Jesus’ View on Israel

We will start with John the Baptist, who introduced Jesus’ ministry. John said to the Jews:

Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. (Matt 3:9).

Here it is clear that having a natural lineage from Abraham does not make us Abraham’s seed. This is the teaching right through the Gospels. Jesus said to some of the Jews that they were not Abraham’s children, but children of the devil:

They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard from God: this Abraham did not do…You are of your father the devil. (John 8:39-44).

Here Jesus claimed that whether we are children of Abraham depends on our deeds. Thus Jesus said that the children of Abraham shall come from afar and many in the racial kingdom of Israel shall not be included in Abraham’s seed:

And I say to you, That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt 8:11-12).

In Jesus mind it is clear that Abraham’s seed meant those who have the faith of and who walk in the steps of, Abraham.