At Fusion Global, we believe the story of Jesus (Yeshua) is not just about personal salvation, it’s about divine connection. Every event in His life, from His birth to His resurrection, shows how God connects heaven and earth, the old and the new, Israel and the nations.
Rabbi Jason Sobel’s new book, Transformed by the Messiah: How Old and New Testament Jesus Connections Reveal God’s Intentional Story for Your Life helps us see these familiar moments with fresh eyes and a Jewish heart.
This three-part blog series will explore excerpts from Transformed by the Messiah that reveal how the Messiah’s birth, life, and death are not isolated stories, but one seamless revelation of God’s covenant love.
We begin where the story begins, the Messiah’s birth, and what it means that He came as both a descendant of David and a Jewish person.
"This book (Transformed By The Messiah) is blowing my mind. I told a few close friends they will want to get the book right away, because it is so moving and insightful!"
He Came as Both a Descendant and a Jewish Person
(Excerpt from Transformed by the Messiah, pages 8-9)
“The incarnation means Jesus inextricably bound Himself to humanity for all time. But there’s something else we must understand. He came as a descendant of David, and He came as a Jewish person. These two statements mean Jesus inextricably bound Himself with the fate of humanity and the fate of Israel and the Jewish people. Some of you may be Jewish, wondering why this is significant. You may be wondering why it’s essential that God would come as a Jewish person, bind Himself to the fate of Israel, and still love and keep His promises to you even though most Jewish people have not received Him as Yeshua, the Messiah.
We need to remember that Jesus reveals His love despite the Jewish people’s overwhelming rejection. Paul mentions this same point in the New Testament book of Romans, chapters 9 through 11.
To set the scene, in Romans 1–3 Rabbi Paul wrote about how Jewish people and Gentiles all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That’s the bad news. But then he went into the good news—justification by faith for all who believe in Yeshua—the final sacrifice for sin. Jesus forgave their sin and gave them His righteousness. Then Paul wrote about sanctification—that we are conformed to the image and likeness of the Messiah. We become like Him. In chapter 8 Paul wrote about glorification—that when we see Him we will be like Him (v. 29) and be wholly transformed in glory.
He closed Romans chapter 8 with this: ‘I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord’ (vv. 38–39).
Nothing can separate us from God’s love!”
–Transformed by the Messiah, pages 8-9
What the Incarnation Really Means
The incarnation (God taking on flesh) was not a temporary disguise or a short-term mission trip to earth. It was God’s eternal choice to bind Himself to us. Rabbi Jason often says, “God doesn’t just visit us; He moves in.”
But Transformed by the Messiah reminds us that this union goes even deeper: when God took on human flesh, He didn’t arrive as a generic “person.” He entered history through a Jewish lineage, into a real family, among a real people. The Messiah’s Jewish identity isn’t an incidental detail. It’s central to His mission.
By coming as a descendant of David, Yeshua fulfills God’s covenant promises to Israel. By coming as a Jewish man, He forever unites Himself with Israel’s destiny. This is not a story of replacement, it’s a story of redemption.
God didn’t start something new with the Church and discard Israel. He fulfilled what He began with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That’s why Transformed by the Messiah calls us to reconnect to the roots of our faith. As Rabbi Jason often says, “Don’t settle for half an inheritance.” When we understand Yeshua within His Jewish context, we receive the fullness of God’s revelation and the depth of His love.
The Faithfulness of God
Romans 9–11 beautifully expands on this truth. Paul (also known as Rabbi Shaul) asks whether Israel’s unbelief means that God’s promises have failed. His answer is an emphatic no. God’s faithfulness to Israel stands firm, and His calling is irrevocable (Romans 11:29).
That means Yeshua’s love for Israel isn’t based on belief—it’s based on the covenant. He loves His people because He made an everlasting promise to them. And the amazing part? That same faithfulness now reaches out to the nations.
When Paul writes that “nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua,” he’s not describing a sentimental feeling. He’s describing a covenant bond that not even death can break. The same God who keeps His promises to Israel keeps His promises to you.
That’s why Transformed by the Messiah insists that our hope is not based on our performance, but on His permanence.
Connecting the Old and the New
At Fusion Global, we love to say that “The New is in the Old concealed, and the Old is in the New revealed.” The birth of Yeshua proves it. The prophets foretold a Messiah born in Bethlehem, of the line of David, who would be a light to the nations. When He came, He didn’t abolish those promises. He illuminated and fulfilled them.
Every nativity scene and every Christmas story really tell a story about covenant faithfulness. The birth of Yeshua is God’s way of showing that His word will never fail. His promises to Israel and His plan for the world continue to unfold with perfect timing.
When we celebrate His birth, we celebrate the miracle that God entered our story not just to save individuals, but to fulfill a promise made to a people…and through them, to bless all nations.
Transformed by His Birth
In Transformed by the Messiah, Rabbi Jason emphasizes that transformation begins not at the cross, but at the cradle. The moment Yeshua entered the world, everything changed. His very existence bridges heaven and earth, divine and human, Jew and Gentile.
When we say “Yes” to the Messiah, we become part of that story. We’re adopted into Abraham’s family and included in Israel’s promises. And just like Paul, we can stand with confidence and say:
“Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”
Read More in Transformed by the Messiah
This excerpt is only the beginning! In Transformed by the Messiah, Rabbi Jason explains how Yeshua’s birth, life, and death are all meant to transform yours, revealing the remarkable pattern of redemption that stretches from Genesis to Revelation.
Get your copy today at the Fusion Global Store and start discovering how the Messiah’s story transforms your story.
