The REAL Reason Why Jewish People Reject Jesus As The Messiah

Summary

The video discusses why many Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah despite the overwhelming evidence of His miracles and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. The reasons include confusion between prophecies of Jesus' first and second comings, perceiving Jesus' claims to divinity as blasphemy, challenges to Jewish religious teachings and traditions, and hardened hearts resistant to the truth. The speaker highlights that while Jesus' first coming did not fulfill all messianic prophecies, these will be completed during His second coming.

Takeaways

• 📜 The video discusses why the Jewish leaders and many Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah, despite the evidence of his miracles and fulfillment of some Old Testament prophecies.
• 🤔 The first reason for rejection is confusion between prophecies about the Messiah's first and second comings. Many expected all prophecies to be fulfilled in one coming.
• 📖 Jesus fulfilled several prophecies, such as those about his birth and suffering, but not others related to establishing an earthly kingdom, which led to doubts among Jewish leaders.
• ⏳ The concept of two separate comings of the Messiah, with a gap between them, was not understood by the Old Testament prophets or Jewish leaders, contributing to their rejection of Jesus.
• 🕊️ The Jewish people expected the Messiah to restore Israel's political and spiritual kingdom, free them from Roman oppression, and bring peace. Jesus did not fulfill these expectations in his first coming.
• 🕊️ Another reason for rejection is that Jesus was perceived as a blasphemer by claiming to be God, which contradicted the core Jewish belief in God's oneness as expressed in the Shema.
• 🔄 Jesus challenged Jewish religious teachings and traditions, including the Sabbath rules, ceremonial laws, and the way sins were forgiven, causing further tension with Jewish leaders.
• 🚫 The Jewish leaders viewed Jesus’ claim to forgive sins as blasphemous because forgiveness was supposed to be through sacrificial rituals, not through an individual's words.
• 💔 Some Jewish people's hearts were hardened against Jesus, leading them to reject him despite witnessing miracles, such as raising Lazarus from the dead.
• 🌍 The rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders opened the door for Gentiles to be included in God’s plan, according to Christian theology, allowing them to become part of God's family.

Q & A

What were some of the miracles Jesus performed that provided evidence of him being the Messiah?

Jesus healed the sick, made the deaf hear, made the lame walk, cured lepers, and even raised people from the dead, all in front of the Jewish leaders.

Why did the Jewish people reject Jesus despite the miracles he performed?

The Jewish people had different expectations for the Messiah based on Old Testament prophecies. They believed the Messiah would fulfill all prophecies in one coming, including freeing Israel from Roman oppression and setting up an earthly kingdom, which Jesus did not do during his first coming.

How did the Old Testament prophecies contribute to the confusion about Jesus being the Messiah?

The Old Testament prophets did not understand that there would be two separate comings of the Messiah. The Jewish leaders expected the Messiah to fulfill all prophecies in one coming, including establishing a physical kingdom and purging evil, which Jesus did not do in his first coming.

What did Jesus teach about the kingdom he was bringing, and how did it differ from the Jewish expectations?

Jesus taught that the most important kingdom he was bringing was a spiritual one, focused on spiritual blessings rather than material or physical blessings. This contrasted with the Jewish expectation of an earthly kingdom where they would rule with the Messiah.

Why did some Jewish leaders consider Jesus to be a blasphemer?

Jewish leaders considered Jesus a blasphemer because he claimed divinity, referred to himself with the divine name 'I am,' and suggested that he existed before Abraham. This was seen as a direct challenge to the central Jewish belief in one God, Yahweh.

How did Jesus challenge Jewish religious teachings and traditions, leading to further rejection?

Jesus challenged many Jewish religious teachings and traditions, such as ceremonial hand washing, the Sabbath, and the forgiveness of sins. He redefined some practices, emphasizing spiritual cleanliness over physical rituals, which the Jewish leaders saw as contradicting their laws and traditions.

What role did the Shema prayer play in the Jewish rejection of Jesus?

The Shema prayer, central to Jewish faith, affirmed that God is one. Jesus’ claims of divinity and unity with the Father were seen as a contradiction to this core belief, leading to accusations of blasphemy.

How did Jesus' prediction about the destruction of the temple contribute to his rejection as the Messiah?

Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple, which was central to Jewish worship and expected to be central in the Messiah’s kingdom. This prediction conflicted with the Jewish expectation of a Messiah who would restore and regenerate Israel's spiritual life, leading to further rejection.

What was the significance of Jesus forgiving sins in the eyes of the Jewish leaders?

The Jewish leaders believed that only God could forgive sins and that this required a sacrificial system through the temple. When Jesus forgave sins directly, they saw this as blasphemy because it bypassed the traditional sacrificial system.

How did the Jewish leaders respond to Jesus' raising of Lazarus, and what does this reveal about their rejection of him?

Instead of accepting Jesus as the Messiah after witnessing the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, the Jewish leaders began plotting to kill Jesus. This response reveals that their rejection was rooted in hardened hearts and a refusal to accept the truth.