40 Messianic Prophecies Part 2

/messianic-prophecies/the-messiah-would-be-a-descendant-of-david/" rel="noopener nofollow">the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?’”

Yet others, perhaps not as well steeped in traditional teaching, seemed to be agnostic about the Messiah’s birthplace: “When the Christ [Messiah] appears, no one will know where he comes from” (John 7:27).

In agreement with the thought that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, we find first that Jesus was actually born there, though he grew up in Nazareth. Second, the “chief priests and scribes” cited the prophet Micah in support of this idea:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ [Messiah] was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

(Matthew 2:1–6)

This is a rare instance where rather than the writer of a gospel citing a messianic passage, we find the Jewish teachers of that day making the citation. First, we find that “wise men,” also called Magi, arrived on the scene from “the east,” probably pagan astrologers from Babylonia, Persia, or Arabia (we do not know the exact location). Though forbidden in the Bible, astrology was quite popular in various countries and “everyone agreed that the best astrologers lived in the East.”1 Apparently if you wanted top-notch astrologers, the East was the place to go!

Herod, who was not a very godly ruler, gave credence to their announcement that the “king of the Jews” was born (whatever was exactly the “star” that they saw).

In any event, Herod was upset at the news, and so was “all Jerusalem” – but why the whole city? Did the “wise men” make a major public announcement? It is suggested that they had a large entourage accompanying them, or that Herod’s unpopularity with the people made a low-key announcement go viral among those who couldn’t stand Herod’s rule, in the hope that a replacement king would soon be coming.2 For that matter, the people may well have been troubled just by knowing Herod’s reputation: what if he had an unpredictable and violent reaction to the news of a new king?

We don’t know exactly why the whole city was in an uproar, nor do we know exactly how the Magi ascertained that something was afoot in Judea. It could have been by biblically-forbidden astrology (the Bible warns against its practice but does not say it is incapable of producing truth). Or it could be that they knew something of Jewish tradition on the subject, for each possible area of their origin was home to a substantial Jewish population.

Astrology was feared by Roman rulers as a herald of ominous portents.

In any event, astrology was feared by Roman rulers as a herald of ominous portents, and Herod was no different as a puppet king of Rome. (Could God have brought forth truth from astrology on this occasion to strike fear into Herod’s heart?) Concerned that his rule would be threatened by this “king of the Jews,” Herod convened a committee of those “in the know” and asked them about the Messiah’s birthplace. They gave a unanimous answer: Bethlehem, in Judea, and in proof they cited the prophet Micah. This ultimately led to Herod’s unhinged act of having all the boys two years and younger massacred in the vicinity of Bethlehem. He would brook no rival to his throne! But by this time, Jesus’ family had fled to Egypt where they remained until Herod died (see Matthew 2:14–15).

What is interesting is that the citation of Micah by the priests and scribes differs in wording from the original. Compare them:

Matthew 2:6

And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Micah 5:2 (v. 1 in Hebrew)

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Some point to these differences as examples of alleged misquotings of the Hebrew Bible in the New Testament. But the Bible was often cited in the New Testament with alterations that do not affect the actual meaning but make a sermonic or a midrashic point. After all, anyone could consult a scroll of the Prophets, or at least consult those who had access to such a scroll, and ascertain the original for themselves.

And so Matthew alters “Bethlehem Ephrathah” to “Bethlehem, in the land of Judah” – which is the same place, and specifies which of the two Bethlehems was meant – in order to underscore that it was Judah and not some other place, the very land of the tribe of Judah, from whom the Messiah was expected to come.

Then Matthew alters “too little to be among the clans of Judah” to “are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.” In the original text, Micah emphasizes the insignificance of Bethlehem. Yet Micah’s point is that although it is a small town of no account, yet it will see greatness when it produces the Messiah, the “ruler in Israel.” Matthew shortcuts to making the point of Bethlehem’s ultimate greatness, which is Micah’s point as well.

Third, Matthew changes “clans” to “rulers.” This too is a sermonic type of change: from the clans come the rulers, so Matthew simply wants to emphasize the point that Bethlehem will produce a ruler, perhaps to contrast this messianic ruler with the oppressive Roman rulers currently in place.

Finally, Matthew’s last line is from 2 Samuel 5:2, a verse that indicates King David will be the true shepherd of Israel. In this way, by emphasizing “ruler” previously, and now citing a verse about a “shepherd,” Matthew may be contrasting the Messiah with both Roman rulers and the leaders of Israel who, Jesus was later to say, were false shepherds. The child to be born will ultimately tower over both Roman and Jewish leadership as the ultimate leader, the Messiah. Matthew substitutes the 2 Samuel verse for Micah’s final thought on the antiquity of this child, likely because he is looking to make a point about rulership and leadership, not the ancient origins of the Messiah.

So, we do not have not a “misquoting,” but a very typical way of handling the Scripture to emphasize its true meaning and make a variety of sermonic points. It is midrash, a Jewish method of interpretation that brings out the meaning and application of a text.

End Notes

1. Craig S. Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), on Matthew 2:1.

2. Ibid., on Matthew 2:3.

The Messiah would be greater than David

How can David address the Messiah (his descendant) as “Lord” in Psalm 110?

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Psalm 110:1–4
Fulfillment: Matthew 22:41–45, Mark 12:35–37, Luke 20:41–44, Acts 2:34–36, 1 Corinthians 15:25–28, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 1:13, Hebrews 4:14–5:10

Before we encounter him in Psalm 110, Melchizedek appears one other time in Genesis 14. There, Abraham (then called Abram) encounters this somewhat mysterious figure. One noteworthy thing about Melchizedek is that he is both a king and a priest (Genesis 14:18). Israelites could not be both; priests were descended from Levi and kings were descended from Judah. But Melchizedek is not an Israelite, and he combined both offices in one person.

In the Gospels, we find Jesus posing a question about the Messiah and his descent from David:

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ [Messiah]? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Matthew 22:41–46; see also Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44

Undoubtedly, the topic of the Messiah was a very live issue in Jesus’ day. There had already been messianic pretenders, and chafing as they were under the yoke of Rome, many people would have been eager to see a Messiah come to destroy their despised overlord. So it was quite natural for Jesus to ask a group of Pharisees about their views on the Messiah. Asked “whose son is he?” they replied with the traditional expectation: he is David’s descendant.

Rabbinic argumentation often centered on resolving two apparently contradictory Bible passages. Here, Jesus does something similar. From a multitude of passages we know that the Messiah had to be the son (that is, a descendant) of David. In that case, how can David address him as “Lord”? How can the Messiah be David’s son and at the same time his Lord? Jesus does not spell out the resolution but leaves his listeners to figure it out for themselves; the implication is that although he is indeed David’s son, he is also something much more.

At this point, Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, which happens to be the Old Testament passage that is quoted more than any other in the New.

