Why do Jews reject Jesus? | Michael Skobac

1:04:02

185 views · Last viewed: 3 days ago
Uploaded: 15 Jan 2026 (7 months ago) · Shared: 14 Apr 2026

Video Description (from Youtube)

WHO IS THE MESSIAH? Why the Case for Jesus Fails. JESUS IS NOT THE MESSIAH - with Rabbi Michael Skobac This video is Session #1 of Jews for Judaism’s 4-part Lecture Series entitled: RESPONDING TO

CHRISTIAN CHALLENGES TO JUDAISM: The Jewish Christian Argument - with Rabbi Michael Skobac

In this video lecture Rabbi Michael Skobac presents compelling reasons for understanding why Jesus is NOT the Jewish Messiah.

#judaism
#christianity
#messiah
#jewsforjesus
#rabbimichaelskobac
#messianic judaism
#yeshúa
#messianicprophecy

The concept of the Messiah is rooted in the Hebrew scriptures, the Jewish Bible – it was not invented by Christianity. For anyone to be considered the Messiah, that person must fulfill ALL of the criteria established in the Hebrew Bible.

In this session Rabbi Michael Skobac will describe the Biblical concept of the Messiah and why it is clearly self-evident that Jesus did not line up with the scriptural template.

Rabbi Skobac will also cross-examine the two elements of the Christian defense for Jesus and see why they come up short.

How should Jews respond to challenges from Christian friends, neighbours, business associates, or online articles and videos?

In this four-part video lecture series Rabbi Skobac will focus on the basic concepts in the Jewish-Christian debate.

The purpose of the series is for Jews to grow confident in their commitment to Judaism and not feel intimidated by those Christian Missionaries seeking to undermine their faith, even if those missionaries call themselves “Messianic Jews” or “Jews for Jesus”.

• THESE ARE THE THREE OTHER LECTURES IN THIS SERIES:

Session 2 • WHO IS G-D? Christianity’s Serious Error
Believing that someone is the Messiah when they aren’t is an error, but not a massive sin. Worshipping a human being as God is considered idolatry – just about the most serious sin in the Bible. This lecture will explore how Christianity came to deify Jesus and why it is such a seriously problematic belief to maintain.

Session 3 • WHO IS A HUMAN BEING? Dealing with Our Imperfection
When Jesus died without fulfilling the Messianic vision of the Hebrew scriptures, the church had to construct a new understanding of the Messiah that could accommodate someone who was executed by crucifixion. This novel Messianic concept is based on a radically different understanding of human beings than what is found in the Hebrew Bible. This program will discuss and analyze the development of these ideas.

Session 4 • WHO HAS TRUTH? Competing Claims for Scriptural Credibility
Christian missionaries insist that their beliefs and doctrines are derived from the Hebrew scriptures, and that even their so-called New Testament is consistent with the Jewish Bible. In this lecture, we will discuss why Christianity and its teachings are not consistent with the revelation that the Jewish people received at Mt. Sinai 3300 years ago.

●

Rabbi Michael Skobac is the Director of Education and Counselling for Jews for Judaism.

Since 1989, JEWS FOR JUDAISM is has been a trailblazer in global Jewish outreach.

Jews for Judaism wins back to Judaism those Jews who have been influenced by these “Seven Threats to Jewish Survival”:

• Evangelical Christian Missionaries convert 1,000’s of Jews worldwide annually
• Destructive Cults induce Jews to abandon family, friends and careers
• Eastern Religions are now the spiritual choices for many Jews
• Jewish Apathy and Ignorance cause many Jews to assimilate, abandoning Judaism
• Intermarriage is exploding at a 75% rate in many locales
• Anti-Israel propaganda and lies brainwash millions globally and deter Jewish support for Israel
• Antisemitism is promoting global Jew-Hatred and alienating Jews from Judaism

JEWS FOR JUDAISM strengthens preserves and saves Jewish lives through its worldwide Internet outreach, social media, free educational programs, educational literature and counselling services that connect Jewish people to the spiritual depth, beauty and wisdom of Judaism.

