Picture this: Jesus, a man of unparalleled compassion and boundless miracles, walked the ancient streets healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and even defying death itself. His astounding feats were witnessed not just by common people but by the very Jewish leaders who were deeply familiar with ancient prophecies, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah.

Yet, shockingly, they rejected Yahshua or as most people call, Jesus Christ. Why? How could they, in the face of such awe-inspiring evidence, turn away from the undeniable truth?

If Christ was rejected in the past, He is definitely rejected by most Jews today. Most people who adhere to Judaism don’t recognize Him as the Messiah and absolutely not God. This is astronomically different from what most Christians believe.

So, we want to answer the question, why do the Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah? Why do the Jews, by and large, don’t see Jesus as the Son of God? 

In this eye-opening blog, let me share with you the 7 most common reasons why Jews don’t recognize Jesus as God and the Messiah. Then, later, let me show you why they are wrong. So, are you ready? Let’s dive in.

Reason no. 1: Judaism is a monotheistic religion

Judaism adheres to the belief in the absolute unity and singularity of God, which contrasts with the popular Christian concept of the Trinity. So, the Jews can’t accept the fact that aside from God whom they know as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there’s another God Being who is known as Jesus Christ.

Since the Jews only knew one God, they definitely saw Jesus as a mere human being. Worshiping a person, as Christians do with Jesus, is viewed as a form of idolatry in Judaism.

Reason no. 2: Jesus didn’t meet the criteria of being the Messiah

According to Jewish eschatology, the true Messiah will bring about specific events, such as the rebuilding of the Temple, a Messianic Age of peace, and the ingathering of Jews to their homeland. Jews do not believe Jesus fulfilled these prophecies.

During the time of Jesus (Yahshua), many Jews initially believed that He was indeed the Messiah because of the many miracles He had done. Not only that, but He was seen as the perfect Leader who would deliver them from the Romans.

The Jewish people were so impressed that they wanted Yashua to be their king. We read in John 6:15:

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Even the disciples of Christ thought that He would restore the glory of the Jewish government during His time.

When Jesus died, all hope was gone and many Jews simply dismissed Him and thought He was just another great teacher. Thus, that disappointment led many to ignore Jesus as the true Messiah.

3. The Jews reject Jesus’ divine nature

Judaism rejects the idea of Jesus as a divine being, an intermediary between humans and God, or the literal Son of God. Claiming to be God, part of God, or the literal son of God is considered heretical in Jewish theology. They even thought of it as blasphemy and thus, Jesus is worthy to be killed.

However, that’s exactly not the case. In this channel, I often share Biblical truths that will deepen your faith in God as well as practical tips and guides on how to become the best Christian you can be. So, if you’re interested in topics like Christianity, faith, love, and truth, then hit the subscribe button and receive notifications whenever we release new and exciting videos. I’m sure you’ll be happy you did. So, let’s proceed to the fourth reason:

4. The Jews didn’t see Jesus fulfilling the role of the Messiah.

The Jewish concept of the Messiah involves specific tasks such as compelling all of Israel to observe the Torah, repairing breaches in observance, building the Temple, and ushering in an era of peace. Jews do not believe Jesus accomplished these tasks.

5. Jesus’ life didn’t fulfill biblical prophecy

According to Jewish criteria for prophets, anyone claiming to be a prophet must adhere to the laws already stated in the Torah. Any divergence from these laws disqualifies a person from being considered a prophet in Judaism. Jesus’ teachings, as perceived by Jews, did not align with these criteria, making Jesus a false prophet.

6. Jesus contradicted the many teachings of the religious authorities

Imagine, you are the religious authority of the day. You enjoy the high status in the society. Then, an unknown person from an obscure town suddenly appeared and started questioning all your established traditions. How would you feel? Obviously, you will be defensive. You want to prove that you are right.

That’s exactly what the religious leaders on Christ’s day felt. Fearing to lose the prestige of their social status, they rejected Yahshua’s claim with so much fervor and zeal. A lot of Christ’s teachings directly went against the teachings of the Pharisees and the scribes.

Christ questioned how the Jews observed the Sabbath while putting great importance on the ritualistic aspect of religion. He corrected them in many ways. Instead of putting more importance on the spirit of the law, the religious leaders put more importance on the letter of the law. Because of pride, the religious leaders were blinded and couldn’t see how wrong they were in their beliefs, traditions, and practices.

The rejection of Yahshua in His day continued until this day. If Yahshua was rejected by His own people, then it should not come as a surprise to see them doing the same thing today.

Reason no. 7: The Jews have a hardened heart

Finally, the seventh reason is that the Jews, like many people right now, have a hardened heart. Jesus Christ Himself explained this in Matthew 13:14-15:

¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;

¹⁵ For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’ 

Let me give you an example. In John chapter 11, Jesus performs an astonishing miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead. You’d think this mind-blowing event would make everyone instantly believe in Jesus, right? Well, not exactly. Some were amazed and embraced faith, but others took a different route. Instead of acknowledging the truth before their eyes, they chose skepticism, doubt, and even pride.

Their response reveals something profound—their hearts were hardened. Because they hardened their hearts, they couldn’t accept the undeniable fact that Yahshua was indeed the promised Messiah. They resisted the truth. What’s more, some even went so far as to attribute Jesus’s miraculous powers to dark forces, refusing to accept the possibility that he was the chosen one.

These are the seven reasons the Jews rejected Yahshua or Jesus as their Messiah, the God who became flesh and dwelt among us, mortal men. Sadly, many of these Jews are blinded, just like many people today. They are blinded to the truth and will not see the truth unless God calls them into His fold.

How to prove that Jesus is the Messiah?

However, for us who believe that Yahshua is truly the Messiah and God in the flesh, how can we prove that He is what He is claiming Himself to be? How can we be sure that what we believe is correct and that Yahshua is the true Son of God?

Well, here’s the sure sign that Yahshua Himself gave us:

We read Matthew 12:38-40:

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” So, these people are asking for a sign of Yahshua’s messiahship. What was the sign given by our Savior?

³⁹ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Christ was talking about His resurrection. If the resurrection of Yahshua is real, then we have a Savior, then all that He said is true, then all that He did was inspired by God, then truly, He is the promised Messiah.

However, if the resurrection is false, then Christ is nothing but a false teacher and prophet. All we believe is a lie.

Thankfully, the resurrection is true. It happened and it proves all that Yahshua claimed. Now, this is a separate topic and thus, I highly recommend you read my blog entitled, “How to Easily Prove the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

In this blog, I have included 5 effective methods to prove Christ’s resurrection. Each of these methods will surely strengthen your faith in the veracity of the powerful claims made by our Savior. So, if you’re interested, please find the link in the description box.

Thankfully, there’s hope for the Jews and all the people in the world. The apostle Paul explained the future redemption of Israel in Romans 11:25-27:

²⁵ For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

²⁷ For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

Yes, the Jews reject Christ now, but the time will come when they will accept Him as their Savior and Master. May Yahweh speed that day!

---