Faith Mobilized

Few topics are more divisive, emotional, and explosive in the Church and the world today than Israel and the Jewish people. But for Christians, this isn’t a subject we can simply avoid. Israel, the Jewish people, and God’s covenant promises are woven throughout Scripture. So how should followers of Jesus understand them?

In this episode of Faith Mobilized, David Blease sits down with Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel, bestselling author and historical and theological consultant for The Chosen, to tackle the theology behind some of the hardest and most misunderstood passages in the Bible.

Jason shares his journey from growing up Jewish to believing in Jesus as the Messiah, then explains why understanding the Jewish roots of Christianity can transform the way we read Scripture. As Jason puts it, without that context, we can be reading the Bible in “standard definition” instead of seeing it in high definition.

Then we go straight to the difficult verses.

What does Paul mean when he says there is “neither Jew nor Gentile”? Who is the “Israel of God”? Did the Church become the new Israel? What does Romans 9–11 actually teach? What does it mean that Gentile believers have been grafted in? And if Jewish people rejected Jesus, are God’s covenant promises to Israel still in effect?

Rather than avoiding these passages, David and Jason walk through them in their biblical, historical, and Jewish context, exploring Galatians 3, Galatians 6, Romans 9–11, Ephesians, the Abrahamic covenant, replacement theology, Jew and Gentile, and the relationship between Israel and the Church.

And underneath all of these questions is an even bigger one: Can God be trusted to keep His promises?

Jason explains why God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises to Israel ultimately reveals something about God’s character and His faithfulness to every believer.

Whether you’ve studied this subject for years or have never understood why Israel and the Jewish roots of Christianity matter, this conversation will challenge you to open the Bible, wrestle with the difficult passages, and seek biblical clarity with both truth and compassion.

Faith Mobilized exists to help pastors, leaders, and believers navigate the most divisive issues of our day with biblical clarity while balancing truth and compassion.

00:00 — Why Christians Need to Understand Jesus’ Jewish Roots

03:25 — How a Jewish Rabbi Came to Believe in Jesus

13:09 — The Bible in “High Definition”

21:15 — Did Christianity Replace Israel?

31:14 — What Does “Israel of God” Actually Mean?

38:56 — Has God Rejected Israel?

51:02 — Why God Keeps His Promises to Israel

59:25 — Why Jews and Gentiles Need Each Other

1:10:40 — How Should Christians Respond to Israel and the Jewish People?