Jews for Judaism helps non-Jews discover the Torah’s path to G-d by helping them embrace the Torah’s Seven Noahide Laws.

Please support Jews for Judaism.
To donate please click this link https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/24741

Thank you.

JEWS FOR JUDAISM
3110 Bathurst St, PO Box 54042,
Toronto, ON, CANADA M6A 3B7
T: 416-789-0020 ext #2 • info@jewsforjudaism.ca
VISIT: https://www.jewsforjudaism.ca
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jewsforjudaismcanada
DONATE: https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/24741

DISCLAIMER
All videos are shared for educational and information purposes only. All videos are hosted and viewable on Youtube servers. Video titles are generated using the original video title; overall content theme including actual dialogue and speech (Transcript); and A.I-based recommendations with a focus on SEO, keyword density, and internal search functions. The video title does not represent the views held by the Youtube video uploader, or any individual, organisation or business.

If you spot any mistake, omission or give feedback, kindly Contact Us with details

Watch on Youtube Upload Video Report Video

EXPLORE TOPICS : MICHAEL SKOBAC | 23 JEWISH | 224 JEWS | 140 JUDAISM | 74

JESUS

Overview & Key Concepts

Who is Michael Skobac?

Michael Skobac was educated at Northwestern University and Yeshiva University. He has been involved in informal Jewish education and outreach work

since 1975. Skobac was the founding director of Kiruv, the campus outreach arm of the Rabbinical Council of America, and has worked as a campus professional with Hillel groups in Philadelphia, New York and Toronto.

What is Jews?

Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people

Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of observing the Mosaic covenant, which they believe was established between God and the Jewish people. The religion is considered one of the earliest monotheistic religions. Jewish religious doctrine encompasses a wide body of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. Among Judaism's core texts is the Torah - the first five books of the Hebrew Bible - and a collection of ancient Hebrew scriptures. The Tanakh, known in English as the Hebrew Bible, has the same books as Protestant Christianity's Old Testament, with some differences in order and content.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How did the Early Jewish-Christians practise their religion?

The earliest Jewish-Christians strictly followed traditional Hebrew practices, including daily prayers, circumcision, rituals for purity, fasting, dietary laws, and temple, according to the source material.

2.Did Jesus claim to be 'King of the Jews'?

A political placard accusing Jesus of making this claim was nailed to his cross, and this historical artifact can be found today at the Church of Santa Croce in Rome.

3.How was Jesus Jewish?

Jesus fully observed the laws of the Torah, maintained kosher dietary regulations, and never asked his followers to abandon Judaism, as they continued to meet at the Temple and practice circumcision rather than establishing a separate religion or attending a church.

4.What did early Jewish-Christians think of Apostle Paul?

Between 55 and 66 CE, early Jewish-Christian leaders in Jerusalem rejected Paul's teachings and challenged his authority, leading to a significant decline in his popularity.

5.Were the early Christians Jews?

Yes, Jesus and early followers were entirely Jewish, strictly observing traditional laws and customs.

6.Did Saul kill the early Jewish-Christians?

Before his conversion, Saul actively sought to imprison and execute early Jewish-Christians. Saul believed that he was serving God by finding Christians, throwing them into prison, and even executing them.

1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
[Acts 8:1-3]

7.How did the Jews view Apostle Paul?

Faithful Jews viewed Paul's salvation theory as blatant blasphemy because his theological teachings explicitly ridiculed all previous revelations from God, including the sacred Torah, while teaching a doctrine that went against the absolute oneness of God.

8.According to Apostle Paul, why did God give Jews the Torah?

Paul viewed the Torah as a temporary guide, claiming it was given to the Jews until they could be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

9.How did Apostle Paul differ with the Jewish Rabbis?

The Jewish Rabbis preached a person was saved so long as their intention was to remain within the covenant, and one truly repented and seek forgiveness for their sins.

Paul preached that every person was 'damned' until they was offered salvation. Mans problem was that he was 'in the flesh' in bondage to the Law, sold under Sin, enslaved by the fundamental spirits of the universe (ie. dead).

