Messiah in the Tanach

The most common objection I get, when sharing Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) with my Jewish people, is this very simple one: you can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus.  I have received this response from the religious and the unreligious; by the old and by the young.  And to each one I have a very simple question:  Why not?

The most typical answer I receive is that Jews don’t believe in Jesus, but that is clearly a faulty argument.   I grew up Jewish and I became a believer in Him.  Not only that, but I know of many Jews who have come to believe in Yeshua, and there are many, many more that I don’t know.  Some of them were very religious Orthodox Jews, some of them were observant Jews in the Conservative or Reform movements and some were completely secular: die-hard atheists or not so die-hard agnostics.  The one thing they have in common is that they are Jewish.

I use the present tense when I say we are Jewish because, as far as we are concerned, believing in Jesus is a very Jewish thing to do.  You see, I believe that this statement – you can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus – really means – Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah, he is not Saviour and he is not Lord.

The problem is that the response is almost always based, not on what the objectors know, but only on what they’ve been told.  When I challenge Jewish people to tell me how they know Jesus is not the Messiah, they don’t really have a response.  Most Jewish people have not investigated the claims of Jesus as found both in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures) or the B’rit Hadashah (the New Testament).  Many have made half-hearted attempts to read some of the B’rit Hadashah (or, for that matter, the Tanakh), but not really done a critical and honest investigation.

Recently I spoke with a Haredi rabbi, and in the midst of our discussions I challenged him to do just that.  To look at the New Testament text, not in a cynical way, but in a critical way, honestly seeking to understand what it says.  He said he would, but a month or so later he had barely done any reading.  He said he was happy with the Judaism he had – but again, he has not honestly looked at the text that tells us about the Messianic claims of Yeshua. 

I came to believe in Yeshua because I recognized that the promise of Yeshua is in the Tanakh.  I have come to understand that there is a picture of a lowly Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10),  that this picture was recognized by the rabbis in his day (though they did not recognize him when he came), and is even recorded in the Talmud (b. Sanhedrin 98a; b. Sukkah 52a).  Over the years I am more and more amazed at the Jewish sensibilities in the B’rit Hadashah, and how consistent it is with the Tanakh.

And I know that everything that is written in the Tanakh is a preparation for the time of Yeshua’s coming – the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the covenant at Sinai with its sacrificial system and its laws of sanctification; the promises to David and through the Prophets.  Ultimately the Hebrew Scriptures are about Messiah Yeshua.

But if you won’t read the book, you can’t know the truth.  The truth that I have found, that many Jewish people have found, is that the most Jewish thing you can do is to believe in the Messiah promised by Moses and the Prophets – and that Messiah is Yeshua.  For if he is not the Messiah to the Jews then he can be nobody’s Messiah.

Why not check out the truth for yourself.  Read the Hebrew Scriptures.  Read the New Testament as well.  If you need a copy we would be happy to provide you with one – just email us.  Then ask the Lord of all Creation to show you His truth.  Not my truth – and not the rabbis’ truth – but His truth.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3)”

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)”

If you want, give us a call and we’ll talk!  Call 647-439-2936 and ask for Daniel.  Or email us at info@newcovenantforum.org. 

Or check out our website at www.newcovenantforum.org.

You don’t have to agree with us.  But, at least, make your decision from an informed perspective.

I would love to receive your instructive and constructive response.

Given that our entire faith rests in the person of Yeshua (Jesus), that He was indeed the long-awaited Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world, it is critical that evidence be found for this claim in the Scriptures.
 
Following His death and resurrection, the New Covenant Scriptures (New Testament) record the following conversation that Yeshua had with His disciples.

“These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
 
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ [Messiah] to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49 New King James Version [NKJV]).