The messianic nature of Psalm 110 can be seen in the fact that it comes right in the middle of Psalms 107–113. Psalms 107–109 offer prayers and hope for redemption, while Psalms 111–113 offer praise for redemption. Psalm 110 falls in the middle, highlighting the Redeemer, or in other words, the hoped-for Messiah. This individual is, based on the wording of the Psalm, a figure greater than David, who refers to him as “my Lord”—yet as we know from elsewhere, at the same time, he is David’s son. The implication, which was fully revealed at the coming of Jesus, was that the Messiah was both human and yet more than merely human: God incarnate.

The messianic interpretation of Psalm 110 was also found in rabbinic writings. The Midrash on Psalms 18:29 says:

R. Yudan said in the name of R. Hama: In the time to come when the Holy One, blessed be He, seats the Lord Messiah at His right hand, as is said The Lord saith unto my lord: “Sit thou at My right hand” and seats Abraham at His left, Abraham’s face will pale, and he will say to the Lord: “My son’s son sits at the right, and I at the left!”

In other words, the Messiah will receive greater glory, sitting at God’s right hand, than his ancestor Abraham, who sits in the position of lesser honor on the left. The Messiah, though descended from Abraham, nevertheless receives greater glory. This is reminiscent of Psalm 110 in which the Messiah, descended from David, nevertheless receives greater glory because he is David’s Lord.

In Acts 2:34–36, Peter addresses a crowd of his fellow Jews at the holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost). After speaking of Jesus’ resurrection by quoting from Psalm 16 (see comments on that passage), he also points out that Psalm 110 speaks of someone greater than David:

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

And finally, we have this passage from Hebrews 5:1–10:

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by Him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Here the author of Hebrews quotes both Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 to show that Jesus was both king and priest. As king, he rules; as priest, he intercedes for us before God the Father. And though Jesus was not descended from Levi, his priesthood is in the model of Melchizedek, the non-Levitical king-priest whom Abraham encountered.

And so Jesus the Messiah is greater than David by virtue of being both human and divine: he is the son of David and also David’s Lord. And by being both our king and priest, a combination not allowed in ancient Israel, he shows yet another way that he is greater than David.

The Messiah Would Be a Descendant of David

God declared, “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king.”

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5–6;
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32–33; Acts 15:15–16; Hebrews 1:5

Second Samuel 7 features God’s promise to raise up David’s descendant Solomon as king, with the promise that he would build the Temple (“a house”) in verse 13. Yet the “house” also means the line of Davidic descendants, as verse 16 suggests (“Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me”). This promise includes a father-son relationship between God and the Davidic kings (verse 14); a warning that royal sin will come with consequences (verse 14—amply illustrated in the history of Israel’s and Judah’s kings); but a promise that the Davidic kingship would always remain objects of God’s chesed (“steadfast love”) and would be everlasting.

The prophets of ancient Israel looked for a day when this promise would be fulfilled in an ultimate descendant of David — the Messiah – who would rule over the nation. Isaiah 11:1, in a great messianic passage, tells us that “there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Jesse, as we learn elsewhere, was the father of David. Jeremiah writes: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5–6).

The New Testament presents Jesus as the fulfillment of this requirement for the Messiah, that he be descended from King David. And so we have verses such as:

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:32–33)

In addition, both Matthew and Luke provide genealogies tracing Jesus back to David.

The title “Son of David” is found on the lips of various people in the gospel accounts, for example, a blind beggar sitting near the road:

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47)

Jesus’ Davidic descent is also implied in Acts 15:15–16, in which James quotes Amos 9:11:

With this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it.” (Acts 15:15–16)

The “tent of David” mentioned by Amos and quoted by James refers to the house or line of David. To rebuild the house of David implies the coming of the Messiah.

And in a quote combining Psalm 2 and this passage in 2 Samuel, we read concerning Jesus:

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? (Hebrew 1:5)

The New Testament, therefore, consistently depicts Jesus as a descendant of David (for an apparent exception, see the article on Psalm 110:1–4). The two genealogies in Matthew and Luke, however, differ from one another and this has led to questions as to whether the two gospels contradict one another. Matthew begins with Abraham and ends with Jesus. Luke begins with Jesus “being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Luke 3:23) and works backward beyond Abraham all the way to Adam. Matthew traces the line through Solomon, David’s son (the royal line), while Luke traces it through Nathan, a different son (a non-royal line).

Early followers of Jesus saw both (genealogies) as proof that Jesus was descended from David

It is possible that Matthew traces Jesus’ descent through Joseph, and Luke through Mary, who is assumed then to also be of Davidic descent. Or, if both run through Joseph, the difference can be accounted for by certain laws of inheritance by which, in the case of those who die childless, another family member inherits (and thus that person’s name enters the genealogy); or by the custom of levirate marriage, whereby the brother of a man who died childless raises up descendants for the deceased (and his name thereby enters the genealogy). These ideas have been discussed for many years. We should note that the early followers of Jesus never saw a contradiction in the genealogies, but saw both as proof that Jesus was descended from David – even if both take different routes down the family tree to get there. As scholar Michael Brown has observed, “Common sense would also tell you that the followers of Jesus, who were totally dedicated to demonstrating to both Jews and Gentiles that he was truly the Messiah and Savior, would not preserve and pass on two impossibly contradictory genealogies.”1 Just because we cannot figure out why the genealogies differ doesn’t mean there cannot be a good explanation, even if it is not entirely clear to us some two thousand years later. The problem, as C. S. Lewis said in another connection, is that “all the men who know the facts are dead and can’t blow the gaff.”

But that Jesus is descended from David is a fact.

End Notes

1. Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, vol. 4 New Testament Objections (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007), 76. For a detailed discussion of the differences and problems in the genealogies, see this book, sections 5.10 through 5.12.

The Messiah is Spoken of Throughout the Hebrew Bible

There are many messianic passages in the Hebrew Bible.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Hebrew Bible
Fulfillment: Luke 24:25–27, Luke 24:32

The scene was a few days after Jesus had been crucified. His disciples had hoped he would bring about the long-awaited redemption of Israel. But rather than triumphing over Rome and bringing in the messianic kingdom with splendor and fullness, Jesus died at the hands of Rome. He was gone. Given his popularity among the people, everyone knew it,too.

What was to be done? Instead of joining Jesus in the messianic kingdom, his disciples now had to return to their old work as disillusioned fishermen and tradesmen.

There were reports from some women that they had seen Jesus alive, but they were just unverified ramblings.

Until this happened:

That very day two of them [the disciples] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

And he said to them, “What things?”

And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

“Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Luke 24:13–27

Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?

Rather than commiserate with these two disciples, Jesus points them to the prophets of the Bible and reiterates what he had told them numerous times before: “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” To paraphrase this, Jesus was asking, “Wasn’t it by God’s plan that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and then be resurrected?” The Greek “necessary” implies that there was no choice; this is how things had to be to redeem Israel and the world. Redemption, it turns out, happens not by military victory or sheer power but by the Messiah’s atoning death and his subsequent resurrection to life.

