“I am not real informed about religion. I never âgot itâ why Jews do not accept Christ as Savior. I have always wondered if it is more involved in preserving Jewish culture than in any religious analysis.” [modified by Ancesthnr to eliminate contractions, so as to make it more readable without all of the garbage symbols that have appeared on FR lately].
a) Jews don’t pray to or worship human beings, they only worship the one true G-d (known to Christians as “the Father”).
b) Jesus didn’t meet the genealogical requirements (i.e. he had to be descended from Solomon on his father’s side, and the Christian bible emphasizes that Joseph was NOT his father (and, in any case, Joseph himself wasn’t descended from Solomon on his father’s side). Further, and more telling, because Joseph descended from Jeconiah (Mat. 1:11) he fell under the curse of that king that none of his descendants could ever sit as king upon the throne of David. (Jeremiah 22:30; 36:30). Mary’s genealogy cannot be used, because Jewish tribal identity passes through the father; however, even IF it could be done, Mary descends from David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:31), not David’s son Solomon. Alternatively, Mary is descended from Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Luke 3:27), who are themselves descended from the cursed King Jeconiah (also known as Eliakim).
3) Jesus didn’t meet the “job requirements” of being the promised Messiah on many different levels. He didn’t rebuild the Temple (it already stood when he was alive), bring the exile of the Jews to an end, bring universal peace, restore Jewish law and a host of other things. In fact, shortly after his death (in historical terms), the Temple was destroyed, the Jews were dispersed by the Romans, peace didn’t reign (when has it, ever?) and Jewish law COULD NOT be observed (not in full without the Temple). Above all, the Messiah doesn’t get killed because he has the ultimate in protection. Jesus didn’t meet those requirements, and THAT is why the Jews rejected and continue to reject him.
I, too, am no scholar in these matters. More detail is here:
and here:
and here:
However, He does counsel me to tell you, in a friendly and hopeful way, that He Himself is perfectly capable of overcoming your powerful (but mistaken) arguments with even better ones in a manner uniquely suited to your needs, as He has done and is doing innumerable times; I'll simply suggest Paul's Damascus-road conversion, with which I imagine you're familiar, as a ready example.
I and I suspect others, both on this thread and in your life among family/friends/neighbors/coworkers/acquaintances, are actively interceding with Him on your behalf. Yes, it's a conspiracy among us for your ultimate benefit. Others did it for us, and now in turn we are charged--despite the Vatican's foolishness--to carry the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth--and you.
“Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son.”
- 1 John 2,22