Luke, one the twelve disciples of Yeshua, records Yeshua’s assertion that the Jewish Scriptures (i.e. Law of Moses, Prophets, Psalms) repeatedly spoke of the coming of Messiah in terms of His life, death, and resurrection. Not only do the Jewish Scriptures speak of this suffering Messiah, Yeshua further declared that “repentance and remission of sins” came through Him, and that this message was to be proclaimed throughout the entire world, beginning in Jerusalem.
 
Luke’s assertion that Yeshua “opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” is further indication of the disciple’s firm belief that Yeshua was the very Son of God, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.
 
Another of Yeshua’s disciples, John, also recorded the life and ministry of the Messiah. He makes explicit statements regarding the person and character of Yeshua as he describes the ministry of John the Baptist, who came preaching a message of repentance, warning Israel to prepare for the coming of her Messiah.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:1-18 NKJV).

There can be no doubt that John believed Yeshua was the Messiah, a belief which included his conviction that Yeshua was the incarnate God Himself. His commitment to Yeshua’s deity concurs with the prophet Isaiah who had prophesied the coming of Messiah some 700 years earlier.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV).

Early in Yeshua’s ministry, as recorded by John, we see evidence that others recognized the messianic credentials of Yeshua. Here’s how John records it:

…Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
 
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
 
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” [John 1:43-51 NKJV]

Numerous citations from the New Covenant Scriptures demonstrate both Yeshua’s claim and the disciples’ belief that he was indeed Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

We welcome your comments and questions about our belief that Yeshua (Jesus) is Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of all who repent and trust in Him as Lord and Savior.

According to the Bible, Adam & Eve, the human father and mother of all humanity, lived in a perfect world - the Garden of Eden. Placed in this perfect environment by Almighty God Himself, history’s first man and woman had complete freedom to enjoy the fruit of this paradise with but one exception. The Scriptures tell us that God clearly prohibited Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of one tree in the center of this garden - a tree Scripture describes as “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” [Genesis 2:9].*

Very soon in the biblical story, we find the evil one coming to Eve and tempting her to disobey God’s clear command to avoid eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” The woman replied to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: ‘You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You are not going to die, but God knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.

They heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from the LORD God among the tree of the garden. The LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?” [Genesis 3:1-11]

In a moment of disobedience everything changed. A perfect relationship with the Creator was broken, a pristine world was lost, and the innocence of human nature was utterly destroyed. The evidence that everything had changed is seen in the response of Adam and Eve to God’s presence: “the man and his wife hid from the LORD God…” Centuries later, when writing to followers of Jesus in Rome, the Apostle Paul conveyed the utter ruin brought about by this willful act of rebellion against God’s clear directive:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned… [Romans 5:12 New King James Version].

The Apostle states that the sin of our first parents plunged the entire human race into sin. When they sinned, they corrupted their human nature, and because of that all their offspring are born with fallen natures that must be redeemed and regenerated.

Returning to our Genesis 3 text, we discover that Adam, when confronted by God, blames their failure to obey God’s directive on Eve: “The woman you put at my side - she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12), his wife. Eve in turn, casts blame on the serpent - on the devil himself: “The serpent duped me, and I ate” [Genesis 3:13].

A just, holy God must be true to His character and word. He had warned Adam and Eve of the consequences of disobedience, and now He must act. Their disobedience resulted in their expulsion from the Garden, and consigned them to a life of battling with sinful tendencies. However, even in his words of judgment, God demonstrates his mercy and grace.

Addressing the serpent directly, God says:

Because you have done this, accursed are you beyond all beasts of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will pound your head, and you will bite his heel [Genesis 3:14-15 Tanach: The Stone Edition, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., 1996 - emphasis mine].

Did you catch the singular pronouns in the final sentence of that biblical quote? When God says there will be enmity between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed, He points to an ultimate showdown between two individuals. The serpent, a representation of Satan, will bite the heel of the one who will pound the head of the serpent.

I believe this is the first biblical reference to the redeemer who comes to atone for the sins of all who will accept him. This is none other than promised Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the World - Yeshua haMashiach - Jesus the Messiah.

