Hey Y'all I know it's been a while since I last posted, but here is the second part of my Open Letter series:
Greetings in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This is part two of my open letter that discusses the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. Part 1 discussed the Jewish roots of Fundamental Christian Doctrines. Part 2a will discuss the person of Jesus-Who is He?
Who is Jesus?
As an evangelical Christian, I believe that Jesus was and is the Messiah (Christ in Greek), the anointed of God. He was both fully God and fully man.
As the Messiah, Jesus fulfilled many prophesies in the TaNaKH (The Hebrew Scriptures, also known as Old Testament). These prophesies give many details about the life of the Messiah. I will now outline 17 specific prophesies (promises) given in the TaNaKH and their fulfillment in the life of Christ as given in the New Testament
1. The Messiah was to be born of a virgin:
Promise: Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:22-23: Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Some have said that Mary, Jesus' mother, was not really a virgin, because the Hebrew word translated “virgin” in English was not the word that was typically used for virgin in the TaNaKH. This is true: however, the word used in Isaiah 7:14 refers specifically to a young woman who was still a virgin. This displays the sovereignty of God. He was saying that the woman that He would choose to bear the Messiah was going to be a young virgin. The other, more common word for virgin could refer to a woman of any age.
2. The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem
Promise: Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Fulfillment: Matthew Chapter 2:1-6 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
3. The Messiah would live in Egypt as a Child
Promise: Hosea 11:1When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:13-15 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
4. The Messiah would live in Narareth, a small town in the region of Gallilee:
Promise: Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:23 And he, [Joseph, Jesus' earthly father] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Also Matthew 4:13:16 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
5-6. The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham
Promises: Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed
Genesis 15:1-6 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Fulfillment: Matthew Chapter 1
Matthew Chapter 1 lists the genealogy of Jesus Christ. He begins with Abraham, because he was writing to a primarily Jewish audience and he was attempting to prove that Jesus Christ came from the seed of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
7.The Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac, not Ishmael
Promise: Genesis 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Fulfillment: Matthew Chapter 1 (see above explanation)
Romans 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8. The Messiah would be a descendant of Judah, grandson of Isaac, son of Jacob
Promise: Genesis 49:8-12 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Fulfillment: Matthew 1, Luke 2
Luke 2 contains a separate genealogy of Jesus, that lists Mary's family, which also descended from Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Judah. Luke's genealogy goes all the way back to Adam and Eve, displaying the complete humanity of the Messiah
9-10.The Messiah would be a royal descendant of King David, who was a descendant of Judah
Promises: Psalm 89:3-4 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots
Jesse was David's father- See I Samuel 16
Fulfillments: Matthew 1 and Luke 2
Both Matthew and Luke list King David as an ancestor of Jesus. Mary and Joseph were both descendants of King David. Joseph was part of the kingly line as listed in Matthew Chapter 1
Additionally, There are three separate instances in the Gospel accounts of others referring to Jesus as the “Son of David.” The first two of these references are Matthew 9:27 and Matthew 15:22. The final instance of someone referring to Jesus as the “Son of David” is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke and refered to as the Synoptic Gospels). This is the account of Blind Bartimaeus. It is found in Matthew 20, Mark 10 and Luke 18.
11. The Messiah would enter Jerusalem as a King
Promise: Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Fulfillment: Matthew 21:1-5 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. See also Luke 19, Mark 11, and John 12.
12. Messiah's death-The Messiah was to be tortured, beaten, and executed in a horrific manner
Promises: Psalm 22 is an accurate medical description of a crucifixion and the anguish that Christ went through.. Isaiah 53 also describes the death of the Messiah: Isaiah 53:3-5 He [Messiah] is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Fulfillment: The Gospel accounts give testimony that Jesus was scourged before he was crucified at the hands of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. See Matthew 27, Mark 15, and John 19. He was then crucified on a wooden cross.
13-14. Messiah's death would serve as the atonement for the sin of mankind
Promises: Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself
Isaiah 53:8-12 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Fulfillment: Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We take a break for a quick sidebar to answer the question of “Who killed Christ?” My Jewish History Professor at the public university I attended for undergraduate schooling is an greatly respected scholar in the field of Judaic Studies, and a man that I greatly admire. In the following article "The Question, Not The Answer, is the Problem (PDF form) Dr. Miller suggests that very question of who killed Christ is Anti- Semitic because it automatically presumes that someone has to be blamed, and most often, the Jews are the ones who are indeed blamed for Jesus' death. I completely understand his argument, but I disagree that the question of who killed Christ is inherently Anti-Semitic. I think that the answer that I have for that question removes the question from any Anti- Semitism- Who Killed Christ? No one. Christ was not killed. He laid His life down (See John 15:13, I John 3:16, and Romans 5:6-8). As for the question of who caused Him to lay His life down, I did. It was MY sin that caused Jesus to die on the cross. He laid down his life for ME. for MY sins. If I was the only man to ever exist, I would still need Jesus to come and die for ME. If we were sinless Christ would not have had to die, and we would be able to get to heaven some other way.
15. Messiah was not to suffer any broken bones during his execution
Promise: Psalm 34:19-20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Fulfillment: John 19:30-36 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
16. Messiah was to be be buried in a rich man's tomb
Promise: Isaiah 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Fulfillment: Matthew 27:57-60 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
17. Messiah would rise from the dead
Promise: Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Fulfillment: Acts 2:22-32 [Peter at the feast of Pentecost speaking to the Jews who were in Jerusalem for the feast]: Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
These 17 Prophecies are only a part of the more than 100 different prophecies that Christ fulfilled during his 33 years on this planet. I hope that you will look into these and other prophecies, and see that Christ really is who he claimed to be.
There are other Prophecies about the the Messiah that are yet to be fulfilled, but will be.
That's all for now!
Talk to you soon!
Compassionate Conservative
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