Jews: What would convince you that the Messiah had come?

Question

Or perhaps it would be easier to answer what WASN'T convincing about Jesus? I'd like to avoid focusing solely on Jesus, though.

What does your religion require from a Messiah and what would specifically convince YOU that a particular "Messiah" was the real thing?

Answer 1

I could spend an hour posting all the evidence about why J*sus was not the messiah, but I won't unless you request it. Instead, I hope it's okay I give you the condensed version on messiah in general with some notes about J*sus:

There are many prophesies in the Tanakh that must come to pass before anyone can be accepted as Messiah. Here is a short list:
Is there universal knowledge of one G-d? (Jeremiah 31:33, Zechariah 8:23, 14:9, 14:16,
Isaiah 11:9, Isaiah 40:5, Zephaniah 3:9)
Were all Jews returned to Israel? (Isaiah 43:5-6, Isaiah 11:12, Isaiah 27:12-13)
Did he bring world peace? (Isaiah 11:6, Micah 4:3)
Were all weapons destroyed? (Ezekiel 39:9)
Did all warfare cease? (Isaiah 2:4)
Was the Temple rebuilt in it's place? (Ezekiel 37:24-28 Ezekiel 40-48, Isaiah 33:20, Micah
4:1)
Did he bring physical restoration to all who are sick or disabled in any way? (Isaiah
35:5-6)
Was he preceded by Elijah? (Malachi 3:23-24-- 4:4-5 in KJV)
Did the nations help the Jews materially? (Isaiah 60:5, 60:10-12, 61:6)
Does eternal joy and gladness characterize the Jewish nation? (Isaiah 51:11)
Are Jews sought for spiritual guidance? (Zechariah 8:23)
Is the Egyptian river dry yet? (Isaiah 11:15)
Do trees in Israel yield new fruit every month? (Ezekiel 47:12)
Did each tribe receive it's inheritance? (Ezekiel 47:13-14)
Is the enemy buried? (Ezekiel 39:12)
Did he accomplish these tasks without tiring or failing? (Isaiah 42:4)
Did death cease? (Isaiah 25:8)
Are the dead resurrected? (Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2, Ezekiel 37:12-13)
J*sus did not fulfill any of the prophecies, so he is not messiah.

Basically:
The messiah will be a normal, MORTAL man who is well versed in and follows every letter of Jewish law possible at this point in time. He will NOT come to save us from sins or be a sacrifice or anything like that 1. because in Judaism only you can be responsible for your sins and 2. human sacrifice is abhorred by G-d. He will fulfill ALL the prophecies without tiring, failing, or dying. Peace will follow his reign, not millenia of war and discourse like that which followed J*sus.

To convince me that a man is the messiah he would have to fulfill all the prophecies and importantly, wouldn't need to perform miracles to prove he is the messiah (besides the prophecies, of course). For example, he won't need to walk on water to prove he is messiah. His own deeds will be enough.

Thank you for your question: if you have any questions on anything I've said, feel free to email me or request more detail.

Peace

Answer 2

So how have we Jews, who invented the term, always defined the term Messiah?

The Messiah is born of two human parents, as we said.But Jesus, according to Christian theology, was born of a union between a Human woman and God, rather than two HUMAN parents, as was Hercules, and Dionysis, as well as many other pagan gods.
The Messiah can trace his lineage through his human biological father, back to King David (Isaiah 11:1,10; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:21-28; Jeremiah 30:7-10; 33:14-16; and Hosea 3:4-5). But Jesus's lineage cannot go through his human father, according to Christian theology, as Jesus's father was not Joseph the husband of Mary. According to Christian theology, Jesus's father was God.
The Messiah traces his lineage only through King Solomon (II Samuel 7:12-17; I Chronicles 22:9-10). But according to Luke 3:31, Jesus was a descendant of Nathan, another son of King David, and not a descendant of King David through King Solomon.
The Messiah cannot trace his lineage through Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, or Shealtiel, because this royal line was cursed (I Chronicles 3:15-17; Jeremiah 22:18,30). But according to both Matthew 1:11-12 and Luke 3:27, Jesus was a descendant of Shealtiel.
According to the Jewish definition of the term, the Real Messiah will make changes in the real world, changes that one can see and perceive and be able to prove because these changes take place in the real world. It is for this task that the real messiah has been anointed in the first place, hence the term, messiah -- one who is anointed. These changes, that one will be able to see and perceive in the real world, include:

