Jesus the Messiah

The Anointed King

The Old Testament promises a coming King, one who is "Anointed:"

"You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions." (Psalm 45:7).

"I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him." (Psalm 89:20).

. . .as were the Kings of ancient Israel:

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: ‘Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?’" (1 Samuel 10:1).

This King will shepherd God's people in the latter days:

"Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken." (Ezekiel 34:21-24).

It is apparent from the Old Testament that there must be two advents, because God's Anointed comes once with glory, and once in humiliation:

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
(Isaiah 53:2-6).

By contrast with the Suffering Servant's obscure and ignominious life, Daniel's Son of Man comes in glory:

“I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:13-14).

While the two figures, the Suffering Servant and the Son of Man, may well be one and the same, the occasion of their appearing cannot be the same. The Suffering Servant shares His grave with the wicked: "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7-9). But Daniel's Son of Man reigns forever, over an "everlasting dominion." With whom can He make His grave while He is reigning forever? As Jesus explained to His accusers, the occasion Daniel describes is yet to come:

“Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
(Matthew 26:64).

Born at Bethlehem	Pierced
O God	His Bones
Cast Lots	Born of a Virgin
Mother's Children	Lifted Up
Stretched Out My Hands	On a Donkey
Weeks	The Grave
Thirty Pieces of Silver	Light to the Gentiles
Out of Egypt	House of David
House of My Friends	With the Transgressors
Eyes of the Blind	With the Rich
I thirst	Darkness over the Land
Gall and Vinegar

Born at Bethlehem

The person Daniel described, however, walked here in our midst. Prophecies fulfilled during Jesus' first advent include His birth at Bethlehem:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.”
(Micah 5:2).
“Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
(Luke 2:4-7).

Pierced

The Messiah was to be "pierced," and our Lord was pierced, in hands, feet and side:

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
(Zechariah 12:10).
“For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.”
(Psalm 22:16-17).
“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
(John 19:34).
“So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’”
(John 20:25).

O God

The Messiah would be acclaimed as "God," as was our Lord:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
(Psalm 45:6).
“And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
(John 20:28).

His Bones

Though Jesus met with a violent death, not a bone was broken:

“He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
(Psalm 34:20).
“They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.”
(Numbers 9:12).
“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”
(John 19:32-33).

Cast Lots

The Messiah's enemies cast lots for His clothing:

“They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
(Psalm 22:18).
“Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
‘They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.’”
(Matthew 27:35).
“And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.”
(Mark 15:24).
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:
‘They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.’”
(John 19:23-24).

Born of a Virgin

The Messiah would be born of a virgin:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
(Isaiah 7:14).
“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, “God with us.’”
(Matthew 1:20-23).

Some readers object that the Greek word 'parthenos' (virgin), quoted by Matthew and found in the Septuagint for Isaiah 7:14, overstates the case, which is that a 'young woman' would conceive. However, given that it is the natural order of things for young women to bear children, it is far from obvious how this circumstance could be meant as a 'sign.'

Mother's Children

The Old Testament states that the Messiah's own brothers would reject Him. This did happen, though later on they 'got religion' after He rose from the tomb:

“I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”
(Psalm 69:8-9).
“For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”
(John 7:5).

Lifted Up

The Old Testament states that the Messiah would be raised on high:

“Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.”
(Isaiah 52:13).
“‘And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”
(John 12:32-33).

Stretched Out My Hands

The Old Testament says that God, in the person of the Messiah, would stretch out His hands to a rebellious people. This the Lord did when His hands were stretched out on the cross:

“I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts. . .”
(Isaiah 65:2).
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”
(Luke 23:33).
“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
(Acts 2:23).

On a Donkey

The Old Testament says the Messiah would come to His people seated, not on a war-horse, but on a donkey:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
(Zechariah 9:9).
“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,” and immediately he will send them.’
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.”’”
(Matthew 21:1-5).

