Jesus Christ and Judaism - Revised

Who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people?

For thousands of years the people known as the Jews have lived as God's chosen people. They have gone through captivity, exile, turmoil, and restoration. They have looked for thousands of years even to the present for a Savior of their people, or a Messiah.

Sadly, the Jewish majority in this world reject the Christian belief in a Savior named Jesus Christ. He is believed to be the promised messiah spoken of through the prophets of the Old Testament. Near 4 B.C., a child was born in Bethlehem by no causation of natural origin. The mother, a chosen woman named Mary, was a virgin when she became pregnant. She was given the child by the Holy Spirit. This child grew up in relative silence for thirty years. He then began a three year ministry and guided himself toward a purposeful conclusion.

His words spoke of love, repentance of sin, and great wisdom of all things. His actions reached the poor, the depraved, and the sick by his wonderous miracles and healing. Most importantly however, he acted as though given the power to forgive (Luke 5:17-26, Luke 7:36-50, Micah 7:18-20). This and his certain claim to be God (John 8:48-58, John 10:22-39) enraged the Jews. His impact on the people of that time and in that place was great and it gained the attention of the powerful Jewish leaders called Sanhedrin. These men saw the growing popularity of Jesus and conspired to kill him.


Though one would assume Jesus was caught and killed, this is not the case. He was never "caught" at all, but willingly went to be beaten, mocked, and crucified. "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'—which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" His blood was spilled and he gave up his life. (Matthew 26-27).

It would seem that a terrible end came to this great and powerful man, and it is true that his followers fell into dispair upon his death. His followers had, in that back of their minds, expected him to deliver himself from his death by exercising his great power, but they were let down when he did not and passed from life.

Fortunately, this was not the end. Three days after the crucifixion Jesus rose to life again. His followers hadn't understood when he'd spoken of it prior, but he'd actually predicted his death and resurrection to them (Matthew 16:21-28, Matthew 20:17-19).

For forty days Jesus appeared many times to many people (Mark 16:9-20, John 20:10-31, John 21). His impact was powerful while he was alive and preaching, but his impact after the resurrection sent forth shock waves that are still being felt even today. He had died and shed his blood for the sin of the world. He was to be the perfect sacrifice, God's Lamb, that took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Now, back to the originial question, who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people? Well, first it must be said that Jesus was a Jew. This should immediately dispell any thoughts of anti-semitism being ascribed to true Christians. Jesus probably grew up just like any other Jewish boy. He no doubt practiced all the traditions of the Jewish people and we're even told that he worked among them as a carpenter following in the trade of his step father Joseph.

The fact that Jesus is Jewish is no small matter. It was said in Isaiah 11:1-10 of Jesus, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD..." It continues on. The significance is that this book, Isaiah, is accepted as scripture by the Jews and it speaks of a lineage to a messiah coming from Jesse through the line of David. Jesus is a direct descendant of this line (Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38). Genealogy was very important to the Jews and this prediction seven hundred years prior knew that.

Now, using some excerpts from the Old Testament, the scripture accepted by the Jews, I will attempt to convey the story of Jesus Christ. I warn you, these scriptures are astounding in their depiction.

The Prophecies

Genesis 3:14-15
¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; ¹⁵And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

This is the first of the messianic prophecies. It takes place after Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden tree and God is dealing out the curse. The Lord curses the deceiving serpent and then he refers to the seed of the woman. God refers to this seed as "He" which is peculiar. It paints a picture of a man stamping on the serpent's head while the only recourse of the serpent is to bruise his heel.

Genesis 12:3
³And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Here, God speaks to Abram (before he is named Abraham) and tells him that through this single man "all the families of the earth will be blessed." Jesus Christ, along with all the Jews, were descended from Father Abraham.

Genesis 18:17-18
¹⁷Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁸Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

Here, God is speaking of Abraham as he and his two companions walk on their way to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 22:1-18
¹Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
²Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
³Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
⁸Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
⁹When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
¹²"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
¹³Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
¹⁵The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Here is a strange story, but once understood it becomes a beautiful picture of God's own sacrifice. It is interesting that Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice just as Jesus Christ carried his cross for at least part of the way (John 19:17).

