Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy (19 February, 2018, 4 Adar, 5778)
What do Jews in Israel think about Jesus Christ the Messiah and God in the Flesh?
https://www.quora.com/What-do-Jews-in-Israel-think-about-Jesus-Christ-the-Messiah-and-God-in-the-Flesh/answer/Yair-Davidiy
The Query as it was first posted to me was:
Jimmy Johnson requested your answer:
Besides the fact that Jesus didn't bring all the exiled Jews back to Israel, didn't rebuild the Temple, wasn't a direct male descendant of King David, and didn't come at a time of world peace, why don't Jews accept him as the Messiah?
The question has since been altered. It now says:
What do Jews in Israel think about Jesus Christ the Messiah and God in the Flesh?
The query as I first received it more or less answers itself. This is APART from the point on world peace. The Messiah comes to bring world peace but when he comes the world will be suffering from lack of it. The Messiah has to fulfill all the Biblical Criteria mentioned in prophecy. The question as it is now also answers itself since J did not fulfill the criteria to be Messiah and there is no such thing as Gd in the flesh. Jews do not accept J as Messiah because:
1. J does not fulfill Biblical Criteria for the Messiah.
- Some of the Criteria for the Messiah:
- 1. He is a man who will have children and live a long life (Isaiah 53).
- 2. He is a descendant of King David.
- 3. He will do justice and judgment (Isaiah 11:1-5).
- 4. He shall regather the Exiles of both Judah and (later) of the Ten Tribes.
- Ezekiel (NASB) 37:
21 Say to them, Thus says the LORD God, ˜Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. 24 ˜My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. 25 They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.- 5. He will bring about, or complete, the reconciliation of Judah and Ephraim i.e. the Ten Tribes.
Isaiah 11:
13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass Judah will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.- 6. He will cause all of Israel to keep the Law.
Ezekiel 37:
24 My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow My ordinances and be careful to observe My statutes.- 7. He shall bring peace and justice to all peoples:
Micah 4:
3 .. they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.- 8. All the world will acknowledge his rule from Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 66: 23 And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says the LORD.
- 9. There are specific Prophecies concerning the Messiah that need to be fulfilled e.g. defeating the enemies of Israel such as the Philistines (Palestinians?), Edom, Moab, etc, see Isaiah 11:16.
2. The doctrine of J is not consistent with the Law of God.
3. Christians consider J to be a part of God or as God himself or some such combination. Even if one wants to say that the deification matter can be disregarded the fact is that is how his followers generally perceive him. This is a psychological disqualification. Whatever j may have been he is now an object of idolatry.
4. His followers are perceived as intellectually dishonest, and often (but not always) anti-Jewish to some degree or other.
Maimonides , Mishneh Torah, Shoftim, Melachim uMilchamotayhem, 11;4 (as shown in uncensored versions):
Jesus of Nazareth who aspired to be the Mashiach and was executed by the court was also alluded to in Daniel’s prophecies, as ibid. 11:14 states : ˜The children of those who break the boundaries among your people [Hebrew: ˜Bnei Peritsei Amca"] shall exalt themselves in an attempt to fulfill the vision, but they shall stumble.
Can there be a greater stumbling block than Christianity? All the prophets spoke of Mashiach as the redeemer of Israel and their savior who would gather their dispersed and strengthen their observance of the mitzvot. In contrast, Christianity caused the Jews to be slain by the sword, their remnants to be scattered and humbled, the Torah to be altered, and the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than God.
Nevertheless, the intent of the Creator of the world is not within the power of man to comprehend, for His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts, our thoughts. Ultimately, all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth and that Ishmaelite [i.e. Mohamed] who arose after him will only serve to prepare the way for Mashiach’s coming and the improvement of the entire world, motivating the nations to serve God together as Tzephaniah 3:9 states: ˜I will transform the peoples to a purer language that they all will call upon the name of God and serve Him with one purpose.
See:
http://jewsforjudaism.org/knowle...
5. Whether or not J ever existed the NT version appears to be a semi-pagan composition written for those with a pagan background. It has an appeal for those who do not learn Torah for its own sake and do not want to keep the Law yet still be saved.
How would you feel if people you need to get along with seriously importuned you to explain:
a. Why do you not believe in Mickey Mouse?
b. Can you prove that Mickey mouse is not the savior? etc.