Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok, a distinguished Jewish scholar, has set out six reasons why Jewish people continue to reject Jesus as Saviour and Messiah.

1.  Jesus did not fulfil the expectations of the Old Testament prophets, and of the rabbis.  He did not restore the kingdom of David, nor gather the scattered people of Israel, nor restore all the laws of the Torah, nor rebuild the temple, nor did he renew the entire creation.

2.  Jesus’ claim to enjoy a special relationship with God (Mt 11:27; Jn 14:6f) contradicts the Jewish conviction that all people are equal before God.

3.  Jesus put himself above the prophets by offering what only God could give – forgiveness (see Mt 9:5f; Lk 7:48f).

4.  Jesus appeared to view poverty as a good thing (Mt 19:21; Lk 6:20), whereas Jews regard poverty as an evil, and wealth as a blessing.

5.  Jesus demanded that his followers should be willing to break family ties (Lk 14:33; Mt 12:48-50; 23:9).  Jews see this as a travesty of the created order.

6.  Jesus’ interpretation of Jewish law runs counter to rabbinic tradition.  So, for example, he healed people on the Sabbath who were not dangerously ill, Mt 12:9-14; Lk 13:10-16; 14:3-6.

See The Church of England Newspaper, 12th December 1997.