What proof do you have that Jesus was the Messiah?
It is important to begin by saying that for one who has already made
up his or her mind that Jesus is not the Messiah, no amount of evidence
will be convincing. But for those who are honest in asking, the evidence
speaks for itself.
When sincerely asked, this question is a good one. After all, there have
been false Messiahs in Jewish history. Among the most prominent were Bar
Kochba and Shabbetai Zevi. Bar Kochba led a revolt against Rome in the
years 132-135 C.E.
During this revolt, one of the most famous figures in Jewish history,
Rabbi Akiva, proclaimed him to be "King Messiah." Unfortunately,
Bar Kochba, Akiva and thousands of Jews were killed in 135 C.E. when the
Romans stormed the stronghold of Betar. Shabbetai Zevi, on the other hand,
was a self-proclaimed Messiah. Flourishing in 17th-century Europe, the
Shabbatean movement spread among both the common people and the rabbis.
But when Shabbetai Zevi was arrested in 1666 by the Sultan of Turkey,
he converted to Islam rather than face death. We have been tragically
wrong before, so it is not surprising that hard evidence should be sought
for believing in Jesus.
The idea of a Messiah is one that is found throughout the Hebrew Bible.
There, the Messiah's "I.D." is given to us. Imagine looking
up a friend by first locating his country. That would not be enough information,
so you would need to ascertain his city, street, and specific number on
that street. It would also help if you had a phone number and knew the
time at which he would be home.
Similarly, the Bible tells us the "I.D." of the Messiah. His
ethnic background, place of birth, time frame of his arrival and other
identifying characteristics are given. These "credentials" enable
us to identify the Messiah, and to recognize imposters.
Of course it might be objected that if these "credentials"
are so clear, why didn't most Jewish people believe in Jesus, and why
were they so taken in by false Messiahs like Bar Kochba and Shabbetai
To understand this, one must realize that by the time of Jesus, the Messianic
hope had become greatly politicized in the minds of the people. They were
seeking deliverance from the tyranny of Rome. Although the Scripture spoke
both of the sufferings and of the victories of the Messiah, the victorious
aspect had become uppermost in the minds of the common people because
of the Roman domination. This "lopsided" view of the Messiah
has stuck with Jewish people, and the politicization of the Messianic
hope has continued. Thus the hope of a political rather than a spiritual
Messiah contributes to both the acceptance of people such as Bar Kochba,
and the rejection of Jesus in his role as a Messiah.
This is not to say that all Jewish people rejected the claims of Jesus.
Far from that being the case, all the first followers of Jesus were Jews.
In fact, the rabbis of that time period and afterwards were well aware
of the many Messianic prophecies which Christians claimed were fulfilled
in Jesus. So for instance, although the Talmudic rabbis concurred that
Isaiah 53 was a prediction of the Messiah, by medieval times the pressure
from those who applied this prophecy to Jesus was so great that Rashi,
that greatest medieval Biblical scholar, reinterpreted the chapter and
said it referred to the nation of Israel. This interpretation is maintained
today by many Jewish scholars, though it only dates back to the Middle
What, then, are some of the credentials of the Messiah?
Only a few can
there are many others. All of these passages were recognized
by the early rabbis as referring to the Messiah:
Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem:
Micah 5:2 (Micah 5:1 in Hebrew Bible)
Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah: Genesis 49:10
Messiah would present himself by riding on an ass:
Zechariah 9:9
Messiah would be tortured to death:
Psalm 22:1-31
Messiah would arrive before the destruction of the Second Temple:
Daniel 9:24-27
Messiah's life would match a particular description, including suffering, silence at his arrest and trial, death and burial in a rich man's tomb, and resurrection:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
In detail as to lineage, birthplace, time, and lifestyle, Jesus matched
the Messianic expectations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The record of this
fulfillment is to be found in the pages of the New Testament. But several
other factors combine to further substantiate the Messiahship of Jesus.
In the first place, he claimed to be the Messiah! When a woman said to
him, "I know that Messiah is coming." he replied, "I who
speak to you am he" (John 4:25-26). Naturally,
that doesn't prove anything one way or the other. But if Jesus had never
made the claim to be the Messiah, why would we bother to try and prove
that he was? His own claim lays the groundwork for the rest of the evidence.
Jesus' life is in sharp contrast to that of the false Messiahs,
and it is a positive demonstration of what we would expect the Messiah
Thus, Jesus worked many miracles of healing, bringing wholeness
into people's lives, forgiving sin and restoring relationships. In contrast
with Shabbetai Zevi, for instance, Jesus carried out the Law of Moses
as a devout Jew. And in contrast with Bar Kochba, although Jesus also
died, he was resurrected!
The resurrection is a third piece of additional evidence, and it is perhaps
the most convincing vindication of Jesus' claims. It is interesting that
an Israeli scholar, Pinchas Lapide, has written a book which has attracted
no small amount of attention in the Jewish community. The reason is that
Lapide has said that the resurrection of Jesus is well within the realm
of possibility. After all, he reasoned, the Hebrew Scriptures give a number
of accounts of people coming back to life. Why not Jesus as well? Regrettably,
Lapide fails to note that the resurrection of Jesus is described in terms
that go far beyond the resucitations
and, he fails
to come to grips with the fact that Jesus predicted his own resurrection,
which vindicated his claims to Messiahship.
