Jewish Objections to Jesus as Messiah & as Son of God
Jewish Objections to Jesus as Messiah
Why are we still talking about this particular Jewish man almost 2000 years after his death? Why is Jesus (Yeshua) the most influential Jew that ever lived? Why is Jesus worshipped not only by over 2 billion Christians, but also revered by many other religious faiths (e.g., Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Bahai). Who was this Jewish man who dared to claim:
· Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away
· I am Lord of the Sabbath
· I am the resurrection and the life
· I am the Way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me
· I am the bread of life; I am the living bread that came down from heaven
· I am the light of the world
· I am the Good Shepherd
· Before Abraham existed, I am
· When you have seen me, you have seen the Father
· That he could add to the Torah on his own authority
· That he was the source of eternal life, asking his followers to trust in him, not God, for their eternal life.
All of the above are claims to be divine, and to be in some way God, for only God’s words would never pass away, only God is Lord of the Sabbath and the Way, the Truth and the Life. Only God is the Light of the world and the Good Shepherd in the Torah. No human of Jesus’ day could pre-exist Abraham, be the living bread that came down from heaven, nor could Jesus claim when you have seen him, you have seen the Father. The burning question is: Who is this Jesus (Yeshua)? Is he the promised Jewish Messiah? And is he God?
Christians often hold firmly to the rightness of their beliefs, that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, yet many fail to grasp the depth of Jewish objections to Jesus being the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God. We are also largely unaware of the devastating impact of anti-Semitism throughout Church history. From a Jewish perspective, we are asking them to abandon their understanding of God, the Torah, the Law, and their eternal covenant with Him, for what they perceive as an idolatrous and deeply flawed religion that persecuted the Jewish people for centuries.
Jewish Objections
A New Covenant?
Christians often claim that they have a new and superior covenant with God through Jesus, one that replaces the old and outdated Jewish covenant. However, for a religious Jew, there is no such thing as the "Old Testament," nor is their covenant with God seen as lacking or obsolete in any way.
A typical Jewish response would be: In the Torah (the Tanakh), God explicitly warns against following any prophet or miracle worker who deviates from its teachings. Any individual who contradicts, adds to, or takes away from the once-and-for-all revelation given at Sinai, a revelation that God declared to be eternal, must be rejected outright. Furthermore, the final prophetic message in the Tanakh reminds us to uphold the Torah of Moses and to await the coming of Elijah (Malachi 4:4-6).
As for Christian Messianic claims, Jewish tradition holds that the true Messiah will bring peace to the world and gather the exiles of Israel. When that happens, his identity will be unmistakable. Until then, all other Messianic claimants are dismissed as false. Moreover, traditional Jewish life remains deeply rooted in the Torah’s commandments and calendar, with numerous passages in the Hebrew Bible emphasizing the importance of passing down this way of life to future generations. For instance, when a Jewish child asks, "Why do we observe these practices?" The response is, "Because the Lord brought our ancestors out of Egypt" (Exodus 12:24-28). This commitment to preserving and transmitting the Torah from generation to generation is seen as a sacred duty, one that reflects God's enduring faithfulness, as expressed in the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 78:1-7) and other scriptures. To a Jew, this covenant is anything but outdated; it preserves the unbroken chain from Abraham to Sinai to the present, and is the very foundation of their faith and identity.
The Church Replaces Israel?
Many Christians assert that the Church has replaced Israel and Judah. However, do we fully grasp the implications of this claim? By suggesting, that another people have displaced those to whom God’s promises were given, the very people whom He swore never to completely destroy or cast aside, we challenge the very integrity of God. This assertion is particularly striking given that this divine assurance appears immediately after the prophecy of the new covenant in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:35–37).
Bondage To The Law?
But Christians protest, surely the religious Jew must know that he is in bondage to the law and under a curse. We can offer him liberty in Jesus. To this the observant Jew replies, “The Torah is a gift from God. Keeping His commands is my delight, my delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, I meditate day and night, as his law (Psalm 119: 72) is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. And he reminds us that, in the Messianic age, the Torah will go forth from Zion (See Isaiah 2:1-4).
Jesus Is God?
Things only intensify when we declare that “Jesus is God.” Do you realize what a religious Jew hears when we proclaim that “Jesus is God,” especially when we remember that the great majority of traditional Jews associate historic Christianity with Catholicism, and therefore with crucifixes and icons? That is blasphemous to a Jew. Jesus is God? A Jew would surely say, “This cannot be! Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29 clearly state that God is not a man, yet you are saying that God became a man. Impossible!
