I would like to preface this post by saying that I have no idea who, today, is a physical Jew and who is not. The Lord knows, however. I would also note that in the current age, it doesn't matter in terms of blessings and hopes (as it will again in the age to come).
I was prompted to summarize this topic (as we have previously looked at the details of the place of the Gentile during the Lord's earthly ministry and in the Books of the Acts age) because of certain slanderous posts on social media regarding supposed quotes in the Talmud. In short, the supposed quotes are purposely bad translations or they're completely fabricated. The hope of those posting the gross misrepresentations is that the reader will not seek out the quotes for himself.
I will not post all the examples of the libelous images. I will offer instead, for context, one of the more benign examples.
Those posting these things assert that the following is from the Talmud:
"Even the best of Goyim should all be killed."
"Kill the best of the heathen in time of war."
For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their [Jews] spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
-Romans 15:26-27
The Lord himself calls Israel his "children" and that he was sent to them alone. In that same passage, Gentiles are compared to "little dogs" by the Lord who must take the scraps that fall from the "children's" table.
But he answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
-Matthew 15:24-27
The Lord forbids the Gospel of the Kingdom to be preached to Gentiles (Matt 10, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles..."). The twelve Apostles went to Jews only (save Peter once). The risen Lord taught the enlightened apostles for 40 days concerning the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel (Luke 24; Acts 1) as we looked at many times. At Pentecost, Jews only present. Peter's offer of the return of Christ to restore the Kingdom was to Jews only (Acts 3). Etc.
Do we accuse the Lord of being anti-Gentile? Well, in a way, he was. Do we accuse the enlightened apostles of the same? They understood the purpose of the grafting in of Gentiles and came to understand the equality in the free gift of life. But in the matters concerning the Kingdom plan for the land, both the Lord and the Apostles understood the meaning, "to the Jew first."
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
