Did all the Jews of Israel reject the Messiah?

Some today teach that all the Jews, the nation of Jews, rejected Christ. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only did many people believe in him, but some Jewish rulers did as well.

It was a certain group of the religious leadership that was afraid of losing their influence and control over the people, which led a group of people to rebel with them, to find him guilty early that morning before Pilate. The people loved what they heard from Jesus. It was the chief priests, the scribes, and others who participated in this purposeful rejection, but not all.

The Pharisees and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, “for all the people were very attentive to hear Him” (Luke 19:47-48). From nearly the start of his ministry, “ the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Mark 3:6). Jesus taught daily in the temple and daily walked the countryside teaching and doing miracles that identified him as the Messiah.

But not all rejected him or plotted against him. John 2:23-24 “When He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.”

John 8:30 “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.”

John 10:40-42 “ beyond the Jordan … many believed in Him there.”

Later on, after Lazarus was raised from the dead, “the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus”(Jn. 12:9-13).

John 11:47-48 “ The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him.”

This was their concern: losing their religious position and influence on the people. And majority did this, which is why we read in Matt. 12:14 “The Pharisees went out and plotted against Him.” Matt 26:4 They plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. ” Luke 22:2 the“chief priests and the scribes wanted to kill Him,but“they feared the people.” (Matt. 22:15-16)

John 7:45-48 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “ Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?

Actually, yes. John 12:19 Pharisees said among themselves, “The world has gone after Him!” However, Scripture also states John 12:42, “Nevertheless, even among the rulers,“ many believed in Him.” Yes, there were Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Herodians who believed.Not all the Pharisees were down with the opposition. “Some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You”(Luke 13:31). They protected him from Rome.

John 3:1 “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.” He came acknowledging Jesus secretly at night. Later on, we find “Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus , who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.” (John 19:38-39)

After the resurrection

Let's go through early church history sequentially to see what took place among his people from the apostles.

Peter begins his sermon, Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel,” and then speaks of what they have seen.

“Being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up.”

Acts 2:36-39 “ Let all the House of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “ Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the Promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off , everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

If all of Israel rejected Jesus as many unlearned men claim, we would not see 3,000 Jews react and become Christian believers 50 days after his resurrection, shortly after He ascended. These were Jews from various countries who were celebrating the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem, who responded and received salvation.

We then read in Acts 2:47, “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

In Acts 4:4, “many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”This was the Jews, the same Jews who people say didn’t believe in him.

Acts 4:27, “ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.”

Acts 5:14 “believers were increasingly added to the Lord,’which were only Jews at this time.

Acts 9:40-42Peter, who is the apostle to the Jews, at this point, Gentiles are not being saved yet.After Peter raises Tabitha from the dead, “he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.”

In Acts 10 and after, we see the Jews begin to witness to the Gentiles, beginning with Peter being sent. Acts 10:44-45 “ The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished.” These are Jews who came with him.

Acts 11:19 “ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.”

Acts 11:20-21 They spoke to the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews), preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord .”

Acts 14:1 “In Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.”

We keep reading that many believed after the resurrection. Acts 15:5 “ But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

At the time this was taking place in Israel, the understanding of grace was still being learned. The Pharisees, who were saved wanted the Gentiles to keep the law. This was all straightened out at the council in Jerusalem in Acts 15. As they made the decision to reach out to the Gentiles they made the provisions for them to partake as the body of Christ that was unanimously Jewish.

And again Acts 16:4-5 “As they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.” This would now include the Gentiles with the Jews.

Acts 18:8-9 “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.” Meaning the Jews who knew Crispus.

Acts 19:1-2 Paul comes to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”These are disciples of John, they are Jews, who were away and did not know that Jesus had died and resurrected and sent the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:8-10: Paul spent three months at the synagogue, “reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God,” with little success. He departed from them and taught daily in the school of Tyrannus for two years. Then it was that “All who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

Acts 9:2 During this time period, Jewish Believers in Christ were called “the Way.” It was called this because of what Jesus said of him being the way (Jn.14). Later in Acts 11:26 we find “ The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Through the book of Acts Christianity was called ‘the way’ (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14,22).

Paul returned to Jerusalem and went in with some disciples to James, with all the elders present. Told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed.”

James begins his letter as “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren…”James is writing to Jewish believers outside the land

The letter to the Hebrews, after confirming who Christ is in 2:3, the author asks, “ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

In chapter 3:1, he calls them “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”as he is writing to the Jews who believe, encouraging them to persevere.

So we can see that it was a particular group within the religious leaders who were against Jesus who plotted his demise, influenced and persuaded others. The population of Israel was greatly affected, as were many leaders of the Jews. So the next time you hear someone say all the Jews rejected Jesus, you can show from the scripture that is definitely not correct.

 

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