ThinkApologetics.com : Messianic Apologetics

Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah? The Messianic Task

A few things shall be mentioned here. If you want to study these topics further, there are other articles on this website that are helpful. However, these are my starting points in talking about whether Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.

1. The God of the Bible exists
2. Miracles are possible (see more below)
3. Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God

4. The New Testament documents are historically reliable evidence

5. The historical evidence of the New Testament shows that Jesus is God incarnate/the Jewish Messiah.This claim to divinity was proven by His miracles/His messianic speaking authority, His messianic actions, and His resurrection

6. Therefore, there is reliable historical evidence that Jesus is God incarnate/the Jewish Messiah

Having said this, let's move forward. Messianic apologetics specializes in issues that are related to the objections that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Many Christians are surprised to hear how many objections Jewish people have to Jesus being proclaimed as the promised Messiah of Israel. Read more here: www.isca-apologetics.org/Jewish Apologetics.pdf.

The Messiah/Davidic King

One word of advice: Words and concepts are separate entities. “Word-bound” approaches to what really are concept studies can lead us astray. Messianism is a concept study. While it can be seen that the word “messiah” means “anointed one” and is derived from verbs that have the general meaning of “to rub something” or, more specifically, “to anoint someone,” it must be remembered that “Anointed One” almost never refers to the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible. The term “messiah,” meaning “anointed one,” is taken from the Hebrew word “masiah" which appears thirty-nine times in the Hebrew Bible. In the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the term Messiah is translated as "christos” which was one of the official titles for Jesus within the New Testament. The "one who is anointed" was commissioned for a specific task.

This is why the reader must not assume every time they read where a priest, prophet, king, or even Cyrus in Isa. 45:1 is annointed, this automatically means the individual is “The Messiah.” Furthermore, other names were used to describe the messianic person other than the “Messiah.” Some of the names include Son of David, Son of God, Son of Man, Prophet, Elect One, Servant, Prince, Branch, Root, Scepter, Star, Chosen One, and Coming One.

In the first century, the messianic expectation was by no means monolithic.To read more about this issue, click here: http://www.christian-thinktank.com/messiah.html. Even in the Qumran community which predated the time of Jesus was convinced there were possibly two Messiahs, one priestly and one royal (1QS 9.11; CD 12.22-23; 13. 20-22; 14. 18-19; 19.34-20.1; CD-B 1.10-11; 2.1; 1Q Sa 2. 17-22). And as of today, within Judaism, there is a wide range of thought about the Messiah. For some Jewish people a personal Messiah is irrelevant. For others, it is said that in every generation there is a potential Messiah or a time when there will be a Messianic Age.

One of the traditional objections is that Jesus is not the Messiah since he did not fulfill the job description. One of the Jewish expectations is that the Messiah will enable the Jewish people to dwell securely in the land of Israel (Is.11:11-12; 43:5-6; Jer.23: 5-8; Mic.5:4-6), and usher in a period of worldwide peace. The Messiah is supposed to put an end to all oppression, suffering and disease (Is.2:1-22; 25:8; 65:25; Mic.4:1-4) and create a pathway for universal worship to the God of Israel (Zeph.3:9; Zech.9:16 ;14:9). Hence, since the world is not in a state of peace and the Jewish people are not dwelling securely in the land of Israel, the Jewish community objects to the claim that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.

The existence of Israel is directly related to God’s covenant with Israel and Israel’s relationship to God as the King. And just as Israel are representatives of the king, and the land of Israel is also part of the king’s rule. While God promised that Israel would have an earthly king (Gen. 17: 6; 49:6; Deut.17: 14-15), the Davidic covenant established David as the king over all of Israel. Under David’s rule, there was the defeat of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. David also captured Jerusalem and established his capital there (2 Sam. 1-6). As seen in 2 Sam. 7:1-4, David wanted to build a “house” (or Temple) for the Lord in Jerusalem. God’s response to David was one of rejection. However, God did make an unconditional promise to raise up a line of descendants from the house of David that would rule forever as the kings of Israel (2 Sam. 7:5-16; 1 Chr.17:7-15; Ps.89:28-370. The desire for the restoration of the Davidic dynasty became even more fervent after the united kingdom of the Israelites split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, at the time of King Rehoboam.

The Messiah was called to defeat the oppressive enemies of Israel and enable the Jewish people to help “set up an earthly kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Dan. 2:44). The prophets even spoke of a Davidic Messiah who would be unlike any past Davidic king (Is. 9:6-7; 11:1-5; Jer 23:5-6; Mic. 5:2-5). Both Hosea and Ezekiel spoke of the Davidic aspect of the Messiah. While Hosea spoke of a time when the northern tribes of Israel would seek out David, Israel’s king (Hos. 3:5), Ezekiel spoke of a new David who would be a shepherd as well as a prince and a king to Israel (Ezek: 34:23-24; 37:24-25). This king's function would help restore the Davidic dynasty after the exile.

