Why Paul Made Jews Angry

 

If Jesus, Peter and Paul were preaching a message that said to the Jews that God has a special plan for you that the Gentiles are not a part of, a separate plan, they would never have been persecuted. The Jews would have said, "Amen, that's right, you preach it." That was not their problem.

A good example us in Acts 22 where Paul messages the gospel, and it is not until he includes the Gentiles that the Jews get offended,

Acts 22:21-22 - "21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” 22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

Their problem was that Jesus, Peter and Paul, were preaching that there is one plan of salvation for all, there is no Jew or Gentile in God's salvation plan, and no extra benefit to being Jewish (c.f. Philippians 3:1-11). That's what angered them. From the beginning of his ministry Jesus preached to Jews and Gentiles alike ('the Gentiles have seen a great light', c.f. Matt. 4:12-17) and he rejected their exclusive claims based on their traditions.

This is the core message of salvation in the New Testament, there's no special privileges for ethnicity. Whereas the Pharisees' worldview was the exact opposite, all privileges were for the Jews, and Gentiles must submit to the law to be grafted in. Paul taught that Gentiles are grafted in without the law through Jesus.

The New Testament presents two visions for Israel, God's people: 1) A law based nation, which Gentiles must submit to the law to join, as proselytes, and 2) A multi-ethnic people where all, Jew and Gentile, must trust in Jesus who fulfilled the law for all, to join.

The first vision the Pharisees preached, and their descendants are the Rabbinical Jews.

The second vision Jesus, Peter and Paul preached and their descendants are all who believe in Jesus.

One of the greatest travesties of the modern Church is that the doctrine of the Pharisees has now become dominant in the evangelical church, that there's a separate plan based on race for some people. To preach this is to preach the message the Pharisees taught. There's no true Israel outside of Jesus, because it all centres around Jesus. How can one reject the Lord, and still be his people? But to accept him and trust in him is to get all the benefits of all God's promises to his people, whether Jew or Gentile. Which is why the New Testament is so amazing.