#22 Are the Jewish People Still Chosen?

In this episode, I explore the contentious question of whether Jewish people are still considered God's chosen ones. I present both affirmative and critical perspectives on the concept of chosenness, delving into theological, historical, and ethical dimensions. The discussion culminates in my stance, as I reflect on the implications of rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.

Takeaways

• The concept of chosenness is deeply rooted in Jewish theology.
• Chosenness emphasizes responsibility and moral obligation rather than privilege.
• Covenantal theology highlights an eternal bond between God and the Jewish people.
• Historical resilience of the Jewish people is seen as a testament to divine faithfulness.
• Inclusivity in chosenness allows for converts to be fully part of the covenant.
• Critics argue that chosenness can be exclusionary and divisive.
• The idea of chosenness may need to evolve in a pluralistic world.
• Moral behavior is prioritized over inherited status in prophetic tradition.
• The rejection of Jesus as the Messiah raises questions about the continuation of chosenness.
• Rethinking chosenness involves recognizing a shared calling among all people.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction/Prayer
• 5:45 Affirmative Perspectives on Chosenness
• 17:54 Critical Perspectives on Chosenness
• 28:44 Personal Stance on Chosenness

Transcript

Pedro Espinoza (00:00)
Alright everybody, how's it going? back for episode 22. As today, we will answer the question,

are Jewish people still chosen? Now, in light of all the war and chaos going on in the Middle East, more specifically Israel and Iran, this conversation has been brought up quite frequently. It's always been a contentious argument, debate, question, discussion, but today's current events

gives it more relevance. And I've been hearing a lot on this topic alone and that this conversation has made a resurgence of

relevancy and relatability. I wanted to take a stab at it and sort of see where I fall into all this. So what I plan to do is I plan to give the affirmative side and the negative, right? And then I'll give you guys my take on this topic. But first and foremost, I want to give my condolences to

all of the families that have suffered in one way or another due to the Texas As we are all aware, hopefully by now, the Guadalupe River did flood the state of Texas. individuals have been displaced from their homes. They have even worse been

been killed because of these floods. because of this, rescue teams have been have been summoned. They've been called the Coast Guard. They're they're sending out their members. So I want to say a quick prayer for this tragic event. And I want just to give my condolences and make sure that my words are heard for.

all the people involved in this tragedy So father god, I just come before you now

Lord for the families of Texas who have been affected by the floods Lord. I pray Lord that if these people have passed away into the other side of eternity Lord I pray that they lived a fulfilling life and they pleased you and they lived out their purpose through you Lord. For the families and individuals who have stayed behind Lord I pray for their

for their security. I pray Lord for their mental strength, emotional strength, Lord, may they lean on you during these rough times and may they still see hope at the end of the tunnel. And Lord, I'm thanking you Lord and praising you for our rescue teams, our Coast Guard members. Lord, strengthen them during this time Lord as it is not simple Lord.

even for rescue teams to be going through this. So Lord, give them strength, give them endurance, and I pray that they endure to the end and they save as many lives as possible, Lord. Bless the state of Texas, Lord, and revitalize everyone that has been involved in this tragedy. In Jesus' pray, amen.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is what recently went on in Texas and I pray and I hope that the areas affected in this flood, Lord, will be restored.

Okay, let's get into the topic. So again, are Jewish people still chosen? It's been a debate for millennia. It is certainly a debate now because of current events. So let's talk about it. I'll present two perspectives. First, the affirmative view.

that the Jewish people remain God's chosen nation with an enduring covenant. Then the critical view that the concept of chosenness is either outdated, misapplied, or redefined, especially in light of theological, historical, and ethical concerns. Then of course, I'll give you my take and where I stand. I'll be...

mentioning that term chosenness a lot during this episode. So just be aware that you'll hear that word many, many times. And I did take notes on this topic for the affirmative, negative, and then of course where I land on all this. So I'll be reading off those notes For the next several minutes.

