I have been engaged in some apologetics discussion on Twitter of late. I've been challenge by OlderMusicGeek who says that Jesus does not fulfill Old Testament prophecy for the Messiah. I asked him to provide a prophecy that Jesus did not fulfill and he sent me this link to Why is Jesus not the Messiah for Jews? The interesting thing to note is that Jesus defended His claims to be Messiah during His earthly ministry. Paul and the other apostles did the same. It is from these sources I will respond.
Question
I attend a Pentecostal church and my pastor spoke about how Jews rejected Jesus as their messiah. Why do Jews not accept Jesus as God? I just wanted a Jewish perspective.
Here the answer given with my comments in red.
It is important to understand the biblical-historical context of Judaism. Rather than using the term that Jews “reject” Jesus as our messiah. It is better to state that Jews “do not accept” Jesus as our messiah.
Jesus was a Jewish Pharisaic rabbi who kept Shabbat, was circumcised, and observed Pesach. His ideas were carried by his followers and canonized in the Christian Bible.
Many Jews no longer believe in a personal messiah, and now believe in a Messianic Era which involves all of us perfecting the world through tikkun olam (“reparation of the world”).
While it is conceivable that some of today's Jews may now reject the idea of a personal messiah, no one can argue that the first century Jews held that view. They were looking for a personal Messiah to come. Changing the definition now, does not make sense and the author gives no valid proof for change in view. It seems much the same way that many people no longer believe in a personal god either. Looks like "New Age" thinking has permeated Judaism as it has everything else. Moses believed in a person coming.
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." Deuteronomy 18-14-16In the first century of the common era so did the Jewish leaders. They expected that the one whom Moses spoke of and the Messiah were the same person.
Christians accept Jesus as God incarnate and as the sacrifice for their sins. According to Judaism, the messiah is a human and is not God. Also, human sacrifice was prohibited by God at the binding of Isaac; therefore, Jesus cannot be a human sacrifice. A polemic question often posed by Jews and non-Jews is, “How God can die?”
Ok, if the Messiah human, then that mean the Messiah is personal. This knocks down the discussion above this paragraph because the author conflicts with himself. The question of" how God can die"can best be answered in more full detail in another post. This essay concentrated on Jesus' claim to being messiah so i I will do the same.
Jews believe that we must observe the commandments, behave righteously, and atone through ourselves for our own transgressions and not make those transgressions again. We do not require an intermediary to provide atonement.
What? Judaism does not require an intermediary to provide atonement? That's not what God said through Moses.
"If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. 18 He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he has been guilty of wrongdoing against the LORD." - Leviticus 5:17-19And this is not the only place that the Torah recognizes that people are unable to keep the Law themselves and be righteous at the level God demands. Of course we need a mediator between us and God. That was Moses role. That is what he did for the people. Moses was a picture of what the Messiah would be.
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) establishes and enumerates criteria that the messiah must fulfill, which we have determined that Jesus does not qualify. I do not present these to disparage your Christian beliefs, but I do this to clarify the Jewish position. Jews believe that non-Jews are just as righteous as Jews, and are only obligated to fulfill the seven Noahide laws.
Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because:
1) Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies.
2) Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah.
3) Biblical verses "referring" to Jesus are mistranslations.
4) Jewish belief is based on national revelation.
At the end of this article, we will examine these additional topics:
5) Christianity contradicts Jewish theology
6) Jews and Gentiles
7) Bringing the Messiah
Fair enough. Let's look at each of these point in turn.
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1) JESUS DID NOT FULFILL THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES
What is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? The Bible says that he will:
A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).
C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)
D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).
The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies.
Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.
I'm glad he said that no Jewish sources confirm a second coming, but I would like to ask "what about all the messianic prophecies about the messiah dying - being betrayed, tortured, and vindicated?" Those Jews who hold that the Messiah must fulfill those scriptures outright also believe that the Messiah must fulfill scriptures like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 outright also? If the Messiah must also fulfil these, then when will he do that...before or after he fulfills: Ezekiel 37:26-28,Isaiah 43:5-6,Isaiah 2:4, and Zechariah 14:9? Now unless you wanna argue that there are two Messiahs, then you have to ask are we waiting for two or for one? S0, can't have it both ways, unless we agree that there is one Messiah and He fulfills all these scriptures at different times.