Son of God/Messiah/Davidic King

What is interesting is that even though divine sonship appears in the Hebrew Bible with regards to persons or people groups of people such as angels (Gen 6:2;Job 1:6;Dan 3:25), Israel (Ex. 4:22-23;Hos 11;1; Mal. 2:10), the category that has special importance to the Messiah is the king. When the divine sonship is used in the context of the relationship between Israel and the king (2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7;89:26-27), the sonship theme places a large emphasis on the fact that the king has a special relationship to God and is called or elected to a specific task as well. Furthermore, there is also a special intimacy between God and the king. The true king was the means by which the Lord related to his people as a nation.The kings were anointed for specific tasks (1 Sam.24:6;10; 26:9).

Dead Sea Scroll specialists Craig A. Evans and Peter W. Flint have shown that the writings that were found at Qumran show that divine sonship was clearly a part of the Royal- Christian rhetoric of pre-Christian Judaism. The “Son of God” term is seen in the fragment known as (4Q246), Plate 4, columns one and two. Furthermore, within the Psalms, God and His anointed king are described in ways that are equal in status and they are both qualified to be worthy of the same worship and reverence. Psalm 83:18 says, “God is the Most High over all the earth,” and in Psalm 89:27, it says the Davidic King is “the most high of the kings of the earth.” In Psalm 2:11 and Psalm 100:2, the rulers and the people are supposed to worship and serve the Lord, while in Psalm 18:44 and Psalm 72:11 it says it is the Davidic king whom they must worship and serve. This theme makes perfect sense in light of the New Testament passage John 5:22-23, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. (1)

What must not be forgotten is that by using Psalm 110 as a proof of the Davidic line of Messiah, Jesus wanted his audience to know that the Messiah was not defined by King David. Instead, David was defined by the Messiah (Mark 12: 35-37; Matt.22:41-45; Luke 20: 41-44). Hence, David is an illustration of concept of the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible.

Even in the Qumran writings, there is a messianic expectation seen in 4Q285, which is called the Rule of War. In this scroll, the Messiah who is the Branch of David is supposed to slay the Roman emperor. Geza Vermes, a Jewish scholar, says that one of the best resources that speak to the messianic expectation of the time of Jesus is found in The Psalms of Solomon. The Psalms of Solomon is a group of eighteen psalms that are part of the Pseudepigrapha which is written 200 BC to 200 A.D. Even though these works are not part of the Protestant Canon they are dated just before or around the time of Jesus. Therefore, they help provide the historian with valuable information into the Jewish religious life and thinking patterns at the time of Christ. In it, there are two passages about a righteous, ruling Messiah:

"Taught by God, the Messiah will be a righteous king over the gentile nations. There will be no unrighteousness among them in his days, for all shall be holy and their king shall be the Lord Messiah.He will not rely on horse and rider and bow, nor will he collect gold and silver for war. Nor will he build up hope in a multitude for a day of war. The Lord himself is his king, the hope of the one who has a strong hope in God. He shall be compassionate to all the nations, who reverently stand before him. He will strike the earth with the word of his mouth forever; he will bless the Lord's people with wisdom and happiness. And he himself will be free from sin, in order to rule a great people. He will expose officials and drive out sinners by the strength of his word." (Psalms of Solomon 17.32-36)

"Lord, you chose David to be king over Israel, and swore to him about his descendants forever, that his kingdom should not fail before you. Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem from the gentiles…..to destroy the unlawful nations with the word of his mouth…He will gather a holy people who he will lead in righteousness; and he will judge the tribes of his people…He will not tolerate unrighteousness (even) to pause among them, and any person who knows wickedness shall not live with them… And he will purge Jerusalem (and make it) holy as it was from the beginning." (Psalms of Solomon 18:4,22,26,27,30). (2)

The New Testament states that Jesus the Messiah, the “seed of David,” was sent by God to restore God's kingship over mankind (Matt. 1:1; Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3,4; Rev. 22:16). As seen in 2 Samuel 7:12-17, the immediate prophecy is partially fulfilled in David’s son Solomon. However, the word “forever” shows there are future descendants to come. God promised David that his "seed" would establish the kingdom. Therefore, the fulfillment reached its completion in the Messiah, both son of David and the one greater than David ( Psalm 110:1-4). As it says in Luke 1:32-33, “He shall be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."

By the way, the objection that Jesus does not have the right to the throne of David is very problematic. To read more about this issue, click here: Are Jesus’ Genealogies Contradictory? But even though Jesus was viewed as the Davidic Messiah, there is no doubt that Jesus' disciples were somewhat confused about his mission before and after his resurrection. In Acts 1:6, they ask Jesus, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” The disciples knew that after Jesus crucifixion, the Jewish people were still subjected to Roman rule and the Gentiles were by no means driven out. It seems that Jesus’ rule ended prematurely.

In relation to messianism, there is a significant comment made in Acts 5: 33-39, by Gamaliel I, who was a key rabbinic leader and member of the Sanhedrin:

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing “After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God. "

It can be observed that Gamaliel was aware that there had been other Jewish revolts that featured a messianic element. Unfortunately, these revolts had all failed. Even the Jewish historian Josephus mentioned that Judas of Galilee had rebelled against Quirinus’s census and ended in defeat. (Antiquities 18: 1)

One thing that tends to be overlooked is the fact that before 70 CE, messianic figures could go by a variety of names such as “Son of David, Son of God, Son of Man, the Prophet, Elect One, Prince, Branch, Root, Scepter, Star, Chosen One, Coming One, and so forth.” (3)

For example, all four Gospels present Jesus as pictures of the "Branch" or "shoot/sprout of the Lord"-a description of the Messiah in the Tanakh: We see the following:

1. The Branch of David: In Jer. 23:5-6 (this is seen in Matthew's description of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah (Mt. 1:1).

