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We have shown, in the previous articles, that Jesus did not preside in the Messianic kingdom and did not achieve what the Messiah is to do on this earth (according to the Jewish Scriptures). Consequently, he was not the Hebrew Messiah described in the Bible.
Christianity has assigned him a function as the "Christian Messiah," but make no mistake about it....he is not the Messiah as awaited in Judaism. What Jesus is in Christianity is not of concern to Judaism because the prophecies were not fulfilled by him. This will be hard for Christians to hear let alone even investigate, but for those who interpret Scripture within the traditional meanings, and who are familiar with the corruption of the Jewish Masoretic text by the Essenes of Alexandria, Egypt, as well as how these "solar myths" were later applied to Jesus Christ, then it is very obvious to those "learned in such areas" that the Jesus of history and the Moshiach that the Jews were told by the Prophets to expect are obviously different figures.
Not everyone is at the same level of understanding and knowledge, thus it is hard to "walk together" until such information is obtained. When dealing with the subject of Jesus and the Messianic promises there are those who respond angrily when their core beliefs are challenged. Others will say "he is not a historical figure because nothing outside the New Testament alludes to his existence." One thing is for certain; namely, that there is nothing outside of the New Testament that explicitly speaks of his existence. To say that this is problematic is an understatement. But that is not our study for today.
But in these series of articles Bet Emet wishes to deal with the "Messianic texts" both in the Tanakh as well as the corrupted Christian's Old Testaments, and thus by default the equally corrupted quotes as found from this Christian Old Testament as found in the New Testament. In order to do so we have to make some assumptions; namely, that the man described as Jesus in the New Testament is "a historical person." So for those further advanced in your studies I would ask for some grace here as we attempt to educate our vast readership to what the "true" Messianic promises really were in the first place and their fulfillment, or lack of, as well as their relationship to the Jesus of the New Testament. For there is one thing is for certain, and I testify from experience as an ordained Pastor who at one time knew no better, the vast majority of the Christian Church never are taught correctly concerning the "true" Messianic prophecies. For this to be done we have to assume and come from the perspective that the Jesus as found in the New Testament was a "real person."
Also it must be said that in such a quest for truth we chosen not to deal with the "paganized Gentile accounts of false g-ds" as applied to Jesus in the New Testament. We wish to deal strictly from a Jewish viewpoint of Jesus as found in the New Testament. We will read and approach the New Testament as if we were Jews in the first century and walked with Jesus and pick from among the New Testament it's "Jewish parts" which give us a more correct picture of the "historical Jesus." Only in this way, and understanding the Jewish hopes and Scriptures, can one make a credible analysis of the Messianic hope of Israel and see if anyone fulfilled those hopes and Scriptures. Again, for this to be done one has to be familiar with the true Jewish Bible, its Messianic prophecies, as well as how they are carried over correctly, or not carried over correctly in the New Testament. In this way then we shall be able to evaluate accurately if the Jesus of the New Testament fulfilled the Jewish Scriptures and prophecies or if "false prophecies" and "false fulfillments" of fraudulent prophecies and corrupted translations of the "true Messianic prophecies" have been applied to him and events in his life as to make it look to those not familiar with the Jewish Bible as if he had fulfilled the Messianic hope. Simply, this is the selling of the "Jesus of the New Testament" as the Messiah to those who don't know the Jewish Bible and what the true Messianic prophecies really are in the first place. Such was the Gentile world of the first century and we are little better off today since the Jewish Bible was corrupted and few, if any Christians, are aware of such facts or have seen these corruptions when comparing the Jewish Tanakh with their Old and New Testaments.
