Why is Jesus the Messiah?

The Messiah is intended, described, and characterised, in his Person, Office, Qualifications, and Works; that suffices to reveal that there was such a Person, called the Messiah, often spoken of in the Bible, who should appear in due time, in the world, as the deliverer and saviour of mankind. Christian theology began to distinguish three stages in the career of Jesus Christ: his preexistence with the Father before all things; his Incarnation and humiliation in “the days of His flesh” (Hebrews 5:7); and his glorification, beginning with the Resurrection and continuing forever.

Christ is identified as the Incarnation of the Word (Logos) through which God made all things in the beginning, a Word existing in relation to God before the Creation. Jesus had been his given name, meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh will save” (Matthew 1:21), while Christ was the Greek translation of the title Messiah. Jesus is named the Messiah in Matthew 1:16. In fact, every time someone says, “Jesus Christ,” he is referring to Jesus as the Messiah since Christ means Messiah, Chosen One or Anointed One. The Old Testament predicts the Messiah, and the New Testament reveals the Messiah to be Jesus of Nazareth. There are several things that the Jewish people who anticipated the Messiah expected Him to be, based on Old Testament prophecies.

The Messiah would be a Hebrew man (Isaiah 9:6) born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), a prophet akin to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18), a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), a king (Isaiah 11:1–4), and the Son of David (Matthew 22:42) who suffered before entering His glory (Isaiah 53). Jesus met each of these messianic requirements. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Messiah in that He was a Hebrew of the tribe of Judah (Luke 3:30), and He was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–7) to a virgin (Luke 1:26–27). Another proof that Jesus was the Messiah is the fact that He was a prophet like Moses.

Both Moses and Jesus were prophets “whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10; cf. John 8:38). But Jesus is an even greater prophet than Moses in that, while Moses delivered Israel from slavery, Jesus frees us from the bondage of death and sin. Unlike Moses, Jesus didn’t just represent God—He is God (John 10:30). Jesus doesn’t just lead us to the Promised Land; He takes us up to heaven for eternity (John 14:1–3). For these and many more reasons, Jesus is a prophet greater than Moses. The Messiah was to have priestly duties; Jesus was not a Levite, and only Levites were allowed to be priests.

So how could Jesus qualify?

Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20). Melchizedek predated the Jewish temple, and his very name means “King of Righteousness.” Melchizedek was also called the “King of Salem,” which means “King of Peace” (Hebrews 7:2). Melchizedek blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser, Hebrews 7:7), and Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe. Thus, as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, Jesus is greater than Abraham (see John 8:58) and the Levitical priesthood. He is a heavenly priest who offered a sacrifice that removes sin permanently, not just temporarily covers it. Jesus must also be a king in order to be the Messiah. Jesus was from Judah, the kingly tribe. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came looking for the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–2). Jesus taught that He would one day sit on a glorious throne (Matthew 19:28; 25:31).

Many people in Israel saw Jesus as their long-awaited king and expected Him to set up His rule immediately (Luke 19:11), although Jesus’ kingdom is currently not of this world (John 18:36). At the end of Jesus’ life, during His trial before Pilate, Jesus did not defend Himself except to answer affirmatively when Pilate asked if He was the King of the Jews (Mark 15:2). Another way Jesus fits the Old Testament description of the Messiah is that He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. On the cross, Jesus was “despised” and “held in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3). He was “pierced” (verse 5) and “oppressed and afflicted” (verse 7). He died with thieves yet was buried in a rich man’s tomb (verse 9; cf. Mark 15:27; Matthew 27:57–60). After His suffering and death, Jesus the Messiah was resurrected (Isaiah 53:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:4) and glorified (Isaiah 53:12).

Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest prophecies identifying Jesus as the Messiah; it is the very passage that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip met him and explained to him about Jesus (Acts 8:26–35). There are other ways in which Jesus is shown to be the Messiah. Each of the feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament is related to and fulfilled by Jesus. When Jesus came the first time, He was our Passover Lamb (John 1:29), our Unleavened Bread (John 6:35), and our First Fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20). The pouring out of Christ’s Spirit happened at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4).

