Hello, My wife is a devote Christian, I am not. She insists that Jewish people are still waiting on a Messiah. I say this is Christians promoting a view that suits their story line. What say you? Thank you

Today’s question is one that gets asked a lot online. Jews are waiting for the Messiah and Christians believe it has already happened – this is because both Judaism and Christianity have different opinions on what the Messiah is. The Christian Faith believes that Jesus will come back to fulfil the prophecies or that it was done in different ways (I honestly can not remember exactly how Catholic explains this but it was something to do with Christ being their holy temple and such and I think most other Christian faiths have a same-ish opinion).

Judaism believes Jesus did not do the conditions needed and nor has these conditions happened after Jesus died which is returning the Jews to their homeland, rebuilding the Temple (the Second Temple already existed at this point) and a period of peace where G’ds knowledge fills the world (you could debate this one).

So the answer the question to me Jesus is not the Messiah – he didn’t do the needed conditions. If Jesus was to return in the second coming to do these conditions then no one could really debate it but for now, no I don’t believe he is and that is a common view with other Jews.

To answer your wife question – Yes, we are still waiting and to the Christian faith this has happened or will happen with the second coming. This isn’t Christians promoting their view of what happened – its outright the global opinion within Judaism that Jesus is not the Messiah.

It’s worth pointing out there is a group of Jews that does believe this (Google: Messianic Judaism) but it is not the common norm. Secondly, Reform Jews tend to believe there won’t be a single person to bring upon the Messiah Age but instead we will all do so together.