The Messiah is preceded by Elijah the prophet who, with the Messiah, unifies the family (Malachi 4:5-6), which is contradicted by Jesus in Matthew 10:34-37.
The Messiah re-establishes the Davidic dynasty through the messiah's own children (Daniel 7:13-14). But Jesus had no children.
The Messiah brings an eternal peace between all nations, between all peoples, and between all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Ezekiel 39:9). Obviously there is no peace. Furthermore, Jesus said that his purpose in coming was to bring a sword, and not peace (see Matthew 10:34, as referenced above.)
The Messiah brings about the universal world-wide conversion of all peoples to Judaism, or at least to Ethical Monotheism (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zechariah 8:23; Isaiah 11:9; Zechariah 14:9,16). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
The Messiah brings about an end to all forms of idolatry (Zechariah 13:2). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
The Messiah brings about a universal recognition that the Jewish idea of God is God (Isaiah 11:9). But the world remains steeped in idolatry.
The Messiah leads the world to become vegetarian (Isaiah 11:6-9). It isn't.
The Messiah gathers to Israel, all of the twelve tribes (Ezekiel 36:24). Many of the ten lost tribes remain lost.
The Messiah rebuilds The Temple (Isaiah 2:2; Ezekiel 37:26-28). It hasn't been rebuilt.
There will be no more famine (Ezekiel 36:29-30). People starve to death every day.
After the Messiah comes, death will eventually cease (Isaiah 25:8). People die every day.
Eventually the dead will be resurrected (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; Ezekiel 37:12-13; Isaiah 43:5-6);
The nations of the earth will help the Jews, materially (Isaiah 60:5-6; 60:10-12;
The Jews will be sought out for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23);
All weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9,12);
The Nile will run dry (Isaiah 11:15)
Monthly, the trees of Israel will yield their fruit (Ezekiel 47:12);
Each tribe of Israel will receive and settle their inherited land (Ezekiel 47:13-13);
The nations of the earth will recognize that they have been wrong, that the Jews have been right, and that the sins of the Gentile nations, their persecutions and the murders they committed, have been borne by the Jewish people (Isaiah 53)

Answer 3

Well, for starters, the Messiah has to accomplish his messianic tasks (or more precisely, the messianic era has to be ushered in) before he dies. Since Jesus died before any of those things happen (and they still do) he is not the messiah for that reason alone.
As for the second coming, what would you say about a third coming?
See http://www.geocities.com/cmr613/thirdcoming.html

Also, the messiah has to be a descendant of King David. Since Joseph wasn't his father, and matrilineal linage doesn't count, so Mary's linage is irrelevant, he was not the son of David.

Answer 4

"Why'd you %. one among those backwards place and one among those unusual time? in case you will come on the instant you're starting to be reached an entire united states of america Israel in 4 BC had no mass communique....." So, could not withstand. only had the track pop in at your question. answer: probably because of the fact Jesus became finally meant for the pagan gentiles that Paul took the hot faith to. Jesus became appropriate for them: a divine, miracle appearing, sacrificed/risen savior became only what they might assume and be interested in. All of that became precisely what might save the Jews from believing in Jesus - and the certainty that he did not accomplish any of the 23 prophecies. # # # "walking on water, elevating the lifeless...." all issues G-d advised the Jews to REJECT. The Jewish Messiah would be human and is not worshiped. Jews do not worship all of us beforehand G-d.

Answer 5

The first question has been well covered already, so I'll take the second.

You've probably heard that Jesus fulfills a whole list of prophecies from Torah and Tanakh, right? What they don't tell you is that those 'prophecies' are actually misreadings of the Hebrew texts. You have to get real creative to make them into anything Jesus 'fulfilled'.

There's a beautiful wee story that Moshiach will come at the moment when every person is acting for the benefit of others or otherwise performing a mitzvot. That makes far more sense to me than a violent Rapture or blood sacrifice.

Answer 6

To Jews, the belief that God would become human is the ultimate heresy.

The purpose of the messiah is to bring peace on EARTH -- not to some imaginary kingdom in the afterlife! Look out your window -- is there peace on earth? When there is, you will KNOW that the messiah has arrived AND is here to stay!
.

Answer 7

This is a great question. They are still waiting for Messiah to come. Even Muslims believe that Messiah has come, they only do not believe that Jesus is God.

Answer 8

The Jewish View of Jesus
Jews believe Jesus himself would have been shocked to know that many people today view him as the Messiah. According to Judaism, Jesus was a Jewish man who was executed and later given divine status by the Christian church.

Answer 9

He would have to have fulfilled all the prophecies

A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).

C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)

D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).

Jesus did none of these

Answer 10

There was a story my dad told me once it goes like this,
"A Christian once asked a Rabbi how he could be sure that the Messiah had not come, he walked outside and saw a dog fighting with a cat, He looked at the Christian and said, that's how i know"