We then explain the Trinity, to which the Jew replies, “Our ancestors died with the Shema on their lips rather than deny the oneness of the Lord. And every day, when we recite the Shema, we focus all of our energy and intellect on the revelation of God’s uniqueness and absolute unity. How dare you tell me that He is three in one! That is not the God of Sinai, and that is not the God of our forefathers. I will not betray my God or my people!”
Can you see now that, in Jewish eyes, we are asking them to deny God, deny Torah, deny the eternal covenant, deny their people, and embrace what appears to be an alien and idolatrous religion? We fail to recognize how essential it is that we massively shore up our Jewish apologetics.
How then should we respond to the challenge of Jewish Objections to Jesus as Messiah and Son of God?
I would offer the following general considerations:
(1) Recognize that most Jews are Secular. Should recognize that religious, observant Jews make up at most 10-15% of world Jewry. So, most of the Jews you meet will not be particularly religious or especially educated in their faith, and so there will not be a major, Jewish apologetic needed when dealing with them.
(2) Recognize our common ground in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) as sacred scripture, our shared values of monotheism, covenant, and ethical living, with emphasis on mutual respect and the Jewish roots of Christianity.
(3) Own Up to the Church’s Past. Given what religious Jews know about “Christendom,” before extolling the wonderful contributions of Christianity to society or lauding the powerful effects of Jesus’ teaching on humanity, or proclaiming the great love Christians have for Israel, it would be wise to begin with humility and a spirit of repentance, asking forgiveness for the atrocities that have been committed by Christians in Jesus’ name against the Jewish people, and then seeking to demonstrate by personal and corporate example what the life-transforming power of the gospel is really all about.
(4) Acknowledge the Jewish Zeal for God, despite customs and practices that often seem odd to us, and despite the occasional presence of legalism or religious hypocrisy (these exist in all religions). It is part of our spiritual superiority mentality to think that all non-Christian religious people are walking around in total spiritual apathy and ignorance, with no light of revelation at all, and with no true desire for God. In the case of religious Jews, it is best to see them as “so near and yet so far,” praying to the same God to whom we pray (even if they do not truly “know” Him the way we do), reciting the same psalms, meditating on the same scriptures, seeking to emulate the same holiness and morality, and longing to see the fulfillment of the same prophetic promises.
How then should we respond to our Jewish Brothers and Sisters who worship Israel’s God with such conviction?
For Orthodox Jewish and some conservative Jewish people as well, the idea of God becoming a man is just an impossibility and it goes against their strict monotheism. Many Jewish people assume the entire belief in Jesus’ deity is a Christian invention that developed much later in church history. Hence, for Jewish people, Christian theological concepts like the incarnation, the virgin birth, the Trinity, etc. are totally foreign to both Judaism and the Jewish Scriptures (The Old Testament). Christians need to show there is a case for the plurality in the Godhead.
On the Deity of Jesus
When addressing the issue of the nature of God and the deity of Jesus (Yeshua), I would suggest that we speak of God’s compound or complex unity, opening it up as a mystery, and being very biblical and Jewish in the language we use. There is a reason John 1:1-18, where Jesus is identified as the Word of God, is written the way it is (more on this later).
The Jewish Shema “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God, The Lord is one” is recited twice a day by observant Jews. Jews are not to worship other Gods and Christians would agree with this. But there are unique aspects of God himself identified in the Jewish Torah, such as his Spirit, his Word and his Wisdom; all included within the unique identity of God. Both the Word and Wisdom of God take part in the work of creation. They are not created beings like angels nor are they semi-divine. The Word and Wisdom are intrinsic to the unique identity of God. In the New Testament, Jesus is identified as the Word of God that became flesh (human) having sovereignty over all things. Jesus is intrinsic to the identity of God and is seated at his right hand (only a divine being of equal stature can sit at God’s right hand). Jesus was also given name of “I AM” exclusive to God and early Christians called Jesus the “Lord” which was used exclusively by the Jews for their God Yahweh. Jesus was also given worship and he accepted it, which only God can do, and Jesus was given authority to judge the nations, the living and the dead (only God has such authority). Jesus is also identified as the Alpha and the Omega (again titles only given to God).