An assortment of explanations has been offered throughout history to
explain away the resurrection as either non-historical ("It never
happened.") or as non-supernatural ("Here's how it happened.").
But these explanations have not been successful. Run down the possibilities
for yourself and see which makes the best sense. Did the Roman authorities
steal the body of Jesus from the tomb? Then why didn't they produce it
when the word started being spread that Jesus was risen? Or maybe the
disciples stole it. But could such a fabrication on their part account
for the change in their attitude? Three days earlier they were disillusioned,
defeated idealists who had hoped that Jesus would bring in a new world
could a lie which they knew to be a lie, now account for their
hope, their boldness in the face of official persecution, and for the
high ethical standards they set?
Perhaps Jesus never died: he just fainted on the cross and revived
in the tomb.
This idea was popularized in the book The Passover Plot by
Hugh Schonfield. Unfortunately the author overlooked the fact that the
Romans pierced Jesus' side, which would have most certainly killed him.
Also, there was a contingent of Roman soldiers guarding the tomb as well
as a huge stone that blocked its entrance. There was no way that a resuscitated
Jesus could have escaped and then convinced hundreds of skeptical eyewitnesses
that he had conquered death forever! Or was it all a mass hallucination?
It must have been quite a hallucination to be seen by vastly different
kinds of people at different times of day in many different places. You
might be able to fool one person, but can you fool five hundred who saw
him at one time? And unlike the pattern of hallucinations, these appearances
of the resurrected Jesus stopped as suddenly as they started, forty days
after the resurrection took place.
The only satisfactory explanation is that the resurrection actually occurred,
just as the record says. And if that's the case, it's a solid reason for
accepting the Messiahship of Jesus.
Jesus transforms people's lives.
Because he provides atonement
for sin and reconciliation with God, Jesus brings peace, joy, and purpose
into people's lives. Apart from faith in him, there is no basis for true
peace or direction, for as the psalmist says, "Man is estranged from
the womb." That this estrangement is healed by the reconciling ministry
of Jesus is the common experience of those who believe in him.
Between the objective evidence of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament,
and the subjective verification in our own lives--we think there's ample
evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be!
Add comment
The 10 men referred to in Zechariah 8:23 are not gentiles but the 10 lost tribes of Israel. The Jew is referring to Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” -John 20:29
Hi Hannah, my name is Hannah, too. Im guessing you were also names after Samuel's mom? Id be happy to answer your questions. Ive heard of mistranslating verses (tell me which ones so we can discuss them) but ive never heard of them taken out of context. As for where in the OT does it say that the Messiah will come a second time? please look at next comment, it keeps saying my comment is too long when its not. Thanks
Like i was saying: Where in the OT does it say the Messiah is to come a second time? It doesnt. But it also never says that the Messiah can only come once, and that whoever claims to come twice cant be the Messiah. The OT has passages that describe what the Messiah will do and how to recognize a false Messiah. Nowhere in these passages does it say that the Messiah will only come to Earth once. This is just an assumption by Jews that has been around for so long, it has been "made" the truth. I really hope this helped you, Hannah. If you have any more questions, just ask me. I'll be praying for G-d to reveal the truth to you. God bless you and amen!
While Sommer rejects Jesus as Messiah on other grounds, his linkage of the Hebrew Bible with the Trinity and Incarnation cuts across the grain of traditional Jewish thought.
"Trust in" is ????? ?. God expects us to trust in Him and His servants. Do you really need a command?
I'd love to hear how you came to know Jesus! Please share.
Brianroy, your source is non-existent. You say Tosefta 3:3, but fail to give a tractate. You say Babylonian Talmud 4:49a, but fail to give a tractate AND you fail to realize that 4.49a does not exist in the Talmud. Maybe you have a typo or two in your comment, but there is absolutely no legitimate source for any of the claims you have set forth.
Some of the most profoundly mysterious words of the bible. In some sense Jesus had to be cut off from the favor and fellowship with the father that been his eternally, because he was bearing the sins of his people and therefore enduring God's wrath. And Jesus also had in his mind as well Psalm 22:1 which moves on to a cry of victory. And he expresses faith calling "God my God" Surely he knows why he is dying for this was the purpose of him to coming to this earth. Understanding this, quotes Jesus' words to challenge his readers.
Yes the bible can be trusted. There has been tons of evidence found regarding the Old Testament and also the New Testament. The Old Testament was written before Jesus was born. The New after his death inspired by God. It can't be denied. Look at the artifacts that have been found :-)
I totally agree with you, Luisa. Im doing a section of comments on the reasons Jews dont believe in Jesus, and violating the first commandment was one of them. I really like your response to this, and id really like to use it in one of my own responses if you dont mind. Thx
Quoting Mike:What absolute bunk. I came gere looking for proofs, but nothing concrete is offered!Mike the proof is before you you are choosing to deny it.
ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE.IT IS LIKE THE SAYING, IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY AND TRY AGAIN.WHOLEHEARTEDLY, ASK GOD HIMSELF... I PROMISE YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR ANSWER.
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