Messianic claims of Jesus
Is Jesus the promised Messiah, the holy one of Israel, the anointed one of
God? The surest proof that we can offer you is in the prophecies of the
Jewish Bible concerning the Messiah. The following texts have been
recognized as messianic by rabbis and scholars.
Genesis 49:10
"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff
from between his feet, Until Shiloh come; And unto him shall the obedience of
the peoples be."
The Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. Jesus did!
(Hebrews 7:14)
Isaiah 9:6-7
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and
with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
perform this. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon
Israel."
The Messiah was to be a descendant of David. Jesus was!
(Luke 1:32, 33)
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."
The Messiah was to be born of a virgin.* Jesus was!
(Matthew 1:18-25)
*Note: The Hebrew word for "young woman" is alma.
In each of its seven uses in the Tenakh, it means "virgin".
Micah 5:1
"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."
The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Jesus was!
(Matthew 2:1-6)
Daniel 9:25-26
"Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince,
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again,
with street and moat, even in troublous times. And after the threescore
and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war;
desolations are determined."
The Messiah was "cut off" (die a violent death) in
approximately 32 CE. Jesus did! (Luke 23:33)
*Note: This date has been computed by taking the time of
Artaxerxes decree in 444 BC which gave Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem
(Nehemiah 2:7-8) and adding the 476 years noted in Daniel.
Psalm 2:7
"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my
Son; this day have I begotten thee."
The Messiah is to be the Son of God. Jesus is! (John
3:16-18)
Isaiah 53:8
"He was taken away from rule and from judgment; and his life who
shall recount? For he was cut off from the land of the living; through the
transgressions of my people was he stricken."
The Messiah would die for our sins. Jesus did! (2 Corinthians 5:21) (If you want a real eye-opener, read the whole of Isaiah 53!)
Psalm 22:14-18
"I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My
heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a
potsherd; And my tongue cleaves to my throat; And thou hast brought me into the
dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have enclosed
me; like a lion** they are at my hands and feet. I may count all my bones; They
look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do
they cast lots."
The Messiah would die by crucifixion* Jesus did! (Luke
23:33)
*Note: This form of execution was not known to David writing 800 years
earlier.
**Other translations say: "They pierced my hands and my
feet." In any case, the hands and feet of the person spoken of have
been violently attacked.
Psalm 16:10
"For thou wilt not leave my soul to the nether-world; Neither wilt
thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption."
The Messiah would be resurrected. Jesus was! (2
Corinthians 15:4)
We believe Jesus is the Messiah, that he came to die for our sins, and three
days after his death, he rose from the grave. We believe the Bible paints
two pictures of the Messiah: the suffering servant and the reigning
king. The suffering servant has come and we await his coming again as the
King of Kings.
Jesus the Jewish Messiah asked: "Who do you say I am?"
(Matthew 16:15)