If Jesus was born Jewish then wouldn’t he have side locks, instead of having long hair like people portray him? Wouldn’t he also celebrate Jewish holidays? So if you were going to follow in his teachings, then wouldn’t you try and celebrate jewish holidays? Or is this idea just flat out wrong?
Answer:
Long hair is permitted according to Torah law, as long as one doensn’t shave the sidelocks. As to Jewish holidays, Yeishu certainly observed the Jewish holidays, like all other Jews of his time. It was only in the time of his disciples that the Law was abolished, and the holiday dates corrupted.
For this reason, there are certain Christians who do practice, to some extent, the Jewish holidays.
This is a deep question of Christianity: Should one emualte Jesus himself, or should one follow the teachings of Paul (and others–though in the formative stages of Christianity there was great debate around this question) and not abide by any formal parts of the Law.
The matter of circumcision, which was one of the first issues that arose with regard to converting Gentiles, demonstrates the point. Of course, Yeishu himself was circumcised according to Jewish Law (this is also stated in Luke). However, the first Christian Council decided in favor of Paul’s position, and ruled that converting Gentiles do not need to be circumcised. The rest of the Law followed, which was replaced by faith alone, and this arrangment has become a defining feature of Christianity.
