An appeal to Jews: Why should you listen to Jesus?

He is Jewish, preaches righteousness, and is a prophet

Here are some reasons why Jews should pay attention to the teachings of Jesus:

1. For starters, Jesus is Jewish. God chose a specific people group through which to reveal Himself to the human race progressively over centuries. The Bible (Old and New Testaments) has come to us through the Jewish people. The New Testament writers were Jewish.

2. Jesus preaches adherance to the spirit of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5 though 7), Jesus preaches a righteousness which goes beyond the letter of the Law and instructs his followers to do what's right, apart from any earthly reward.

3. Jesus is a prophet. During his life on Earth, Jesus made prophecies which came true. Two which come to mind:

  • Two of Jesus' prophecies

  • In Matthew 24:2, Jesus said, speaking of the Temple: "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD. According to Josephus, the Romans set fire to the Temple and the gold ran down between the stones. To get at the gold, Roman soldiers had to remove the stones.
  • In the Gospel of John, Chapter 2, Jesus clears sellers from the Temple courts. Those nearby demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days." (See John 2:13-22 for full passage.) This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead three days after the Crucifixion because he was speaking about his body, not the Temple of Jerusalem.

4. John the Baptist and Jesus are the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy in Chapter 3:1-4. In verse 1, Malachi writes:

"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty.

The messenger was John the Baptist, and 'the Lord you are seeking' is Jesus. In verse 2, Malachi says, "But who can endure the day of his appearing? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap." If you read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, that description fits Jesus to a T. He poked holes in everyone's so-called righteousness and urged people to do what's right.

By the way, the inference from the above is: Jesus is 'the Lord you are seeking.'

5. Finally, in Deuteronomy 18:18-19, the Lord says, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name, I Myself will call him to account." If Jesus is a true prophet (and he is), then you, as a Jew, are warned to heed his words.

More on Jesus as The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18

Aside from Jesus, no other prophet comes close to Moses

Let's consider the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18 in more detail. First, is the Lord speaking of many prophets or one in particular? "The Lord your God will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers" (Deut. 18:18). Sounds like one prophet in particular. Also, he will be like Moses. What things set Moses apart from other prophets of the Old Testament?

  • Incredible miracles and signs as displayed in the Exodus from Egypt (see Book of Exodus, Chapters 7-11).
  • He delivered new laws with authority; didn't just interpret existing laws.

Regarding miracles and signs, let's compare Moses' plagues and signs during the Exodus with Jesus' time on Earth:

  1. Moses turned water to blood. Similarly, Jesus turned water to wine (John 2:1-11).
  2. Moses brought plagues of frogs, flies, and gnats. Similarly, Jesus multiplied fish and bread to feed a crowd (e.g., John 6:1-15). In fact, on the basis of that sign, people began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" (v14). See? The Jews at that time were expecting a single, particular Prophet.
  3. Moses brought a plague of boils on the Egyptians. In contrast, Jesus healed lepers of leprosy (for instance, Luke 17:11-19).
  4. Moses brought a plague of hail. In contrast, Jesus calmed a raging storm by speaking to it (Matthew 8:23-27).
  5. Moses brought a plague of darkness. Similarly, there were three hours of darkness when Jesus was crucified because, as Luke points out, "The sun stopped shining" (Luke 23:44-45). In fact, this darkness fulfills a prophecy in Amos: "In that day, " declares the Sovereign Lord, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping" (Amos 8:9-10). It's worth noting that the "sixth hour" mentioned by Luke was, in fact, noon.
  6. Moses brought the plague which killed all the firstborn Egyptians. In contrast, Jesus raised people from the dead (Lazarus, for instance, in John 11:1-44).
  7. In one of his grandest miracles, Moses parted the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to cross on dry land (Exodus 14). In contrast, Jesus walked on top of water! See Matthew 14:22-33.
  8. Finally, Moses delivered the Israelites from Egypt. The Jews were no longer slaves but had been freed. Similarly, Jesus has brought a great deliverance to His followers by rescuing us from sin in this life and the punishment due sin in the next life (i.e., Hell).

As you can see from the above: By any objective measure, Jesus matched the miraculous signs of Moses like no other prophet.

Regarding delivering new laws with authority, Jesus did just that in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 thru 8). At the end of that passage, Matthew writes, "... the crowds were amazed at [Jesus'] teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as one of their teachers of the law" (Matthew 8:28-29).

No doubt about it: Jesus is the Prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy 18!