If the Jews had accepted Jesus, would the gentiles still have been saved by God's mercy?

[englands123]

As the Lord came to save the Israelites but they rejected him as their Messiah.

 

[Justin_Mary]

As the Lord came to save the Israelites but they rejected him as their Messiah.

I think that’s a big misunderstanding. From the time of Adam the plan was to save all men. Abraham was told he would be a blessing to the nations. The prophets said the Messiah would win men of every tongue & nation to God.

Israel was to be first. Israel was to be the instrument of that salvation.

So… yes. We would know that God is in our midst, loves us, & desires we be with Him in heaven.

 

[BartholomewB]

It didn’t happen. We shall never know. My guess is Yes, as @Justin_Mary said, but it isn’t something we can know for certain.

 

[englands123]

My thought also. The Israelites where supposed to be the first Nation and from there to grow & include all nations.

 

[De_Maria]

If the Jews had accepted Jesus, would the gentiles still have been saved by God’s mercy?
As the Lord came to save the Israelites but they rejected him as their Messiah.

I think so. He had already promised to do so in the Old Testament.

 

[JimG]

Jesus preached to the Jews and most of his followers were Jews iincluding the Apostles, and the crowds who came to hear him. The first Christians were Jews. Paul was a Jew. I recall reading a book which suggested that the majority of Jews in Israel eventually became followers of Christ before 70 AD when the temple was destroyed.

 

[Dan_Defender]

According to Josephus, more than a million Jews died during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem (67-70 AD). Therefore the Christians who left the city before the siege must have been a small minority.

 

[GiftofMercy]

Go back to the story of Jonah

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Jesus demonstrated his mercy to gentiles multiple times in the Gospels before the Jews finally rejected him.
Jesus’ mercy clearly shows that God was open to saving everybody, not just Jews.

 

[Kaninchen]

As the Lord came to save the Israelites

From what?

That’s not a glib question - it’s a suggestion that talking about Salvation and Jews might be aided by an understanding of what it might mean in a Jewish context.

It’s not that we don’t think that we should be ‘saved’ and nobody else, it’s that, in the sense that Christians mean it, nobody needs it.

 

[meltzerboy2]

Yes indeed. We don’t think of ourselves as sinners, do we? We sin, we miss the mark, we atone, of course, but our religion is not based on salvation from sin. It has a quite different context and therefore so does the Messiah, who does not equate to Savior.

 

[Dorothy]

Yes, Israel was first, as the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took place in the chosen people, because they learned to worship one God.

Is that correct?

 

[mythbuster1]

Which is quite strange because the Torah is very much based on salvation from sin. When Israel sinned in the golden calf incident, they were in no position to atone for themselves, even for merely having tolerated the idolaters. Moses returned up the mountain and fasted another 40 days, and returned with the command to celebrate the Day of Atonement. Indeed, Moses even offered to sacrifice his own soul for the sake of Israel (for that is what it means to be blotted out of the Book of Life), but God replied, “Only the one who sins will be blotted out of My Book.” Yet, God is merciful and provides the means of atonement to those who cannot atone for themselves. Consider that even Abraham, Isaac and Jacob descended into Sheol upon their deaths, because righteous though they were, they could not enter the House of the Lord. In the World to Come, we shall dwell in the House of the Lord and see God face to face and live, but even Noah, Job and Daniel, whom God would deliver from a city doomed to destruction on account of their righteousness, were not pure enough to attain that glory on their own. Clearly something must change between the days of the patriarchs and prophets and the World to Come, which will allow the righteous to see God’s Face and live.

 

[meltzerboy2]

You state that the Torah is based on “salvation from sin.” Even given this as the main basis (and this may be disputed as well), the salvation from sin is not meant primarily in terms of a future share in the World to Come although it plays some role in this. The main idea in Jewish belief is that the salvation concerns the present life and finally a means of making this life a good, meaningful, purposeful one in keeping with what the Creator designed it to be. This “good life,” which the Ancient Greeks discussed and debated upon according to their definitions of it, takes on a different turn in Judaism, because it is not centered only or even mainly on the individual person but instead on what that person can do to help others’ lives and thereby make the world a better place, fill in the holes of G-d’s Creation intentionally left imperfect, and prove himself a worthy partner in G-d’s plan for humanity. The salvation in question is thus directed toward our life on Earth rather than our share in the afterlife. Even the World to Come takes on an earthly meaning in Judaism, and not only a heavenly existence. It is thought of as a time when the Messiah will ensure that the nations of the world live together in peace and harmony by proclaiming the existence of G-d to all, a time when the Torah will be studied and practiced by all Jews, and a time when the Jews of all of the Earth will return at last to their homeland. That is the essence of what is meant by salvation according to Jewish thought and belief.

