Why did Jewish leaders dislike Jesus?

Answer 1

According to the Gospel accounts, the Jewish leaders disliked Jesus for numerous reasons: - He claimed to be sent by God (Luke 4:16-30) - He claimed to have the power to forgive sins (Luke 5:17-26; Matthew 9:1-8) - He associated with sinners (Luke 5:29-32; 7:36-50;Matthew 9:10-13) - He allowed his disciples to 'work' on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5) - He Himself 'worked' on the Sabbath (Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6) - He challenged the prevailing belief that people were poor or sick were being punished for either their sins or the sins of an ancestor. - He associated with pagans (Romans) and even praised them for their faith. (Luke 7:1-10;Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 15:22-28) - He broke religious taboos such as touching a bier, thus making Himself ritually unclean (Luke 7:11-17) - He associated with women in public (Luke 8:1-3) - He told parables in which the 'enemies' of the Jews were righteous and the Jews were not (Luke 10:29-37) - He defeated religious experts in debate (Luke 11:14-22) - He criticised the religious leaders (Luke 11:37-54; 12:1-12;Matthew 11:16-19; Matthew 15:1-9; Matthew 16:1-12) - He praised the poor over the rich (Luke 21:1-4)

Answer 2

Many of them were strongly bound by religious traditions, and as a result they sometimes did not like what Jesus taught. Even though he always taught what was right, some showed real hatred for him because he spoke the truth.

• Answer 2

They do not. Judaism says nothing about him, for or against. He is seen as a regular human being who lived in olden times, and is not part of Jewish religious belief. Note that the Question is in the present tense.

Answer 3

The Jewish leaders [the teachers of the law and the Pharisees] like most modern politicians and leaders today... enjoyed a measure of "power" and influence among the populace. They were looked up to, and in some cases "worshiped" by some.

This can be a kind of ego trip that many public officials bask in, possibly resulting in them thinking more highly of themselves as individuals [or as groups] than they should. In such cases, such leadership fails those whom they should be caring for... and teaching... and "serving."

Case in point: witness our self-serving, power-grabbing governments, today - our alleged "servants of the people."

When Jesus walked the earth in the flesh... the Roman Empire ruled the known world. And wherever they occupied a land and its people... they usually gave the leaders of the people a certain amount of power and leeway to continue to "lead the people" the way they always have in order to maintain the peace, thereby minimizing the instances of rebellion against Roman rule, as well as the number of Roman forces they would have to maintain in a given foreign land.

Although the Jewish leadership didn't like the Romans lording over them and the land which "God gave to them" -- nevertheless, they still found themselves "second in command" just under Rome... and there carnal hearts succumbed to selfish human ego, and they "thought more highly of themselves" than they should have at the expense of "oppressing" the people whom they should have been "serving."

Having said all that -- these Jewish leaders didn't like Jesus, because HE TOLD THE TRUTH. More importantly, He told the Truth, PUBLICLY. Which is not normally done [or appreciated] by most public figures. To the Jewish leaders... Jesus' words undermined their authority; which Jesus never really did. His words never diminished their authority. His words merely cut into their pride and power-tripping... and revealed to the people that their leaders were just as human and flawed as anyone else.

"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees SIT IN MOSES' SEAT. SO YOU MUST OBEY THEM and DO EVERYTHING THEY TELL YOU.

"But do not what they do, for THEY DO NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH." (Matt.23:1-3 NIV)

Public figures don't like their "less-than-honorable" ways found out... and like even less, having it made public knowledge. And Jesus called the Jewish leaders' less-than-honorable ways to task:

"WOE TO YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES, YOU HYPOCRITES!" (verses 13, 15, 16, 23 & 27]

"YOU BLIND FOOLS! ..." (verse 17). "YOU BLIND MEN!" (verse 19). "YOU BLIND GUIDES!" (verse 24).

You don't ingratiate yourself with your local political parties with words like these. Instead... you make yourself their target.

It doesn't matter if it's the Truth. It only guarantees that "you will be hated" for it.

Answer 4

The Rabbis hated Jesus because he cut through their self created religion and tradition and got to the core of radical Christianity. Notice how he fulfilled the law and all the things that the Pharisees and Sadducee's were upset about were religious traditions!

