The Jews (Israelites) were God's chosen people for nearly all of Biblical history. But, they reject Christ as the Messiah. If the only path to the Father is through the Son, and Jews reject the Son, how do they still reach the Father? If they never accept Christ as their savior, how are they saved? Are they "grandfathered" in because they were chosen before the arrival of Christ? Lets say from the protestant denominations. It's really just a general question and I'd be interested in reading several perspectives

I'm reading the Bible through properly for the first time and I'm at the book of Nehemiah. So far there's been a few times were the Israelites repent and put effort into living according to the laws in the Book of Moses. That includes divorcing and sending away the non-Israel women that they've married and the children they had with these women. How is it that we're all the children of God? It seems a bit more of either you're born an Israelite or not and if you're not then you're not a part of it. It feels a bit more like there's a clear line between being an insider and being an outsider. And casting out their children because they're not pure born Israelites doesn't align with the message that we are all God's children. I guess I am just trying to understand how a religion that has this far into the Bible done a lot of effort to distinguish between the Israelites and everyone else link to us (everyone else). How are we, non-Israelites on the opposite of the world a part of it?

I encountered an opinion that the Old Covenant is still valid and that Israel is still the Chosen Nation of God. I haven't checked the accuracy of the source, but I read on the Internet that St. John Paul II said that "God has never revoked the Old Covenant". Also, St. Paul wrote in Romans 11 a difficult passage about the Jews, particularly in Romans 11:29 : > "For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (RSV). On the other hand, in my language, during the Liturgy of Good Friday, something like "Jews that used to be Chosen Nation in past" is said. (Some say that's a wrong translation; I didn't check the Latin original). Also, the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21 says: >"Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it." (v. 43). This seems to state that the Church replaced Israel as a Chosen People. So, what is the Catholic solution to this seeming contradiction?