Who is Jesus to the Jews?
The Beloved Disciple recorded by The Holy Spirit what he heard and saw in Revelation chapter 7:
1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Israel will go through the Great Tribulation but in the end, they will acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Lamb of GOD.
Again, who is Jesus to the Jews?
Mainstream Jewish View
Most Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or the Son of God. In traditional Judaism:
- Jesus is generally viewed as a Jewish teacher or historical figure who lived in the first century.
- He is not considered the promised Messiah foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures.
- He is not regarded as divine.
- His death and resurrection are not accepted as having the theological significance that Christians attribute to them.
Judaism teaches that the Messiah, when he comes, will accomplish certain things, including:
- Gather the Jewish people back to their land.
- Establish worldwide peace.
- Bring all nations to acknowledge the God of Israel.
- Rebuild or restore the Temple era in Jerusalem.
Because these events were not fulfilled during Jesus’ earthly ministry, traditional Judaism concludes that he was not the Messiah.
Messianic Jews
A smaller group known as Messianic Judaism believes:
- Jesus (Yeshua) is the promised Jewish Messiah.
- He is the Son of God.
- His death and resurrection provide atonement for sin.
- Jewish identity and many Jewish customs can still be maintained while following Jesus.
Most mainstream Jewish organizations do not consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Judaism because of its beliefs about Jesus.
Christian View
Christians believe Jesus is:
- The Jewish Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
- The Son of God.
- Savior of both Jews and Gentiles.
- The fulfillment of prophecies such as those found in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9 (though Jews and Christians interpret these passages differently).
The Apostles’ Perspective
It is important to remember that Jesus, His disciples, and the earliest believers were all Jewish. The earliest followers of Jesus believed that He fulfilled God’s promises to Israel and was the long-awaited Messiah.
As Jesus asked His disciples:
“Whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
Peter answered:
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
This remains the central difference between Christianity and Judaism: Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God; traditional Judaism does not.
Some Jews became believers whereas other Jews rejected Him as it is to this very day.