Answer 5

According to our tradition, the vast majority of the Jews at the time didn't hear of him. The Torah-sages (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, Chanina ben Dosa, Bava ben Buta, Shimon ben Hillel, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva, and hundreds of others) were active at that time and their yeshivot (Torah-academies) were flourishing. Their tens of thousands of disciples and hundreds of thousands of sympathizers were active in the Jewish world in that generation; they were the leaders and the forefront of Judaism. As Josephus (Antiquities book 18) writes, "the cities give great attestations to them." The great majority of Jews loved their sages and their Torah.
The unlearned class of the Amei-haaretz (ignoramuses) was a small fringe of society, but even they would and did lay down their lives in order not to violate anything of the Torah. As one ancient historian famously wrote:
Hecateus declares again, "what regard we [Jews] have for our laws; and we resolve to endure anything rather than transgress them." And he adds: "They [Jews] may be stripped on this account, and have torments inflicted upon them, and be brought to the most terrible kinds of death, but they meet these tortures after an extraordinary manner, beyond all other people, and will not renounce the religion of their forefathers."

No one (even any who did hear of Jesus) - would have given heed to what was and is consideredunacceptable for us. The few who came in contact with him soon lost interest, and the early Christians felt the need to turn to non-Jewish centers of population in order to gain adherents, while the Jews remained Jews.

Rather, you might prefer to ask "What does Judaism notbelieve about Jesus." And the answer is that we do not believe that he is or was anything other than a regular human being.

(See: What do Jews believe God is like?)

We may also note that according to our tradition, prophecy ceased about 340 years before the birth of Jesus; and public miracles stopped even earlier.

Here is a related topic:
The word "messiah" is the transliterated form of the Hebrew "moshiach." The word moshiach means "anointed." The title of moshiach was given to any person who was appropriately anointed with oil as part of their initiation to their service of God. We have had a number of meshichim (plural) in the form of kings and priests. There need be nothing supernatural about a moshiach.
This being said, there is a prophecy of a future moshiach. However, this is a relatively minor topic in Judaism and the Tanakh.
The Jewish requirements of the messiah are:
* Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
* Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).
* Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred and oppression. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
* 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).
* The messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1).
* The messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah-observance. The Torah states that all of its mitzvot (commands) remain binding forever.

Answer 6

Jesus was heretic who spoke in violation of Jewish Law. Some commandments that Jesus actively violated (all quotes from the NIV) include the following. This list is not exhaustive:

• Matthew 15:11: "That goes into someone's mouth does not defile them; but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." -- This is a blanket denial of some of the laws of ritual purity and all of the Laws of Kashrut, which tell us foods to eat and which foods not to eat in Leviticus ch. 11. This is an abrogation of the Law.
• Matthew 19:8-9: Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery." -- Jesus specifically rebukes the Mosaic Law and denies the permissibility of divorce which is expressly permitted according to Deuteronomy ch. 24.
• Matthew 19:29: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." -- Jesus actively supports the break-up of families, which runs counter to an entire tradition of family unity and tribal unity throughout Israelite and Jewish history. This also runs counter to the Messianic Prophecy that the Messiah will bring bickering families back together in Malachi 4:6.
• Mark 1:43-44: Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." & John 18:20-21: "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said." -- These verses show that Jesus lies (not to mention the issue with absconding truth in parables). If he said everything openly, he would not tell people to be quiet and secretive about who he was. Lying is prohibited in Leviticus 19:11. The Law being clear and accessible, not secretive, is stated in Deuteronomy 30:10-14 and Deut. 31:9-13.
• Mark 14:24-25: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." -- The consumption of blood is specifically forbidden in the Torah because it is the life-source of all creatures. This is made clear in Leviticus 17:10-12.

Answer 7

According to Jewish tradition, the vast majority of the Jews at the time didn't hear of him. The Torah-sages (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, Chanina ben Dosa, Bava ben Buta, Shimon ben Hillel, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva, and hundreds of others) were active at that time and their yeshivot (Torah-academies) were flourishing. Their tens of thousands of disciples and hundreds of thousands of sympathizers were active in the Jewish world in that generation; they were the leaders and the forefront of Judaism. As Josephus (Antiquities book 18) writes, "the cities give great attestations to them." The great majority of Jews loved their sages and their Torah.
The unlearned class of the Amei-haaretz (ignoramuses) was a small fringe of society, but even they would and did lay down their lives in order not to violate anything of the Torah. As one ancient historian famously wrote:
Hecateus declares again, "what regard we [Jews] have for our laws; and we resolve to endure anything rather than transgress them." And he adds: "They [Jews] may be stripped on this account, and have torments inflicted upon them, and be brought to the most terrible kinds of death, but they meet these tortures after an extraordinary manner, beyond all other people, and will not renounce the religion of their forefathers."