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2) JESUS DID NOT EMBODY THE PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF MESSIAH
A. MESSIAH AS PROPHET
Jesus was not a prophet. Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry. During the time of Ezra (circa 300 BCE), when the majority of Jews refused to move from Babylon to Israel, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets -- Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended.
First, where does the Hebrew Bible say "Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry."? From Ezekiel and Jeremiah through Malachi there was prophecy and the land was not mostly inhabited by Jews. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the 2nd Temple. He made the prophecy before 33 AD and Rome destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem about 70 AD.
1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" 2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down. - Mark 13:1,2There are other example of Jesus telling the Future. He told Peter that Peter would deny Jesus before the rooster crows and Peter did.
B. DESCENDENT OF DAVID
The Messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (see Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1). According to the Christian claim that Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father -- and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father's side from King David!
What about his Mother's? Mary was also a descendant of Kind David. Not just Joseph. By the way, thanks for accepting the virgin birth.
C. TORAH OBSERVANCE
The Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvot remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)
Throughout the New Testament, Jesus contradicts the Torah and states that its commandments are no longer applicable. (see John 1:45 and 9:16, Acts 3:22 and 7:37)
I think the first reference may be a typo, but let's look at the second. In the context of John 9:16, the Jewish Leaders were angry with Jesus because they said He broke the sabbath. Look at the text. How did Jesus break the sabbath in their opinion? What crime did Jesus commit? Jesus healed a Blind man who had been blind from birth! Jesus did not break the sabbath, only the man-made rules that people put up around the sabbath. I challenge anyone to tell me how healing someone on the sabbath is breaking the Torah. As for Acts 3:22 and 7:37 These are Peter and Steven equating the Prophet Moses spoke of with Jesus. How does this help the author's argument?
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3) MISTRANSLATED VERSES "REFERRING" TO JESUS
Biblical verses can only be understood by studying the original Hebrew text -- which reveals many discrepancies in the Christian translation.
A. VIRGIN BIRTH
The Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as "virgin." This accords Jesus' birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods.
Look at the verse in question: Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.This is a bad argument. "Virgin" was used by the Jewish translators of the Old Testament into Greek - the Septuagint. This is the bible that the Jews and the first Christians Used. Y'know...before and while the New Testament was being written. So Why is "virign" the correct translation? Every where alma is used, "virigin" can be used without qualification. Also in the verse the word translated "sign" always refers to special and distinctive actions. Therefore a virgin birth of Christ is in reference here. Also in context this will be a special child. "Immanuel" means "God with us"! God incarnated and dwelling among His people!
B. CRUCIFIXION
The verse in Psalms 22:17 reads: "Like a lion, they are at my hands and feet." The Hebrew word ki-ari (like a lion) is grammatically similar to the word "gouged." Thus Christianity reads the verse as a reference to crucifixion: "They pierced my hands and feet."
I'm thinking that the author's argument that Jesus' crucifixion excludes Him from being Messiah, but I don't understand why. Psalm 22 is about the Messiah and attributed to King David.
C. SUFFERING SERVANT
Christianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jesus, as the "suffering servant."
In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. The Torah is filled with examples of the Jewish nation referred to with a singular pronoun.
Ironically, Isaiah's prophecies of persecution refer in part to the 11th century when Jews were tortured and killed by Crusaders who acted in the name of Jesus.
From where did these mistranslations stem? St. Gregory, 4th century Bishop of Nanianzus, wrote: "A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less they comprehend, the more they admire."
I disagree. How does Isaiah 53 refer to Israel and not the Messiah? I don't see how any of the prophecy could possibly refer to Israel. For example, when have the people of Israel ever fit this picture?
