visit to a doctor’s office, when one of the male nurses found out I was a pastor, he started sharing his testimony of becoming a Christian in recent years and how Jesus changed his life. He also said he was enjoying reading the Bible but felt a bit lost when reading the Old Testament. He said he appreciated the history of the Jewish people and God using them to bring us the prophets, Scriptures, and Jesus Christ. He wanted to better understand the Hebrew roots of our faith but struggled to make sense of Old Testament themes like animal sacrifices, holiness codes, and the priesthood. I appreciated his honesty, and the truth is most Christians likely feel the exact same way and struggle with the exact same questions.
How about you? Have you ever started reading the Old Testament and felt like you were a bit lost, like a tourist to a foreign culture that was a mystery to you? If you’ve ever traveled to another country or spent some time with a friend group in your own hometown from a different culture, you know it’s very helpful to have someone come alongside you as a translator and tour guide to explain, in terms you can understand, the new world you have entered into.
In the New Testament, there is an ongoing series of debates between two groups of people —the Jews and the Gentiles —present in most every book. The Old Testament is written by, and primarily about and for, the Hebrew Jews. Jesus and His disciples were also Jews. Over time there was a greater shift in early Christian identity from Jewish Christianity to Gentile Christianity.
Today, most Christians around the world are not Jewish but rather Gentiles. We do not trace our family history to Abraham and Sarah and are not familiar with all the customs and traditions that find many of their origins in the Old Testament for the simple reason our history and ancestry is from elsewhere. A Bible Dictionary says, “‘Gentiles’ is the common English translation of the Greek term ethnē, which in Paul and elsewhere in the NT [New Testament] is used to refer to nations other than the nation of Israel.” (1)
Most Gentile Christians have a great appreciation for the Jewish people but struggle to understand how the Old Covenant found in the Old Testament applies to Gentiles in the New Covenant found in the New Testament. There is one book in the Bible that is most helpful for resolving this problem, serving as a bridge of sorts between the Old and New Covenants and Testaments, connecting everyone and everything to Jesus Christ, and that is the book of Hebrews.
In tomorrow’s devotional we will look at the New Covenant God makes with His people.
What parts of the Old Testament do you find most confusing?
(1) Douglas R. De Lacey, “Gentiles,” ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 335.
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