When Jesus came to earth, He came to fulfill Torah. He is the only person who has ever been completely Torah observant. Having fulfilled the Law’s demands, Jesus voluntarily gave his life to make atonement for the sins of all who will repent and place their trust in Him. In dying on that accursed tree, Jesus in fact defeated Satan, and made full and complete atonement available to all who will believe.

In future posts, I hope to explore this salvation more deeply. In the meantime, I welcome your comments and questions. New Covenant Forum actively encourages conversation about Jesus. Whether by commenting on this post, or by emailing directly, I hope you will join the conversation.
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*Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the Tanakh, Jewish Publication Society, 1985, 1999 - The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press. 2004.

Purim is one of the happiest holidays in the Jewish calendar for it commemorates a mighty deliverance for the ancient Jewish people. The biblical book of Esther recounts the story and the origins of the celebration.

The historical setting is 473 B.C.E., near the end of the 70 years of Babylonian exile, when many Jews were living in exile in Persia. Powerful King Ahasuerus had a right hand man named Haman who hated Jews and longed to see them exterminated. His implacable hatred of all Jews was conceived in his utter disregard for one Jewish man - Mordecai. Determined to rid himself of Mordecai, and every other Jew in the empire, Haman devised a scheme to enlist the support of the King himself. In chilling words, all too familiar to the Jewish community, Haman prevailed upon the King with these words:

“There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from every other people’s and they do not observe the king’s laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let it be recorded that they be destroyed…” (Esther 3:8-9 - The Stone Edition Tanach, Artscroll Series).

King Ahasuerus gave Haman permission to carry out his evil plot, even providing his signet ring to Haman, ensuring that the Persian people understood the King was in full agreement with Haman’s plan. The biblical text identifies Haman as the “son of Hammedatha the Agagite” (Esther 3:1 The Stone Edition Tanach, Artscroll Series). Students of the Bible will recognize “Agagite” as hearkening back to the days of King Saul.

During Saul’s reign in Israel, God had commanded him to utterly destroy King Agag and the Amalekite people. Saul failed in that responsibility, a failure that cost him and his descendents the throne of Israel. We should not miss the fact that Haman’s presence is a direct consequence of Saul’s failure to carry out God’s directive concerning the Amalekites. Haman was a descendant of Agag. Had Saul been obedient, there would have been no descendants of Agag to pose this threat to the Jews.

The biblical book of Esther tells the story of God’s (though he is never mentioned once in the text) sovereign control of history. By providentially bringing Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman, into the Persian King’s household as his queen, God ensured that Haman’s plot would fail. I encourage you to get a Bible and read the story for yourself.

Haman’s evil plot failed, God preserved his covenant people, and Mordecai proclaimed an annual celebration whereby Jewish people would remember their mighty deliverance from annihilation.

“…these days are recalled and observed in every generaton: by every family, every province, and every city. And these days of Purim shall never cease among the Jews, and the memory of them shall never perish among their descendants” (Esther 9:28 - Tanach, Jewish Publication Society).

As history readily shows, the dramatic deliverance in ancient Persia, was just one of many divine interventions, ensuring the survival of the Jewish people. The survival of the Jewish people, along with the presence of the modern state of Israel, is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Millennia ago, he declared through the prophet Jeremiah:

“Thus said the LORD, Who established the sun for light by day, The laws of moon and stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea into roaring waves, Whose name is LORD of Hosts: If these laws should ever be annulled by Me - declares the LORD - Only then would the offspring of Israel cease to be a nation before Me for all time. Thus said the LORD: If the heavens above could be measured, and the foundations of the earth below could be fathomed, only then would I reject all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done - declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:35-37 - Tanach, Jewish Publication Society).

As long as creation stands, the King of the Universe will ensure the survival of the Israelite people. Jewish people have faced many enemies throughout their long history, and from them all God has given faithful deliverance.

