​Looking back over the years, I can recall joining in more than one conversation about whether or not Jesus and the disciples were Jewish. Now, to clarify, everyone participating agreed that Jesus and His disciples were Jewish before Jesus’ public ministry began, but the point of debate was whether they became Christians at some point after Jesus began His public ministry.

I must confess that these conversations were high on wondering and low on knowledge – we made lots of comments like, “Well, surely the twelve were the first Christians because they believed that Jesus was the Christ,” but none of us was sufficiently committed to go to a library and actually research the topic. 

A book I was reading recently dedicates an entire chapter to the Jewishness of Jesus and so, at long last, I began to read up on the matter. Suffice it to say, a great deal of ink has been spilled on the topic itself, as well as on the biases informing proponents for and against. I won’t be getting into any of that here. I raise the matter of the Jewishness of Jesus simply because, in the Gospel for this Sunday, we encounter Jesus and His disciples on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when Jesus is instructing His disciples on preparations for the Passover meal, which strikes me as a very Jewish thing to do. Catholics remember this as the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, but our remembrance is different from the Jewish practice.

I’ve mentioned in earlier reflections how much I’ve enjoyed conversations about faith with my Jewish friends, the loving respect we have for each other’s traditions, and the delightful welcome they’ve extended to Catholics at our local synagogue. I treasure the warmth of these relationships and the opportunity to learn and build community among Christians and Jews, whom St. John Paul II referred to explicitly as “our brothers and sisters.”

The Jewishness of Jesus recalls for me the Jewishness of my friends, the Catholicism of me, and how those two worlds are brought together so perfectly in the person of Jesus.




Donna Davis

Jesus came to Earth in human form to cleanse me of my sin. He shed His blood – willingly – in total obedience to God. Total meekness and complete surrender to His Father’s will. Blood shed for me. Blood that cleansed me and every other person from all sinfulness, while we were still sinners. In one humble act of obedience, He saved us all.

For thousands of years people sinned and then sacrificed an animal, shedding its blood in atonement for the sin. That ritual was repeated over and over. Why? Because we sinned over and over. Sin, wash, repeat. Jesus showed us that we don’t have to be stuck in that endless cycle. If we could be cleansed by the blood of an animal, how much more powerful and lasting would it be to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus?

I’ve read that sin is a waste of energy. First, we waste our energy going against God’s will to get something we can’t have, control, or change. Then, we waste more energy justifying our actions or trying to remember our lies to cover up our sinful action. When we are found out, we waste more energy feeling sorrowful, self-pitying, and perhaps apologetic, or trying to repair an injury we have caused.

I have wasted a lot of my life in this state. I have manipulated and tried to control everything and everyone around me. I have justified my actions, saying they were done from a place of love. Sometimes I have even said they were done from a place of love for Jesus! There I stood, sinfully in the way of God’s plan for myself and others and spending a lot of energy justifying my stance and actions.

Eventually it got to be too much, and thankfully I found myself with no other option but to totally surrender myself, my will, and my loved ones to the care of God. What a brutal, joyous day that was! I finally chose to be cleansed by the Blood that was shed for me, and to abide in Him. I stopped running; hiding behind guilt and shame. I chose to cling to the Vine, finally understanding that there is no greater love than that where a man lay down His life for His friends. Jesus, the New Covenant, secured that promise for me on the cross.


Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your humble obedience. Let me never forget that You shed Your precious blood for me, a thankless sinner. Cause me to always abide in You, knowing that You have already taken away every sin and transgression. Save me from the spirits of guilt, shame, control, and mistrust, and instead fill me with the gifts You promised through the eternal Holy Spirit. Let me always remember that Your will is perfect and through Your blood I am healed. Amen.




Originally posted on June 3, 2021, by Sandy Graves