Why the Jews don't believe in Jesus?

A strange title for a blogpost, to be sure, but it is the one topic my mind has been mulling over for some time. Why don't the Jews believe in their Messiah? How could they have missed all the signs? As Christians, we have disdain for the Pharisees for their lack of faith, but as I am starting to learn, there is much more to this issue than meets the eye.

Jewish Thought and Culture class has much to teach about this subject. For thousands of years the Jews have studied the Torah, both oral and written, dedicating their lives to a better knowledge of the text. In reality, Jewish teenagers know their Old Testament better than 95% of Evangelical Christians. Rabbinical literature has proliferated; thousands of books have been written about the OT by the greatest minds of the times.

And then we come in and claim that Jesus is the Messiah, that all they have studied is worthless and wrong. Christ came to nullify the laws, now we live by grace! Your life as a Jew with all your tradition and writing is meaningless! God gave you the Old Testament to point to our truth! (Jews don't see the Pentateuch as laws, but teaching. It is their joy and happiness to live in accordance with it. Why would God take back what He has said to the Jews? He never changes!)

What? Preposterous. God gave us the Torah, it is His words we study, they say. We attack their tradition, the meaning for their lives and we expect them to agree? The Gentiles have come to faith because of the Jews, and now we are claiming to be the light of the world? The Jews believe that they are the ones who have been appointed for all time to point the world to God.

A Rabbi came to tell us what the Jews thought of our Messiah. In all honesty, he is a pathetic man who died on a cross. He would barely qualify as a potential Messiah in their minds. Messiah, according to the Jews, would never be a God/man. God in flesh? The Holy One whose image was burned in their hearts and history, come as a man? Never. Their Messiah was to save his people, judge the nations for their iniquity, and usher in a Kingdom for the Jews and those who would believe. He would be a deliverer, not a man who performed a couple miracles.

The gospels have come to life for me because of this understanding. In our hearts, we mock the Disciples and the Pharisees for their lack of understanding. But if we would have known what seeming insurmountable obstacles they faced to believe! It is no wonder that when John the Baptist was in prison, he had a moment of doubt and sent men to ask Jesus "Are you really the One?" John had prophesied of a Messiah who was coming with a winnowing fork in his hand, to judge the people for their sins! Instead, the Messiah was having compassion on children!

The Disciples also had an image of a conquering Messiah. Die on a cross? Peter exclaims, "May it never be!" They debate about who is the greatest, who would be the ones sitting beside Him on His throne.

Before coming to Israel, I would always ask "How could they not see?" Since being here, I can only exclaim, "All praise to our God and King, who has the power to save against all odds!"

I thank Him now, with all my heart, for making it so easy for me to believe. Lord, still help my unbelief!

P.S.
My thoughts were very scattered and I do apologize, if you desire clarity or more depth, email me!