St. Paul affirms both the one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus. Paul is including Jesus in the unique divine identity and redefining monotheism as Christological monotheism. Paul was not attributing divine functions to Jesus, but attributing divine identity to Jesus. He is the pre-existent Christ who sits at the right hand of God on the throne of God. Jesus is how God demonstrates his unique divine identity to the world. In Philippians 2: 6-11 it states that, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth…and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.” Now compare this to Isaiah 45: 22-23 which states, “For I am God, there is no other…To me every knee will bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Is God a Compound or Absolute Unity?
The Shema states, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is “one.” The Hebrew word for “one” used here is “echad” which can mean a compound unity. However, traditional Jews will claim it is an absolute unity. But “echad” actually means “one” much like our English word “one.” It can refer to compound unity, but it doesn’t specifically refer to compound unity. However, echad does not refer to absolute unity and there are no scriptures that clearly or directly state that God is an absolute unity. The Shema states that there is only one God. That is the extent of what the Shema implies. Whether that one God has personal distinctions within himself or not, is beyond the scope of the Shema. So, “echad” doesn’t tell us anything about the essential nature of God, but that wasn’t the issue at all at the time of Jesus since every “god” was considered “one.” The problem was other cultures claimed and worshipped many gods, but Israel was to only worship the “one” true God. The Shema was not addressing philosophical issues about the compound or absolute unity of God (would not have even occurred to them to do so). It was telling Israel that the Lord alone was to be their God and no other.
But is God a compound unity? Jewish Rabbis spoke of the 10 Sefirot, the so-called 10 divine manifestations (they are not God, but the medium through which God manifests himself). Rabbis would say, God is an organic whole, but with different manifestations of power. Rabbis would speak of God enthroned in heaven, yet at the same time he manifested himself in the cloud and fire over the tabernacle, in the burning bush with Moses, and putting his spirit into his prophets. And this same God somehow fills the universe. Seems like God’s unity is compound (complex). Some Rabbis would speak about the “mystery of the three”, i.e., the three-fold nature of God (three heads, three spirits, three forms or revelation, three names that relate to the divine nature). They even asked, how can these three be one?
There are plural references to God in the Hebrew Bible (HB). In Genesis God is called Elohim which is a plural form, and it also says, “let us make man in our image and in our likeness.” None of this proves the Trinity nature of God, but such beliefs are in harmony with what is written, i.e., the verses do not exclude Trinity beliefs. We can say that these verses could refer to God’s plurality or diversity within his unity.
Rabbis often spoke about the Shekhinah, God’s Divine Presence. The Shekhinah denotes the presence of God in a place (e.g. the Temple or the Tabernacle). The Shekhinah can also be a visible manifestation of God’s presence (e.g. pillar of cloud or fire). And God’s presence (Shekhinah) guided Moses through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Jews, not only believe God continues to work in the world through his divine presence, but that Jews can experience the Shekhinah when they pray together and discuss Torah. It is said that the Shekhinah went into exile, left the temple, but would one day return. Christians believe that Jesus is the return of God’s presence to his temple and people. Asking Christians to fully explain the Trinity is like asking a Rabbi, is the Shekhinah, God, or is the “Memra” (the Word), God or are the 10 Sefirot, God? These are deep theological and philosophical issues beyond our full grasp.
John 1:1-2 states, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God from the beginning.” This Word is uniquely related to God and through him all things were made. This pre-existent Word did not make all things himself, rather all things were made through him.
St. Paul says there is one God, the Father…but there is one Lord, Jesus. So, all things came from the Father through the Son, called the Word, by John. And what does Genesis say about creation? God created all things by his spoken Word so God made all things through his Word. His word was an extension of his nature, an expression of his will. God, the invisible spirit, carries out his will on earth by his Word. It is how he reveals himself. And the Word of God is identified as Jesus in the New Testament.
In the Targum (an official oral translation used in the synagogue) it states, “And they heard the sound of the Word of the Lord God walking in the midst of the garden.” It was retranslated to read, it was not the Lord walking in the garden (too familiar for a Jew to say God was walking in a garden), it was the “Memra” (Word) of the Lord. This Word (Memra) is not an “it” but a “person.”
John wrote in Greek so he used “Logos” for the Word. The Word became flesh…We have seen his glory…who came from the Father. Jesus came to bring God near to us. Through Jesus, God made himself known. The Word is an extension of the Lord himself, in one sense God, and in another sense with God. John never said God became a human being (otherwise, God was no longer filling the universe or reigning in heaven). Instead, John says it was the Divine Word that became a human being and through the Word we know God personally. You may say this is difficult to grasp and understand. Maybe so, but the rabbinic concepts of the Memra, Shekhina and Sefirot are difficult to understand as well.
