Why Jews Reject the Sacrifice of Jesus

 

Judaism's Rejection of Jesus as a Sacrificial Offering

In Jewish thought, the idea of Jesus as a sacrificial offering for humanity’s sins is fundamentally incompatible with the teachings of the Hebrew Bible. One of the core reasons for this rejection is the Torah's explicit prohibition of human sacrifice, as well as its broader moral framework which stands in stark contrast to ancient pagan rituals involving human offerings. The concept of God offering His "only Son" as a sacrifice for sin mirrors elements of paganism, rather than aligning with the principles of Judaism.

Human Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible: Condemnation and Prohibition

The Torah, which forms the foundation of Jewish law and theology, explicitly prohibits the practice of human sacrifice. One of the most egregious examples of human sacrifice in the ancient world was the offering of children to the Canaanite gods Molech and Baal. These gods demanded child sacrifices as a means of appeasement, a practice that the Jewish God explicitly condemned.

In Leviticus 18:21, the Torah states:

“Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”

This commandment makes it abundantly clear that the act of offering human life, particularly children, as a sacrifice is an abomination. Moreover, in Deuteronomy 12:31, God warns the Israelites:

“You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.”

The rejection of child sacrifice is not limited to the legal sections of the Torah; it is a recurring theme in the Prophets as well. The prophet Jeremiah, speaking against the people of Judah for engaging in pagan practices, declares:

“They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind” (Jeremiah 7:31).

This passage emphasizes that the very idea of human sacrifice is completely foreign to the will of God. The notion that God would command or condone the sacrifice of an innocent human being, let alone His own child, a "son," contradicts the moral and ethical foundations laid out in the Torah and affirmed by the Prophets.

The Pagan Concept of Sacrifice vs. Jewish Theology

In the Greco-Roman world, human sacrifices, particularly of young sons or virgins, were sometimes viewed as necessary to appease the gods. The idea was that an innocent life, untainted by guilt, had more value in the eyes of the divine, and offering such a life would satisfy the anger or demands of the gods. The mythologies of ancient Greece and Rome are filled with stories of gods requiring human sacrifices—whether to secure military victory, stave off natural disasters, or gain favor.

For example, the legend of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, is a classic case where a father is required to sacrifice his innocent daughter to appease the goddess Artemis. In Roman tradition, human sacrifices were occasionally offered during times of extreme crisis, such as the sacrifice of Vestal Virgins, who symbolized purity and innocence.

The Greek and Roman pagan mindset often saw the appeasement of gods through such offerings as a way to avert divine wrath. This stands in stark contrast to Jewish theology, where human life is seen as sacred and cannot be bartered or offered to God in such a manner. The God of Israel cannot be appeased by the spilling of human blood, and certainly not through the sacrifice of a child as his own innocent and sinless Son.

The Jewish View of Jesus as a Sacrifice

The Christian concept of Jesus as a sacrificial lamb, who is crucified to atone for the sins of humanity, is a theological construct that finds no grounding in Jewish thought or the Hebrew Bible. In Christianity, Jesus is portrayed as the innocent son of God, who willingly died to atone for the guilt of sinners. This narrative echoes the pagan themes of innocent human victims being offered to satisfy the demands of pagan deities.

However, the Torah explicitly forbids the execution of the innocent for the sake of the guilty. Deuteronomy 24:16 states:

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for their own sin.”

This principle underscores the Jewish belief in personal responsibility for sin. Each individual is accountable for their own actions, and one person cannot be punished in place of another. The very idea that an innocent person could bear the punishment for another’s sins is fundamentally incompatible with Biblical justice as laid out in the Torah and the Prophets.

Conclusion

Judaism’s rejection of the idea of Jesus as a sacrificial offering stems from a deep and consistent theological tradition that opposes human sacrifice in all its forms. The Torah, as well as the broader Jewish scriptures, make it clear that God finds human sacrifice abhorrent and that He demands justice and personal responsibility of each individual, not the shedding of innocent human blood. The notion that the sacrifice of Jesus—an innocent—could atone for the sins of the guilty is rooted in a Greco-Roman worldview that Judaism explicitly rejects.

For Jews, the God of Israel does not require human sacrifice for forgiveness. Instead, the Torah emphasizes repentance, prayer, and acts of righteousness as the proper paths to reconciliation with God. This fundamental difference in understanding the relationship between God and humanity is why Jews cannot accept the Christian concept of Jesus as a sacrificial offering to atone for sin.