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes span his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.Fits Jesus really well though - 700 years before His Birth. The whole chapter fits him.11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
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4) JEWISH BELIEF IS BASED SOLELY ON NATIONAL REVELATION
Of the 15,000 religions in human history, only Judaism bases its belief on national revelation -- i.e. God speaking to the entire nation. If God is going to start a religion, it makes sense He'll tell everyone, not just one person.
Judaism, unique among all of the world's major religions, does not rely on "claims of miracles" as the basis for its religion. In fact, the Bible says that God sometimes grants the power of "miracles" to charlatans, in order to test Jewish loyalty to the Torah (Deut. 13:4).
Maimonides states (Foundations of Torah, ch. 8):
The Jews did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the miracles he performed. Whenever anyone's belief is based on seeing miracles, he has lingering doubts, because it is possible the miracles were performed through magic or sorcery. All of the miracles performed by Moses in the desert were because they were necessary, and not as proof of his prophecy.
What then was the basis of [Jewish] belief? The Revelation at Mount Sinai, which we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, not dependent on the testimony of others... as it says, "Face to face, God spoke with you..." The Torah also states: "God did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us -- who are all here alive today." (Deut. 5:3)
Judaism is not miracles. It is the personal eyewitness experience of every man, woman and child, standing at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago.
Amen. The same is said about Jesus. We believe Moses and Jesus through relationship. The Torah is based on Relationship. We now have better. We can have a closer and deeper relationship than they did at the foot of Mt Sinai. Through Jesus, you can come to God's very throne. Justified in Jesus' righteousness.
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5) CHRISTIANITY CONTRADICTS JEWISH THEOLOGY
The following theological points apply primarily to the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination, and the one most familiar to the Western world.
A. GOD AS THREE?
The Catholic idea of Trinity breaks God into three separate beings: The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).
Contrast this to the Shema, the basis of Jewish belief: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE" (Deut. 6:4). Jews declare the Shema every day, while writing it on doorposts (Mezuzah), and binding it to the hand and head (Tefillin). This statement of God's One-ness is the first words a Jewish child is taught to say, and the last words uttered before a Jew dies.
In Jewish law, worship of a three-part god is considered idolatry -- one of the three cardinal sins that a Jew should rather give up his life than transgress. This explains why during the Inquisitions and throughout history, Jews gave up their lives rather than convert.
Fundamental misunderstanding of the Trinity. I don't have the time to give the full treatment this deserves, so instead I will state the doctrine correctly. God is one in being and essense. Three in person. From a human stand point sing being equal single personhood. However, God is not not bound by this. We agree with the Shema. "The Lord, our God, the Lord is ONE". Now the question is "One what?" One being? One person? What? We believe God is "One what?" - Being. And "Three Whos" - Father, Son. and Holy Spirit.
B. MAN AS GOD?
Christians believe that God came down to earth in human form, as Jesus said: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).
Maimonides devotes most of the "Guide for the Perplexed" to the fundamental idea that God is incorporeal, meaning that He assumes no physical form. God is Eternal, above time. He is Infinite, beyond space. He cannot be born, and cannot die. Saying that God assumes human form makes God small, diminishing both His unity and His divinity. As the Torah says: "God is not a mortal" (Numbers 23:19).
Judaism says that the Messiah will be born of human parents, and possess normal physical attributes like other people. He will not be a demi-god, and will not possess supernatural qualities. In fact, an individual is alive in every generation with the capacity to step into the role of the Messiah. (see Maimonides - Laws of Kings 11:3)
Not to disparage Maimonides but Abraham and Moses said different. Look at Genesis 18. The best explanation I have heard for this is in the form of a song called Theophanies.
C. INTERMEDIARY FOR PRAYER?
The Catholic belief is that prayer must be directed through an intermediary -- i.e. confessing one's sins to a priest. Jesus himself is an intermediary, as Jesus said: "No man cometh unto the Father but by me."