And how do we know this? It is right there in the Hebrew Bible: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” The Bible shows us both a Messiah who conquers—the traditional Jewish idea—and also a Messiah who suffers and dies. The idea of Messiah as a conqueror continues to capture popular imagination, yet the Bible gives us two pictures of the Messiah, so much so that a tradition of two Messiahs arose: Messiah ben Joseph who suffers and dies in battle, and the subsequent Messiah ben David who fulfills the traditional, triumphant idea of what the Messiah would be.

There are many messianic passages in the Hebrew Bible. Many of them show that the Messiah was a person of humility, not someone who walked in the corridors of power. Many reveal how the Messiah suffered and died an atoning death.

While trudging along the road to Emmaus, Jesus may well have explained many of these passages to his disciples.

The Messiah would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace

Isaiah tells of a child given a name of four exalted titles. Is it a description of the child himself?

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 9:6–7 [Hebrew Bible, 9:5–6]
Fulfillment: Matthew 12:42, Luke 1:32–33, 79, John 14:27, Acts 10:36, Romans 9:5, Philippians 4:7, Colossians 2:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:3

In the midst of a messianic section extending from Isaiah 7 to Isaiah 12, we find an extraordinary pair of verses:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6–7 (Hebrew, verses 5–6)

In these verses, a child is at the forefront of Isaiah’s prophecies, as it was in Isaiah 7:14 (see comments on that verse). This time, the child is given a name consisting of four exalted titles.

This name has generated much discussion. Is it a description of the child himself? Then we would translate it as something like, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” This means that the child himself is called Counselor, God, Father, and Prince.

Or like many biblical names, is it a statement about God? Then we would translate it as something like, “Wonderful in Counsel is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,” making the name into a sentence about God.

The Jewish Publication Society version of 1985 and various other versions translate the name as a statement about God. Interestingly though, some Jewish traditions applied the names directly to the child. For example, Deuteronomy Rabbah says that,“the Messiah is called by eight names,” and includes five references to the Isaiah verses, saying that among the Messiah’s names are Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, and Eternal Father of Peace  (The Hebrew for each name, as found in Isaiah, is pele’, yo’etz, el, gibbor, avi’ ad shalom). The Midrash Pereq Shalom says that the Messiah’s name is Peace, quoting from these verses, “for it is said, Everlasting Father, Prince Peace.”1 The Targum to Isaiah – a translation into Aramaic – as well as the medieval commentator Ibn Ezra, also refer the names to the child.2

There is still hope for a future ruler and a future period of blessing and prosperity.

It helps to look at the context of Isaiah 7–12, in which the prophet sees a future time of unparalleled prosperity, wisdom, and peace. We know that no period such as Isaiah describes was ever realized under any king of Israel or Judah. This is why, as we move through the prophets and into the later books of the Old Testament, we find that there is still the hope for a future ruler and a future period of blessing and prosperity. By the end of the Old Testament, that ruler has still not arrived. This means that Isaiah 9 and similar passages awaited their fulfillment beyond the Old Testament, even if some human kings did display wisdom or brought a measure of peace.

And beyond the Old Testament is exactly where we find Isaiah 9:6–7 (Hebrew, verses 5–6) fulfilled. Luke 1:32–33 describes Jesus as ruler on the throne of David, exactly as Isaiah 9:7 (Hebrew, v. 6) describes in the verse that follows immediately after 9:6–7. There, Isaiah says about the child, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom.” Luke, in similar words, says:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Luke 1:32–33

Luke 1:79 similarly tells about Jesus bringing peace, just as the child of Isaiah 9 is called the “Prince of Peace”: Jesus will “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, [and will] guide our feet into the way of peace.” Jesus himself said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” And Peter, in Acts 10:36, speaks about God and says, “As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ.”

The New Testament throughout shows that Jesus is indeed the “Mighty God” who has come among us as a human being. Jesus does things only God can do, such as forgive sins and command nature to obey him. The writers of the New Testament apply directly to Jesus verses from the Old Testament that referred to God. And verses such as Romans 9:5 are explicit: “To them [the Jewish people] belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

In Jesus ‘are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’

As to being wise in counsel (or, a wonderful counselor), Jesus spoke of himself in this way: “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). Colossians 2:3 tells us that in Jesus “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And as for being the “everlasting father” (in Isaiah, a title that meant “protector”), Philippians 4:7 says that, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Jesus” – combining peace and protection together. And in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, we read that, “the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Was Isaiah speaking of a human king of his time, as some believe? The kings of Israel never brought about the everlasting rule and time of justice and righteousness that Isaiah described. Some individual kings brought in temporary peace, some displayed wisdom, and some displayed godly attributes. Many did not. But only the Messiah will do so permanently. Jesus the Messiah has begun that process, and will bring it to fruition.

End Notes

1. Cited in Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, vol. 3, Messianic Prophecy Objections (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 33, n. 86

2. John Goldingay, “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6),” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61 (1999), 239.

The Messiah would be preceded by a messenger

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Malachi 3:1
Fulfillment: Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 1:76; 7:26–27

Malachi 3:1 reads:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”

Both Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 speak of someone coming to “prepare the way” of the Lord, using the same Hebrew phrases. (See commentary on Isaiah 40:3.) They differ in that Malachi speaks of a messenger coming to prepare the way, while Isaiah speaks of preparing the way in the desert.

Malachi is speaking to Jewish people who had returned to the land of Israel from exile in Babylon and who had rebuilt the temple. Yet the promises of God’s glory filling the temple had apparently not materialized. To a dispirited people, Malachi prophesies that God will indeed come to the temple, preceded by a “messenger.”

In Matthew 11:9–10 (paralleled in Luke 7:26–27), Jesus speaks of John the Baptist in these terms:

What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

One thing that is significant here, is that in Malachi, God says the messenger will “prepare the way before me,” whereas Matthew and its parallel in Luke have “before you,” referring to Jesus himself. In this passage in Matthew and in Luke, what applied to God in Malachi is applied to Jesus! (It was not uncommon to cite Scripture with variations, just as a modern preacher might paraphrase a bit in order to make a point.)

Mark 1:2-3 combines Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, though he only mentions Isaiah by name. It was customary to often cite several Scriptures with similar phraseology but only mention the leading prophet; readers and listeners knew their Bible and would know which was which.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Mark immediately goes on to talk about John the Baptist as the “messenger” of Malachi and the “voice” of Isaiah.

While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all speak of John as the preparer in the context of his ministry as an adult, Luke also speaks of him the same way, but at his birth. He may be alluding to either Malachi 3:1 or Isaiah 40:3; there’s not enough information to tell which. But we see the full context in Luke 1:76-79:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

In Luke, we see the big picture: when John prepares the way for Jesus, this will lead to salvation, forgiveness, light, and peace. This was some messenger!

