Why Didn't the Hebrews Believe in Christ as the Messiah?

There is so much to be said on this.  I will take just a few minutes to gather what feeble thoughts I have in my head about it. Perhaps it will offer you some fodder to research and help me with my 

understanding. 

What I have gained in my understanding is that God veiled the eyes of the Hebrews to the reality of the Messiah so that the deliverance from sin could be available to the whole world (Gentiles), not just the Jews. 

Pastor Rob put it this way.  That if he tried to tell everyone in his church that there is so much of a wonderful life out there for them if they would just get up and leave the building, and they just sat there saying, we don't believe you, he might get frustrated with all the good he wants to give the people sitting there unwilling to come out.  He might say, okay, I'll send my only son, Nathan, whom I love more than anyone in the world and get him to tell them. Then if they still don't believe, maybe I'll love them enough to demonstrate my love by sacrificing Nathan in front of them.  Okay so say they still don't believe.  How do you think Pastor Rob would feel?  He gave them a huge blessing that's just right there outside the doors of the church but they won't accept it.  He told them, and they won't believe him. He then got Nathan to tell them and even let Nathan die in front of them, but they still won't believe the blessing is there.  They just sit there.  What do you think Rob would do?  He'd go out and find everyone else in the community to share that blessing with, that's what he'd do.
 

But the mystery is that somewhere in the bible (now I feel like I have to google it, but I'm headed for my doctor's check up so I can't right now), there's indication that God purposely had a veil over the eyes of the Hebrews because he loved the world so much he wanted salvation to be available for all. 

So the jews rejected him and had him crucified.  Incidentally, I can't remember who said this or whether it's valid, but I've often heard that the name Judas was attributed later to the betraying disciple because Judas means Jew and Roman Catholics were historically antis emetic.  I don't remember if this was a secular myth or historical fact (anther tempting thing to google) 

There are also versus int he bible (I think it's in Romans 10, you can try to see if it's there) where Paul explains that God veiled the eyes of the Jews so that salvation can be enjoyed by the Gentiles.  and that God wants the abundant life with relationship to Christ enjoyed by the Gentiles in order to make the 

Jews jealous and want to take part in the second covenant. 

Martin Luther (you know, THE Martin Luther) started early in his ministry in the 1500's with a heart for the Jews, wanting Christians to do all they can for them to show the love of Christ to win them over. Later in his ministry (when struggles of age and loss) he became embittered with the lack of progress in evangelizing with the Jews and started to write some pretty radically ugly thoughts about burning their villages and driving them out of Europe.  Adolf Hitler actually cited some of these later writings of Luther (which many believe were ramblings of an aging delusional mind) as a basis for the Halocaust. Ugly stuff. 

But as far as a split-- it was never a split.  Most of the Hebrews were blinded (especially the Pharasees and Saduces (ask if you don't know what those are--impt to know)). 

The early church started from the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  That was when Jesus, just before He ascended into heaven, told his disciples to go out and spread the news to all the corners of the earth.  The disciples did just that- they spent their remaining years evangelizing and growing the church mostly from gentiles.  And all but John were martyred for it (some dipped in hot oil, some crucified upside down). John was banished to the island of Patmos where the had the revelations of end world times and wrote Revelations.