Many Christians envision Jesus in a way that divorces him from his native context. Artwork depicts him as a fair-skinned, cherubic European with no trace of middle-eastern ancestry. Theologians interpret his teachings as either unrelated to Judaism or a direct rebuttal of it. Church leaders assert that Jesus founded a new holy people with no ties to the Jewish nation.
Among the sages of the Talmud, the historical memory of Jesus is murky and inconsistent. While Rabbinic literature provides several anecdotes about individuals reminiscent of Jesus, their details and contexts conflict and vary widely. These characters merged into one during a time when Jews lived in the shadow of the emerging Roman church. It is hard to assert that any of the references to Jesus-like characters in the Talmud has a legitimate connection to the historical person.
As history progressed, the Jewish community has accepted the testimony of the Christian Church. Both groups have agreed that Jesus is the object of non-Jewish worship, a detractor of the Jewish faith, and an adversary to the Jewish people.
This mischaracterization is strange—even a bit ironic—since Yeshua himself was a Jew born in Israel under Roman occupation. Over the last century, Christian, Jewish, and secular historians have recognized a stark contrast between the religious portrayal of Jesus and the person who existed in history. The real Yeshua of Nazareth was a faithful and observant Jewish teacher who was martyred by foreign oppressors. In his time, he was not the founder of a new religion or people of God.
In a certain sense, Yeshua was hardly unique. He was one of many Jewish teachers tortured to death by imperial Rome. And yet his legacy is unlike that of any other Jew in history. To Christians, Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. To Jewish people, he has been the figurehead for the dominant antagonistic forces of Rome and Christianity. Whether one is Jewish or Christian, there is no question that Jesus has made an impact.
Any person who believes that God exists and guides the events of history must acknowledge Jesus’ impact in spiritual terms. Individuals like Pharaoh and King Cyrus played important spiritual roles in Jewish history. Whether positive or negative, Jesus has no less cosmic significance to the Jewish people.
How strange that a cosmic force like the persona of Jesus should be attached to a simple, peace-loving Jew! Moreover, it is scandalous that the world would accuse an innocent Jew of such animosity and blame him for atrocities committed against his own people. Yeshua himself is a victim along with the many who suffered in his name. Justice will not prevail as long as he remains falsely accused.
This injustice should inspire us to investigate the truth on a deeper level.
Yeshua On His Own Terms
Debates about Yeshua usually begin with the wrong question: Is he the promised messiah? We tend to presume that either he is Messiah (as we perceive the term) or he is nothing of consequence to us.
Yeshua of Nazareth had thousands of followers and disciples even before they proclaimed him as the “Messiah.” Something about Yeshua on his own terms inspired these people. They followed him without having to compare him to messianic expectations. Thus, it would be more appropriate to ask: Who was the real Yeshua to his first followers, and what did he say that captured their attention?
We can learn the answer from an informal poll that Yeshua conducted:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (Matthew 16:13-14)
We get a similar answer from the Galilean throngs that followed him into Jerusalem:
And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." (Matthew 21:10-11)
Although his contemporaries addressed him as “Rabbi,” his personality was more like that of a prophet. People even saw him as a re-embodiment of Jeremiah. This association may be surprising, since Jeremiah is not typically thought of as a messianic figure, nor did he perform miracles.
The correlation of Yeshua to Jeremiah is strong. Jeremiah’s message related to the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple as well as the exile to Babylon at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Yeshua’s position in relation to the Second Temple and the Roman exile was precisely the same. Jeremiah was the voice of judgment and repentance to the generation who witnessed the Babylonian exile; Yeshua was the weeping prophet for the generation who witnessed destruction at the hands of the Romans.
Yeshua’s mannerisms and words indicate that he perceived himself as following in Jeremiah’s footsteps. He quoted Jeremiah frequently. Both Yeshua and Jeremiah delivered “Temple sermons”—orations proclaiming the doom of Jerusalem and the Temple.
Forestalling Destruction
Some Christians see Yeshua’s predictions as a cheerful proclamation that the Temple era was over. They feel that he wanted the Temple gone, as it was becoming obsolete. This interpretation is deeply flawed.
In typical rabbinic fashion, Yeshua explained his purpose with a parable:
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6–9)
This parable borrows its themes from Jeremiah’s prophecies:
When I would gather them, declares the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them." (Jeremiah 8:13)
As the commentaries explain, the opening phrase of this verse has a double meaning: “I will gather them” and “I will make an end of them.” The lack of fruit represents sinfulness and a lack of repentance and good deeds.
In Yeshua’s parable, the landowner represents Hashem. He decrees judgment on Israel for their disobedience. Yeshua envisions himself as the vinedresser, interceding on behalf of Israel in an attempt to forestall and prevent this decree from coming to pass. That is to say, Yeshua’s purpose was to inspire repentance among the Jewish people so as to save the Temple and Jerusalem from destruction.
Initially, Jeremiah also presented such a message of hope. If they would regard the warning, the disaster decreed upon the city would no longer await them:
It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds (Jeremiah 26:3)
But for Jeremiah and Yeshua, repentance was not forthcoming:
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; at the time of their reckoning, they will stumble, says the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:12)
The Time of Reckoning
The “time of reckoning” (עת פקודה) hints both at the idea of inspection and meting out of punishment. Jeremiah suggests that a time of reckoning occurred, and Israel was found to fall short.