2. My servant, the Branch: Zech. 3:8 (seen in Mark's description of Jesus as the Servant (MK. 10:45).

3. The man whose name is Branch: Zech. 6:12 (seen in Luke's description of Jesus in his human aspects (Lk. 23:47).

4.The Branch of the Lord: Isa. 4:2 (seen in John's description of Jesus as from God (Jn. 20:31). (4)

The Maimonidean View

As of today, many in the Orthodox Jewish community think the Messiah is supposed to fulfill the job description that was articulated by Moses Maimonides (1108-1234), a medieval Jewish philosopher whose writings are considered to be foundational to Jewish thought and study. Maimonides listed the messianic credentials:

If a king arises from the house of David who studies Torah and pursues the commandments like his ancestor David in accordance with the written and oral law, and he compels all Israel to follow and strengthen it and fights the wars of the Lord-this man enjoys the presumption of being the Messiah. If He proceeds successfully, builds the Temple in its place, gathers the dispersed of Israel, then he is surely the Messiah. He will perfect the entire world so that its inhabitants will serve God together, as it is written, ‘For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, so that they all invoke the Lord by name and serve him with one accord. But if he does not succeed to this extent, or it is killed, it is evident that he is not the one whom Torah promised; he is, rather, like all the complete and righteous kings of Israel who have died. (Mishneh torah, Laws of kings 11:4, in the uncensored version).

The Maimonides description of the Messiah clearly states that the Messiah will not die and rise again from the dead. And if the Messiah does not succeed or is killed, he certainty is not the Messiah. Suffice to say, Jesus did not pass the Maimonides test. But what must not be forgotten is that Maimonides was writing during a period of great persecution. Part of his writings were in response to the Christian claim that Jesus is the Messiah.

The Messiah: Prophet, Priest, and King

There were other figures in the Bible that were anointed for a specific purpose such as priests and prophets. There are implicit passages in the Hebrew Bible that discuss a priestly aspect of the Messiah (Hag:1:12-14; 2:2-4; 20-23; Zech:3:6-10;4:2-5,11-14). The priest was anointed in his role as a mediator between God and the Jewish people because of his ability make to make atonement (Lev.4:26;31,35;5:6,10; 14:31). Even Even Aaron who was the brother of Moses was anointed and crowned (Exod. 29: 6-7). And Zadok, who was the founder of the high-priestly line was anointed (1 Chr. 29:22; 2 Chr.31:10). During Jesus' earthly ministry, He displayed a priestly element in His authority to forgive sins (Mk. 2:7).

However, Jesus' role as a priest goes beyond the function of the priest in the tabernacle. Even though the high priest was consecrated, he was by no means sinless and could not offer up himself for the whole congregation. Given that Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6), it is no suprise to see Jesus' current messianic work is a priest-advocate (1 Jn. 2:2; Rom. 8:34). Christians hold the position that Jesus' death put an end for further sacrifice (Heb. 7:27-28; 9:23-26).

Heb. 7:1-27 goes to great length to explain the typological connection between Melchizedek and the Son of God. The author of Hebrews uses Melchizedek as a picture of Jesus because both Melchizedek and Jesus do not have to rely upon descent as Aaron’s sons did in order to operate their priesthoods. Jesus did not belong to the priestly tribe of Levi, but instead came through the kingly tribe Judah. While the author of Hebrews portrays Melchizedek as a priest who abides forever in a pictorial sense, Jesus abides as a priest forever in an actual sense. If Jesus’ intention was to perform the role of a priest in an eternal sense, He would have to be sanctified, or consecrated for the purpose of atoning for the sins of the world. Jesus comments on this issue in John 17:19, “For them I sanctify myself, that they may too be truly sanctified.”

Moses, in his leadership role to Israel, was anointed by God in his role as a prophet and priest. He spoke as a prophet (Deut. 18:20), but he also fulfilled the role of a priest or mediator for Israel (Num. 11:11-21). The prophet was to listen to God and then speak God’s words to the people. In His role as a prophet, Jesus did not use the trademark formula, “Thus saith the Lord.” Instead, He spoke in His own authority. To read a more extensive treatment of the role of Jesus as prophet read here: Jesus and Prophetic Actions: Scot McKnight.

Therefore, it is misguided to limit the role of the Messiah to only one aspect, such as a ruling king. In the words of Craig Evans,"If we understand "messiah" to mean one who believes himself to be anointed by God in order to play a leading role in the restoration of Israel, a restoration which may or may not involve a Davidic monarchy, then it is correct to speak of anointed kings, anointed prophets, and anointed priests." (5)

Issues of Prophecy:

Traditional apologetics has generally laid a great emphasis on messianic prophecy as one of the keys to demonstrating Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. However, when it comes to prophecy, it is not always predictive. The Greek word for fulfill is “(pleroo) – which has a much broader usage than “the prediction of a prediction.” For example, in Matthew 5:17- Jesus says he came to “fulfill” the Law and the Prophets. In this passage “fulfillment” has a sense of embodying, bringing to completion, or perfecting. Fulfillment is one of the main themes of the New Testament, which sees Jesus and his work bringing to fruition the significance of the Hebrew Bible. It cannot be stated more strongly that if we are going to understand prophecy then we must study the way the hermenutical methods of the New Testament authors. To see more about this, read here: Glenn Miller: Did the Messianic Jewish Believers Use the OT Deceitfully or Ignorantly in the New Testament? and here: Craig A Evans: Introduction to From Prophecy to Testament: The Function of the Old Testament in the New.