And what about Malachi’s prophecy that God would come to his temple? The glory of God was shown in a climactic way when Jesus came to the temple (on several occasions in the Gospels), for in him the glory of God was revealed. We also see a glimpse of Jesus bringing God’s glory into the temple in Luke 2:25–32:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Above all, when Jesus was resurrected from the dead, God’s glory was revealed in the very body of Jesus, which he himself described as a temple:

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:19–22

The Messiah would be the coming one to whom the scepter belongs

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Genesis 49:10
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:6, Matthew 2:11, Romans 1:5, Romans 15:18, Romans 16:26, Hebrews 7:14, Revelation 5:5

This prophecy is part of Jacob’s prophetic blessings on his sons; the full blessing on Judah is found in Genesis 49:8–12, in which Jacob speaks of the preeminence of that tribe. We can mention three highlights of the prophecy blessing:

1. The promise of the “scepter” and “ruler’s staff” indicates that Judah would exercise rulership. This was fulfilled in King David and his descendants, ultimately being fulfilled in the rule of the Messiah. In the New Testament, Hebrews 7:14 explicitly traces Yeshua’s descent from Judah, while Revelation 5:5 calls Yeshua “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Matthew 2:6 also cites Micah 5:2 (Hebrew, v. 1), which speaks of a coming ruler from the land of Judah.

2. One phrase in the blessing is not easy to translate. Depending on your particular Bible translation, you may see “until Shiloh comes,” or “until he comes to whom it [that is, the scepter] belongs,” or “until tribute comes to him,” or some other variation for Genesis 49:10. These variations should not be a major concern; they all refer to the rulership of Judah. If the verse means “until he comes to whom the scepter belongs,” then it refers to the Messiah’s ultimate, final rule which is very different from the rule of secular authorities. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17), said Jesus, when asked if it was right to pay the temple tax to Rome. To rephrase it, “Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Caesar may have ruled with an oppressive iron scepter, but the scepter that belongs to the Messiah is one of peace, justice, and righteousness.

Or if the phrase means, “until tribute comes to him,” we remember that the magi from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Yeshua and his family (Matthew 2:11). Since the magi were not Jewish, this intimates that the Gentiles, and not only the Jews, will worship Jesus the Jewish Messiah. This leads into the third highlight.

3. The ruler from Judah will receive the “obedience of the peoples”—that is, nations that are not Jewish. Paul, known as the apostle to the Gentiles, could well have been thinking of this verse when he wrote, “…we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Romans 1:5), and, “For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed.” (Romans 15:18; see also Romans 16:26).

The word “until,” by the way, does not imply that Judah’s rulership will end when the ruler arrives. The compendium Hard Sayings of the Bible notes that: “The until is used not in an exclusive but in an inclusive sense. That is, the coming of Shiloh does not mark the limits of Judah’s domination over the nation of Israel, for if it did it would constitute a threat and not a blessing. Instead, the idea is that the sovereignty of Judah is brought to its highest point under the arrival and rule of Shiloh.”

The Messiah would be acclaimed

Before his crucifixion, Jesus was acclaimed as Son of David, King of Israel.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Psalm 118:25–29
Fulfillment: Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10; Luke 13:34–35; 19:38; John 12:13

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 118 was one of the Hallel Psalms (Psalms of Praise) recited at Passover time. All four Gospels record that as Jesus entered Jerusalem in the days leading up to Passover, crowds gathered, acclaiming Jesus as the one “who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:26).

And so in Matthew 21:9, we read, “The crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Hosanna means, “save us, please!”) Here the crowds add the messianic title “Son of David” to their citation of Psalm 118, showing that they understood these psalm verses as messianic.

The corresponding account in Mark 11:9–10 reads, “Those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’” Here the crowds specifically express their hope for the imminent coming of the “kingdom of our father David,” another indication that they were viewing Jesus as the promised Messiah. The word “father” here means “protector” rather than “ancestor,” similar to the title “Everlasting Father” in Isaiah 9 (see commentary on Isaiah 9:6–7). A king who would protect his people Israel from all enemies and all evil – this was a high expectation!

When we get to Luke 19:38, the crowd specifically calls Jesus a king, and a king who brings peace: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” As Mark 11 reminds us of the title “Everlasting Father” from Isaiah 9, the crowd’s welcome of Jesus reminds us of the title “Prince of Peace” (see commentary on Isaiah 9:6–7).

And finally, we come to John 12:13: “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” Here they acclaim Jesus not simply King, but specifically as King of Israel.

Each Gospel account supplements the others. In the week leading up to Passover, Jesus was acclaimed as Son of David, as the king-protector, as the king-peacemaker, and as King of Israel. John also specifically mentions palm branches, which “had been one of the nationalistic symbols of Judea since the days of the Maccabees, were consistently used to celebrate military victories and probably stirred some political messianic hopes among the people.”1 Given all this messianic acclamation, it is no wonder that Jesus’ presence stirred passions pro and con during this time!

There is more, though. In Luke 13:34–35, Jesus cries out in pain over the unbelief of Jerusalem, and by extension, the nation as a whole:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

It is not just the crowds who called Jesus the one who comes in the name of the Lord. When Jesus quoted Psalm 118, he was referring to himself, just as he spoke of other passages in the same psalm as applying to himself (see other Psalm 118 commentaries). Though many of the people not long afterwards did, in fact, acclaim him with this verse, as the other Gospel quotations show, the leadership of the day did not. And even many of those who did acclaim him were disappointed when rather than become a victorious king who would destroy Rome and bring in the hoped-for kingdom, he was crucified instead. Little did they know that the kingdom first came by humility, death, and resurrection, and only later in power and glory. Jesus indeed came in the name of the Lord, but his coming was not according to popular hopes.

Yet someday, according to his words in Luke 13, the nation – leaders and people alike – will acclaim him as the Messiah “who comes in the name of the Lord.” Then the hope of redemption that Passover looks forward to will finally come to pass in full!

End Notes

1. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993) see under John 12:13.

The Messiah Would Be the Seed of the Woman

“The seed of the woman” would inflict a death blow on Satan and on evil.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Genesis 3:15
Fulfillment: Romans 16:20, Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12:9, 17

This verse comes early in the book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve disobey God by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God pronounces judgment on the serpent who deceived Eve into eating, followed by judgment against Eve, and then Adam. Genesis 3:15 is part of God’s judgment on the serpent. In the context of Genesis and the rest of the Bible, the prediction is of an ongoing conflict not merely between snakes and humans but between Satan (the embodiment of ultimate evil) and humanity. The singular “he shall bruise your head” suggests a particular individual; the contrast between head and heel may suggest that the blow against Satan and evil will be lethal, but not so the blow against the individual. Just as Genesis sets the stage for everything that follows in the Bible, this verse sets the stage for the coming of someone who would inflict a death blow on Satan and on evil. As a result, many understand this to be the first hint of a coming one who will be victorious over evil. It is too early in the Bible for him to be called the “Messiah”; that title would come later. But it is noteworthy that the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that comes from the first few centuries before Jesus) and the later Targums1 (paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible into the daily language of Aramaic) understood this verse to speak about the coming Messiah.