So thank you all for being here. go ahead and dive into it. part one, which is the affirmative case. The affirmative case argues that yes, the Jewish people are still chosen. And here's why. Traditional Judaism affirms that the Jewish people remain chosen by God for a unique spiritual and moral mission. This

Chosenness is not about privilege or supremacy.

but about responsibility, service, and enduring relationship with the divine. Let's explore the pillars of this view with theological and scriptural depth.

starting with covenantal theology, an eternal bond. At the heart of Jewish chosenness is the idea of an eternal covenant, a divine agreement first made with Abraham. This can be found in Genesis 17, seven. And that states, I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants

after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant. This covenant was later reaffirmed with the entire nation at Mount Sinai, which is found in Exodus 19, five to six. Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations, you will be my treasured possession.

It's kind of hard to argue against that. What do you say? Even when Israel strays, God promises not to abandon them. As Jeremiah declares in Jeremiah 31, 36, only if these decrees vanish from my sight will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.

In rabbinic theology, this covenant is seen as beret olam, an everlasting pact. Divine faithfulness undergirds Jewish hope and perseverance.

Next, I want to look at responsibility over privilege. Chosenness in Jewish thought emphasizes obligation over entitlement. The Jewish people are bound to a rigorous system of mitzvah, 613 commandments covering ritual, ethical, and communal life. As taught in

Perkéavat, Ethics of the Fathers, chapter 3 verse 5, it states, the reward is proportionate to the effort. So here we're getting a look at a works based theology and gospel. Rather than conveying superiority, chosenness means being held to a higher standard. This reflects

Amos 3 2. you only have I chosen among all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.

So here, chosenness leads to greater scrutiny, not privilege. It is a yoke willingly accepted, an act of love and covenantal loyalty.

This next point I want to delve into is a light to the nations or in Hebrew, lagoim.

The concept of being a light to the nations, quote unquote, comes from Isaiah 42,6 and Isaiah 49,6. These scriptures state, I will make you a light for the nation that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth. This vision positions Israel not as isolated, but as a moral exemplar.

Through justice, zedek, compassion, chazed, and holiness, kadusha, the Jewish people aim to reflect God's presence in the world. And folks, those words are translated from English to Hebrew. The rabbinic tradition interprets this not as a mandate for conversation, but

for Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God's name through moral living, communal care, and ethical leadership.

This next point is historical resilience as testimony. The survival of the Jewish people through millennia of suffering is seen by many as confirmation of divine

as the Torah promises in Leviticus 26, 44. Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them abhor them to destroy them completely. From Egypt to Babylon, from Spain to Eastern Europe, Jewish continuity has often been viewed as miraculous, a living testimony

the unbreakable nature of the covenant. So this is pretty hard to argue as well. If God has made a divine pact with his chosen people of Israel, here he's saying that even during war and battle, he will not forsake his people, right? So it is hard to argue that point that it seems

that whatever may happen to and within the people of Israel, that God will never break his divine covenant with the land.

Some also see modern events, especially the establishment of the state of Israel, as part of this ongoing covenantal drama. Modern events, right? So here we see it again. The modern establishment of the state of Israel, which happened in 19, I believe, 46. And even now, again, the war happening against Iran.

Some may say that this is a justification and a verification of God's promise. Ezekiel chapter 37 is the vision of dry bones revived. Amen. And this passage is frequently interpreted as a metaphor for Jewish national and spiritual rebirth.

So you guys, if you haven't listened to episode 19, the prophetic landscape, I encourage you to go and listen as that might give you a better understanding or baseline knowledge of what we currently just went over. So again, that's episode 19 and that's where I discuss all of the biblical prophecies that are taking place today.

The next point I want to talk about inclusivity in chosenness. There's that word again. The covenant is not a matter of race or bloodline, but commitment.

The Torah repeatedly affirms that the juror, convert or stranger who joins the covenant is to be treated as native born. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you. That's Exodus 12, 49.

Maimonides writes that a convert is quote, as holy as the high priest and full participants in the covenantal mission.

Likewise, Jewish tradition honors the Noahide laws. Seven universal commandments for non-Jews, rooted in Genesis 9 as a divine path for all humanity.

This makes chosenness covenantal, ethnic. God's concern in this theology embraces all peoples, each with their own role in the divine plan.

And later we're going to talk about dual theology, which that sort of might be where I land, may not be, haven't really decided on that. But the next point is in mutual commitment, the daily choosing.

