Some Jews do believe in Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Others believe the Messiah is yet to come. For these others, what do they believe?
What Do Jews Believe about Jesus?
C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, famously penned, “I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God." He goes on to say that because of what Jesus claimed Himself to be, we must say He was a “liar,” a “lunatic,” or He was indeed Lord of the universe and who He says He is.
Even if Jews don’t commonly discuss Jesus, like everyone else, they have to make a decision about who He was/is. Unless one is a Messianic Jew (a cultural Jew who believes that Jesus is the promised Messiah), they reject the notion that this man who lived 2,000 years ago fits the description of who they were/are expecting to save the Jews from their oppressors (the most notable of which is their sin).
He may have been a Jew, a resident of Nazareth (born in Bethlehem), a rabbi, but what He taught, and how He challenged the religious rulers of the day would have disqualified Him from being a true teacher. He was sometimes thought to be a prophet, but the things He spoke about would have contradicted Jewish teaching about sin, redemption, heaven, and eternity.
There’s more to what the Jews believe Jesus was not than to what He was.
Key Differences between Jewish and Christian Beliefs about Jesus
The following are some key differences between Jewish and Christian beliefs about Jesus.
Jewish vs. Christian Beliefs about Jesus' Identity
Rather than the Messiah, the Son of God, or a divine entity, Jews may believe that He was a prophet or a rabbi. They also do not believe in the Trinity.
Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God sent into the world to save people from their sins and offer them a way to reconnect with the Father and enjoy eternal life with them and the Holy Spirit. Christians also believe that He was fully God and fully man.
Jewish vs. Christian Beliefs about the role of the Messiah
Based on prophecies in the Old Testament, Jews believe that the Messiah must rebuild the temple, bring freedom from their enemies, gather all Jews from exile around the world, and make Himself known to the world. Since these things haven’t happened, the Messiah has yet to come, and therefore, Jesus was not the Messiah.
Christians believe that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, sent into the world as a God-man to die for the sins of the world.
Scriptural basis for Jewish and Christian beliefs about Jesus
Jews accept the Hebrew scriptures (the Tanakh–much of the Old Testament writings). The law, the prophets, and the narratives about the early history of the Jewish people are their complete source of sacred writings. There is prophecy about the Messiah, but none that they will say identify Jesus once He was on earth as the promised one, though there are many prophecies that match Jesus’ life and death.
Christians believe in the full Bible, including the New Testament, which tells the story of the life, death, resurrection of Jesus, atonement for sins through Jesus, how to live the Christian life, and what God has planned for the end of the world.
Jewish vs. Christian beliefs about the way of Salvation
Jews believe that they earn salvation by following the Law of Moses in the Torah and by repenting of their sins.
Christians know that they could never do enough to earn salvation and eternal life with God, which is why He paid the price once and for all in Jesus.
Knowing what the Jews believe about the Messiah vs. what they believe about Jesus is crucial in understanding how to engage them in conversation about Him.
Do Jews and Christians Believe in the Same God?
The answer to whether Jews and Christians believe in the same God is yes and no.
Both Jews and Christians believe in the God who:
Created the world
Created humans out of an overflow of His love
Designed a perfect environment for humans that the humans were cast out of because of their rebellion against Him
Chose a people group (the Israelites/Hebrews/Jews) to lead and bless if they would follow His laws (which were all for their good)
When His laws were broken and people chose evil over God, they suffered the loss of His blessing, often being ruled by other nations
But only Christians believe the rest of the story. This same God:
“...so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
He was the fulfillment of Mosaic law of sacrifice for sins
He will come again to judge the heavens and the earth (people) at the end of time and recreate the perfect world He originally designed.
So while Jews believe in the great “I Am” as Christians do, they don’t fully believe in the rest of God’s work to redeem the world through Jesus.
What about Messianic Jews? What Do They Believe about Jesus?
Messianic Jews believe that the promised Messiah has already come–and He was Jesus of Nazareth as portrayed in the New Testament. They enjoy the best of both worlds: they are direct descendants of the people God chose to be “His people,” and they identify with Jesus as their Savior. They are not waiting for the first coming of the Messiah, but rather forr the return of Jesus, who will make all things new.
According to the international organization Jews for Jesus, “Christian means follower of Christ (Messiah), so technically the Messianic Jewish faith is a part of Christianity. However, for the purpose of Jewish traditions and identity, as well as for reasons of Jewish persecution by so-called Christians through the centuries, many Jewish followers of Jesus today prefer not to be referred to as Christians. Also, some mistakenly use 'Christian' as another way to say 'non-Jew' or 'Gentile,' but Christianity is a faith rather than a nationality.”
That’s a key point in witnessing to Jewish friends. Their identity is not just based on their faith, but also their culture, heritage, and history.
What to Know When Sharing Jesus with Jewish Friends
For some Jews, Jesus is a very sensitive topic. For others, it’s not a subject that they encounter or engage with on a regular basis. There are such varied beliefs and feelings about Jesus among Jews that Christians do well to understand the variety of perspectives before they begin to share Jesus with friends, family, and others.
First and foremost, we need to have the right attitude. We need to desire their salvation above everything else. We are not out to see how many converts we can get, or to have heated arguments with those who don’t believe just for the sake of arguing. Our minds need to be the same as Jesus in this regard. He wanted the Jews of His day to know that all of their sacrifices would never atone for their sins against God. He also wanted them to understand, “If you’ve seen Me, You’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9). They couldn’t really know the Father unless they heard and believed the teachings of Jesus.
And that’s where trouble may begin as we try to reach our Jewish friends—who try to live by the Law given by God to the Israelites thousands of years ago through Moses. The teachings of Jesus, at times, seemed to contradict these laws. Perhaps the most glaring example comes on the heels of Jesus sharing the Beatitudes with the crowds in Matthew chapter 5. He goes on to say in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” To some, it resounded as comfort—to others, it was blasphemy. But then he took pieces of the Law (mostly the Ten Commandments) and began to expound and expand on what they had heard in the Torah.
For example, in relation to Exodus 20:13, Jesus says in Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca ,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” That’s quite different from what a Jew may hear in synagogue, such as “thou shall not commit adultery” which Jesus took a step further when he said, “if you look on someone with lust you have committed adultery in your heart.”
So while you may be well-versed in the Bible, it’s helpful to know first what your friend believes about Jesus. Jews for Jesus has an exceptional set of videos on YouTube where they speak to Jewish non-believers about Jesus and the New Testament. Their method is very welcoming and accepting of whatever they hear; they then share the truth and ask people if they’ve ever heard it before and give them a Bible if they want to read for themselves. In my humble opinion, they are the best example of ways to engage with Jewish individuals (and it helps that they themselves are Messianic Jews). Watching a few of these videos can give you a roadmap for how to begin to talk about Jesus in a non-threatening way.
You may be surprised to see in these videos that many Jewish people don’t know that Jesus was Jewish. That information is a great starting point for conversation about the man who was more than a man—thanks be to God!
Photo credit: ©Thinkstock
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
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