Paul preached the only cure was liberation from slavery and death by union with Christ, who had conquered death and sin.

10.How did the early Jewish-Christians view Jesus' resurrection?

The earliest Jewish-Christians did not believe that the resurrection meant Jesus was God, but rather that he was a righteous man approved by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. Based on texts like Acts 2:22-24, they maintained the theological view that Jesus had been raised by God, not that he was the Creator himself.

11.Who seperated Christianity from Judaism?

It was Apostle Paul's dramatic conversion and subsequent teachings that directly resulted in the permanent theological separation of Christianity from Judaism. Within mere months of Jesus' departure, the original human-centric and law-abiding message was fundamentally altered into an independent religious system.

12.Why Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah?

The Bible claims the Messiah will accomplish certain signs:

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

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

3. 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)

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 historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies.

Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.

13.What does the Quran say about Jews and Christians?

The Quran recognizes Jews and Christians as 'People of the Book' (Ahl al-Kitab), acknowledging that they were given previous divine revelations through prophets like Moses and Jesus. While it praises the righteous among them, it also critiques their theological developments, specifically rejecting the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the divine sonship of Jesus.

14.How was Apostle Paul viewed by the Jews?

Paul was widely viewed by mainstream Jewish communities as a radical apostate and religious heretic because he preached that observance of the Mosaic Torah was no longer required for salvation. This fierce theological conflict frequently resulted in severe public opposition, legal charges before Roman authorities, and physical riots during his travel throughout ancient Mediterranean cities.

15.Does the Quran tell Jews and Christians to refer to their Scriptures (Torah and Bible)?

Yes, the Quran references previous scriptures in passages like Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:47), which tells the followers of the Gospel to judge by what God has revealed in it. From an academic perspective, this reflects the historical context of 7th-century Medina, where Jews and Christians were recognized as 'People of the Book' who possessed divine laws. While Islamic theology holds that modern biblical texts have suffered from textual corruption (tahrif), the Quran historically appeals to the core monotheistic truths remaining in those scriptures to validate Muhammad's message.

16.In the time of Jesus, what qualities would identify the Messiah, to the Jews?

First-century Jewish expectations, as discussed in this analysis of Trinity dogma, centered on a human leader, such as a prophet or king from David's line, rather than a divine figure.

A human empowered by God. Not a God-man, a person of the Godhead or part of a Triune God (Trinity)
From the lineage of Abraham (Gen. 22:18)
From the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
A descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12)
A Lord under Yahweh, the God of Israel (Ps. 110:1)
From amongst their own people (Jer. 30:21)

17.How did the 1st century Jews view the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit was understood as God's active, divine power, rather than a distinct, third person of a Trinity.

First century Jews believed the Holy Spirit was another name for God, similar to Yahweh, Elohim or El Shaddai - not a separate Person in the Trinity!

There is no record of Jesus ever trying to correct the Jews and prove the Holy Spirit was a third Person in the Trinity.

18.Jesus claimed to be God. The Jews must have understood this, as they accused him of blasphemy and were ready to stone him?

The platform asserts that Jesus did not claim divinity in this instance, and that his mention of Psalm 82:6 in John 10:34 was a defense noting that human judges are called 'gods' in scripture, thus challenging the accusation of blasphemy.

19.Why do Jews let the hair grow on the sides of there head?

In the text of the Torah (Leviticus 19:27), God explicitly forbids cutting or rounding off the corners of the hair on the sides of the head and marring the edges of the beard.

20.How did Jews view the Greek Bible (Septuagint)?

The Jewish community regarded the Septuagint only as a translation of the original Hebrew, never as an independent or authoritative scripture.

21.In the time of Jesus, how were the Jews viewed by the Greeks?

The text suggests that the Greeks perceived Judaism as an insular tradition, weakened by long-term Roman occupation, economic decline, and emigration.

Videos on Michael Skobac (23)

Did Apostle Paul invent Christianity? - Michael Skobac

1054 views