When Jesus the Messiah returns, we will hear the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God. It is no coincidence that the first fall festival day is Yom-Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. After Jesus returns, He will judge the earth. This is the fulfilment of the next fall festival, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Then Jesus will set up His millennial kingdom and reign from the throne of David for 1,000 years; that will complete the final fall festival, Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles when God dwells with us. To those of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the proof that He is the Jewish Messiah seems overwhelming.

How is it that, generally speaking, the Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah?

Both Isaiah and Jesus prophesied spiritual blindness upon Israel as a judgment for their lack of faith (Isaiah 6:9–10; Matthew 13:13–15). Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural saviour, not a Savior from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world (see Acts 1:6). They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that.

The story of Joseph provides an interesting parallel to the Jews’ missing their Messiah. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and after many ups and downs, he was made prime minister of all of Egypt. When a famine hit both Egypt and Israel, Joseph’s brothers travelled to Egypt to get food, and they met with Joseph—but they did not recognise him. Their own brother, standing right in front of them, yet they were oblivious. They did not recognise Joseph for a very simple reason: he did not look as they expected him to look. Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian; he spoke like an Egyptian; he lived as an Egyptian. The thought that he might be their long-lost brother never crossed their minds—Joseph was a Hebrew shepherd, after all, not Egyptian royalty.

In a similar way, most Jewish people did not (and do not) recognise Jesus as their Messiah. They were looking for an earthly king, not the ruler of a spiritual kingdom. (Many rabbis interpret the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 as the Jewish people who have suffered at the hands of the world.) Their blindness was so great that no amount of miracles made a difference (Matthew 11:20). Still, there were many in Jesus’ day who saw the truth about Jesus. The Bethlehem shepherds saw (Luke 2:16–17). Simeon in the temple saw (verse 34). Anna saw and “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (verse 38). Peter and the other disciples saw (Matthew 16:16). May many more continue to see that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who fulfils the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).

It is a secure fact of history that after the Romans crucified Jesus of Nazareth circa AD 33, his followers met weekly to worship him as Lord. Paul said that they were to sing and make melody in their hearts ‘to the Lord’ (Ephesians 5.19; also 1 Corinthians 14:26. Another example, and more to the point, is in the words of the prayer Maranatha, which mean, ‘Lord, come back (1 Corinthians 16.22; also Revelation 22.20). It is evident, therefore, that the early Christians worshipped Jesus as Lord and prayed to Him, pleading with Him to return. At the beginning of the second book, the Acts of the Apostles, Peter declared that ‘God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2:36). In other words, Luke the author of the Gospel and the Acts allows us to hear from Peter the continuity between the pre-crucified Jesus and the post-Passover one, whom he now declares to be the object of worship and obedience. The divine superiority. In John 1:27, Jesus is superior. John explains that Jesus is superior to him in every way.

So superior in fact, that John didn’t feel worthy to even act as a servant and strap on his sandals. The divine sacrifice. John 1:29 builds on the idea of Jesus’ superiority by telling us that Jesus is the Lamb of God. The Passover Lamb had one purpose and that was to die and shed its blood. Just like Abraham said to Isaac, our God has provided a sacrifice. The divine redemption. John 1:29 tells us another important thing about Jesus.

As our Passover Lamb, he has come to take away the sins of the entire world. Jesus is our Redeemer when no one or nothing else would be enough for the sins of the entire world. The divine pre-existence. John 1:30 adds an element that is often overlooked by many today. Jesus is not just a son of God, he is the Son of God, the one who ranks before us simply because he is God and existed before us. The divine anointing. The theological significance of Jesus’ anointing by the Holy Spirit is profound. In John 1:32, we are told that the Spirit of God descended from heaven, like a dove, and remained on him.

The Spirit empowered Messiah, as promised throughout the Old Testament, has finally arrived and will usher in the New Kingdom of God. The divine prerogative. Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. In John 1:33, we see the divine prerogative to give the Spirit to whomever he chooses. Giving the Spirit to a person is a divine right that Jesus and the Father have as God. The divine person. In this seventh proof of Jesus’ divinity, we see his interactions with Nathanael. In John 1:49, we see Nathanael’s response to a seemingly innocuous statement about seeing him under the fig tree. 1 Kings 4:25 and Micah 4:4 tells us that Jews considered being under the fig tree a place of peace, security, rest, and worship. The idea is likely that Jesus’ supernaturally saw him there and knew his thoughts and therefore, knows him completely. When we look at the signs from heaven.

