Why Do Jews Not Believe in Jesus?

Summary. Judaism does not accept Jesus as the Messiah because the criteria for the Messiah in the Tanakh — the ingathering of the exiles, the rebuilding of the Temple, universal peace, universal knowledge of Hashem — were not fulfilled. Judaism does not accept Jesus as divine because monotheism, the first principle of the faith, does not admit a second divine person. Judaism does not require Jesus for redemption because teshuva (repentance) was always available, given by God in the very fabric of creation. Christians remain welcome friends; the disagreement is doctrinal, not personal.

The Jewish criteria for the Messiah are specified in the Tanakh and codified by the Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 11:1–4). The Messiah will: be a descendant of David; restore the Davidic kingdom; rebuild the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple); gather the exiles of Israel from the four corners of the earth; teach Torah; bring an end to war (Yeshayahu 2:4, Micah 4:3); bring universal knowledge of Hashem (Yeshayahu 11:9); and resurrect the dead. The historical Jesus of Nazareth did none of these things. The Christian response — that Jesus will accomplish these tasks in a second coming — is a doctrinal innovation; the Tanakh nowhere speaks of a Messiah who comes, dies, returns, and then completes his work.

The doctrine of Jesus as divine — co-equal with God the Father — is incompatible with the Shema’s declaration that God is One (Devarim 6:4) and with the First Commandment’s prohibition against other gods before Hashem (Shemot 20:3). The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is, from the Jewish standpoint, a form of shituf (associating other beings with God), which the medieval halachic authorities debated whether non-Jews are permitted to practice under the Noahide laws, but which is unambiguously forbidden to Jews. The Rambam (Hilchot Avodah Zarah 9:4) wrote forthrightly that Christians are idolators in his halachic framework; the Meiri (Beit HaBechirah on Avodah Zarah) softened this for the medieval European context, regarding Christians as a “nation disciplined by religion.”

Redemption from sin — teshuva — was given by God to Israel at Sinai and is universally available. The High Holy Days liturgy makes this clear: God redeems the penitent who turn to Him with a sincere heart. The Torah’s system of korbanot (offerings) at the Beit HaMikdash were never themselves directly redeeming; they were mitzvot whose performance accompanied the inner work of teshuva. The Mishnah (Yoma 8:9) is explicit: “For transgressions against God, Yom Kippur atones; for transgressions against fellow human beings, Yom Kippur does not atone until one has appeased one’s fellow.” The atoning act is teshuva, not sacrifice — and certainly not human sacrifice, which the Torah explicitly forbids (Vayikra 18:21, Devarim 12:31).

None of this is hostile to Christians, who remain treasured friends of the Jewish people. Indeed, much of Western civilization is the result of Christianity having proliferated Jewish ideas worldwide. The disagreement is theological, not personal. The Editor of this Field Guide is on record (see the reformatted article “On Redemption” in the User Articles chapter) wishing Christians blessing in their path while clarifying why it is not the Jewish path.

Where Denominations Diverge

All denominations of Judaism — Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal — agree that Jesus is not the Messiah and is not divine, and that Christianity is a separate religion. This is among the most unifying positions in modern Jewish life. “Messianic Judaism” and “Jews for Jesus” are widely regarded across all denominations as forms of Christianity, not Judaism.

Sources

Torah: Devarim 6:4; Shemot 20:3; Vayikra 18:21; Devarim 12:31.

Yeshayahu 2:4; 11:1–9.

Micah 4:1–4.

Mishnah Yoma 8:9.

Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11–12; Hilchot Avodah Zarah 9:4.

Meiri, Beit HaBechirah on Avodah Zarah.

Do Jews Believe in Jesus? — Aish.

Who Is Moshiach (the Jewish Messiah)? — Chabad.org.

Further Reading

Michael Skobac, Jews for Judaism resources.

Tovia Singer, Let’s Get Biblical.

David Klinghoffer, Why the Jews Rejected Jesus.

The Editor’s articles, “On Redemption” and “The Calumny of the New Testament,” reformatted in this Field Guide.