Judaism originated from the covenantal relationship between the Jews and God. Christianity emerged from Judaism, and both faiths believe that God is the creator of the universe. Years after Jesus’ death, some followers continued adhering to Jewish practices and considered themselves Jews. The Temple was the most sacred place in the Judaism faith during this period. However, following the Jewish uprising against Romans, major religious views developed. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple introduced significant theological challenges between Jews and Christians as both factions became divided on how to practice their faith.
The major theological challenge facing Christians and Jews stems from different religious beliefs. Christians accept Jesus as their Messiah, while the Jews believe in one unique God. Jews do not accept this cardinal Christian core conviction of faith that Jesus is also Lord, as foretold in the Old Testament. Another tension is whether the reward for living an upright life occurs in this life or the afterlife. Jews believe that good fortune in life signifies God’s favor, while punishment signifies God’s displeasure. Thus, if Jesus fulfilled God’s salvation plan and had His favor, it was hard for Jews to understand why he had to suffer and die. In this context, some Jews believed the way Jesus died was disgraceful and denoted a person rejected by God.
Everything that Jews and Christian followers believed about God was at stake. This is because the God, that the Jews made an irrevocable covenant with, was the same God that Christians believe sent the Messiah (Jesus) to save believers from their sins. In this case, Jews’ belief in God’s covenantal love and promise meant disregarding what Christians believed about the coming of the Messiah. On the other hand, Christians’ convictions that Jesus was the Messiah and that whoever trusts and believes in him shall be saved seemed incompatible with Jews’ beliefs of salvation and Messianic expectations. Therefore, in the face of such theological challenges, both Judaism and Christianity questioned whether or not their bond with Jesus as the personal savior had been erroneous.
Matthew emphasizes the salvific meaning of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 26:28). He implies that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God, who came into the world in human form to die on behalf of believers for the forgiveness of sins (Linahan, 2008). Through the genealogy of Jesus, he is shown to be a divine being and the Messiah. Matthew established that Jesus was rooted in the messianic lineage of David and Abraham. He also shows that Jesus was not an ordinary person because he was conceived through the Holy Spirit. The baptism and testing of Jesus revealed that he was God’s messenger promised to the people of Israel. In addition, the story of resurrection indicates that Jesus had defeated death through God. Therefore, this means that Jesus was not an outcast but the one whom God vindicated.
In conclusion, although Christianity inherited so much from Judaism, their religious views diverged after the Temple’s destruction. While the first generation of Christians continued adhering to Jewish practices, they also started believing in the teaching of Jesus and considered him as a Messiah. Conversely, Jews had to figure out a new way of practicing their faith with different Messianic expectations. Therefore, these theological differences hardened and shaped their current religious views as time passed.
References
Holy Bible: American Standard Version.
Linahan, J. E. (2008). The Sermon on the Mount and the creation of peace. In M. K. Duffey & D. S. Nash (Eds.), Justice and mercy will kiss: The vocation of peacemaking in a world of many faiths (58th ed, pp. 59-74). Marquette University Press.