The Pharisees desired Jesus then and there to prove his Messiahship to them by appearing in the heavens as the Son of man in asking His glory, and to establish a visible kingdom. This is a true sign of the Messiah. Not only is it a favourite sign with the Jews, but one also which Jesus acknowledged. The Jews sought some signs too soon with the second advent of the Messiah. A second advent for the Messiah is described in prophecy in two distinct characters, which Christ could not fulfil at one and the same time. He is to come in the character of a Priest, to make atonement for sin, in humiliation, suffering, and death.

He is also to come in the badge of a King, in glory and immortality. In the first of these characters, Jesus had then appeared. He must first suffer before he can enter into his glory, and therefore, also, before he can be revealed in his glory. In the second character, he promises in due time to appear. And in this character accordingly, he is expected by his disciples. At the period of his birth, there was a general expectation. The weeks of Daniel were fast running out within which the Messiah was to be cut off. He must be born a considerable time before the date of his Passion. Gentiles then shared the expectation of the Jews. His birth was itself a miracle. He was born of a virgin, and m the house and lineage of David.

This was according to the requirement of the first promise in Eden, that he should be the “Seed of the woman,” and of that remarkable place in Isaiah where a virgin of the house of David was to bring forth a son, who was to be distinguished as Immanuel-(God with us). Immanue-with us, el-means God. That birth was also attended by miracles. The Annunciation to the Virgin by Gabriel corresponded to that made to Manoah’s wife concerning the birth of Samson, who was a type of Christ. The wonderful birth was then celebrated by angels, who appeared to the shepherds; and by a star seen by the Wise Men in the East. Those connected with sickness from His public ministry that He healed. Foremost amongst these was the miracle at his baptism when he was about to enter upon that public ministry, now anointed and empowered to proclaim the kingdom above.

This was followed up by the testimony of John the Baptist. That testimony could not be impeached. The Baptist was authenticated as a prophet of God by the miracles connected with his birth. In that character, he was acknowledged by his nation. He announced himself, as the angel had designated him to be, the harbinger of Messiah. In that capacity, he pointed out Jesus to his disciples as the “Lamb of God that beareth away the sin of the world. This wonderful character Jesus was able to sustain. He wrought the miracles which the prophets said Messiah was to work.

He did everything and suffered everything which the prophets said Messiah was to do and suffer in his advent as a Priest. The very wickedness of the generation that “tempted him, and proved him, and saw his works,” was a sign of the times. And to all but themselves is their obstinacy in rejecting Jesus, together with their long-continued sufferings, a proof that Jesus is the Christ; for these things he foretold. Jesus gave them a sign from the earth, but the Jews sought a sign from heaven. The sign they sought, as we have seen, was that of the Prophet Daniel. That he gave them was the sign of the Prophet Jonah. They sought the sign of the kingdom of glory. He gave them the sign of the priesthood and suffering. The burial presupposes the death, and the death the suffering, of Messiah. These things he afterwards plainly showed to his disciples.

This sign best suited a wicked generation it fulfilled the sacrifices of the Law. Those sacrifices were ostensible to make atonement for sin. But in what sense?

Ceremonially and typically. Morally they could not remove sin. To suppose so would be to outrage common sense. “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Their inability to do this was acknowledged, for it was necessary to repeat the sacrifices. In the light of the great sin sacrifice of Calvary, all is plain.

It fulfilled the sacrifice of Isaac. In the daily prayers read in the synagogue, we have this: “O most merciful and gracious King! we beseech thee to remember and to look back on the covenant made between the divided offerings, and let the recollection of the sacrificial binding of the only son appear before thee, in favour of Israel.”

But what sense is there in this unless the “sacrificial binding” of Isaac be accepted as typical of the only Son of God, the Seed of Isaac, in whom all the families of the earth are blessed?

The sign of a sufficient sacrifice for the expiation of sin is, of all others, to be desired by a wicked generation. But were the Lord to have answered their foolish prayer, and to have appeared without a sin sacrifice, as their King in judgment, they would be the first to be destroyed in the fires of his anger. Jesus rested his claims upon this sign. He predicted that he “must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed.” Within a year this was literally fulfilled.

But now comes the testing point. He added, “and the third day is raised up” So about a year earlier he explained this sign of the Prophet Jonah to certain scribes and Pharisees. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.