The New Testament alludes to Genesis 3:15 in several places. Romans 16:20 speaks of victory over Satan with the image of crushing underfoot, as one might do to a snake. Galatians 4:4 refers to Jesus being “born of woman,” reminding us that the phrase in Genesis refers to the seed (offspring) of the woman. Hebrews 2:14 refers to Jesus destroying – through his own death – Satan. Some think that the blow against the heel in Genesis 3:15 actually would be lethal, since snakes were often poisonous. In that case, Genesis would not be talking about a lethal vs. non-lethal blow, but both would be mortal wounds. In Jesus’ case, however, it was exactly his death that led to redemption. Finally, Revelation 12:9 and 17 allude to the war of Satan against “the woman” and “the rest of her offspring”—a clear reference back to Genesis 3:15 which ties the first and last books of the Bible together. Jesus may be the ultimate seed of the woman, but his followers are also in battle against Satan against which they will be victorious (compare Romans 16:20 above).

End Notes

1. Targums Pseudo-Jonathan, Neofiti, and Onqelos.

The Messiah would be the descendant of Abraham through whom all nations would be blessed

God brought Abraham to the land of Israel in order to do three things.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Genesis 12:3
Fulfillment: Acts 3:24–26

The beginnings of the Jewish people are found in Genesis 12:1–3. There, God calls Abram (later renamed Abraham) to leave his home country of Mesopotamia for the land that would eventually be called “Israel.” According to Jewish folklore, when he was still back home, Abraham realized that there was only one God and proceeded to demolish the wooden idols in his father’s workshop. That story, though, cannot be found in the Bible, which emphasizes something different: that God brought Abraham to the land of Israel in order to do three things. First, God would make a great people from Abraham, later specified to be from Abraham’s son Isaac (rather than Ishmael), and Isaac’s son Jacob (rather than Esau). From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have come the Jewish people. To this day, Jewish liturgy refers to “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

The second promise was of the land itself, and both these first two promises are reiterated in Genesis 15 and later chapters.

The third promise was that through Abraham and his descendants, all the nations of the world would be blessed. This promise, among others, is repeated in Genesis 18:17–18: “The LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?’”

It has always been the biblical hope that one day the nations of the world would join with Israel in worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. One can make a good case that through Jewish doctors, lawyers, scientists, and the world-renowned Israeli technology sector, great blessing has already come to the world. But as the Bible shows us, the ultimate fulfillment is that through Jesus, many nations of the world that formerly practiced pagan religions have now come to know the living God. And of course, the Jewish people themselves are included in this blessing.

In the New Testament book of Acts 3:24–26, one of Jesus’ followers Peter speaks to a crowd of his fellow Jews on the holiday of Shavuot: “All the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

That’s it in a nutshell. God raised up His servant Jesus the Messiah (described in Isaiah 53) to fulfill the promises God made to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This fulfillment comes through Jesus, through whom Israel and the nations receive the blessing of atonement for sins (“turning every one of you from your wickedness”) and the knowledge of God Himself. And it all started in Genesis 12:3.

The Messiah would be lifted up

Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Numbers 21:6–9
Fulfillment: John 3:14–18

Numbers 21:6–9 is not a direct prediction. But it is one of the passages that gives a glimpse, a picture-in-advance, of what the Messiah would be like. Israel was en route from Egypt to the Promised Land when the people (not for the first time) became impatient, ungrateful, and rebellious. Despite God’s provision thus far, they claimed to be afraid that there would be no water and were tired of the same food (provided by God) all the time. In consequence, God sent serpents to bite the people, and some died. But when they confessed their sin, Moses prayed to the Lord, and following God’s instructions, made a copper (or bronze) serpent and placed it on a pole. Then anyone who looked at the serpent would live, even after being bitten.

At one level, this taught Israel to have faith in God even if they could not fully understand what He was asking of them. In Exodus 12, He commanded the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts in order to be spared the plague of death. In Exodus 16, He gave instructions for gathering manna (the food they are tired of in this passage), including gathering twice as much on the sixth day and nothing on the seventh. Some must have been perplexed at those times, and perhaps in this passage as well. But it became a way to teach trust even when full understanding was not present.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

But there is another level. In John 3, Yeshua is in conversation with a leading Pharisee, Nicodemus. At one point he remarks, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14). Jesus had his own crucifixion in mind when he was “lifted up” on another pole at his crucifixion; he says as much in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Moreover, Isaiah 52:13, fulfilled in Yeshua, speaks of God’s servant being “lifted up.”

Many have noticed the parallels with the serpent on the pole. No one in the wilderness was spared being bitten, as no one is spared the bite of sin – we all sin and receive the effects of our sin. The Israelites could be healed if they looked at the serpent; anyone can be healed of sin if we look to Yeshua with faith. The copper serpent was the only cure for the poisonous bites; Yeshua is the only cure for sin (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

In a book known as the Wisdom of Solomon written by a Jewish author in the second century BC, we read this reflection on the incident in Numbers:

For when the terrible rage of wild beasts came upon thy people
and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents,
thy wrath did not continue to the end; they were troubled for a little while as a warning, and received a token of deliverance to remind them of thy law’s command. For he who turned toward it was saved, not by what he saw, but by thee, the Savior of all.

Wisdom of Solomon 16:5–7

The “token of deliverance” was the copper serpent, through whom God performed the healing. In the same way, the token of deliverance today is Yeshua, through whom we can discover that God is the author of our spiritual healing from sin, for he has been lifted up on the crucifixion stake for us.

The Messiah would be our Kinsman-Redeemer

The key idea here is “redemption,” reminiscent of Exodus.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Ruth 4:4–9
Fulfillment: Luke 1:50, 58, 68, 72, 78; John 10:17–18; Romans 5:7–8; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:4; Hebrews 2:11–12, 17

This is not a prediction of the Messiah, but a picture that would ultimately be fleshed out in Jesus. The key word here is “redeem.” The term “redemption” is familiar from the book of Exodus (see 6:6) in which God redeems Israel from bondage in Egypt. God continues to be the great redeemer when Israel is in need: “I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:14).