For a prophecy to be predictive it must meet the following criteria:

1. A biblical text clearly envisions the sort of event alleged to be the fulfillment.

2. The prophecy was made well in advance of the event that was predicted.

3. The prediction actually came true.

4. The event predicted could not have been staged but anyone but God.

It must be remembered that the strength of this evidence is greatly enhanced if the event is so unusual that the apparent fulfillment cannot plausibly explained as a good guess. (6)

Keeping this in mind, within the book of Isaiah there are several Servant of the Lord passages. Some of the passages about the Servant of the Lord are about the nation of Israel (Is.41:8-9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:21; 45:4; 48:20), while there are other passages where the Servant of the Lord is seen as a righteous individual (Is.42:1-4;50:10; 52:13-53:12). One passage that stands out is Isaiah 49: 1-7:

"Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar, The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory." But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God." And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him. For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength, He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

In this passage, the servant is called "Israel," while this figure is also distinguished from Israel as the one who will bring the nation of Israel back to God. This figure will bring "salvation to the ends of the earth." A study of the rabbinical literature (such as The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim) describe these passages as being about the Messiah. For the New Testament authors, these texts find their fulfillment in Jesus. How might Jesus be the literal fulfillment of such a passage?

As seen, Jesus was rejected by the majority of the Jewish nation. Even in Isaiah 53, it states that the Servant of the Lord will be "despised and rejected" (Is. 53:3). But in Isaiah 53:10, it goes onto to say, “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. In order for the Servant to make full expiation, he made his soul an “asham ” i.e.,” a propitiatory victim for sin on which the guilt and penalty being laid, ceases to be imputed to us.

The purpose of Israel was not to be a blessing to herself. Therefore, through her witness, the world will either be attracted or repelled towards the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The entire promise to Abraham in Gen 12:3 exhibit's God's plan to bless the nations. It should be no surprise that in Matthew's opening chapter, he says,"The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham "(Matt. 1:1). The Messiah is not only of Davidic descent, but will bring fulfillment to the Abrahamic Covenant. Also, Matthew emphasizes Jesus' mission to help Israel fulfill it's calling (Matt. 10:5-6;15:24), as well as Jesus' command to bring the nations into God's redemptive plan (Matt 28:19).

Micah spoke of a time when the nations would go to a restored temple to learn about God (4:15). Amos also spoke of all the nations coming to the God of Israel (Amos 9:12), and other prophets spoke of the inclusion of Gentiles into God's redemptive plan (Ezek 17:23; 31:6; Dan 4:9-21). This is why just as Israel is called to be a light to the entire world, the Messiah’s mission is also to be a “light to the nations" (Isa. 49:6).

In relation to Jesus' messiahship, while a remnant believed in Him, what is more significant is that Christianity now the home of 1.4 billion adherents. Sure, large numbers don't make a faith true. But another traditional view is that the Messiah will spread the knowledge of the God of Israel to the surrounding nations (Isa.11:9;40:5;52:8). Are there any other messianic candidates that have enabled the world to come to the knowledge of the one true God other than Jesus? (7)

Some other comments about understanding messianic prophecy have been made by New Testament scholar Scot McKnight:

The Old Testament offers glimpses of what will happen when God brings about salvation and when Jesus appears. Jesus did not get up in the morning and say to himself, “Today I will do some things that make people think of the “Messiah” or the ‘the Servant of Isaiah,’ or the sacrificial victims of Leviticus. Instead, Jesus got up and said” Father, Lord of the Universe, may I do your will for me today.” And that would lead him to do the things he did do: healed, rebuked, predicted, exorcised and counseled. In doing these things, people accurately noticed that there were striking similarities between what he did and what was announced for end-time salvation of God’s people in the Old Testament, and so they began to connect the dots. They said “He is like the servant of Isaiah; he is like the Davidic Messiah, he is like a sacrificial victim.” Those images were filled with new or fuller meaning by what Jesus said and did.” He was, in other words, not a tailor’s dummy who simply had to be clothed with expectations based on the Old Testament. He expected those expectations and revisioned them around what God had revealed to him for Israel’s’ redemption. (8)

Another important aspect of the Messiah is the timing of his coming. One passage that speaks to this issue is Gen 49:10. We see the following about this pasage:

The Messiah has already been declared to be a man, descended from Abraham (Gen. 22:18)
His decent is now limited to being a son of Judah
He is going to be a King
The Scepter and Rulers staff indicate royalty
He will have to come before the Tribe of Judah loses its identity. The records which by tribal identities were maintained were kept in the Jewish Temple. All these records were lost in 70 A.D. Within in a generations, all the tribes of Israel with the exception of the tribe of Levi lost their identity. The rabbis passed laws which would preserve the identity of the tribe of Levi, but Jews from other tribes lost their identity (9)

A Crucified and Risen Messiah?

