Why I Started Studying Jewish Commentators to Understand Jesus

The deeper I went on my journey, the more I read, listened, and researched. I bought a reference Torah with commentary by a man named Rashi—an influential Jewish rabbi highly respected in Jewish tradition.

My thinking was simple:
If I wanted to understand a quinceañera, I’d ask someone from the Hispanic community.
If I wanted to learn about Chinese customs, I’d go to someone Chinese.
So, if I wanted to understand the Jewishness of Jesus, wouldn’t it make sense to learn from Jewish voices?

That’s what led me to begin studying not just Jewish practices, but the why behind them—where they came from, and what they meant. I soon realized that many traditions were based on writings from rabbis in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and various Jewish writings and commentaries.

At first, I wrestled with that. I had grown up wary of anything outside the Bible. But I also knew that the Christian world often relies on commentators, pastors, and scholars whose words are trusted as spiritual insight. Why were Jewish voices so easily dismissed?

I started seeing a quiet tension between the Christian and Jewish communities. While many Christians say they love and support Israel or the Jewish people, it didn’t always feel that way—especially when I referenced Jewish perspectives. The moment I brought up a Jewish commentator like Rashi, it was often rejected as invalid or even dangerous.

I didn’t know how to explain that my heart wasn’t chasing after Jewish tradition for tradition’s sake. I was searching for context, for depth—for a clearer view of the Messiah through His own heritage. But I couldn’t find the words to defend it. I struggled to articulate it, especially to friends and family who were deeply rooted in the Christian church and were sometimes shut down even before I began to explain.