Human society also reflected God’s character as redeemer. In each family or clan of ancient Israel, a family member was responsible for “redeeming” others in the clan at various times of need. Leviticus 25:25 speaks of redemption of property, when a family member bought back land that a relative had sold. A relative who had sold himself into slavery was to be bought back (redeemed) by another in the clan. In the book of Ruth, the family redeemer also provides a child in the case of a man who had died without descendants. In the situation that Ruth shows us, the family redeemer was under no obligation to perform the act of redemption, yet he willingly did so.

In the book of Ruth, the idea of chesed, often translated lovingkindness or mercy, lies behind the action of the redeemer (Hebrew, go’el). Chesed implies acting to meet the deep needs of others based on relationship of commitment and covenant. Because of this, it also implies that a more powerful person will be the one showing chesed to one who is weaker, and it is done voluntarily. In the same way, God’s chesed lies behind His acts of mercy on behalf of His people Israel.

In the New Testament, we see the coming of Jesus as an expression of God’s chesed, His mercy:

His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
Luke 1:50

Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
Luke 1:58

… to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
Luke 1:72

… because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.
Luke 1:78

Specifically, God’s chesed is shown when Jesus redeems His people:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people.
Luke 1:68

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
Ephesians 1:7

… in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:14

Jesus is likewise our family, our kin, like the redeemer in the book of Ruth:

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he [Jesus] is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
Hebrews 2:11–12

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:17

Significantly, like the redeemer of Ruth, there was no obligation on Jesus’ part to redeem us through his death—yet he did so willingly and sacrificially:

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ [Messiah] died for us.
Romans 5:7–8

For this reason the Father loves me [Jesus], because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
John 10:17–18

Jesus is our redeemer—and even more so, our kinsman-redeemer. He is our kinsman, our family, by virtue of being human as well as divine. And by being born Jewish, he is especially a kinsman to the Jewish people. Perhaps this is why even Martin Buber, the renowned Jewish theologian, could say, “From my youth onwards, I have found in Jesus my great brother”—even though he did not believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel.

More than that, he is also our redeemer – the ultimate expression of God’s chesed. The book of Ruth ends with a genealogy showing that King David descended from Boaz. And we know that Jesus was himself a descendant of David. Boaz’s act of chesed towards Ruth enabled a greater chesed, for (humanly speaking) he enabled Jesus to be born!

The Messiah would be the righteous sufferer

Psalm 69 is the most-quoted psalm in the New Testament applied to Jesus as Messiah.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Psalm 69
Fulfillment: Matthew 27:33–34, 48; John 2:17; 15:25; 19:28–30

Like Psalm 22, this is also about a righteous sufferer. Psalm 22 impresses us in its very graphical fulfillment in the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus. Psalm 69 impresses us by being the most-quoted psalm in the New Testament applied to Jesus.

In Psalm 69:4 (Hebrew, 5), David says that “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause,” while in John 15:25, Jesus says regarding those who oppose him, “But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’” It is interesting that Jesus uses the term “fulfill” in regard to a psalm, not to one of the prophets. Evidently, he regarded all of Scripture as pointing to himself even if was not from the mouth of a prophet (see Luke 24:44). Here the fulfillment is that Jesus turns out to be the ultimate righteous sufferer.

Verse 9 (Hebrew, 10) of the psalm reads: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” After Jesus cleanses the temple in John 2, we read that, “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me’” (John 2:17). The psalmist speaks of his zeal for God’s “house,” the Jerusalem Temple, which he maintains in spite of his opponents’ actions. He intends to be faithful to God no matter what others may do or think. In John 2, the disciples are reminded of this verse as they see Jesus purifying the temple precincts even while others objected to his actions.

The second part of this verse is also quoted by Paul in Romans 15:1–3:  “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’” Here the point is that as Jesus suffered in the eyes of others for doing good, so we should do likewise, in order to serve the community of believers.

Then we have Psalm 69:21 (Hebrew, 22): “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” Here John also calls what happened at the cross a fulfillment of Scripture:

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:28–30

Compare this with Matthew 27:33–34: “When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.” And Matthew 27:48: “One of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.” While the psalm may have been speaking metaphorically, as with Psalm 22, we see a rather startling and literal fulfillment in the events surrounding the cross! One commentator notes that although offering the sour wine may have been a merciful act, “Sour wine was usually a remedy for thirst, and it may have been an attempt to revive him to perpetuate his suffering.”1 If so, that would further connect with Psalm 69, in which the verse on sour wine is preceded by the psalmist’s complaint about a lack of comforters.

As with Psalm 22, Psalm 69 also ends on a note of triumph: “For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it” (Psalm 69:35-36 [Hebrew, 36–37]). In the midst of suffering, Jesus the Righteous Sufferer was vindicated by God. We who believe in him can likewise be assured that our sufferings will end with a positive outcome.

End Notes

1. Craig Keener, IVP New Testament Background Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), see under Matthew 27:48.

The Messiah would be the great light

Jesus sheds his light both on the Jewish people and on the nations of the world.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 9:1–2 [Hebrew Bible, 8:23–9:1]
Fulfillment: Matthew 4:13–16, Luke 1:76–79; 2:32; John 1:4–5; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46

In Isaiah chapters 7–12, the prophet speaks of the salvation of Israel from its enemies, with the person of the Messiah in view—the child of 7:14 and 9:6–7 (Hebrew, 5–6). Galilee, represented here by the tribal areas of Zebulun and Naphtali, were the first to be taken into captivity by Assyria in the eighth century BC. Here, Isaiah promises that they will see a reversal of this tragedy, for God’s light will shine on them—an emblem of His presence and guidance.

Matthew chapter 4 portrays Jesus’ ministry in Galilee as the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. Galilee, though inhabited by Jews, was also a populous area for Gentiles, hence the designation “Galilee of the Gentiles”—with a hint that Jesus’ ministry will impact not only the Jewish nation but others as well.

Luke 1:77–79 alludes to Isaiah 9 when Zechariah prophesies about his son John the Baptist, declaring that he will “go before the Lord to prepare his ways,” and that this will “give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The phrases “those who sit in darkness” and “shadow of death” are very clear allusions to Isaiah 9:2 (Hebrew, verse 1).

The theme of Jesus as the light is prominent in the New Testament. In John 1:4–5, he says about Jesus that, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men [i.e., people]. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In John 8:12, Jesus himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,” while in John 9:5, he declares that, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Yet again, in John 12:46, he says, “I have come into the world as light.”

In Luke 2:32, Simeon sees Jesus and calls him “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel”—having just told us that “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (verse 26).

In the context of chapters 7–11, Isaiah is speaking of the messianic light, fulfilled in Jesus who sheds his light both on the Jewish people and on the nations of the world.

The Messiah would be called a Nazarene

Do the Hebrew Scriptures actually say this anywhere?

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 53:3; Zechariah (various portions); Psalm 22
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:23

Matthew’s Gospel cites many Old Testament prophets about the Messiah, but only in 2:23 does he use the plural “prophets” as opposed to a particular prophet: “And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Moreover, whereas in other citations he uses the word “saying” (Greek, legontos), here he uses the word “that” (Greek, hoti), suggesting that it is not a direct quote. Rather, it represents a summary of what several prophets have said. What did they say then?