I believe God’s promise to preserve the Jewish people is a promise for this life. However, there is an afterlife, an eternity where every man, woman, boy and girl will dwell - either in the presence of God or in a place called Hell, forever separated from Almighty God.

Yeshua (Jesus), God’s anointed Messiah, came to earth nearly 2000 years ago. Isaiah prophecied that Messiah would come to bear the sins of his people (Isaiah 53), and this is exactly what we see in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. He was the one that John the Baptizer said was “the Lamb of God”  (John 1:36). As the Lamb of God, Jesus came to bear the sins of all who would believe in him. He is the perfect sacrifice - he is the only one who could identify with us and bear our sins before a just and holy God. Of him, the writer of Hebrews said:

“…we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16 - Holy Bible: New International Version.

 How tragic then, if at the end of this life, the greatest deliverance God will ever provide should be missed. It is right and proper to celebrate Purim - it was a divine intervention of miraculous dimensions. It was the faithful arm of a promise-keeping God.

But this same God has declared that salvation - deliverance from an eternal death - can only be found through faith in his Messiah - Yeshua. We read of Jesus in the New Covenant book of Galatians:

“[Jesus] gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:4-5 - Holy Bible: New International Version).

L’Chaim-Toronto is a free weekly publication available at many shops and businesses in the Jewish sections of Toronto. Published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Brooklyn, NY, the newsletter addresses items of interest to Jewish people. I often pick up the newsletter because it provides a window into the thinking of the Lubavitch branch of Judaism.

The June 1, 2007 issue carried an article entitled “When Did That Happen?” addressing the importance of recognizing the arrival of the Messianic Era. After describing how many Jewish sages understood the arrival of Moshiach (Messiah), the article reminds readers of the teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “…the time of the Redemption has arrived, if we open our eyes we can see that the table is literally set for the Messianic banquet, all we need to do is greet Moshiach.”

Though one would be hard-pressed to define a single view of Messiah within Judaism - some looking for a personal Messiah, others for a Messianic age, and still others for no Messiah at all - it is clear that within Lubavitch circles, there is an anticipation of a divine Messiah.

For example, the author writes: “Since the creation of the world nearly 6,000 years ago, when the spirit of G-d hovered over the waters (and as the commentaries explain, the ‘spirit’ is that of Moshiach), we have been moving toward Moshiach and the Redemption” [emphasis mine].

I find it fascinating that this Lubavitcher writer understands this Biblical text as a reference to the Messiah! The text in question (Genesis 1:1-2) reads as follows in a popular Jewish translation: “In the beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the earth - when the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine Presence hovered upon the surface of the waters - …” Stone Edition, [emphasis mine]

If the “spirit of G-d” or the “Divine Presence” mentioned in Genesis 1:2 is really the “’spirit’ of Moshiach”, as the writer of the article contends, then we have an amazing declaration of the deity of Messiah. What is even more amazing is the fact that the Scriptures will show that this Messiah is none other than Jesus of Nazareth.  While the Lubavitch community would refuse the messianic credentials of Jesus, the assertion that the “spirit of G-d” is the “’spirit’ of Moshiach” can lead to no other conclusion.

Numerous Biblical prophecies regarding the coming of Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus. The New Covenant Scriptures clearly connect Jesus with creation.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17 NIV)

“The presence of Messiah Jesus so permeates the Bible (both the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures) that, without intending to do so, the writer of the L’Chaim article points directly to Jesus as the one who reveals God to us because he is God manifest in human flesh.

The writer concludes with a call to live as one will live in the Messianic age - “performing additional acts of goodness and kindness; studying more Torah; experiencing Jewish living more fully; trying to see G-d’s hand everywhere.”

My prayer is that those longing for the coming of Messiah will discover that He has already come to provide redemption through His death and resurrection, and that He is coming again to receive all who have placed their trust in Him.

[Jesus] gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the weill of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. [Galatians 1:4-5 NIV]