Do Jewish people ever recognize Jesus as the Messiah? Are there scriptures or prophecies about this?

  • There is scripture that talks about Jesus's return and the nation of Israel recognizing Him at that time.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Zechariah 12:9-10 (KJV)

  • The Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah above matches similarly to what is in Revelation:

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:7-8 (KJV)

  • Who is the servant who is Pierced in Zechariah?
  • The servant here is the Mashiach/Messiah (more on this next). While there are other interpretations, amazingly even the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud mentions the early messianic interpretation:

And the land shall mourn, every family apart (Zech. 12:12). Two have interpreted this verse. One said: "This is the mourning over the Messiah," and the other said: "This is the mourning over the Evil Inclination" [which will be killed by God in the Messianic days].

Yerushalmi Talmud Sukka 55b

And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart [Zech. 12:12]....What is the cause of the mourning? -- R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One explained. The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, and the other explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination.

Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a

  • While it is clear some Rabbis thought it was Messianic others argued that the slaying was the "evil inclination" in people.
  • However the Talmud goes on and argues that the explanation for it being evil makes no sense, as that would be a cause for celebration, not mourning as one does for a son.

It is well with him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son; but according to him who explains the cause to be the slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this an occasion for mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing? Why then should they weep?

Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a