After observing the various characteristics of the Messiah, one may ask, is there any foundation for a crucified Messiah to be the one who would be the long awaited Messiah of Israel? Within the Gospel of John, it can be observed that there is confusion about a crucified Messiah. It says in John 12:34, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?” It is evident that from this verse that Jesus' audience thought the Messiah was supposed to not die.

Roman crucifixion was viewed as a punishment for those a lower status- dangerous criminals, slaves, or anyone who caused a threat to Roman order and authority. Given that Jewish nationalism was quite prevalent in the first century, the Romans also used crucifixion as a means to end the uprising of any revolts.

Just as in the first century, one of the contentions in the Jewish community is that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because he died. Within the first century, messianic movements tried to carry on after the death of their would-be Messiah. In relation to a crucified Messiah, Jewish people in the first century were familiar with Deuteronomy 21:22-23: “If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpse on a tree, his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you bury him that same day, for the one who is left exposed on a tree is cursed by God. You must not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”

The context of this verse is describing the public display of the corpse of an executed criminal. The New Testament writers show that they expand this theme to include persons who had been crucified (Acts 5:30; 13:29; Gal 3:13; 1 Pet.2:24). To say that crucifixion was portrayed in a negative light within Judaism in the first century is an understatement.

As N.T. Wright says,
If nothing happened to the body of Jesus, I cannot see why any of his explicit or implicit claims should be regarded as true. What is more, I cannot as a historian, see why anyone would have continued to belong to his movement and to regard him as the Messiah. There were several other Messianic or quasi-Messianic movements within a hundred years either side of Jesus. Routinely, they ended with the leader being killed by authorities, or by a rival group. If your Messiah is killed, you conclude that he was not the Messiah. Some of those movements continued to exist; where they did, they took a new leader from the same family (But note: Nobody ever said that James, the brother of Jesus, was the Messiah.) Such groups did not go around saying that their Messiah had been raised from the dead. What is more, I cannot make sense of the whole picture, historically or theologically, unless they were telling the truth. (10)

But the question remains as to whether Jesus' first followers knew He was going to die. After all, within Judaism, had there even been any belief in a suffering, or atoning Messiah? There are several texts that speak to the possibility of a suffering Messiah (Zech 13:7; Dan 9:26;Tg.Isa.53;T.Benj.3:8;4Q521frgs.9, 24;4Q285 5.4;4 Ezra7:29-30;2 Bar.30:1). There are also several expressions of the belief that the death of the righteous will benefit, or even save, God’s people (1 Macc: 6:26-28 17:20-22; T Moses 9-10). But if it is so obvious that Jesus' mission was to die, then we are left to ponder this comment by Michael Bird: "If there was a well-known tradition about a suffering or dying Messiah, how could the hopes of the disciples be shattered after Good Friday?" (11)

Within New Testament scholarship, The Principle of Embarrassment is a test that has been put forth by John P. Meier in his A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: The Roots of the Problem and the Person, Vol. 1. This criteria seeks out material in the Gospels that would have been would create awkwardness or difficulty for the early church. This type of material would most likely have not been created by the early church because it would have been provided material useful for the early church’s opponents. In other words, given that the dominant messianic expectation was the Davidic Messiah view (see Acts 1:6), it seems that the first followers of Jesus made it rather difficult on themselves by sticking with the story of a crucified Messiah.

An Atoning Messiah in Jewish Literature

Within Judaism, the basis for an atoning Messiah did not become more defined until much later. In the Shottenstein Talmud, a comprehensive Orthodox Jewish commentary, states the following about Isaiah 53: They [namely, those sitting with Messiah] were afflicted with tzaraas- as disease whose symptoms include discolored patches on the skin (see Leviticus ch. 13). The Messiah himself is likewise afflicted, as stated in Isaiah (53:4). Indeed, it was our diseases that he bore and our pains that he endured, whereas we considered him plagued (i.e. suffering tzaraas [see 98b, note 39], smitten by God and afflicted. This verse teaches that the diseases that the people ought to have suffered because of their sins are borne instead by the Messiah [with reference to the leading Rabbinic commentaries]. (12)

In the Zohar, which is the foundational book of Jewish mysticism, we see a text about the relationship between Isaiah 53 and atonement: "The children of the world are members of one another, and when the Holy One desires to give healing to the world, He smites one just man amongst them, and for his sakes heals the rest of the rest. Whence do we learn this? For the saying, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities’ [Isa. 53:5].i.e., by letting of his blood- as when a man bleeds his arm- there was healing for us-for all the members of the body. In general a just person is only smitten in order to procure healing and atonement for a whole generation." (13)

Furthermore, in the Talmud, which is another part of the rabbinical literature that is an accepted authority in Jewish community today, Rabbinic scholar Solomon Schechter says:

