The Myth of Jewish Rejection of Jesus

The Myth of Jewish Rejection of Jesusby Paul Sumneroriginal link: http://www.hebrew-streams.org/works/judaism/reject.html"Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover many believed in his name... many of the multitude believed in him... many came to believe in him... many of the Samaritans believed in him... a great many of the priests became obedient." (John 2:23; 7:31; 8:30; 4:39; Acts 6:7)"You see, brother, how many tens of thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Torah." (Acts 21:20)   IT'S A COMMON TEACHING that the Jews of the first century rejected Jesus as the Messiah and that every Jewish generation has done so ever since.As with many teachings passed down from our elders and through urban legends, it's not exactly what happened—at least according to the New Testament. The NT portrays the Jewish people as being of divided opinion about him, not a unified, complete, hostile rejection. And it has also been the Jewish respon…