Being a former Christian and Messianic Jew and now a practicing Orthodox Jew, I thought this book would be perfect for me to read and review. In fact, I acquire an advance reader copy of the text when I was leaving the evangelical fold for Judaism. This book did not do anything to reconcile my concerns and issues I found within the Jesus camp.

Avi shares his personal tale, and while it is moving, at no point does he address why he feels the Jews need Jesus (not from an outsider's perspective, that is). Instead, he only asserts the traditional Christian doctrine regarding salvation. He does not adequately discuss proof that Jesus is the Jewish messiah in any fashion or form, instead relying on doctrine and dogma to motivate Christians to do Jewish outreach.

This is problematic for both the Christians and the Jewish people. Part of my dissertation work is to prevent the very thing that Avi argues strongly for. Theologically, Avi's position as no standing, as Jesus is in no way the Jewish messiah or the self-pronounced son of G-d. This work stands in the way of improve Jewish-Christian relations, as the largest hurdle I have come across with fostering shalom between the two is the evangelism efforts aimed at Jews. Avi writes well, and he may mean well from his perspective, but the harm this brings is unfortunate, as it is not only that the Jews do not need Jesus, but that they commit idolatry by following Jesus.

Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post. This product is reviewed based on content and quality in consideration of the intended audience. Review or recommendation of this product does not solicit endorsement from Reviews by J or the reviewer.

Why Jews don’t need Jesus sets forth 17 arguments that Christians pose for why they don't talk to their Jewish friends, neighbors and family members about Jesus. Snyder then gave disputable reasons why these arguments did not prove true. It was an interesting read as I had no idea that there was any doubt that the Jews did in fact need Jesus. This book was well written. It is obvious that Snyder’s heart is for the Jewish people. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.



Why no voting buttons? We

In order for Jews and Gentiles to experience genuine and thorough reconciliation with each other, each of us must be reconciled to God through the Messiah Yeshua. There can be no true reconciliation between us without the cross. There can be no true peace without the Prince of Peace. Why? Because He is our peace, because He makes us one; because only He can break down the walls of enmity that separate us.

This is the gospel- and the gospel breaks down all racial and cultural lines. I was attracted to this text and author because he is a born again Jew. Jewish people hold rich traditions that many times blind them to their need of a savior and this text helps us see what those blind spots are.

The text is broken is into3 parts.

What the Bible Has to Say
Misconceptions
The Real Reasons for Choosing not to Speak

Each chapter in in misconceptions lead with a misconception..."Jews are already saved because they're natural, elected and chosen. Each misconception gives a history and the truth of what the word really says about salvation and the redemption that God has thru his Son Jesus Christ.

It was a real connection in understanding why our hearts do not believe the gospel. Why we are offended by it and why scoff it. Snyder in his progression towards salvation understood the mercy of God and by understanding was able to embrace Jesus. This text helps us to have heart for the Jewish people and others. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank You to Moody Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Very interesting and very informative, I really liked how this was wrote not to make people feel bad but to understand myths surrounding its topic. Main thing to take away from the book is that we all need Jesus.

John Piper writes the forward for this book by stating that thousands of Jewish people accepted Jesus as the Jewish Messiah in the early days of the church.
He speaks of the apostle Paul's anguish and great sorrow in his heart, how he wishes he were separated from God for the sake of his kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:1-3.
Jesus Himself said that to reject Him was to reject God. “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here.” (John 8:42)

