Defending Jesus As The Messiah

 

There is a large Jewish population in New York, and among NY lawyers. Having worked with them for years, I know that they will not try and make converts. Even the Orthodox Jews don't proselytize. According to Jewish scholar Rabbi Allen S. Maller:

Judaism lacks a strong missionary impulse because Judaism is a pluralistic religion. Judaism teaches that the Jewish way is right for us, but good people in other religions also have a place in the world to come. Correct behavior in society is more important than correct beliefs about God. Thus, while Jews welcome non-Jews to join us, we do not have a urgent motive to ‘enlighten’ or ‘save’ them.

(See eurasiareview.com/10112022-a-jewish-scholar-explains-why-jews-dont-proselytize-oped). 

Jewish people have more in common with Bergoglio than they probably realize--"Proselytism is solemn nonsense," said the Argentinian apostate. There have been a number of converts from Judaism to "Christianity" (I use that word broadly to encompass Protestant sects). The organization Jews for Jesus  is known for its proselytism of Jews, and promotes the belief that Jesus is the Christ --the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.

Hence, there is now a strong push by certain rabbis to prevent anyone from leaving Judaism. They concentrate on arguments meant to show that Jesus was not, and could not, be the Messiah. In this post, I will expose some of those arguments, and how to respond with evidence that shows Christ is the Messiah as prophesied. For this post, I have used many sources, and take credit only for compiling them into a terse post. I want to acknowledge in particular, a 1949 Catholic pamphlet written by an anonymous priest entitled Jesus Christ is the Messiah: Proven From The Bible.

Jesus Christ: Son of God and "Son of Man"

The term "Son of Man" is used over 80 times in the New Testament.  What does “Son of Man” mean?

When Jesus spoke of Himself and His mission, He often referred to Himself as “Son of Man.” Some, who are not well-versed in the Faith, may think "Son of Man" emphasizes Jesus' Humanity, while "Son of God" emphasizes His Divinity. In the context of Jesus, “Son of Man” seems to relate to Jesus’ self-designation and understanding of being the Messiah (though sometimes in a hidden or “secret” way).

In the Gospel of St. John, a bystander asks Jesus this very question: “Who is this Son of Man?” (12:34). Jesus, however, does not give a clear answer. He instead refers to himself differently: as the light. In St. Matthew 16, however, He is more explicit. When He asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (16:13), Jesus affirms the response of St. Peter: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16).

One of the most important prophecies Christ fulfilled was that of the "Suffering Servant" found in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 53:

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Christ fulfilled all the Messianic prophesies, which in itself would take several posts to examine. In the next section will be specific Jewish objections and their refutations.

Charges Made and Answered

1. Jesus couldn't be the Messiah because He was not a prophet; He appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended.

Reply: In the mid to late second century, Judaism established an arbitrary "end of prophecy" upon the death of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi and declared that Jesus cannot be the Messiah since "He appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended."

If this were true, then according to Judaism, the Messiah can never come.  Any Messiah that showed up today, tomorrow, next week, or next year would "appear on the scene over 2,300 years after prophecy had ended" and would not qualify as a prophet either.

2. Jesus couldn't be the Messiah because He could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father's side from King David.

Reply: Judaism has invented a requirement of patriarchal lineage (i.e. lineage through the father) that does not exist in Scripture.  The Law of Moses allows for inheritance and continuation of lineage through daughters as well as sons. (see Numbers 27:1-7)

In a rather ironic twist, modern Judaism only acknowledges Jewish heritage and legitimacy through a mother's lineage... not the father's.

3. The Virgin Birth is made up by Christians and not found in Scripture. Isaiah 7:14 says that a "young woman" will give birth and not a "virgin."

Reply: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14; Emphasis mine).  

In Isaiah 7:11, God tells King Ahaz, "Ask for a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it as deep as Sheol or high as heaven."

Ahaz declines in fear saying, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" (verse 12)

In verse 14, God declares His choice of a miraculous sign for Ahaz: a virgin shall be with child and bear a son.

According to the Jewish "anti-missionaries" the miraculous sign God chose was that a "young woman" would get pregnant (presumably in the normal way) and have a son.  Really?  How is something that happens millions of times every year a miracle?

Yes, the Hebrew of this passage uses the word "alma."  Yes, that word generally means "a young woman," however, young women described using this word are virgins.  A young woman who is not a virgin is called a naarah.  Jacob's daughter Dinah (who is raped by a young man) is described using naarah and not alma.

Between 130 to 350 years before the Messiah was born, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek---a translation we call The Septuagint.  They translated the Hebrew word alma in Isaiah 7:14 into the Greek word parthenos.  This word parthenos means "a young woman who is a virgin".

4. Jesus Christ is not the "Suffering Servant." That title belongs to Israel. In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. Throughout Jewish scripture, Israel is repeatedly called, in the singular, the "Servant of God" (see Isaiah 43:8). In fact, Isaiah states no less than 11 times in the chapters prior to 53 that the Servant of God is Israel. 

Reply: This is a common Jewish claim. Not surprisingly, there are several holes in their logic:

• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 is innocent and guiltless and "had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth."  In contrast, Isaiah describes Israel as a "sinful nation, a people weighed down with iniquity." (Isaiah 1:4)

• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:3 was not esteemed by Israel ("we did not esteem Him") and yet Israel esteems themselves daily in their prayers.

• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:8 suffers the penalty of the transgression in lieu of "my people," [Israel] "to whom the stroke was due."  This cannot be Israel.

• The Suffering Servant dies, is buried, and is called rich in His death (verse 9) and yet the nation of Israel has (obviously) never died or been buried.

• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 serves as a "guilt-offering" (Hebrew: asham).  This type of offering is used to atone for willful sin.  Can the suffering of a sinful nation serve to atone for their own sins much less the sins of other nations?  No!

 Therefore, The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 is not Israel. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Conclusion

Though there were many factors that led the Jewish people to reject Jesus as the Messiah, it can be stated simply: they did not believe in Him because they did not want to believe. It is the same reason most people throughout history have rejected Jesus as Messiah. It is not that they could not believe, it is that they would not believe. It is not that people need more evidence, it is that they do not act upon the evidence which they have. As Jesus Himself said in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man:

 If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead. (St. Luke 16:31).