The words of Nathanael in John 1:46 shed light: “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” People from Nazareth were not held in high esteem; they were considered backward and, we might say, “trashy.” In fact, Galilee as a whole did not have a sterling reputation. When the Pharisee Nicodemus defended Jesus in front of his fellow Pharisees, they replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (John 7:52).

Various prophets and other Old Testament writers wrote that the Messiah would be despised and considered of low esteem. For example, Isaiah 53:3 says that, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Zechariah is another likely one of the “plural prophets” who spoke about the lowliness of the Messiah. Zechariah 9:9–10, in the midst of a section of “messianic portraits” (in the words of commentator R. T. France), depicts a savior who is riding a donkey, in lowly fashion.

Zechariah 11:4–14 speaks of a shepherd who is not recognized by his own sheep, who is pierced by the Jerusalemites in 12:10, and was even struck down by God’s sword (13:7). As France summarizes, the words of this verse in Matthew “represent the prophetic expectation that the Messiah would appear from nowhere and would as a result meet with incomprehension and rejection.”1

Similarly, Psalm 22 says in verse 6 (Hebrew, verse 7), “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.” David said this of himself as a righteous sufferer, but when Jesus quoted this Psalm on the cross, the implication was that he was the ultimate example of such a suffering individual. Note that in Acts 2:30–31, David is called a prophet, though he is not normally included in the writing prophets of the Old Testament: “Being therefore a prophet… he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah.” Similarly, Acts 4:24 speaks of God “who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,” followed by a quotation from Psalm 2. So David could also be included among Matthew’s “prophets.”

Less likely is the idea that this is a wordplay on netzer, Hebrew for branch, in Isaiah 11:1. The wordplay only works in Hebrew, not in Greek (the language of Matthew). And it is not the case that multiple prophets spoke of the Messiah as a branch using the word netzer—only Isaiah 11:1 uses that word, while other possible messianic mentions of a “branch” use tzemach. Nor did they state that he “would be called” by that name.  The explanation that it refers to the Messiah’s lowliness and status as a despised person fits Matthew’s usage perfectly.

End Notes

1. R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (New International Commentary on the New Testament), (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 95.

The Messiah would perform signs of healing

Jesus performed many miracles of healing the people of Israel in his role as Messiah.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 35:5–6
Fulfillment: Matthew 11:4–6, Luke 7:20–23

In Isaiah 35:5–6, the prophet speaks of the day of salvation this way: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist has just been imprisoned. In his perplexity—if the Messiah has come, how could this be?—he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is the Coming One. Jesus responds in this way: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:4–6; see the parallel passage in Luke 7:20–23).

Jesus alluded to other passages besides Isaiah 35 (which speaks of the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the mute). Isaiah 26:19 says, “Your dead shall live”; Isaiah 29:18 also refers to the healing of the deaf and the blind; while Isaiah 61:1 speaks of bringing good news to the poor (quoted by Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth (Luke 4:18–19).

In Jesus’ ministry, we see him do all these miracles. From Matthew’s Gospel alone, we see Jesus:

Healing the blind:

As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.

Matthew 9:27–30

Healing the lame:

Getting into a boat he [Jesus] crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew 9:1–8

Cleansing a leper:

A leper came to him [Jesus] and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Matthew 8:2–4

Healing the deaf:

As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him [Jesus]. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”

Matthew 9:32–33 (the same word can mean “deaf” or “mute,” and both were often found together.)

Raising the dead:

While he [Jesus] was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples…. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

Matthew 9:18–19, 23–26

Preaching good news to the poor:

Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:35–36

In Jesus’ ministry, Isaiah’s prophecy of messianic healing was fulfilled in a powerful and compassionate way. Though there remains suffering in the present time—remember John the Baptist had been locked away and was soon to be beheaded—the healing miracles of Jesus show that the Kingdom of God has come, if not yet in its fullness.

Note also that throughout the book of Isaiah, trust in God is a paramount theme. These blessings do not come to those who turn away from God, but for those who trust Him, there is blessing even in the midst of trials and tribulations.

The Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner

Isaiah 40:3-5 envisions God returning to the land of Israel from afar.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 40:3–5
Fulfillment: Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:1–3; Luke 1:76; 3:1–6; John 1:22–23

As Malachi 3:1 does (see commentary on that verse), Isaiah 40:3-5 speaks of someone coming to prepare God’s way. Where Malachi talks about a messenger coming to bring God back to His Temple, Isaiah speaks of a voice crying out to prepare God’s way in the desert. Here is the passage in Isaiah:

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

This passage envisions God returning to the land of Israel from afar, with the travel preparations suitable for a king. As Malachi implies, here Isaiah is explicit: God’s glory will be revealed.

Matthew 3:1–3 links this passage with John the Baptist, and specifically with the fact that John ministered in the desert:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

There had already been a Jewish community living in the desert (known as the Essenes or the Qumran community); now John appears there, and he attracted enough attention that people came out to see him.

Luke likewise quotes from Isaiah 40. In keeping with his emphasis on writing an accurate account (Luke 1:1–4), he situates John’s ministry in its specific time and place:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Luke 3:1–6

Gentiles and Jews stand equally in need of the same forgiveness.

Like Matthew, Luke also mentions that John is in the desert, though he specifies “all the region around the Jordan,” and he also gives the content of his message. For how is the way of the Lord prepared? By repenting of sins. And John was “proclaiming” (like the voice crying in Isaiah 40:3) a baptism of repentance. Though Judaism of the time had various ritual washings, non-Jews who converted to Judaism underwent an immersion. John may be saying that even Jewish people need this kind of baptism to prepare for God; Gentiles and Jews stand equally in need of the same forgiveness.1

In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist himself says that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3–5:

So they [a delegation of priests and Levites] said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John 1:22–23

John was being asked about his identity by the priestly delegation sent to meet him in the desert. He had already told them that he was neither the Messiah, nor Elijah the prophet (see commentary on Malachi 4:5–6), nor the prophet of Deuteronomy 18. But they had to bring back a report on John, so they continue to press him. That is when he quotes Isaiah 40:3. They still press on: why, they ask, are you baptizing anyone if you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet? It could be that they expected one of those end-times figures to baptize people as an act of repentance. John’s response is to point beyond himself to Jesus, though he does not mention him by name here. He is merely the one who prepares, John tells them. But wait till you see who I am preparing things for!

(Mark 1:1–3 combines the Isaiah passage and the Malachi passage, while Luke 1:76 could be quoting either one; see commentary on Malachi 3:1.)

