Tissy I'm sorry I haven't given up on you , just been so busy.
I'm interested to hear lisalisa's response to your question regarding Jesus, as I've been taught about this from a Christian perspective but I know we both have very different ideas about who Jesus was.
The Jews were promised a Messiah in the old testament, a king if you like, someone to be their saviour and lead their people out of oppression. The problem was, when Jesus was born to a carpenter in a Bethlehem stable, and his family came from a place like Nazareth (frowned upon), this was not the king the Jews were expecting. Although old testament prophesy describes the manner in which Jesus would come, the Jewish people could not accept that this man could be their messiah. To make matters worse, when Jesus began his ministry, he proceeded to condemn the pharisees and the high priests for the hypocritical way in which they were living, and he accused them of not following the Law of Moses, even though they professed to. He challenged them on every level and in turn they also accused him of not adhering to their law - he healed people on the Sabbath, refused to condemn people that were looked down upon and treated as outcasts by the religious leaders, he publicly questioned their motives, and accused them of oppressing their own people. Not exactly going to win votes for yourself by challenging people where it hurts. Many of the religious leaders were incensed by his teachings and his growing number of followers, so they sought to have him condemned, which is what ultimately happened. In the New Testament it describes Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, primarily because his own people had not believed who he was.
With regard to circumcision, Jesus brought with him a new covenant which would free people from the bondage of the Law. Since circumcision was still part of the law, and Christ represented a new covenant between God and his people, circumcision (along with many of the other requirements of the law) was no longer necessary. Commitment to Christ and accepting him as their saviour was the new requirement, enabling people to live a life under God's grace, as opposed to being bound by the Law. (Because Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all sins).
Hope this all makes sense and I hope you didn't mind me interjecting here.