John said God made his dwelling among us. The Greek verb for made his dwelling literally means lived in a tent, i.e., God “pitched his tent” among us. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he said, “I have built a magnificent Temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever (2 Chronicles 6: 1-2). In Exodus 25:8 it states, “have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them.” Can God really dwell on earth when even the highest heavens cannot contain him? How can God dwell in a Temple or Tabernacle (an elaborate tent)? How could God “pitch his tent” among them? Just as God pitched his tent in the midst of his people Israel through the Tabernacle and Temple, while remaining God in heaven and filling the universe with his presence, so God pitched his tent among us through his Son.
Jesus is the new Tabernacle and Temple. In a very real sense God was in his Tabernacle and Temple and in a very real sense in his Son. The glory of God filled all three and was manifested in all three. Exodus 40: 34-35 “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of God filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of meeting because the cloud had settled upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” 2 Chronicles 7: 1-2: “The glory of the Lord filled the Temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.” John 1: 14 says “we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.” And “in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-3: The Son is the “radiance of God’s glory and the very imprint of his being.” Colossians 1: 15-19 and 2:9 states Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created…all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together…For God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him…For in (Messiah) all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
Just as the glory of God filled the Tabernacle and Temple without in any way emptying, depleting or lessening God, so also his glory filled his Son, without in any way emptying, depleting or lessening him. Philip said to Jesus, show us the Father and that will be enough. Jesus responded, “Have I been with you this long Philip and you still do not know me? When you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Whoever has seen the Son, has seen the Father.
But Jewish teaching was you could not see God and live. However, Rabbis would say, God dwells in our midst by his Shekhina, his glorious presence and can reveal himself through his angel. Seeing him is like seeing God, just not directly. But God said he himself would dwell amongst us. So, we see Jesus the Son. Jesus is like a walking Shekhinah. When people in the bible say they saw God, were they were actually seeing his Son?
“I am returning to my Father and your father, to my God and your god” (John 20:17). Notice that Jesus called him “my Father and my God.” Doubting Thomas saw Jesus and said “my Lord and my God.” Seeing Jesus was seeing God, yet Jesus never called himself God.
Now you might say, okay, I see that in one real sense Jesus makes God known and in another real sense, Jesus himself is divine and is God. Is Jesus divine? Yes. Is he the Son of God? Yes. Is he human and the mediator between God and man? Yes. However, God is not a man, but he can reveal himself in and through a man and he can pitch his tent among us. The Shekhina, the presence of God in the world, was how Rabbis explained how God could really be with his people.
Rabbis will say God cannot have a son. Depends on what you mean by son. In the Torah Israel was called God’s son and angels were called God’s sons. Is it any wonder that the Messiah, who is more highly exalted than the angels should be called God’s son? Christian theologians often say Jesus being God’s son means he was “eternally begotten of the Father,” but that is not the easiest concept to grasp. Scripture tells us that, “Israel is my firstborn son” and later it says Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation. So, in what way was the Messiah the son of God? Israel was God’s firstborn son because it was specially singled out and appointed to a specific mission. In a unique sense, God was Israel’s father. So too, Jesus the Messiah was specially singled out and appointed to a specific mission and in a unique sense, God was his Father. But the sonship of Jesus goes well beyond the sonship of Israel.
The Davidic king singled out in scripture was called God’s son and firstborn and described as begotten by God. He will be praised, served and adored. All of this also applied to the Messiah, the Davidic king. Psalm 2 states, “you are my son; today, I have begotten you.” Many Rabbis agree that “my son” in Psalm 2 refers to the Messiah. In Daniel 7: 13 it speaks of a “Son of Man,” coming on the clouds of heaven who will sit at God’s right hand and be worshipped by every nation and tongue. Jesus is the only person in history to have ever claimed this title for himself. He used this title, Son of Man, 80 times in reference to himself, claiming he was the “Son of Man” spoken of in Daniel who is a divine figure who will have an everlasting kingdom. Finally in Isaiah 9:6-7 it states, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…called wonderful counselor, Mighty God…prince of peace…he will reign on David’s throne.” Who is this king? No Jewish king has ever fulfilled this, except Jesus. And no Jewish king could ever be called “mighty God.” Only a divine being can be called mighty God. Jesus is that child born to us, a prince of peace who is almighty God.
