JESUS TO THE JEWS

I find the differences between how Christians and Jews view Jesus fascinating. Although
I was aware that Christianity and Judaism were distinct religions, it was news to me to read that
the Jews were persecuted in an effort to convert them to Christianity. As the text mentions, “It is
a sad fact of history that the followers of this great Jew have brought much suffering upon the
Jewish people.” It is always disappointing to hear about how actions undertaken by followers of
Christianity, a religion that preaches about love and acceptance, in the name of getting people to
convert to Christianity have harmed others, turning them away from the Church instead of
towards it.

Another interesting aspect to me of the general Jewish perception of Jesus is the rejection
of the belief that Jesus is the son of God and is therefore, to an extent, on a generally similar (i.e.,
"equal") level as Him. As a Roman Catholic, I grew up thinking Jesus was the son of God—that,
since Mary had conceived Him as a virgin, there was no way He was a regular human being like
the rest of us. (In fact, I confess that I have only really thought of Him as a religious figure and
not like a real person who had once lived.) It was thus not easy for me to consider Jesus in the
way that Jews consider him. (Ultimately though, this was just a difference in beliefs; there was
really no right or wrong answer.) Interestingly as well, though they might reject the notion of
Jesus as God's son, there is no issue with the notion of Jesus claiming to be the Messiah: as I
would soon find out, there were others who had also actually claimed to be the Messiah, and it
was not the Jews who would take offense from such claims but political figures.

That Christians place great emphasis on Jesus' death and Jews place emphasis on his life
instead is also intriguing; to me, it is perhaps the clearest distinction between the religions of
Christianity and Judaism. Christians see Jesus as God-like, and so the significance of His
sacrifice is immense: it is a testament to God's and Jesus' love for us. However, the Jews saw him
as a regular person who'd once lived; it thus made sense that they would find what he had done
in his life more important. They regard him similarly to how we regard, say, our Filipino heroes,
like Mabini and Bonifacio.
CHRIST IN THE RELIGIONS

It is unsurprising that Jesus' role or significance in a religion varies depending on what

religion it is. The common theme, however, seems to be that Jesus is not seen as the son of God
in any other religion besides Christianity. To the Jews, he is a perfect Jew who lived a life of
faith. In Islam, he is seen not as an ordinary human being, but as a spirit of God with a place
among the muqarrabun (a term referring to those brought near to God; an angel with the "highest
place in paradise"). For the Hindus, he is generally recognized to be divine, but not unique—an
incarnation of God, but not the only one—while with the Buddhists, there is more emphasis on
Jesus as a liberator. These perceptions are distinct and are at least slightly indicatory of the
different values, principles, and beliefs that are central to these religions.

Is he only human, or is he not merely a human? Is he of divine origin, or is he not? Is his

sacrifice of significance, or is it not? Is he not the son of God, or is he? Ultimately, I think it
doesn't really matter that there is no one unified perception of who Jesus is to all of us. In fact, I
think it's fascinating that he is seen differently by different religions; it's similar in a way to how
we ourselves are perceived differently by different people, but none of these versions of
ourselves are necessarily completely false or untrue even when they might contradict each other.
Instead, these versions altogether make up a complex, multifaceted mega-version of us, and to
me, it works the same way in how Jesus is perceived. More importantly, it's not the differences
between religions that should be focused or emphasized on, but the teachings and lessons that
these religions pass on to us. Regardless of which religion we belong to, are we not all just trying
to live well, be well, and do well so that we might hopefully achieve or be worthy of salvation
when the time comes?
WHO IS JESUS FOR ME?

I have always thought of Jesus as like a friend. A friend who is a powerful being who
rose from the dead and is capable of making literal miracles happen, but a friend nonetheless.
Kidding aside, I think his most notable trait for me is his forgiving and accepting nature. We
know him to have spent time with all sorts of people, but especially those who were considered
by others as sinners or otherwise rebuked by society; the most notable of these that I remember is
the tax collector Levi. Levi himself does not think he is a faultless man (or as faultless as a
human could possibly be): he acknowledges he is a sinner and wonders—as does everyone
else—why Jesus, a holy man, would come and call him.

I think the message such an encounter brings is awe-inspiring: we as humans are prone to
judgment or being judgmental even though we ourselves are not faultless, but Jesus, who is as
faultless as faultless can be, was not. If I were to pick just one thing to describe Jesus as, it would
be this: he was a “safe space” for everyone. As long as you came to him, he would accept you.
That’s exactly the kind of thing I think Christians should be promoting above all else. He spent
more time with the afflicted; he understood that it was those who were suffering in any way or
form—financially, health-wise, morally—were the ones who most needed what he offered.