The Jewish people love a good party, and they know how to throw them! Many of their feasts and festivals are marked by revelry and good times. However, January 1 is not that way. Some will celebrate, but for many, it holds no special distinction. Why is that…and why miss a perfectly good opportunity to party?

For starters, Jewish people are not fond of Gentile demarcations. After all, it is the Gregorian calendar, used by Gentiles around the world, that splits history into BC and AD (Before Christ and Anno Domini – the year of our Lord). The advent of Yeshua (Jesus) pasted a black spot on history whose Jewish calendar began at creation. It changed the way years were counted.

Another tough pill to swallow is the persecution of Jews at the hands of Christians throughout the ages. For example, a Roman bishop named Sylvester was very close to Constantine, and in some parts of the world, “Sylvester” parties are the means of celebrating the New Year.

But, during the Sylvester/Constantine era, faith in the Messiah was politicized and Christianity became the state religion in many parts of Europe. The church began persecuting Jews, antisemitism grew rapidly, and New Years Day brought ordinances and decrees such as the mandate that Jews must listen to Catholic conversion sermons, or that a special “tax” was owed by the Jewish community is some European countries. Even Jewish literature was banned in certain Roman Jewish communities in 1581.

Is it any wonder the Jewish people struggled with Christians sharing about Yeshua the Messiah?

But, things are changing in Israel today! As the nation becomes more and more westernized, both religious and secular influences, some good some not-so-good, have grown in the hearts and minds of Israelis. On the positive side, there were fewer than 30 Jewish followers of Jesus when Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948. Today, it is difficult to know how many Messianic believers inhabit Israel, but a conservative estimate is somewhere north of 30,000. Messianic congregations are popping up and the harvest is growing riper by the day! As old prejudices fall away, more and more Jews participate in celebrations such as New Years, despite Christian connotations.

2023 and 2024 have been tumultuous years for the Jewish people, particularly in Israel, but 2025 bears some promise as they dig out from under the incessant attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah. As the calendar page flips to a new year, let’s pray for a mighty harvest of Jewish people to recognize and embrace the One who came and split time in two! May the challenges of 2023 and 2024, and the hope of 2025, produce a hunger and thirst for Jesus.