Take note that Isaac asks, "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" and Abraham answered with a very powerful response, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

Understand the significance that the Father is leading his son to be sacrificed. Next observe that Abraham mentions, though he perhaps doesn't fully understand the significance of his statement, that God Himself will provide the sacrifice. This seems to be a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.

Finally, God tells him, "because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

God also did not withhold his only son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."). How else would all nations and families on earth be blessed except that Jesus Christ should die for their sin?

Psalm 22
¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.
³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."
⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
¹¹ Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
¹² Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
²⁷ All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

Whopping evidence Figure #1! Remember what Jesus cried out on the cross? ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Matthew 27:46]) This chapter in Psalm seems to point directly to the crucifixion, an act not even invented during David's time. David wrote it, but he seems to be describing someone else's suffering. When was David pierced? When were his bones out of joint?

Isaiah 7:14
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.

Immanuel means God with us. Remember that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-22) This prediction came seven hundred years before Jesus was born.

Isaiah 11:1-10
¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - ³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. ⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. ⁷ The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸ The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. ⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

This is the promise that the messiah would come through the line of King David. When Jesus Christ has finished his work, the whole prophecy will come to fruition.

Isaiah 52:13-53
¹³ See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. ¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—¹⁵ so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes 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. 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. ¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Whopping Evidence Figure #2!

"his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness"

This sounds like the result of Jesus' torture and crucifixion.

"He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground."

A shoot from the root of Jesse?

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows,
and familiar with suffering. Like one from
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not."

Jesus Christ was despised (John 1:11 "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him."). His own people crucified him, but Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

This is the picture of Jesus' sacrifice. Because of his death we are saved. He was the perfect sacrifice that took away our sin. He took it all, past, current and future sins, our iniquity, on his back and died in our place. We now have peace and are healed.

"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."

Though he died, it appears here that he sees the light of life and is satisfied. This seems to be a picture of the resurrection.

Micah 5:2-5
² "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. "
³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
⁵ And he will be their peace.

This is the prophecy of the birthplace of the messiah. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7). It speaks strongly of his shepherdship and majesty.

Who is Jesus Christ to the Jewish people?
No.
Who is Jesus Christ to all people?

Jesus came, he died, and overcame the grave by rising again. This is known, but what is less understood is that he brought the Old Covenant to a close and established a New Covenant. What is meant by this? The Old Covenant brought the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and Laws. This occurred in the Old Testament section of the Bible. (Testament means Covenant) Humankind cannot abide by the Ten Commandments as Jesus Christ demonstrated through his teachings (Matt 5:21-48), because, though we may abide outwardly, we do not abide in our hearts. This spoke pwerfully that all men have been rendered guilty and cannot enter heaven (Matthew 19:16-30). Mankind was thus faced with a problem: Who then can be saved?

The ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ can ultimately be understood by the following excerpt from Paul's writings in the letter to the Roman church:

Romans 3:21-26
²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

You see, Jesus brought the Old Covenant, the one that separated mankind from God, to a close when he paid the price for all our sins. He simultaneously began a New Covenant that promises salvation through faith and following Jesus Christ. Jesus encounter with the rich man (Matthew 19:16-30) shows us the amount of surrender we must have in following Him. It is our striving of complete surrender and elevation of Him above all else that separates us. All that is required of us is to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. From this, me may be certain that our eternal place is in heaven Him.

Conclusion

After seeing just a few predictions out of a great many more of the coming messiah and the fulfillment of Jesus Christ, the implications for the Jewish people suggest that they've missed their long sought after messiah.

Even more unfortunate is that a majority of Jewish people don't even know that they are to be looking for a messiah. Many hear the word messiah and it means nothing to them. Many people who claim to be Christians don't understand what they say they believe, but the Jew doesn't always understand what he believes either. So, if you decide to minister to a Jewish person, understand that they may not have any idea what you're talking about when you mention a "messiah." You'll need to tell them by explaining and showing them their own prophetic scriptures concerning a messiah. From this foundation, you can better introduce Jesus Christ and the Good News of salvation.

John 3:1-21

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
³In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
⁴"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
⁵Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' ⁸The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." ⁹"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
¹⁰"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? ¹¹I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."