On the Law
It is important that we understand the coming of the Messiah as the fulfillment, not abolition, of the Torah and the prophets, in both a holistic and specific sense, emphasizing the continuity of God’s purposes for Israel. Yes, it is true that, in Jesus, God did a radically new thing, but it was prophesied and anticipated in the Tanakh - much of it - according to St. Paul, being a mystery that had been hidden in the Scriptures, but was now being revealed. Again, God’s dealings with Israel and the nations represents continuity rather than discontinuity. In keeping with this, it is important to emphasize that Jesus/Yeshua brings to fulfillment God’s destiny for Israel, making the one true God known to the ends of the earth, to be worshiped by Jew and Gentile alike.
On Jewish Tradition
We should remember that, in reality, Jews do not hold simply to the written Torah, but to their traditional interpretations as well. In fact, it is the oral traditions that are the heart and soul of Judaism. There is no traditional Judaism without the traditions, and so it is only fair to ask: Do the Messianic Writings (i.e., the New Testament) represent God’s continuing Word to His people, or should we follow the rabbinic traditions? To press this point, we should emphasize that, just as Jesus predicted, the 2nd Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people dispersed throughout the world, bringing about profound questions for the Jewish people. Is God’s answer to these questions the Messianic faith in Yeshua, or is it rabbinic Judaism? Certainly, the latter has helped to preserve the distinct identity of the Jewish people for the last two millennia, and this is no small thing. But has it brought the full realities of forgiveness of sins, intimacy with God, and life in the Spirit? In that sense, can we demonstrate that in Yeshua, there is something much more?
On Messianic Prophecy
Messianic Expectations and Maimonides
Another problem in discussing the Messiah with Jewish people is that the most dominant messianic expectation is one put forth by Moses Maimonides (1138- 1204), who was a medieval Jewish philosopher. His writings are considered to be foundational to Jewish thought and study. Maimonides asserted God assumes no physical form. God is Eternal, above time, infinite, and beyond space. Maimonides also stated that God cannot be born, and cannot die. Maimonides, writing in response to Christian claims, declared that the Messiah will be born of human parents and not some demi-god who possess supernatural qualities. Here are some of the things he said about the Messiah that are still at the forefront of the minds of Jewish people. The Messiah will (e.g., see Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3 and Ezekiel 40-48):
• Be a descendent of David and restore the throne of David
• Rebuild the Temple (He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship)
• Gather the exiles (He will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing them back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem)
• Bring universal peace to the nations
Is There One Messianic Expectation in Jewish Thinking?
The problem with talking to many Jewish people is that the only messianic expectation is the one put forth by Rabbinic Judaism which came into being after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. So, the problem with this is that we don’t get a broader understanding of what the messianic expectations were pre-70 CE, i.e., before the time of Jesus. Before 70 CE, messianic figures could go by a variety of names such as Son of David, Son of God, Son of Man, the Prophet, the Branch, etc. It is when we study the entire history of messianism that we get a much broader understanding of the topic.
Timing of the Messiah’s Arrival
There was a great expectation, from the Book of Daniel, that the Messiah would come in the first half of the 1st century. Haggai 2, Malachi 3 and Daniel 9 indicate that the Messiah would complete his mission before the destruction of the 2nd Temple. Daniel 9: 24-27 provides a timeline for the coming of the Messiah which sets that time in 1st century CE, exactly when Jesus came. And Jesus announced the “time is fulfilled” and the kingdom of God is at hand. The Talmud said, if the people of Israel are worthy, Messiah would come with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13), but if not worthy, Messiah will come humbly, riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. But in Jesus’ 2nd coming, the Jews and all peoples will recognize him coming on the clouds of heaven. In the book of Daniel it states that the Messiah will be cut off from the land of the living before the destruction of the 2nd Temple. The 2nd Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Rabbinic support is found in Midrash Bereshit Rabbah 98: 9 and the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a-b) which states that the Messiah must appear before the destruction of the 2nd Temple. Note: All genealogy records of all Jews were destroyed in 70 CE. We can no longer be sure after 70 CE who is from what tribe. So, the Messiah must come before 70 CE. Thus, the Talmud admits that all the appointed times for the Messiah have passed (but not if Jesus was the Messiah).
One or Two Messiahs?