The atonement of suffering and death is not limited to the suffering person. The atoning death extends to all the generation. This is especially the case with such sufferers as cannot either by reason of their righteous life or by their youth possibly have merited the afflictions which have come upon them. The death of the righteous atones just as well as certain sacrifices [with reference to b.Mo’ed Qatan 28a].‘They are caught (suffer) for their sins of the generation.’ [b Shabbat 32b]. There are also applied to Moses the Scriptural words, ‘And he bore the sins of many’ (Isaiah 53), because of his offering himself as the atonement for Israel’s sin with the golden calf, being ready to sacrifice his very soul for Israel when he said. ‘And if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of my book (that is, from the Book of the Living), which thou hast written’ (Ex. 32) [b. Sotah 14a; b Berakhoth 32a). This readiness to sacrifice oneself for Israel is characteristic of all the great men of Israel, the patriarchs, and the Prophets citing in the same way, whilst also some Rabbis would, on certain occasions, exclaim, ‘Behold I am the atonement for Israel’ [Mekhilta 2a;m. Negaim 2:1]. (14)

Blasphemy/A Divine Mesiah?

It is also important to examine the issue of Jesus and blasphemy in ancient Judaism. In ancient Judaism, God was blasphemed when, among other things, one ascribed divine powers to oneself or laid claim to dignity and position. Claiming to be the Messiah was not a blasphemous claim. However, it is evident that one reason Jesus was accused of blasphemy was because he claimed he had the authority to forgive sins (Mk. 2:7). According to Mark 14:62, Jesus affirmed the chief priests question that He is the Messiah, the Son Of God, and the Coming Son of Man who would judge the world. This was considered a claim for deity since the eschatological authority of judgment was for God alone. Jesus provoked the indignation of his opponents because of His application of Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1 to himself. The term "Son of Man" in the time of Jesus was a most emphatic reference to the Messiah (Dan. 7:13-14).

"As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. I looked then because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." (Dan. 7.9-14)

Jesus’ claim that he would not simply be entering into God’s presence, but that he would actually be sitting at God’s right side was the equivalent to claiming equality with God. And of course, we see the chief priest accuses Jesus of blasphemy (Mk. 14:63-65). Jesus was also accused of blasphemy by asserting his authority to forgive sins (Mk. 2:7). Scribes did not forgive sins. Forgiveness was a divine prerogative of the God of Israel. It is also evident that one reasons Jesus was accused of blasphemy was because He usurped God’s authority by making himself to actually be God (Jn. 10:33, 36). Not only was this considered by the Jews to be blasphemous, it was worthy of the death penalty (Matt. 26:63-66; Mk. 14:61-65; Lk. 22:66-71;Jn.10:31-39;19:7).

Furthermore, despite some complaints that the Messiah will not be divine, there are resources that speak to the issue of a pre-existent Messiah in what is called the Pseudepigrapha. As already said, the Pseudepigrapha commonly refers to numerous works of Jewish religious literature written from about 200 BC to 200 AD. Even though these works are not part of the Protestant Canon they are dated just before or around the time of Jesus. Therefore, they help provide the historian with valuable information into the Jewish religious life and thinking patterns at the time of Christ.The following examples were taken from The Messiah Texts by Raphel Patai.

"And there I saw him who is the Head of Days, and His head was white like wool, and with him was another one whose countenance had the appearance of a man And his face was full of graciousness, like one of holy angels. And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things about the Son of Man: Who is he and whence is he and why did he go with the Head of Days? And he answered and said to me: This is the Son of Man who has righteousness, With whom dwells righteousness, And who reveals all the treasures of the crowns, For the Lord of Spirits chose him." (1 Enoch 46:1-3)

"He shall be a staff for the righteous. Whereon to lean, to stand and not to fall,And he shall be a light to the nations, And hope for the troubled of heart. And all the earth dwellers before him shall fall down, And worship and praise and bless and sing to the Lord of Spirits. It is for this that he has been chosen And hidden before Him, even before The creation of the world and evermore." (1 Enoch 48: 4-6)

To read more about Jesus' deity, click here:

Who Do You Say I Am? A Look at Jesus

“Did God Become a Jew? A Defense of the Incarnation” by Paul Copan

Jesus and His Messianic Credentials:

The New Testament does not reveal Jesus as any ordinary prophet or religious teacher. Rather, it reveals Him as God incarnate (Jn.1:1; 8:58-59;10:29-31;14:8-9;20-28; Phil. 2:5-7; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1). There is no kingdom without a king. The Christian message is that the reign of God has broken into human history through the work of Jesus. He inaugurated the reign of God in a series of stages: (1) The consecration at John’s baptism, (2) His miracles/healings, (3) His death, (4) His resurrection, and (6) His dispensing of the Holy Spirit (Jn.7:39). Jesus is presently at work as priest and advocate for His people (1 John 2:2; Romans 8:34).

As far as Jesus' miracles, let us mention a few more things. A miracle is an unusual, irregular, specific way in which God acts within the world. To see a defense of miracles, click here: Miracles and Modern Scientific Thought: Dr. Norman Geisler. Jesus certainly believed that his miracles were part of his messianic credentials. In Matthew 11:13, John the Baptist, who was in prison after challenging Herod, sent messengers to ask Jesus the question: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” In response to John, Jesus showed that miracles serve as an evidential feature of his messianic identity. Jesus responded to John’s question by saying, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matt. 11:4–6; see also Lk. 7:22).

