Why Jews should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

Intro
1. Today there are many Jews who do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. The Bible says this is either because they're waiting for something miraculous in their lives to prove God is real, or to them Jesus is just a stumbling block. Most Jews were taught to believe Jesus was either just a man and a good teacher or he was a myth.

1Corinthians1:22-24 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness

2. I understand that some believe that if they accept Jesus as the Messiah they will somehow be less Jewish, or that they would be turning away from their faith. I was asked why I have turned away from my Jewish faith to believe in Jesus. I can tell you that I have not turned away. I have embraced the true Messiah who came for the Jews over 2000 years ago.

3. There is only one way to come to God and that is through his Son, Jesus Christ. I will point out verses both from the Old Testament as well as the New Testament for comparison.

4. Jesus was a Jew. He was born of Jewish parents, circumcised, taught Jewish law, celebrated Passover, interacted with Jewish scholars, attended synagogue every Sabbath, and was exposed to a wide range of Jewish thought and traditions.
5. I decided to do this study because I feel that there is a misconception among Jews about who Jesus is. I would like to share 5 reasons (there are much more than 5) why I believe Jews should accept Jesus as the Messiah. I hope you will be informed and enlightened.


Reason #1 The Jews are God's Chosen People
a) God's eternal promise began with Abraham(God does not lie. He promised Abraham that he would be a great nation and it was accomplished.)

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD said to Abram, " Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Nehemiah 9:7 "You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham."

b) God delivered the Jews from Egypt

(God heard the cries of his people and sent Moses to intervene with Pharaoh.)

Exodus 3:9 "Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

c) God gave the Jews the law

(The law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai in order to fulfill the covenant promised to Abraham. )

Exodus 34:28 "So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments."

d) God's presence dwelt with the Jews

(The Ark of the Covenant was the holy chest Moses built out of Acacia wood to house the word of God. The ark held only the two stone tablets upon which God wrote the Ten Commandments on the holy mountain in Sinai.)

Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

e) God gave a homeland to the Jews

(God's people enter the Promised Land after wandering the desert for 40 years. Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land after the death of Moses.)

Joshua 1:2, 5-6 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel. 5"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.


Reason #2 Jesus is Jewish

Before I talk about Jesus' heritage I want to look at John 3:16. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

God gave his son so that all that was written in the Old Testament might be fulfilled. Let's look at how he accomplished that, starting with Jesus' mother and earthly father.

a) Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph who were both descendents of David

Matthew 1:16-17 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah, So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

(The angel Gabriel is talking to Mary about her son Jesus.)

Luke 1:32-33 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

b)Jesus grew up in a Jewish town and calls all Jews His brethren
(Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1). When Herod the King heard of Jesus' birth he called his scribes and chief priests to inquire as to where the Messiah would be born (Matthew 1:4-6). Joseph was visited by an angel of the Lord and told to flee to Egypt. (Matthew 1:13). When Herod died Joseph was again visited by an angel of the Lord (Matthew 1:19-23) and instructed to take Mary and Jesus to Nazareth, this was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.)

Matthew 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

c) Jesus went into the synagogues to teach

(He could be found as a child sitting in the synagogues debating with the Rabbi's.)

Luke 2:46-49 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you."And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"

Matthew 4:23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the *gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

Luke 4:13 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

 Luke 4:44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

John 19-20 The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.

d) Jesus always celebrated the Jewish feasts

Matthew 26:17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"

John 2:13 And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

e) Jesus even read about himself from the book of Isaiah

Luke 4:17-21 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."


Reason #3 The early church was made up exclusively of Jews. At the time of Christ's death, the church was located, for the most part, in Jerusalem.

a) Jesus sent his disciples to the Jews first then the gentiles

Matthew 10:2-6 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and

John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

b) They obeyed the feasts and continued to read and study the Old Testament

Acts 2:46-47 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.

c) Paul, the greatest apostle, was formerly a zealous Jew

 (There was one Jew whose conversion was the most radical. He was Saul who became Paul, an Apostle of Christ. Paul was born and raised Jewish, became a Pharisee and had no intention of changing, in fact he went about the Roman empire stamping out Christians believing that he was helping God. One day he was on the road to Damascus to find more Christians to kill when he heard a voice calling to him…)

 Acts 9:4-6… "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do." After this encounter with the Lord, he was renamed Paul and began preaching Christ.