Jewish tradition furnishes us with the popular idea of the Messiah as a military warrior who brings peace by defeating Israel’s enemies. But Jewish tradition also furnishes us with a kind of “counter-Messiah,” someone who either falls in battle, suffers, and dies or one who suffers and dies voluntarily for the sake of all. The first Messiah is called Messiah ben David (Messiah “son” of David). The second is called Messiah ben Joseph. The Dead Sea Scrolls speak of the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel, i.e., a Priestly Messiah and a Royal Messiah.
Sometimes the prophets describe a humble man, rejected by his own people, who suffers and dies, yet his death somehow atones for the sins of Israel. Isaiah 52:13–53:12 is the most prominent such passage. Another portrayal comes from Zechariah 9:9, where the “king,” understood to be the Messiah, comes into town riding on a donkey, showing his humility.
But at other times, the prophets describe a victorious warrior-king. Much of what we call “popular Judaism” today has long since discarded the picture of a humble and suffering Messiah in favor of focusing on the warrior-king Messiah. And why not? Jews have been oppressed long enough to the point where they have been portrayed as helpless and weak in the face of their oppressors. Therefore, let us focus on a Messiah who is a “super-Maccabee”, someone who, like Judah Maccabee and his brothers, is a fighter and a winner. This kind of Messiah would have been at home in the early days of the State of Israel. Who needs a Messiah who dies? Jews have died enough!
Nevertheless, the Tanakh paints two pictures for us. It’s our job to wrestle with that. We are not at liberty to simply to throw out one of the pictures if we don’t happen to like it. We must take these two messianic portraits seriously. Modern Judaism tends to toss out the portrait of the suffering Messiah and keep only the portrait of the warrior, while several streams of rabbinic tradition have interpreted these prophetic portraits as describing two different messiahs, Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David. But the Jewish writers of the New Testament accepted both options in a different way. Rather than opting for two Messiahs, they saw a picture of a single Messiah who appears twice on the stage of Jewish and human history.
First, the New Testament shows us Jesus as someone whose life’s mission was, in fact, to suffer and die, not as in the Messiah ben Joseph stories because he fell in battle, but as an atonement for our sin. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man (a messianic title), came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Second, Jesus indicated that he would return in the future after a period of time. Jesus told his followers, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). “If I go,” refers to his death, and “I will come again” refers to his eventual return. One Messiah, two appearances. In the first appearance Jesus fulfills the role of the Suffering Servant, Messiah ben Joseph, and in the 2nd Coming Jesus comes in power and glory fulfilling the role of Messiah ben David.
A Suffering Messiah?
Rabbinic teachings: “God when he created the Messiah, gave him the choice whether or not to accept the sufferings for the sins of Israel. And the Messiah answered: I accept it with joy, so that not a single soul of Israel should perish.” A suffering Messiah is firmly embedded in Isaiah 52: 13 through to 53:12 + Psalm 22. So, the Torah did foretell the suffering of the Messiah.
Jewish Midrash – “for you suffered because of the sins of our children, and cruel punishments have come upon you…you were put to ridicule and held in contempt by the nations of the world…your skin cleft to your bones and your body dried out like wood…All this because of the sins of your children…Joseph our true Messiah, let your mind be at ease, for you put at ease our minds and the mind of your creator.”
Jewish scholar Raphael Patai says the Messiah will be in a state of constant and acute suffering, will be despised and afflicted with unhealing wounds and that God gave the Messiah the choice to either accept or reject the sufferings for the sins of Israel. Messiah answered, “I accept it with joy, so that not a single soul of Israel should perish.” See Zechariah 12:10 and Isaiah 53:5.
The concept of a suffering Messiah was well known within Judaism; it was just not well accepted. In Jewish thought there existed the concept of the death of the righteous and innocent man serving as an expiation for the sins of Israel and the world. Thus, Jesus’ atonement for the sins of the world is an actual Jewish concept. It was the duty of the High priest to intercede for the people and make atonement for their sins. Psalm 110:4 says the Lord made an oath that the Davidic king was to be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek joining the priestly and royal messiah concepts together. King David was declared a priest-king.
Zechariah 3:8 speaks of the servant of God called the Branch; who is this Branch? The Branch is the Davidic king, the Messiah who is both king and high priest and he will rule on a throne. For Christians, Jesus is that Davidic king, Messiah and High Priest.