The prophet Isaiah spoke of a time where miraculous deeds would be the sign of both the spiritual and physical deliverance of Israel (Isa.26: 19; 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 42:18; 61:1). In the Messiah Apocalypse, which is dated between 100 and 80 B.C.E mentions a similar theme as seen in Matt.11: 4-6: "He [G-d] frees the captives, makes the blind see, and makes the bent over stand straight…for he will heal the sick, revive the dead, and give good news to the humble and the poor he will satisfy, the abandoned he will lead, and the hungry he will make rich.” (15)

Miracles have purpose in that they are used to provide evidence for people to believe the message of God through a prophet of God. Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin, told Jesus, “ ‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.' " (Jn. 3:1–2). In his great sermon on Pentecost, Peter told the crowd that Jesus had been “accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him” (Acts 2:22).

In the New Testament, sign (sēmeion) is used seventy-seven times (forty-eight times in the Gospels). In several instances, it is used of Jesus’ miracles, such as healing (Jn.6:2; 9:16), turning the water to wine (Jn. 2:11), and raising the dead (Jn. 11:47). The word “sign” is also used of the most significant miracle in the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Jesus said to his unbelieving generation, The “Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:39–40). Jesus repeated this prediction of his resurrection when he was asked for a sign (Matt. 16:1, 4). Not only was the resurrection a miracle, but it was a miracle that Jesus predicted (Matt.12:40;16:21; 20:19; Jn. 2:19). (16)

The Gospels provide valuable insight into the relationship between prayer and the miracles of Jesus. Jesus has no need to pray before performing any miracle, and the exceptions are prayers of only thanks or blessing, not prayers asking God to effect the miracle (Mark 14:9; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6; Luke 9:16; Jn. 6:11; 11:41-43). It must not be forgotten that Jesus did not perform any of his miracles independently of the Father; instead Jesus did all his miracles in union with the Father (Jn. 5:36; 10:38; 14:10-11) so that His audience would see the unique relationship between the Father and the Son. There are also several cases in Scripture where Jesus tried to persuade his audience about how his “works” bear witness that He is the Messiah (Jn. 7:3, 21; 9:3,4; 10:25, 32, 37, 38,14:10,11,12,15:24). For further reading-see:

Eric Eve: Was Jesus a miracle worker?

Eric Eve: The Jewish Context of Jesus’ Miracles

In his book Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity, Richard Bauckham has asserted that an ontic/functional Christology distinction is not the correct approach to New Testament Christology. While some Jewish writers in the late Second Temple period consciously adopted some of the Greek metaphysical language, their understanding of God is not a definition of divine nature- what divinity is- but a notion of the divine identity, characterized primarily in ways other than metaphysical attributes. Bauckham suggests that in studying the relationship between Jewish monotheism and early Christology, it is imperative to understand the religious sects during Second Temple Judaism. The one God of Second Temple Jewish belief was identifiable by His covenant relationship with Israel. Various New Testament scriptures demonstrate that while the early Christians used titles to describe Jesus as God, they also clearly believed Jesus was God as evidenced by assigning attributes to Him which were clearly reserved for God. Moreover, they did so in a distinctly Jewish way that at the same time adhered to the monotheistic tradition of first- century Judaism.

While Greeks focused on philosophical matters of the nature of the divine, Jewish monotheism was more concerned with God's divine identity.The God of Second Temple Judaism was identifiable by three unique attributes: (1) The God of Israel is the sole Creator of all things (Is. 40:26, 28; 37:16; 42:5; 45:12; Neh. 9:6; Ps 86:10; Hos. 13:4; (2)The God of Israel is the sovereign Ruler of all things (Dan. 4:34-35); (3) The God of Israel is also the only the only being worthy of being worshiped (Deut. 6:13; Ps. 97:7; Is. 45:23; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9).

Jesus’ divine identity is affirmed by the fact that He is given the same attributes as God. Through Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus comes to participate as God's sovereign Ruler over all things (Ps. 110:1; Matt. 22:44;26:64; Acts 2:33-35; 5:31; 7:55-56; 1 Cor.15:27-28; Phil. 2:6-11; Eph. 1:21-22; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:22). Jesus is seen as the object of worship (Matt. 14:33; 28: 9,17; Jn. 5:23; 20:28; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:8-12). He is also the recipient of praise (Matt. 21:16-16; Eph. 6:19; 1 Tim. 1:12; Rev. 5:8-14) and prayer (Acts 1:24; 7:59-60; 9:10-17,21; 22:16,19;1 Cor. 1:2; 16:22; 2 Cor.12:8). Jesus is also the Creator of all things (Heb 1:2; Jn. 1: 1-3; Col. 1:15-16; 1 Cor. 8:6). The divine identity of God is seen in Jesus' suffering, death, and glory.

Another Messiah?

It is true that the old saying,“Jesus is just one of several Messiah’s in the first century" is not only patently false but a gross over-simplification as well.

So what if Jesus was a failure? Maybe there was another Messiah who would come that would restore the Jewish people to self- rule. Out of the all the messianic movements within Judaism, I will mention the ones that I believe are the most significant.

