Hi gang!  We’re attempting to get our arms around a question that Christians often have: Why don’t Jews believe in Jesus?  It is a legitimate question, but does not have an easy answer.  Therefore, this is day 4 of my meager attempt to address reasons why the Jews believe differently than we do about Jesus.  Here are 4 reasons:

1. Jewish belief is a national issue, not a spiritual one
2. Jesus doesn’t meet the qualifications of the Messiah
3. Jesus failed to fulfill Messianic prophecies
4. Christians do not appropriately interpret verses referring to Jesus

You will find responses to the first three objections in previous posts.  Today we will examine the Jewish belief that Christians misinterpret verses referring to Jesus.  It is a friendly discussion, so whether you are Jew, Christian, or otherwise, I invite you to consider the dialogue here.

Jewish scholars make a good point: Scripture is best understood by studying the original Hebrew text.  Who can argue with that!  Their contention is that, due to a lack of Hebrew understanding, a Christian might misinterpret God’s Word.  I agree that can be a problem.  However, might we still disagree, even if we have similar understanding from a Hebrew perspective?  I believe that is possible.

The virgin birth is one such example.  Jewish scholars have made the point that the word translated “virgin” and applied to the account of Jesus’ birth, is more accurately interpreted “young woman.”  Yet Luke 1:26-38 clearly indicates that the Holy Spirit was to come upon Mary and she would conceive a son.  Even if the word “virgin” was changed to “young woman,” it does not negate the fact that God sent the Holy Spirit to Mary and she conceived.

Isaiah 53 is a particularly problematic passage for Jews, and is often skipped in the systematic reading of the prophets.  Isaiah 53 refers to the “suffering servant,” which Christians believe to be Jesus, the Messiah.  Jews, on the other hand, believe it refers to the Jewish people.  However, read these first 6 verses of Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
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.