Yeshua came to a parallel conclusion:
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your reckoning." (Luke 19:41-44)
In 30 CE, forty years before the destruction of the Temple, Yeshua already knew that it was decreed from heaven. He knew the specific sins that led to this decree. He attempted to inspire repentance in order to avert the decree. He wept when he saw that his generation did not heed his message.
According to the Gemara (b. Yoma 39b), it was at precisely this time that ominous signs began to occur in the Temple:
ת"ר ארבעים שנה קודם חורבן הבית לא היה גורל עולה בימין ולא היה לשון של זהורית מלבין ולא היה נר מערבי דולק והיו דלתות ההיכל נפתחות מאליהן עד שגער בהן רבן יוחנן בן זכאי. אמר לו היכל היכל מפני מה אתה מבעית עצמך! יודע אני בך שסופך עתיד ליחרב וכבר נתנבא עליך זכריה בן עדוא (זכריה יא, א) פתח לבנון דלתיך ותאכל אש בארזיך.
Our rabbis taught: Forty years prior to the destruction of the Temple, the lot [determining the goat for the sin offering on Yom Kippur] never came up in the right hand, the tongue of crimson wool [tied to the goats] never turned white, and the western lamp [of the menorah] would not stay lit. The doors of the sanctuary would open by themselves until Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai rebuked them. He said, “Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Why do you frighten yourself? I know that you will ultimately be destroyed. Zechariah ben Iddo prophesied concerning you, ‘Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars!’” (Zechariah 11:1).
The Reasons for Exile
Chazal looked back in hindsight on the destruction of the Temple to determine its causes. It was especially puzzling considering that the generation was religiously observant in general. They identified several sins that were to blame, the most prominent of which is sin’at chinnam (baseless hatred). As the Tosefta explains (t. Menachot 13:4[22]):
ירושלים בנין הראשון מפני מה חרבה? מפני עבודת כוכבים וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים שהיו בתוכה. אבל באחרונה מכירין אנו בהן שהן עמלים בתורה וזהירין במעשרות--מפני מה גלו? מפני שאוהבין את הממון ושונאין איש את רעהו. ללמדך שקשה שנאת איש את רעהו לפני המקום ושקלה הכתוב כנגד עבודת כוכבים וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים.
Why was the first building of Jerusalem destroyed? Because of the idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed that was within it. But when it was built later, we acknowledge that that they were laboring in the Torah and scrupulous with the tithes. Why were they exiled? Because they loved money and each one hated his neighbor. This teaches that hatred of man against his neighbor is severe to the All-Present. Scripture considers it equivalent to idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed.
If Yeshua’s insight into the destruction and exile was truly from the spirit of prophecy, then we would expect him to identify and address the same issues. And indeed, if we compare the list of sins that Chazal blame in hindsight for the destruction of the Temple, we find that Yeshua addressed them.
Yeshua placed heavy emphasis on love for one’s neighbor and peaceful reconciliation of disputes. He directly confronted the sin of baseless hatred, the foremost offense to blame for the exile.
Yeshua taught:
So if you are offering your gift [i.e., sacrifice] at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23–24)
Note how Yeshua does not instruct his followers to neglect the sacrifices or repudiate the Temple. The priority he places on reconciliation over sacrifice reflects his concern that without reconciliation, sacrifices will no longer be possible.
The Sickness and the Cure
Yeshua intended for his teachings to provide the cure for the spiritual ailment that led to our current exile. This perspective on Yeshua brings incredible clarity and a distinct thread of continuity to everything he said and did.
Once we see Yeshua and his teachings in this light, we are faced with major implications.
Suppose that during an economic boom, a financial expert began to warn of an impending disaster. He explained the reasons for the coming crash, what it would take to avert it, and how to recover the economy after the fact. His advice went unheeded, and the economy collapsed just as he said. After the fact, pundits and analysts expressed their insights as to what went wrong and how to fix it. However, the expert who predicted the disaster has special credibility. He had the insight to predict the problem. His recovery plan should be put into place.
In the same way, Yeshua was God’s chosen agent, sent to warn the world about the exile. He shed light on the dangerous sins of the generation. He explained what changes in behavior could have prevented the exile we endure today. Following this same wisdom is the only way we will see this exile end and the messianic redemption take place.
Why does the Temple remain in ruins after so many years of longing? Why has it not been rebuilt? The Jerusalem Talmud (y. Yoma 1:1 [6a]) explains:
כל דור שאינו נבנה [בית המקדש] בימיו אמרו מעלין עליו כאילו הוא החריבו.
Any generation in which [the Temple] is not rebuilt is considered guilty of destroying it. The sages were convinced that the Messiah must have been born before the Temple was destroyed (see y.Brachot 2:4 [25b]). After all (b.Megillah 13b),
God does not afflict Israel unless he has already provided a cure.
אין הקב״ה מכה את ישראל אא״כ בורא להם רפואה תחילה.
The Message of Yeshua
The real Yeshua was a faithful and observant Jew. He came with a message of kindness and hope. He was martyred by Romans because he inspired his fellow Jews with the hope of redemption and freedom. His teachings and identity have become twisted beyond recognition. For much of history, both his followers and detractors have mischaracterized and slandered him. At the very least, we have a moral imperative to restore his good reputation.
But restoring his reputation as a decent Jew is not going far enough. His words provide the missing components that can restore this world and bring complete redemption. These words only take on their full meaning when they are accepted within a fully Jewish stream of thought.