Frankly speaking, we Christians DO owe everything to, as one reviewer termed it, the "unbelieving" or "apostate" Jew. Those terms are very disturbing to me, since they reflect the very thinking that has allowed the division between Judaism and Christianity to continue for so long. On a more distressing level, they are the very thoughts that kept Christians silent during the horrors of the second World War.
When Christians approach Jews -- and vice-versa, when Jews approach Christians -- with an accusatory and negative spirit ("you're the ones who DON'T believe in [fill in the blank]"), no progress can be made in restoring our relationship. For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, it is only when we respond to each other with genuine care and a complete lack of judgment that any progress can be made. When Christians approach Jews with gratitude -- yes, gratitude -- we can begin to understand each other.
If you haven't read this book, you may be wondering why Christians should be so concerned with restoring our relationship with Judaism. For a full answer, you'll have to read Our Father Abraham, but I'll give a few reasons right now.
For one, Jesus (Rabbi Yeshua ben Yoseph) was an observant Jew, and although He challenged the Jewish thinkers of His day, He remained a Jew until his death, and will remain so beyond the end of time. The very act of theological argument is itself a very Jewish act; extreme importance is placed on midrash (study) and on remaining aware of the reasons behind every tenet of Jewish theology. Furthermore, while it is true that many Jews have not accepted Jesus' messiahship, that is NOT reason for anyone to believe that they have lost their distinction as a "Chosen Race" and "Holy Priesthood". The Lord, quite simply, does not go back on His word. The promises and covenants we read about in the Torah still continue to this very day. And as for the question of Messiah, it is little wonder that Jews have not accepted Jesus' claims as such, given the way His followers have treated them for millennia. In the words of many Jews, if following Jesus can allow for anti-Semitism and intolerance, they want no part of Him. For Christians, it is our task to "provoke the Jew to jealousy" by bearing witness to the joy of following Rabbi Yeshua, and historically we have done a terrible job of filling that role.
It is not Christians' task to convert Jews, since the very definition of conversion requires turning on one religion and way of life in order to fully embrace another. Quite frankly, Judaism and Christianity are not two separate religions, and even the Apostle Paul himself never "converted". (Be slow to accept any Biblical headings that suggest that he did; bold-faced paragraph headings placed by our friends at Zondervan, remember, are NOT inspired text.) Instead, Paul accepted the "fullest flowering" of his Judaism, and remained a Jew until the end of his life. In light of this model, it is the task of the Christian to love the Jewish people, and to be grateful to them for the gift of our religion and our Jewish Messiah. It is the task of the Christian to thoughtfully appeal to the intellect of the Jew by offering, without judgment, the secret for our joy. Finally, it is the task of the Christian to examine his own life for the cracks where anti-Semitism can creep in. It is easier than one might think...
...and it is precisely the reason why you owe it to yourself to read this book. I pray that you have found this review helpful and thought-provoking.