In the Midrash, Isaiah 52: 13, says “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” The Midrash goes on to explain that King Messiah would be greater than the patriarchs including Abraham and Moses. But it is hard to accept that any child of man can be exalted above Moses, as “No prophet ever rose in Israel like him” (Deut. 34:10). Rabbi Moshe Ibn Crispin (14th century) said that the Messiah would be “exceedingly above the angels.” But how can anyone born of a woman assume a position higher than the angels? If couple together all the traditions about Messiah’s pre-existence, being exalted, coming on the clouds of heaven etc. then we get at least an exalted, “superhuman”, divine Messiah. Rabbi Crispin also agreed that the messiah will be a man of suffering and be despised.
Daniel 7:9-10 – 7: 13-14 “As I looked, thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days took his seat.” Why is thrones plural? Talmud says one throne was for God and one for David (messiah); one throne for justice (God) and one throne for grace (Messiah/Jesus).
What About an Atoning Messiah?
Moshe Alshekh influential 16th century rabbi commented on Zechariah 12:10 (“They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child”) agreeing that the Messiah will make a perfect atonement for the sins of Israel. Other Rabbis have also interpreted this verse messianically, linking it to the suffering of Messiah ben Joseph. It is deeply embedded in Jewish tradition that the death of the righteous atones. The Talmud also said God would hear the prayer of the Messiah and raise him from the dead.
For the disciple of Jesus, His death was a “ransom” (Mark 10:45), “reconciliation” (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Colossians 1:22), and “redemption” (Romans 3:24; 8:23; Ephesians 1:7, 14; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12–15). Jesus is also called the “Suffering Servant” (Acts 3:13; 8:32), and the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Peter 1:19). While the Christian community takes these truths for granted, the majority of the Jewish community asserts that the death of Jesus automatically annulled the possibility of Him being the promised Messiah of Israel since a dead Messiah is a failed Messiah. Christians tend to cite Isaiah 52:13-53 and Psalm 22 as a slam dunk for a suffering/atoning Messiah. But Rabbinic Judaism interprets the Isaiah texts as being about Israel.
But in Isaiah 40-51 the servant of the Lord is mentioned 17x in Isaiah, sometimes in reference to the nation of Israel as a whole and sometimes with reference to a righteous individual within the nation. But reference to Israel ends with 48:20 and starting with Isaiah 49 through 53 the spotlight is clearly on an individual person, not a people. Even Isaiah 42: 1, 6-7 is clearly an individual. The Targum and the Talmud interpret Isaiah 53 as reference to the Messiah. Rabbi Moshe Alshech (16th century) declared that Isaiah 53 is in reference to the Messiah, “Our rabbis with one voice accept and affirm the opinion that the prophet is speaking of the Messiah, and we ourselves adhere to the same view.” And if Isaiah 53 is a messianic text, then Jesus fits it better than anyone in history.
While modern Judaism often interprets Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel collectively, rabbinic sources identify the servant as the Messiah:
· Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b): The Messiah is referred to as "The Leper Scholar," who suffers for the sins of the people.
· "What is his [the Messiah’s] name?… The Rabbis say: The Leper Scholar, as it is said, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.'"
Christians see this as directly aligning with Isaiah 53:4–5: "Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering… by His wounds, we are healed."
· Midrash Tanhuma (Toledot 14): Speaks of the Messiah suffering to atone for Israel’s sins, highlighting his role as an intercessor.
Christians interpret Jesus’ death as the ultimate atonement (Hebrews 9:28).
Messiah Ben Yosef (Joseph) and His Suffering
· Talmud (Sukkah 52a): The Talmud describes two messianic figures—Messiah ben Yosef, who suffers and dies in battle, and Messiah ben David, who reigns as king.
Christians interpret Jesus as fulfilling both roles:
· Messiah ben Yosef: Jesus suffered and died as a sacrifice for sin.
· Messiah ben David: Jesus will return to reign as king (Revelation 19:11–16).
Isaiah 42 speaks of the servant of the Lord who is righteous and who will be a light to the gentiles. Israel has never done that in its history. Isaiah 49 says the servant will fail in his mission to regather Israel, but again, will be a light to the nations. Isiah 50 states this servant will suffer greatly, be despised, beaten and executed because of his obedience to God. Isaiah 52:13- through to 53:12 this servant will be a sacrifice for the sin of the people, but then highly exalted by God, yet rejected by his own people. So, we are looking for a Jewish leader who is brutally treated but sacrifices himself for the sin of the people, who is then exalted to God (raised from the dead) and who will be a light to the Gentiles, and make atonement for our sins. Is Jesus is not the Messiah, Israel will never have a Messiah.