And while the original covenant is initiated by God, it is sustained through Israel's daily acts of devotion, the Shema. Recited morning and you can find reference to in Deuteronomy 6, 4 to 9. This reaffirms loyalty to the one God and the covenantal way of

In addition, each mitzvah performed as a small yes to God. Evidence that chosenness is not just a historical fact, but a living relationship. As it says in Deuteronomy 30, 19-20, choose that you and your descendants may live, for he is your life and the length of your days.

This framing of chosenness stresses mutuality. God chooses Israel and Israel chooses God again and again.

So to summarize the affirmative position, we can say it in one statement. Chosenness is a moral calling.

In this affirmative view, chosenness is not a status to boast about, but a calling to live out. It's a covenantal partnership grounded in by history and expressed through action. As the prophet Micah summarizes Micah 6.8, what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God.

In this light, Jewish chosenness is not triumphalist, it's transformational. It calls for humility, service, and moral leadership on behalf of the broader world.

With all of that being said, let's now consider an opposing perspective, one that questions the idea of continued chosenness.

So here is part two, the critical case. No, the concept of chosenness should be reconsidered. This is what people on the negative side will argue.

While many affirm the enduring chosenness of the Jewish people as central to Jewish theology, others both within and outside the Jewish tradition argue that the idea requires re-examination. draw from ethical concerns, historical awareness, and evolving theological insights.

The first point that the negative side will make is that this idea of chosenness is undemocratic and

theological is if God is just and impartial, for the Lord your God shows no partiality nor takes a bribe, how can divine favor be uniquely bestowed on one nation?

The concept of chosenness can seem to contradict the universalism that emerges elsewhere in scripture.

And just as a scriptural side note, the Hebrew Bible contains universalist passages alongside particularist ones. For example, Amos questions ethnic exceptionalism, quoting, Are you not like the Cushites to me? ⁓ children of Israel, declares the Lord.

Critics use such verses to argue that God's concern and presence are not limited to one people, and that chosenness, if too narrowly defined, contradicts God's impartial love for all nations.

The next point I want to bring up for the negative side is that it's divisive and exclusionary.

The theological concern here is that while chosenness is often framed as a call to serve rather than to dominate, it can still perpetuate a binary worldview, us and them. In an age that seeks interfaith cooperation and shared human destiny, the language of exclusivity feels increasingly alien.

In Isaiah 56, 6 to 7, this offers a vision of inclusion. And I quote, foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord, these I will bring to my holy mountain for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

Israel, hinting at a broader covenantal reach.

The next point for the negative, historically misused and misunderstood is the idea of chosenness. And again, chosenness has often been misunderstood as a claim to superiority by opponents of Judaism and at times within segments of Jewish life.

This has helped fuel anti-Semitic stereotypes and history.

The historical theological reflection is that Holocaust Jewish theology and I can cite individuals such as Richard Rubenstein, they will wrestle with this theology

implications of chosenness a world where that very idea was turned into a pretext for extermination. For many, the question is not only what chosenness means, whether the language itself is salvageable after such abuse.

The next negative point this, a product of historical circumstance. Now, theologically speaking, chosenness may have emerged as a theological survival strategy imbuing suffering with sacred meaning. But if its origins are contextual, should it be permanent? a scriptural standpoint,

In Exodus 19, 5-6, presents the covenant as conditional. Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations, you will be my treasured possession. This if-then formulation suggests a relational, not static, chosenness, raising questions about whether it can evolve or even lapse.

From the modern perspective, the notion of a fixed, unchanging status feels out of place in an era shaped by democracy, pluralism, and spiritual fluidity. Some argue that the concept may have fulfilled its historical role and can now be reframed or retired.

Another negative point is that moral behavior should trump inherited status. This is a big one. theological concern is this. The prophetic tradition itself often elevates ethical conduct over ritual or lineage. Chosenness by birth may pale next to righteousness by action. scriptural reference is this.

Micah chapter 6, 6 to 8 is

This prophetic emphasis on ethics over status supports the idea that chosenness should not be inherited but demonstrated through moral living.

Contemporary theology suggests thinkers such as Kaplan, is the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, argues that Jewish identity should be defined by community and values, not divine favoritism.

In this spirit, some propose a move from chosenness to chosenness, not being chosen by God, lives of justice and meaning.

And lastly for the negative side is this. And is a great point.

Israel rejects the Messiah, which is a Christian theological view.