In Judaism, prayer is a totally private matter, between each individual and God. As the Bible says: "God is near to all who call unto Him" (Psalms 145:18). Further, the Ten Commandments state: "You shall have no other gods BEFORE ME," meaning that it is forbidden to set up a mediator between God and man. (see Maimonides - Laws of Idolatry ch. 1)
Most Protestant Denominations agree with the author of this article on this point. I know I do.
D. INVOLVEMENT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD
Catholic doctrine often treats the physical world as an evil to be avoided. Mary, the holiest woman, is portrayed as a virgin. Priests and nuns are celibate. And monasteries are in remote, secluded locations.
By contrast, Judaism believes that God created the physical world not to frustrate us, but for our pleasure. Jewish spirituality comes through grappling with the mundane world in a way that uplifts and elevates. Sex in the proper context is one of the holiest acts we can perform.
The Talmud says if a person has the opportunity to taste a new fruit and refuses to do so, he will have to account for that in the World to Come. Jewish rabbinical schools teach how to live amidst the bustle of commercial activity. Jews don't retreat from life, we elevate it.
Again this is where not all Chrisitians would like to be lumped in with Roman Catholicism. I don't agree with them but with you..except for refusing to taste new fruit being a sin. ...but i get the point being made and I agree.
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6) JEWS AND GENTILES
Judaism does not demand that everyone convert to the religion. The Torah of Moses is a truth for all humanity, whether Jewish or not. King Solomon asked God to heed the prayers of non-Jews who come to the Holy Temple (Kings I 8:41-43). The prophet Isaiah refers to the Temple as a "House for all nations."
The Temple service during Sukkot featured 70 bull offerings, corresponding to the 70 nations of the world. The Talmud says that if the Romans would have realized how much benefit they were getting from the Temple, they'd never have destroyed it.
Jews have never actively sought converts to Judaism because the Torah prescribes a righteous path for gentiles to follow, known as the "Seven Laws of Noah." Maimonides explains that any human being who faithfully observes these basic moral laws earns a proper place in heaven.
For further study of the Seven Laws of Noah, see:
Bnei Noah of Fort Worth
http://www.fastlane.net/~bneinoah/
The above link does not work
Path of the Righteous Gentile
http://www.chabad.org/gopher/outlook/7laws/index.html
Hey, these laws being referred to are based on the same laws in the Torah and I agree with everyone of them. If we apply the same rules such as break one of them (even in thought) is tantamount to breaking them all, we are back in the same place. Dead in sin and cut off from God without remedy. This is why Jesus came. Galations 2:16 says:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
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7) BRINGING THE MESSIAH
Maimonides states that the popularity of Christianity (and Islam) is part of God's plan to spread the ideals of Torah throughout the world. This moves society closer to a perfected state of morality and toward a greater understanding of God. All this is in preparation for the Messianic age.
Indeed, the world is in desperate need of Messianic redemption. War and pollution threaten our planet; ego and confusion erode family life. To the extent we are aware of the problems of society, is the extent we will yearn for redemption. As the Talmud says, one of the first questions a Jew is asked on Judgment Day is: "Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah?"
How can we hasten the coming of the Messiah? The best way is to love all humanity generously, to keep the mitzvot of the Torah (as best we can), and to encourage others to do so as well.
Despite the gloom, the world does seem headed toward redemption. One apparent sign is that the Jewish people have returned to the Land of Israel and made it bloom again. Additionally, a major movement is afoot of young Jews returning to Torah tradition.
The Messiah can come at any moment, and it all depends on our actions. God is ready when we are. For as King David says: "Redemption will come today -- if you hearken to His voice."
This was a great article despite it's problems. The thing is the Messiah is coming back soon. We all agree with this - Jew and Christian. We Christians agree that the Messiah will get rid of all war and establish an outward Kingdom to which everyone will submit. Judgement Day is coming. The thing is that Messiah is Jesus. And for those Jews that don't accept Jesus as Messiah when they are asked "Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah?", they will have to answer "No".