Reason #4 Jesus came on a special mission to His own people, the nation Israel.
a) The prophets prophesied about it

Isaiah53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

b) Jesus said it

Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

c) The apostles confirmed it

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

Acts3:26 (Peter speaking to the Jews) "For you first, God raised up His Servant (Jesus) and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."

John 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.Reason #5 Jesus fulfills Old Testament Prophesies
 
The bible says there are 300 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. We are going to cover only a few of them.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel, the anointed one and God manifested in the flesh. He came to earth to die for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.

(Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever walked this earth that has fulfilled these prophesies. Looking for anyone else to fulfill these prophesies is an exercise in futility, because if you die in this deception, you will have no opportunity for recovery. Jesus is the unique fulfillment of these prophecies plus more.)

1) Jesus would be God's provided lamb

(In Genesis we read that God instructed Abraham to lay his son Isaac on the altar, which he built, for a burnt offering to the Lord.)

Prophesy #1

Genesis 22:8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

Fulfillment #1

John 1:29 The next day he (John) saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

2. Jesus would be the heir to the throne of David
 
(In order for someone other than Jesus to fulfill this prophecy, someone would have to purposely find someone of the house of David, get pregnant and then give birth exactly at the right time.)

Prophesy #2

Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Fulfillment #2

Matthew 1:1-16 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham
 
3. Jesus would be born in Bethlehem


(A lot of people were born in Bethlehem, we know that. However, how many of them can say it was written before their birth that they would be born there? We cannot predict exactly where a person will be born.)

a) Micah 5:2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."

b) Matthew 2:5-6 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"

4. Jesus would be born of a virgin
 (No other person in history has ever claimed to be born of a virgin. It is not humanly possible. "No one has figured out how to engineer a male using only a virgin's chromosomes", says Dr. Mark Eastman, in his book, "The Search for Messiah." Therefore we would have to conclude that there was divine intervention.)

a) Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."

b) Matthew 1:18 the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

5. Jesus would be preceded by a messenger
 
(Looking at this prophecy we see that someone would come before Jesus to prepare the people for His arrival. John 1:33 tells us that John did not know exactly who was coming. "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'")

a) Isaiah 40:3 A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God."

b) Matthew 3:1-3 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!'"
 
6. Jesus would be crucified with criminals


(Written hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, this prophecy states that He would die a criminal's death at the hands of the Jewish leaders.)

a) Isaiah 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

b) Matthew 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, they parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

c) Matthew 27:38 At that time two robbers were crucified
with Him, one on the right and one on the left.

7. Jesus would be resurrected
(How many people can claim to have been resurrected? Jesus did bring people back from the dead, however, it was through his power and not their own. Jesus would resurrect by His own power and that from God the father.)

a) Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

b) Psalm 16:10-11 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

c) Mark 16:5-6 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him."

d) Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead -- by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

Conclusion

I just went over 5 compelling reasons why Jews should believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

We can conclude according to the scriptures that there is only one way to come to God and that is through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jewish people need to be saved by Jesus. They are not saved just because they are Jewish.

John 3:17-18 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Contrary to what some believe the Lord Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, he came to fulfill what was written. He is that great Prophet.

Jesus told his apostles that he would go and prepare a place for them and then return to bring them there. When Thomas asked him where he was going and how they could go with him…

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me". He is the way to God because He is the truth of God and the life of God. No other person in history has ever claimed this." (John 14:6)

I recently read a commentary, written by Dr. Mark Eastman, who writes: "Why would the Roman government brutally persecute peaceful followers of a non-historical figure? Why were tens of thousands of first century Christians (almost exclusively Jewish believers in Jesus) who lived within forty years of the so-called "mythical events," willingly suffer the loss of all possessions and status, and be murdered for a myth? Why would Saul of Tarsus, a Jewish Pharisee, a leader of the Jews, be willing to give up everything and join the crowd that he had admittedly been persecuting?"

C.S. Lewis, the great writer of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe series wrote about Jesus: "You must make your choice. Either this man was and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

You can try to put Jesus in the same category as those who claim to be prophets of God, but not one of them has ever done the things Jesus has done. There is more proof of the life of Jesus than any other historical figure in all of antiquity. In the end Jesus has fulfilled all that was written about the Messiah. Jews should be rejoicing instead of looking for someone else to save them. Jesus is who he said he was!

Believing in Jesus is the most Jewish thing you can do!!