No one (even any of them who did hear of Jesus) - would have given any consideration to what was and is considered unacceptable for us. The few who came in contact with him soon lost interest, and the early Christians felt the need to turn to non-Jewish centers of population in order to gain adherents, while the Jews remained Jews.

Jews do not believe that Jesus is or was anything other than a regular human being.

(See: What do Jews believe God is like?)

We may also note that according to our tradition, prophecy ceased about 340 years before the birth of Jesus; and public miracles stopped even earlier.

Here is a related topic:
The word "messiah" is the transliterated form of the Hebrew "moshiach." The word moshiach means "anointed." The title of moshiach was given to any person who was appropriately anointed with oil as part of their initiation to their service of God. We have had a number of meshichim (plural) in the form of kings and priests. There need be nothing supernatural about a moshiach.
This being said, there is a prophecy of a future moshiach. However, this is a relatively minor topic in Judaism and the Tanakh.
The Jewish requirements of the messiah are:
* Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
* Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).
* Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred and oppression. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
* Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. "God will be King over all the world. On that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).
* The messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1).
* The messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah-observance. The Torah states that all of its mitzvot (commands) remain binding forever.

Answer 8

They do not. Judaism says nothing about him, for or against. He is seen as a regular human being who lived in olden times, and is not part of Jewish religious belief.
See also the Related Links.

Link: Why didn't the Jews believe in Jesus?

Link: What do Jews believe about God?

Answer 9

According to our tradition, the vast majority of the Jews at the time didn't hear of him. The Torah-sages (Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Yonatan ben Uziel, Chanina ben Dosa, Bava ben Buta, Shimon ben Hillel, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva, and hundreds of others) were active at that time and their yeshivot (Torah-academies) were flourishing. Their tens of thousands of disciples and hundreds of thousands of sympathizers were active in the Jewish world in that generation; they were the leaders and the forefront of Judaism. As Josephus (Antiquities book 18) writes, "the cities give great attestations to them." The great majority of Jews loved their sages and their Torah.
The unlearned class of the Amei-haaretz (ignoramuses) was a small fringe of society, but even they would and did lay down their lives in order not to violate anything of the Torah. As one ancient historian famously wrote:
Hecateus declares again, "what regard we [Jews] have for our laws; and we resolve to endure anything rather than transgress them." And he adds: "They [Jews] may be stripped on this account, and have torments inflicted upon them, and be brought to the most terrible kinds of death, but they meet these tortures after an extraordinary manner, beyond all other people, and will not renounce the religion of their forefathers."

No one (even any of them who did hear of Jesus) - would have given any consideration to what was and is considered unacceptable for us. The few who came in contact with him soon lost interest, and the early Christians felt the need to turn to non-Jewish centers of population in order to gain adherents, while the Jews remained Jews.

In Judaism, Jesus was a regular human being who lived in olden times, and is not part of Jewish religious belief.
See: What do Jews believe about God?

We may also note that according to our tradition, prophecy ceased about 340 years before the birth of Jesus; and public miracles stopped even earlier.

Here is a related topic:
The word "messiah" is the transliterated form of the Hebrew "moshiach." The word moshiach means "anointed." The title of moshiach was given to any person who was appropriately anointed with oil as part of their initiation to their service of God. We have had a number of meshichim (plural) in the form of kings and priests. There need be nothing supernatural about a moshiach.
This being said, there is a prophecy of a future moshiach. However, this is a relatively minor topic in Judaism and the Tanakh.
The Jewish requirements of the messiah have not yet been fulfilled. They are:
* Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
* Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).
* Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred and oppression. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
* Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. "God will be King over all the world. On that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).
* The messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1).
* The messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah-observance. The Torah states that all of its mitzvot (commands) remain binding forever.

Answer 10

Jesus has never been of any significance to the majority of Jews. At most, he could have been one of many men claiming to be hamoshiach during the Roman occupation.