There is needless attention paid, on atheist web-sites, to the animal-count here under consideration. There are two ways to interpret Zechariah 9:9: first, that under the parallelism common in the Hebrew scriptures, the male 'donkey' and 'the foal of a (female) donkey' are one and the same animal, and second, that, under a literalist reading, there must be two animals to correspond to the two descriptions: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; proclaim it aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King is coming to thee, just, and a Saviour; he is meek and riding on an ass, and a young foal." (Zechariah 9:9, Septuagint). Both interpretations can be met by allowing two animals to join the parade; those observers who find one superfluous may simply ignore its presence as irrelevant to prophecy. Compare: "For the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 52:12). Since Jehovah is the God of Israel, does this simply mean that God, who is omnipresent, circles both before and behind His servants? Or might a trinitarian see two persons mentioned? An interpreter who understands, the one true and living God, who is omnipresent, and who is triune, encamps about His people, has met both readers' concerns.

Readers may object that these correspondences mean no more than that Jesus consciously patterned Himself after the Messianic prophecies, and intentionally did things the way the Messiah was supposed to do them. Certainly Jesus did understand Himself to be the Messiah; but many of these prophecies require, for their fulfillment, circumstances and actions by other people that would not have been under a mortal man's control. Were Jesus no more than a mortal man,-- an imposter,-- he could not have controlled what the soldiers did, nor where his mother bore him..

Weeks

The synagogue as well as the church looks for the Messiah, the Savior:

"Speedily cause the offspring of David, Your servant, to flourish, and lift up his glory by Your divine help because we wait for Your salvation all the day. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who causes the strength of salvation (Yeshua) to flourish." (Eighteen Benedictions)

Latter-day Messianic claimants, like Sabbatai Sevi, Joseph Frank, and Menachem Schneerson, run into a time limit. Daniel told when the Messiah would reveal Himself to the people, and it was when the church acclaimed Him: the first century, not the twenty-first:

“Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.”
(Daniel 9:25-26).

The Grave

The Old Testament promises the Messiah will not suffer the corruption of the grave:

“For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
(Psalm 16:10).
“‘For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”
(Acts 2:27-32).

He Rose Again

Thirty Pieces of Silver

The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be valued at thirty silver pieces:

“Then I said to them, ‘If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.’ So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter.”
(Zechariah 11:12-13).
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”
(Matthew 26:14-15).

Light to the Gentiles

The Messiah was to enlarge the people of God, bringing in the Gentiles. James saw this prophecy happening:

“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
That they may possess the remnant of Edom [mankind LXX]
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the LORD who does this thing.”
(Amos 9:11-12).
“Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
(Isaiah 49:6).
“Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the LORD who does all these things.’”
(Acts 15:14-17).

Out of Egypt

The Messiah was to be called out of Egypt:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.”
(Hosea 11:1).
“When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’”
(Matthew 2:14-15).

Readers may object, that Hosea 11:1 is not a prophecy of the Messiah, nor a prophecy of anything, but only a recapitulation of Israel's history. But the Messiah is not separate from Israel:

Corporate Personality

House of David

The Messiah would be of the house of David:

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.”
(2 Samuel 7:12-14).
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began. . .”
(Luke 1:68-70).

House of My Friends

The Messiah would suffer harm from those close to him:

“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”
(Zechariah 13:6-7).
“And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’”
(Luke 22:47-48).

With the Transgressors

The Old Testament says the Messiah would be numbered with transgressors:

“Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.”
(Isaiah 53:12).
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”
(Luke 23:33).

Eyes of the Blind

In the Messianic age the eyes of the blind were to be opened:

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”
(Isaiah 35:5).
“Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.'”
(Matthew 11:4-5).
“When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, 'Son of David, have mercy on us!'
And when He had come into 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 let it be to you.' And their eyes were opened.”
(Matthew 9:27-30).

Some readers may object that in Isaiah's prophecy it is God, not the Messiah, who is to open blind eyes and make the lame to leap. This is an astute observation:

Jesus Christ is God!

With the Rich

The Messiah would make His grave with the rich:

“And he made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence,nor was any deceit in His mouth.”
(Isaiah 53:9).
“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.”
(Matthew 27:57-60).

I Thirst

In His agony the Messiah would thirst:

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; you have brought Me to the dust of death.”
(Psalm 22:15).
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!'”
(John 19:28).

Darkness over the Land

God's judgment was to be accompanied by unnatural darkness during the day:

“'And it shall come to pass in that day,' says the Lord GOD,
'That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight. . .'”
(Amos 8:9).
“Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.”
(Luke 23:44-45).

Gall and Vinegar

The Old Testament states that the Messiah would be given gall and vinegar:

“They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
(Psalm 69:21).
“They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.”
(Matthew 27:34).