End Notes

1. As suggested by Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), see under Mark 1:4–5.

The Messiah would be a light for the nations of the world

Jesus is God’s servant, humbly going “undercover” in his role as Messiah.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Isaiah 42:1–7
Fulfillment: Matthew 12:15-21; Luke 2:27–32; John 8:12; Revelation 21:23–24

Isaiah 42:1–7 is the second of four passages in Isaiah that describe the “Servant of the Lord.” The first came in Isaiah 41:8–20, where the servant was clearly called Israel. Commentator John Oswalt notes:

The identity of this “servant” [in Isaiah 42] has been the source of endless controversy. The differences between him and the servant Israel [in chapter 41] are striking. The servant Israel is fearful and blind, yet God loves him and will deliver him so that he can be God’s evidence to the nations that he is indeed God. But this Servant, who only appears here in chapters 40–48 and but three times in chapters 49–50, is of a different sort. He is always obedient and responsive to God, his mission is to bring justice to the nations for God, and he is to be a “light” to the nations and a “covenant” to the people (of Israel, see 49:6). In contrast to the promises of divine blessing constantly being given to the servant Israel, this servant receives no benefits through his ministry but only increasing difficulty. In sum, whoever this is, it is not the nation of Israel; it is another figure altogether.1

…The further description of the ministry of this Servant in 42:6–7 confirms that this is not the nation but someone who will function for the nation and indeed for the world. Where Israel was blind and deaf, captive to the powers of this world, this Servant will give sight and freedom.2

Matthew’s Gospel speaks of Jesus as this very servant. Matthew reaches a turning point in chapter 12. In light of opposition from the leaders of Israel, by the end of this chapter, Jesus disengages from them—at least in Galilee, for there will be later confrontations in Jerusalem. But here, Jesus “withdrew” (verse 15) from the Pharisees and commanded those he healed to “lie low” and not make it known that he healed them. This was not to be the time to stir up messianic expectations. Matthew (12:17–21) goes on to say that this is a fulfillment of certain verses in Isaiah 42:

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

This is not the full servant passage. This part, quoting from Isaiah 42:1–4, emphasizes that Jesus is God’s servant, chosen by Him, filled with the Spirit, yet humble, going “undercover” so to speak, in his role as Messiah, and—twice in this passage—bringing God’s rule to the world of the Gentiles as well! This stands in contrast to the rejection by the Jewish leadership by the chapter’s end.

The servant’s light will provide revelation, life, and direction or guidance.

Matthew does not continue the passage, since he wants to emphasize the “undercover” nature of Jesus’ messiahship at this point in his ministry. But further on in Isaiah 42:6, we read that the servant will be “a light for the nations.” This actually helps us to understand what kind of justice (Matthew 12:18, 20) God will bring to the Gentiles (the nations of the world), and what kind of “hope” Isaiah says they will have. As the following New Testament verses show, the servant’s light will provide revelation, life, and direction or guidance. God’s justice is not judgment but setting things right, as they were meant to be, and that means knowing God (revelation), experiencing life, and being instructed in how to best live flourishing lives. No wonder the nations will hope for this! Consider these verses:

He came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:27–32)

Luke emphasizes light as revelation, revealing God to people who did not know Him before as Israel did.

Then we have John 8:12:

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Here, light means having life. Though in the immediate context of John 8, Jesus is speaking to Jews; we know that elsewhere in John, Jesus’ intention is to reach beyond Israel to the world. The “light of life” is for all who will believe.

And finally, we have Revelation 21:23–24:

The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

John here is explicitly talking about the nations of the world. The Lamb—Jesus—shines his light on the nations, and by that light, they “walk” or conduct their lives. We are reminded of Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” What a great hope for anyone, Jewish or Gentile!

End Notes

1. John N. Oswalt, “Isaiah,” inThe NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), Kindle Edition, locations 10201-10208.

2. Ibid., locations 10213-10215.

The Messiah would be the object of a murderous plot, but hope lies ahead

Like Pharaoh or Haman before him, Herod sought to kill a Jewish boy that he saw as a competitor.

by Jews for Jesus | January 01 2018

Reference: Jeremiah 31:15
Fulfillment: Matthew 2:16–18

Jeremiah 31 is a passage of hope and restoration for the beleaguered nation of Israel. We should actually go back to chapter 30 to see the start of Jeremiah’s message of hope. Then chapter 31 goes on to include both the famous prophecy of a new covenant and an affirmation that God’s people Israel will never be destroyed, even if they end up in exile in Babylon.

In verses 15 and 16 of chapter 31, there is a dialogue going on. First, in v. 15, we find Rachel, one of the four matriarchs of Israel, grieving bitterly over the fate of her “children”:

Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Ramah was the place where the exiles were herded together to march to Babylon, and Rachel is portrayed as weeping in her grave at that very place as the nation is taken captive.

But then God responds in verse 16, telling Rachel to no longer weep, for there is a hope ahead for the nation:

Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.”

It is in verse 16 Matthew cites in his gospel:

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16–18)

What Matthew is doing in his first few chapters is this: he is not saying that the Old Testament passages he cites are direct predictions of Jesus’ life – though they certainly were in other cases. What he is doing is showing that key points about the life of Israel are being repeated in Jesus’ life. In this way, Jesus fulfills Scripture because as the greatest Israelite of all, his life follows the contours of the nation’s history. The Old Testament, too, sees similar patterns. For example, the Exodus from Egypt is considered by the prophets as a pattern of an even greater Exodus to come in the future when Israel is gathered from the nations and redeemed in full. The coming Messiah is considered in the Old Testament to be another David, or even another Moses. It is as if Matthew is saying, “Jesus is with you, Israel – what you went through, he went through.” This may sound odd to our ears, but it made sense for the ancient readers of Scripture.

Herod is seeking to destroy someone that he views as a competitor.

And so Herod’s murder of the male children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under is part of a pattern in Scripture in which evil rulers attempt to destroy Israel. We remember that Pharaoh asked the midwives to kill the male babies of the Hebrews. We recall that Assyria and Babylon ripped Israelites from their land and brought them into captivity. We think about how Haman tried to commit genocide against the Jewish people. Now in Matthew, Herod is seeking to destroy someone that he views as a competitor, as another king. It has been estimated that given the population of Bethlehem at the time as less than 1,000, the number of children Herod had killed would have been at most twenty. That is not exactly genocide, terrible as it was; the real tragedy would have been if Herod had destroyed the Messiah among those twenty. Then Rachel would really have wept!

But remember that in Jeremiah, God responds to Rachel by telling her that there is a hope ahead, so her weeping can cease. We may be reminded here of Psalm 30:5 (Hebrew, 30:6): “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” In any event, in Matthew, there is yet hope ahead in spite of Herod – for the Messiah lives, and we should note, the Jewish people will continue to survive and even flourish.

Sharing is caringFacebookX / TwitterLinkedInWhatsAppTelegramRedditEmail15703 words · 162 views