 

[mythbuster1]

If the World to Come is not primary, you have your priorities out of whack. Yes, enjoying the blessings of God in this present life is very good, but what does it profit a man if he has a hundred children and lives a thousand years in great health and material prosperity, if he does not inherit the World to Come? Longevity, good health, food and drink that make you merry, and great wealth: all these things are good, but they are but a foretaste of the joy of the World to Come. Do not the Psalms lament, “Who praises You in Sheol?”

And Christians, too, understand the World to Come as Heaven coming to Earth. The Lord shall dwell among men, on the Earth, with the righteous dead being raised to everlasting life, as it is written, “Many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken; some shall live forever, others will be an everlasting disgrace.” It is our understanding that those righteous who live to see the inauguration of the World to Come will gain the same immortality and blessings as those resurrected unto life, but without dying.

 

[meltzerboy2]

I am not saying that Judaism does not believe in a heavenly afterlife. I am saying, however, that Judaism places more emphasis on this life and living it in accord with G-d’s Law so that an individual’s life may be a good one in which people make the world a better place by means of their behavior, a concept known as Tikkun Olam, repair of the world.

Are you saying that unless one lives forever that one’s life is in vain? Is this what Christianity teaches? Judaism does not teach this. Rather, it teaches that life is a precious gift from G-d, and it is our responsibility to make it a meaningful one, which does not mean, as you suggest, material prosperity, longevity, good health. These play a part in one’s life, for Judaism does not deny the self or the instinct for survival. But the larger part is to make other people’s lives better, to leave the world in better shape than it was before we lived, to repair what is missing or lacking.

Let me ask you this: would you still be Christian (or Catholic) if Jesus had not promised the hope of eternal life? Would fulfilling G-d’s commands be enough?

 

[mythbuster1]

Jesus of Nazareth taught, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?” We are not promised that our works will be requited in this life, but rather expect persecution. Yes, God often blesses His faithful ones with good things in this life, but He also often demands extreme sacrifices of His faithful ones, such as quitting your job, living unmarried, or even dying a martyr’s death. Greatly blessed are they who make such sacrifices to be faithful to the Lord, but they are very hard.

 

[Justin_Mary]

Judaism does not teach this. Rather, it teaches that life is a precious gift from G-d, and it is our responsibility to make it a meaningful one, which does not mean, as you suggest, material prosperity, longevity, good health. These play a part in one’s life, for Judaism does not deny the self or the instinct for survival. But the larger part is to make other people’s lives better, to leave the world in better shape than it was before we lived, to repair what is missing or lacking.

Sounds good, but something is missing. I know this is a very simplistic view of the faith & there’s likely more.

would you still be Christian (or Catholic) if Jesus had not promised the hope of eternal life? Would fulfilling G-d’s commands be enough?

Very good question. Honestly, I’m not one to think much about the afterlife. This life is a handful. From my perspective following His commandments is my attempt to get to know Him.

 

[Mintaka]

When the Ten Lost Tribes got lost among the Gentiles (mostly, except for a few folks who escaped to Judah, like Anna the prophetess who was of the tribe of Asher), the Gentiles became basically a bunch of Israelites. All the prophecies about Joseph’s kids, et al, are now prophecies about the Gentiles.

That’s what Paul is talking about, when he says all that stuff about “the number of the Gentiles.” That’s what the prophets talked about, like Isaiah saying that everybody was going to come back to God’s holy mountain and to Jerusalem.

The Gentiles became Israelites who didn’t know they were, and everybody is eventually going to come into the Church. (Except those who choose not to.) Everybody is in the Chosen People, if they allow themselves to be. (Through Baptism.)