“As to why Jews today reject Jesus as Messiah, I think it is partly due to the anti-Jewish persecution perpetrated on the Jews by so-called “Christian” leaders and governments throughout the past 1500 years. I think there is also this cultural/family/historical Jewish foundational rejection of Christianity that makes it very difficult for Jews to accept Jesus as Messiah - this would, in their minds, deny their heritage and people.”
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Hi. Nope. Listen to the class or read a summary: Any would-be prophet or miracle worker (even one who rises from the dead...and by the way, all non-Jews, note well-— ALMOST ALL of the rabbis of the Mishnaic and Talmudic era (1st-7th centuries) could raise the dead-— (see Talmud tractate Avodah Zara, an excerpt: A secret cave led from the palace of Antoninus to the house of Rabbi Yehudah. Daily Antoninus would visit Rabbi Yehudah and study Torah with him, but he wanted this to be secret. He would bring two servants with him, killing one at the entrance to the house of Rabbi Yehudah, and another on return. Antoninus told Rabbi Yehudah that nobody should be present at their meeting, but one day Rabbi Chanina bar Chama was there.
Antoninus was upset, but Rabbi Yehudah told Antoninus, “It is not a man, but an angel.” To verify this, Antoninus told Rabbi Chanina, “Go and wake my servant, sleeping at the door.” Rabbi Chanina found the servant dead. Not wanting to either come back with the bad news, or to flee, Rabbi Chanina revived the servant. Antoninus said, “I know that the least among you can resurrect the dead, but please next time nobody should be with you.”
.... Jews don’t care about miracles if the performer of the miracles purports to change the Torah. We are so stubborn now and they were stubborn then when the “least amoung us could resurrect the dead...”
I will tell you this, Christianity is ‘easier’ than the (heavy yoke of the laws of) Judaism (/sarc) so sure, with centuries of exile and horrific persecution one can win a few converts.
Jews ask nothing of non-Jews but to obey the 7 laws that G-d obliges them to follow. You don’t know (most Jews don’t) that in our code of Jewish law it’s an OBLIGATION to promote these laws (http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62221/jewish/Universal-Morality.htm) when one’s life wouldn’t be rubbed out by a Cossack by doing so.
The Jewish version of Hell isn’t fire and brimstone, that is actually lifted from Kabbalistic sources of Jewish ‘purgatory.’ The real Hell is knowing that one had the chance to connect with one’s Creator and failed to do so. There is nothing better than objective commandments. We love it. (we have 613 of them, positive and negative, and their offshoots. You have 7...)
Sorry I chose your post to free-style a little bit. I’ve been popping in and out all day and still see only one response from someone who listened to the class.
Furthermore, lest anyone would think otherwise, Jews don’t hate non-Jews, G-d forbid. We are all created by G-d in his image. And to challenge yourselves with more mistranslations, go read what it means to be (as Ezekiel reports) “...This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. ...” What the heck is the appearance of a likeness of glory? It means nothing in English! And how do you have a form or figure of the formless/figureless G-d? And how do Jews accept this prophecy but not a man-god?! Because we do. You have to learn all our sources and traditions before bringing any other proof. And if you have a few thousand/million converts from the faith... see my point above. It’s hard to be a Jew.
Final point of the rant. “It’s hard to be a Jew” was the mantra of new immigrants to their assimilating children. These children said, “If it’s hard...then I’ll do something easier!” The Chassidic outlook on Judaism, and indeed, every Jew’s outlook, is that it’s GREAT to be a Jew. We don’t only call ourselves chosen...we call ourselves the only son born to parents in their old age. So when our Father in Heaven gives us a Torah and commandments to follow, we love them. In fact, if He says, “dig me a hole then refill it” we dance for joy at having been commanded by our Father and King.
Seriously, I should set up a separate rant. Whoever posted about “Jewish worship through academics” or something like that...would you read my rant-blog if I set it up? ;)
re: “Hi. Nope. Listen to the class or read a summary: Any would-be prophet or miracle worker (even one who rises from the dead...and by the way, all non-Jews, note well-— ALMOST ALL of the rabbis of the Mishnaic and Talmudic era (1st-7th centuries) could raise the dead”
Ok, so if Jesus’s miracles and raising the dead, and, that he himself being raised from the dead is no big deal - even in the first century because every rabbi worth his salt could do so, then why crucify him? Why all the hoopla against him by the Sanhedrin then? Why were so many following him among the populace if what Jesus did was no big deal and an everyday occurance among all the rabbis of that time?
He claimed to be Messiah and equal with God - wasn’t it for blasphemy that the Sanhedrin convicted him to death? It would be blasphemy if Jesus was a fraud, but, if Jesus was who he claimed to be. . .?
Just to also be clear, I have no animosity either toward the Jewish people. I am appalled and heart-broken at the atrocities done in Jesus’s name against the Jewish people over the centuries. I totally support Israel’s right to exist and to defend themselves with whatever means they feel necessary.
As to the Law and the writings of the Prophets, I have the utmost respect and believe, as a Christian, that all of G-d’s Word is still in effect. I do not believe that it is possible to attain righteousness toward salvation (remove the guilt of our sin) by following the Law, because we all sin, we all fall at some point to measure up to G-d’s completely holy and righteous standard.
As to your disagreement with me as to why the Jewish people as whole reject Christianity, I must respond back that my remarks came from Jewish people (my wife’s father was Jewish and many of her relatives are, of course, Jewish) I have spoken with in the past.
I’ve never heard any of them say that their problem with Jesus as Messiah was because he was just “no big deal” in regard to the miracles. Usually they just denied that the New Testament had any historical validity and that whatever it said about Jesus doing miracles was just made-up. Then, in addition to that came the persecutions from “Christians”. That was why I said what I said.