Avi Snyder, the author, says that if Yeshua is not the Promised Messiah and the Savior of the world then bringing His message to the Jewish people would be the gravest threat to their spiritual and physical health.
Why? Because if Jesus is not the Messiah, then any Jews who believe in Him would be guilty of apostasy!
But IF He is the Promised One, then by refusing to preach the Gospel to Jewish people just because they are Jews is the most anti-Jewish act a Christian can commit!
Consider this - if Yeshua is not the Messiah of Israel, then He is not the Messiah to the world, and anyone who believes in Him is committing apostasy and will have to answer to God.
The author uses scriptures to show that Moses, Isaiah, Micah, Daniel and David predicted where Yeshua would come from, that a person would have to answer before God for refusing to hear and believe Yeshua, that He would suffer and be crucified, and that He would come before the Second Temple was destroyed!
God lovingly guided His people to the truth by introducing them to the concept of sin and that they needed to present offerings for sins, our sins deserve the death of an innocent life, and that God in His mercy would accept this offering.
But this was to lead them to the understanding that Jesus was the perfect, innocent sacrifice for their sins.
He used scriptures to show that God will reveal Himself to those who seek Him, and that God will reward those who seek Him.
This book is a valuable asset to those who want to know more about Yeshua, and to those who want to tell the Jewish people about their Messiah

Where do we look for eternal life? That is really the basic question of this book. Snyder does an excellent job of pointing us to God’s answer. Every question or objection raised is carefully answered from the Scriptures. It was very refreshing and encouraging.
Several of the questions raised in this book are pretty basic. So, much of the explanation is a basic presentation of the Gospel. For example, Jesus died to pay for men’s sins: Jews are men: therefore, Jesus died for the Jews. There is no other way they can be saved. There are more complex issues covered, but answers are really very simple.
Chapters 10 through 20 were, to me, the most relevant and interesting chapters of the whole book. They answered objections I had heard before or exposed cop-outs I had taken. Chapters 10, 19, and 20 were especially convicting.
If you are looking for a book to encourage you as you witness, this book will do that.
I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley and Moody Publishers. No review was required but it was my pleasure to write it.

First sentence: IF WE’RE GOING TO consider whether the gospel message is relevant to the Jewish people, then we ought to start with an understanding of the message itself. The word “gospel” means good news, but in reality, the message is both good and bad.

Premise/plot: In this one, Avi Snyder argues that Jews DO need Jesus, DO need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, DO need to experience the rebirth. He argues presumably with believers who for various reasons choose to believe that Jews are saved another way--through another covenant, by keeping the law. Snyder insists that being a descendant of Abraham wasn't good enough to save you when Jesus walked this earth, and, it's not good enough to save you here and now. He also resists the notion that Jews will come to faith only when they see Jesus face to face the day of his return. He points out that on that day--the day of the Lord--it will be too late for Jew or Gentile to come to faith.

The book isn't written solely for Christian believers but for a broader audience.

My thoughts: This one was well written. I agreed with Snyder's arguments. I thought he did a good job defending his point of view and advocating biblical truth. I loved how Snyder's go-to source was the Word of God. He used Scripture to counter each claim or excuse. And that is how the book is presented. He tackles the problem one excuse, one argument at a time.

Favorite quotes:

"The problem doesn’t lie with a God who refuses to shed His light. The problem lies with our unbelieving hearts that refuse to receive His light. And the problem lies with believers who refuse to bear His light to those who are looking for a way out of the dark."

"If the greatest commandment is to love the Lord wholeheartedly, how can we love Him if we don’t know who He is? How can we love a Lord whose name is a mystery, and whose deeds on our behalf have never been explained?"

"True love cannot be silent, if silence allows the beloved to die. True love cares more about the outcome facing the beloved than about the consequences facing the one who speaks. True love compels us to speak. Silence is the enemy of the salvation of any people. All too often, our silence takes two tragic forms. We choose silence before people, and so we fail to speak. Or we choose silence before God, and we fail to pray."

"The gospel is offensive, and this is why we must proclaim the gospel in love. But no matter how lovingly we endeavor to present the good news, the naked reality of the bad news—that we’re sinners who have offended God—will always bring about either the pain of righteous conviction or the pain of self-righteous indignation. The key does not lie in seeking to eliminate the offense of the cross. The key lies in making certain that if offense is taken, it is taken because of the clarity of the message and not because of the callousness of the messenger."