On Messiah as Priestly King
Rather than simply speaking of a suffering Messiah and a royal Messiah, we must develop the theme of Messiah as a priestly King, understanding that it is the priestly aspect of the Messiah’s work, something almost totally lacking in traditional Judaism, that explains why he needed to suffer and die. This too is a critical insight that requires much further elaboration. It is also important to establish from the Hebrew Bible that the Messiah’s foundational, priestly work had to be completed before the destruction of the Second Temple, an important apologetic point in itself.
On the Messiah as Light to the Nations
Israel was called to be a nation of priests, a light to the nations who would teach the world the ways of the Lord, to be a light to the gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). But the Jews struggled with this calling saying how can we take the message of salvation to people who would not observe the Mosaic Law? That was too much to bear. It was tantamount to placing Jews and gentiles on an equal footing before God. That is apostasy for the Jew. Surely, Gentiles must become Jews first and observe the Law of Moses. But now that Jesus the Messiah had come, Gentiles had equal access to God, without having to become Jews. Many Jews and Jewish religious leaders could not accept this. How could Paul say, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or freeman, male or female, for they are one under Christ. Statements like this cut to the heart of ethnic, spiritual and religious pride.
Christians point to passages in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic texts that describe the Messiah’s mission as extending beyond Israel to include the Gentiles.
· Isaiah 49:6 - "Is it too small a thing for you to be My servant to restore the tribes of Jacob… I will also make you a light for the Gentiles."
Christians see this as fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry, which extended to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).
Midrash Tehillim (Psalms) 18:29: Suggests the Messiah will bring enlightenment to the nations, a concept Christians associate with Jesus’ mission.
Rabbinic Insight (Pesikta Rabbati 34): Foresees a time when all nations will recognize the one God, which Christians associate with the spread of the Gospel.
The Messiah’s Role as King and Shepherd
· Ezekiel 37:24 – David as the Shepherd-King- "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd."
Christians interpret "David" as a messianic title for Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
Rabbinic Insight (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 2:4): Identifies the Messiah as the ultimate shepherd of Israel, uniting the people under one leader.
· Psalm 110:1 – "The Lord says to my lord: 'Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'"
Christians interpret this as a reference to Jesus’ exaltation after His resurrection (Acts 2:34–36).
We can rightly press the issue that Yeshua is either the Messiah of everyone or the Messiah of no one, noting that God has, in fact, done something definite, intentional, and direct on behalf of the Gentiles, just as the Messianic prophecies proclaimed. It is fair to ask a traditional Jew what God has done, outside of Jesus (there have been no new Jewish prophets since Jesus), to make Himself known to the nations in the last two thousand years, also asking what role religious Jews have played in being a light to the world. Succinctly stated, if Jesus did not fulfill the Scriptures, if He did not die and rise from the dead, if He is not seated at the Father’s right hand, if He will not return on the clouds of heaven in the future and establish the kingdom of God on the earth, then the faith of 2 billion Christians worldwide is nothing less than a sham. But if He is indeed the one spoken of by Moses and the prophets, then every Jew needs to embrace him as well. But they can become what is called a Messianic Jew, one who maintains their Jewish traditions, but accepts Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah. Let us emphasize God’s calling on Israel to be a light to the nations, to be a priestly people themselves, and let us demonstrate that, through Jesus, God has fulfilled His Word. Yeshua is the one through whom Israel achieves its destiny.
Conclusion
The Christian Gospel is actually quite Jewish. There is a mix of Jewish teachings and thinking on the Messiah, but no complete agreement. Therefore, to say Jews don’t or can’t believe in a divine Messiah, a suffering Messiah, or an atoning Messiah, or whether that the Messiah will come twice, is open to debate. And according to what text, which Jewish expression, and which rabbi or legal authority are you going to base your teachings on the Messiah? Some writings/teachings describe a highly exalted or pre-existent Messiah, while others point to a suffering servant, others to a King David type leader and still others as a teacher of the Law. Some speak of the Messiah coming on the clouds of heaven. Some rabbinic teachings refer to one Messiah and others to two messiahs. Which tradition(s) to follow?
Of course, there is much more that could be said on this topic, but I hope that, in some way, you have gained a greater appreciation for the unique challenges involved in Jewish apologetics.