1. Simon bar Giora of Geresa: According to Josephus, Simon led a rebellion against the Romans in the spring of 69 C.E. (J.W. 4.9.12 §577). Among the leaders of the rebellion “Simon in particular was regarded with reverence and awe . . . each was quite prepared to take his very own life had he given the order” (J.W. 5.7.3 §309). Finally defeated and for a time in hiding, Simon, dressed in white tunics and a purple mantle, made a dramatic appearance before the Romans on the very spot where the Temple had stood (J.W. 7.1.2 §29). He was placed in chains (J.W. 7.2.2 §36), sent to Italy (J.W. 7.5.3 §118), put on display as part of the victory celebration in Rome (J.W. 7.5.6 §154), and was finally executed (J.W. 7.5.6 §155).(17)

2. Simon Bar Kochba: made an open proclamation to be the real Messiah who would take over Rome and enable the Jewish people to regain their self-rule (A.D. 132-135). Even a prominent rabbi called Rabbi Akiba affirmed him as the Messiah. Unfortunately, the revolt led by Bar Kohba failed and as a result and both he and rabbi Akiba were slain. The war ended in 135 CE. Simon was subsequently remembered as Simon ben-Kozebah (“son of the lie”). (18). Another dead Messiah.

Even though it is said that Rabbi Akiba hailed Bar Kohba as the Messiah (cf. y. Ta‘an. 4:5), the slaying of Bar Kohba had nothing to do with any accusation of blasphemy. He did not make the same messianic claims of Jesus by asserting His authority to be the Son of Man, nor did he ever claim to have the authority to forgive sins.

3. Sabbatai Sevi: Sevi was a seventeenth-century Jewish teacher who claimed to be the Messiah and was heralded by a contemporary named Nathan. It is said after Sevi’s death in 1676 that his brother found his tomb empty but full of light. Whatever happened to him, no one ever reported seeing him again. His disappearance has characteristics of an apotheosis legend. Furthermore, the Sevi account lacks historical report. In contrast to the resurrection claim of Sevi, in the case of Jesus, there are multiple eyewitness appearances after his resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15).

4. Rabbi Menachem Mendal Schneerson: One of the most recent messianic movements is related to the present Lubavitcher movement. Some of the followers of Schneerson think He was the Messiah and that He will come back from the dead (Schneerson died in 1994). Some in the Lubavitcher movement have even asserted that Isaiah 53 can be used as a proof text that the Messiah will rise from the dead. Of course, this has led to great controversy. Some in the Orthodox community have complained that the attempt to portray Schneerson as one who will rise from the dead and return a second time is overly similar to the Christian claim about Jesus.

The Apostle Paul showed he had a tremendous burden for the Jewish people (Rom. 9:1-5), (Rom. 10:1), and calls upon the Church to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. 11:11). For Paul, the resurrection was God's stamp of approval on Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel (Rom. 1:3-4). Paul also understood that since the Gentiles have received the blessing of knowing the Jewish Messiah, they now have the responsibility to take the message of salvation back to Israel. Therefore, Christians of all denominational backgrounds should show interest in sharing the good news of the Messiah with the Jewish people.

Messiah Ben Yossef and Messiah Ben David

I have already mentioned several aspects of the traditional view of Messiah ben David who is a descendant of David and of the tribe of Judah. But there is another messianic view in Judaism that speaks of Messiah ben Yossef who is also referred to as Mashiach ben Ephrayim, the descendant of Ephrayim. This figure will serve as a precursor to Messiah ben David. His role is political in nature since he will wage war against the forces that oppose Israel. In other words, Messiah ben Yossef is supposed to prepare Israel for it’s final redemption. The prophecy of Zech. 12:10 is applied to Messiah ben Yossef in that he is killed and that it will be followed by a time of great calamities and tests for Israel. Shortly after these tribulations upon Israel, Messiah ben David will come and avenge the death of Messiah ben Yossef, resurrect him, and inaugurate the Messianic era of everlasting peace.(19)

What is interesting is that R. Saadiah Gaon elaborated on the role of Messiah ben Yossef by starting that this sequence of events is contingent. In other words, Messiah ben Yossef will not have to appear before Messiah be David if the spiritual condition of Israel is up to par.(20)

This is why it says in the Talmud, “If they [the people of Israel] are worthy of [the Messiah] he will come ‘with the clouds of heaven’ [Dan 7:13] ;if they are not worthy, ‘lowly and riding upon a donkey’ [Zech. 9:9]” (b. Sanhedrin 98a). (21)

Messianic Apologetics

The most well-known Messianic apologist at the present time is Dr.Michael Brown. Dr. Brown has a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. He has debated many rabbis on shows such as Phil Donahue, and Faith Under Fire. Dr. Brown is a Jewish believer in Jesus and is visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Fuller Theological Seminary. His website is at http://askdrbrown.org. You can watch Dr. Brown on the streets of New York talking with Jewish people about the Messiahship of Jesus here:

http://www.inspiration.net/thinkitthru/index.cfm/page/2/video/1395583369

To see a more simplified version to some of the objections in each section of Dr. Brown's books, click here:

http://www.jewishvoice.org/site/PageServer?

pagename find_JewishObjections

General Objections/Historical Objections

Theological Objections

Messianic Prophecy Objections

New Testament Objections

Traditional Jewish Objections