The concern here is that in many strands of Christian theology, particularly Pauline theology, the original covenant is seen as having redefined through Christ. The Jewish people's rejection of Jesus as Messiah is viewed by some as forfeiting their unique covenantal role. In Romans chapter 11, 17 to 24,

Paul uses the metaphor of olive branches, some native branches,

which would represent the Jews have broken off and wild ones, which represent the been grafted in. Matthew 21, 43, Jesus says, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruit.

Now, supersessionism versus dual covenant theology. Remember I referenced dual covenant theology earlier.

This stance here with the idea that traditional Christian teaching often lean toward supersessionism, simply means the church becomes the new Israel, is a spiritual community of all believers, regardless of ancestry. However, for example, Pope John Paul II,

Rabbi David Novak have often moved toward dual covenant theology, which upholds the ongoing validity of the Jewish covenant alongside the Christian one.

Still, this tension raises profound theological questions about what it means to be chosen in a post-biblical pluralistic world.

And so as a summary between the argument of these two points, rethinking chosenness in a shared world needs to be considered. From this critical standpoint, chosenness, if retained at all, should be radically reinterpreted. The universal God of creation is not limited to covenant with one people. Instead of asserting theological uniqueness,

Many advocate a vision of shared calling. Every person and community can be chosen, air quote, through their deeds, compassion, and connection to the divine.

Genesis 1, chapter 27, the idea that God created humankind in His image. We are image bearers of God. In Malachi chapter 2, verse 10, it states, Father? Did not one God create us? These verses challenge

any theology that draws hard lines between peoples and call

for a spirituality rooted in shared dignity, not inherited distinction.

So that was a quick summary of the debate, well this monologue representation of a debate, but now I'm going to give you my stance. So just considering everything we've talked about up to this point, it has been very hard for me to decide on my take and my position on the topic.

And it's hard because Leviticus and Jeremiah claim God's divine covenant to Israel.

but I believe that Jews are not still chosen. here's why. when I think of my stance on this topic, I think about the church. The church is the greater body of believers, which includes Jews and Gentiles. So

My main reason for believing that Jews are not still chosen is because Israel rejected the Messiah then, obviously, you know, the Pharisees and Sadducees,

and Israel rejects the idea of Jesus as the Messiah now, which we all know as modern Jews, right?

And Israel, modern Jews, reject the idea of Jesus as the Messiah now.

we think about Exodus chapter 19 verses five through six, they don't fully obey God or his covenant. I would think part of that would be believing the one he sent. So what do you guys think the same thing, right? So if you were obeying God and his covenant, you would also truly want to believe the one he sent.

And of course, that's his son, Jesus Christ, which in whom they reject. Moses himself, an Israelite, speaks of a prophet like himself who will come.

In Deuteronomy 18, 15 through 19, It states the following. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb.

On the day of the assembly, when you said, let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God, nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die. The Lord said to me, what they say is good. I will rise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. And I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. The prophet in this context is Jesus.

In John chapter 8 verse 12, when Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have light of life.

Most Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, however, Jews divinity.

In John chapter 14 verse 6, Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Personally, I think there's a possibility of a bit of dual covenant theology but still the former right so This was hard for me you guys obviously this is not an easy topic to discuss as there are Overwhelming pieces of evidence to argue either side but where I draw the line is that

Most Jews today reject Jesus as the Messiah. So that's sort of where I draw the line. That's a hard no for me. That if you reject Jesus, then well, you're rejecting the gospel and the God that saved you countless times in the Old Testament, right?

So that's where I land on this everyone. Let me know what you think. Let me know what your thoughts are on the topic, where you land, what your take is. Do you side with the affirmative that claims that Jews are still chosen even to this day?

Or do you side with the negative that Jews are not still chosen? Right? So comment down below, let me know your thoughts. And again, this was a difficult topic for me to break down in the notes that I provided. And at least I was able to conclude that for me personally.

If you reject Jesus as the Messiah, then you are no longer chosen. Anyways, that's my personal belief guys. Go and check rest of my episodes. I recently did an episode with my great friend Solomon Abuda. If you have not yet checked it out, I highly encourage you to do so. If you like this content, don't forget to

like, share, and subscribe. It really helps the algorithm and it truly helps this channel. Thank you so much for listening.

Take care of each other and take care of yourselves. I'll see you in the next one.