Today, we will examine key reasons Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, and why the Torah foreshadows His coming. This topic requires a deep understanding of both Jewish and Christian beliefs, as well as the historical and cultural context in which these beliefs developed.
The Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Messiah is based on several fundamental tenets of Jewish belief. First, Jewish messianic expectations are rooted in many prophecies found in the Jewish Scriptures, many of which, according to Jewish interpretation, Jesus did not fulfil. For instance, the Jewish Messiah is expected to bring about an era of universal peace and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, neither of which occurred during Jesus' lifetime.
Second, the concept of a divine Messiah is viewed as
incompatible with Jewish monotheism. The Jewish faith strictly adheres to the
belief in one indivisible God. The Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God
is rejected by Jews as polytheism. This is a similar view to Him as Muslims,
though Muslim doctrine is that Jesus was a prophet whose teachings got distorted,
while Judaic doctrine is that Jesus was a false prophet.
No New Covenant: Jews do not believe that a new covenant, as
suggested by Jesus' teachings, is necessary or valid as they believe that the
Torah's laws are eternal, rejecting Jesus' teachings that some laws were no
longer necessary.
Now let us scrutinise this perspective: the Torah, the first
five books of the Bible, contains many prophecies and foreshadowing of Jesus'
coming. Jesus did indeed fulfil many messianic prophecies, but in a spiritual
rather than a literal sense. For instance, the prophecy of the Messiah bringing
peace is referring to the spiritual peace that Jesus offers to His followers,
rather than a worldly peace.
Various elements in the Torah also foreshadow Jesus. For
example, the sacrificial system outlined in the book of Leviticus is a
foreshadowing of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. The Passover lamb, whose blood
saved the Israelites from the tenth plague in Egypt, is viewed as a symbol of
Jesus, the "Lamb of God" whose blood saves believers from spiritual
death. I have previously detailed this list of 50 clear Old Testament prophecies of Jesus that he unoquivically fulfiled.
Jesus' divinity does not contradict monotheism, but reveals
a deeper understanding of God's nature. The Father and Son are one God (John
10:30). And finally, the new covenant is clearly necessary because nobody keeps
all the laws of Moses. Jews today do not have the temple to practise the
offerings commanded and therefore, none of them are keeping the law to the
letter. The Talmud, their book used to interpret the Torah, was written and modern Hebrew developed after Jesus,
and was heavily influenced as an erroneous response to Him and is incompatible
with the Torah.
To summarise, the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Messiah comes
from misguided interpretations of the Scriptures. Jesus is the embodiment of
God's unconditional love for humanity. His life, death, and resurrection
fulfilled the Messianic prophecies, offering us a path to salvation. It is a
call to a deeper relationship with God, a call to experience His mercy and love
that transcends our understanding. This is an invitation to experience God's
love in its fullness through Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full
of love and gratitude. We thank You for the gift of life, for the blessings You
pour out on us each day, and for the promise of salvation through Your Son,
Jesus Christ. We are humbled by Your love, a love so profound that You sent
Your only Son to die for our sins.
Lord Jesus, we lift our Jewish brothers and sisters to You. We
pray You would open their hearts to the love of their Messiah. We ask that You
would remove any barriers that may prevent them from fully embracing You. We
know You desire all people to come to the knowledge of the truth, and we pray
that they too would come to see Jesus as the fulfilment of the Messianic
prophecies.
Father, we pray for their understanding and acceptance of
Jesus. May they come to experience His love, His grace, and His mercy in their
lives. We pray they would find in Jesus the completion of their faith and the fulfilment
of their deepest spiritual needs.
Lord, we ask that You would give us the wisdom and the words
to share Your love with our Jewish friends. Help us be loving and compassionate
as we share our own beliefs. May our conversations be filled with love, grace,
and understanding. May we always reflect the love of Christ in our interactions
with them.
We pray that the truth of Jesus' love and sacrifice would touch the hearts of our Jewish friends. May they come to experience the profound love and grace that You offer through Jesus Christ. We ask all these in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.