Jesus was not a Christian
- Reverend Tara Bartal
- May 14
- 4 min read
Certain crucible moments occur just after the Dismissal, in that informal liturgy of handshakes and hugs at the church doors. Conversations range from the practical — pews that need dusting, shrubs that need trimming, apologies for missed Sundays, comments on the sermon — to the pastoral: a request for prayer, a need for a visit. And every so often, someone brings a deeper theological question.
Two weeks ago, someone asked me, “Hey, Rev., I was listening to a podcast that debated whether or not Jesus started a new religion. So… what’s your take on that?”
My immediate response was simple: Jesus was not a Christian.
Jesus was a devout Jewish rabbi. It would undermine his credibility and contradict his own teaching to suggest that he intended to dismantle his heritage to build a competing institution. Jesus did not start a new religion; we did.
Some argue that Jesus was a revolutionary, Reza Aslan (Zealot), a prophetic figure whose message challenged the political and religious structures of his day. And in many ways, Jesus was revolutionary. His teachings confronted injustice, hypocrisy, and corruption. But being revolutionary within Judaism does not mean he was founding a new religion. The Hebrew prophets were revolutionary, too, yet they remained firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition. Even scholars who emphasize Jesus’ radical message agree that he lived, taught, worshipped, and died as a Jew.
As Paula Fredriksen reminds us, “The first followers of Jesus did not think of themselves as members of a new religion” (From Jesus to Christ, Kindle Edition, Location 2347). Jesus’ revolution was not the creation of Christianity; it was the fulfillment of Israel’s story.
Her work emphasizes that Jesus operated entirely within Second Temple Judaism, and that Christianity emerged as a distinct religion only through later historical developments, not through Jesus’ own aims.
Jesus acted as a bridge to God, emphasizing continuity rather than rupture. Our human tendency to categorize and separate groups leads to the mistaken belief that Jesus intended to create something new.
When we fail to consider the historical context and original meaning of Scripture, we increase the likelihood of misinterpreting the Gospels. Approaching early Christian history through a modern Christian lens can obscure the essential truth: Jesus did not establish a new religion; he fulfilled and continued the Jewish tradition.
If we want a theologically sound encounter with Scripture, we must wrestle with a truth that may feel ironic: Jesus was not a Christian. I offer this not as an academic paper but as a pastoral reflection on a passing question. With two weeks to ponder, meditate, and study, I can now articulate a more rounded response. As the New Testament scholar E.P. Sanders famously argued, Jesus must be understood “within Judaism,” not against it. His life, teaching, and mission were thoroughly Jewish, and nothing in his ministry suggests he intended to create a new religion.
Turning from Malachi to Matthew, we encounter the blank page, often called the “silent years.” But, as history tells us, these were anything but silent years. A profusion of events shaped the world in which Jesus was born.
A few significant developments include:
Hellenization, the rise of Alexander the Great, brought profound cultural and linguistic changes, including the translation of the Septuagint (III, 2022).
Herod the Great expanded and renovated the Second Temple, shaping the religious landscape of Jesus’ time (Why Israel, 2010).
In the Intertestamental Judaism, diverse Jewish movements emerged, each interpreting the covenant in distinct ways (Intertestamental Period, 2026).
This blank page is not a supersessionist hinge but a continuance. God was not starting something new.
The first century was not experiencing a new religion; they were encountering Jesus.
Jesus was born, circumcised, educated, and lived as a devout Jewish rabbi. He wore ritual fringes, worshipped in synagogues on the Sabbath, and held the Torah in absolute authority.
When Jesus spoke to the crowds, he was not innovating a new faith tradition but fulfilling what had been prophesied:
“Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” — Matthew 5:17
Jesus was the prophecy arriving in person, stepping into the very story the prophets had been writing for centuries. He was not a religious revolutionary rewriting the script.
The Hebrew Scriptures point directly to this continuity:
Isaiah 7:14 — Immanuel
Isaiah 40:3–5 — Prepare the way
Isaiah 53:5 — The suffering servant
Micah 5:2 — The ruler from Bethlehem
When Jesus was crucified, he was not making a new theological statement. He was bringing substance to the long shadows of the sacrificial system — the response to human sin that animal offerings could only temporarily cover.
Jesus built a bridge across a divide. The Old Covenant provided the scaffolding; the Law revealed the depth of the canyon; the prophets proclaimed the hope of restoration.
Through his life, death, and resurrection, the covenant made with Abraham was dynamically expanded into a global invitation.
As Paul wrote, Gentiles were not given a new tree with new roots, they were grafted into the existing one.
This is my response as a believer, follower, and priest of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Early followers of Jesus did not call themselves Christians for quite some time. In the Book of Acts, they are known as followers of “The Way.” (Acts 9:2) They knew they had met the Messiah, not the founder of a new religion.
When we look at Jesus, may the veil be lifted from our eyes so we can see the fulfillment of God’s unwavering promise, not the birth of a competing global institution.
Jesus is the anchor of our faith, rooted in history, faithful to his word, and standing firm as our open bridge to God.
Only by grace, Tara+
References:
(2026). Intertestamental Period. Bible Reflection by Fr. Abraham Mutholath. https://biblereflection.org/intertestamental-period/
Why Israel. (2010, December 9). 400 silent years? Anything but silent! Part 1. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Archived page
III, B. G. (2022). Globalization and the 'Hellenization' of Jews in the Second Temple Period. Journal for the Study of Judaism 53(45). https://doi.org/10.1163/15700631-bja10051
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