When we are finished we should be able to accomplish several things:
Here, in this article, I wish to share with you how the New Testament associates Jesus and the Messianic hopes when in reality such a scenario, in the strictest sense, does not exist. When one possesses the above knowledge [the corruption of the Masoretic Jewish Text when translated into Greek, the falsification of Jewish prophecies to mimic sun-worship by the Essenes of Alexandria, Egypt, and their later association with Jesus in the New Testament by these same Essenes] then Jesus the Jew and Messianic hopes will be separated from the Messiah-Christ of Christianity! We do this because it is of interest and it is a reasonable question to ask in light of the above information: "Who was Jesus"? Again it is necessary to say that many make the charge that since the Jesus of the New Testament cannot be found outside of the New Testament that such a "character" is not a historical person. Be that as it may, it is not my attention to get into this sticky subject in this article, but rather approach the texts as if he were. That is a study for another day....believe me!
First, let's get a little background into Jesus' world. Jesus grew up in the beautiful Galilee, which unfortunately was under an unhappy political situation. There was oppressive Roman occupation. The Jewish people longed to rid their land of the unjust foreign rulers. There was great unhappiness over burdensome taxes, poverty, and disease. Devoutly religious people fervently prayed for the appearance of the Messiah to take away their worldly tribulations and bring to them the glorious Messianic promises. Pseudo-Messiahs were known to have appeared. The world of Jesus was psychologically prepared for the day of the Messiah's coming, the day of political, material and spiritual redemption. The words, "Repent, for the kingdom of G-d is at hand," were easily listened to and believed.
Now, let us submit a short summary of what Jesus' association with the Messianic expectations may have been. This story is possible from the Jewish viewpoint. True, it cannot be proved. However, it is just as true that it cannot be disproved.
As we have said, Jesus' world was religiously emotional, waiting for the Messiah to appear. He was, and would have been, caught up in this Messianic passion. Mentally he was able, in some way, to accept himself as G-d's messenger. In some mystical way, he saw himself as part of the vision of hope. He was a leader and a charismatic preacher and personality. The Jews who followed him throughout the Holy Land were gripped by his zeal and the aura surrounding him. Jesus preached repentance in order to enter into the Messianic kingdom of G-d. His message was right! He performed miracles, or should I say G-d performed miracles through him, in order to attract multitudes to his Judaic message. He said he was sent by G-d to do G-d's will. He said his message was for the Jewish people only. Others would convert to Judaism, and join his people.
He performed miracles and had a successful ministry. G-d was glorified by the miracles he performed, not Jesus. People who had faith G-d could cure them were cured by Jesus. But, miracles were not a sign Jesus had any G-d-like or Messiah-like power, for evil people, Jesus' disciples, and even natural processes could perform miracles also. Of course, the Hebrew Bible abounds with G-d's miracles performed through human beings. In fact, both Jesus and his disciples did not believe miracles were a sign of his being special. If anything, Jesus tried to hide the fact he performed cures, cast out devils, raised the dead, etc., by asking those he helped not to tell about it to others.
Jesus preached about the necessity for repentance. He advised the multitudes that the kingdom was coming soon, so they should get back to doing what G-d has asked them to do through the Scriptures. Never did he preach to the multitudes a message that belief in his future death and resurrection would make vicarious atonement for their sins!
Read that again.
He never preached about his supposed vicarious atonement. His message of repentance was the traditional one of Judaism.
Some may have thought he was a prophet, and he said so himself. The people who followed him were confused about the mysteries of the kingdom as well as about who Jesus was. Very strangely, his own disciples were not made aware of his Messianic claim, according to the New Testament, until a certain time. Then, again to the writers of the New Testament, when Jesus did say he believed he was the Messiah, he asked for secrecy. Adding to this amazing situation, even after he openly laid claim to being the Messiah his disciples "doubted" him. Even after his disciples supposedly heard G-d call him His Son, they still doubted him. Indeed, some even doubted after viewing him supposedly risen from the dead. Jesus' disciples, again according to the New Testament, lacked faith in him and his power, lacked understanding of his religious teaching, and, most surprisingly, lacked even the slightest comprehension of his alleged role as a vicarious atoning savior.
When he was killed by the Romans as a political danger, a presumed king of the Jews, those who believed he was the Messiah must have been aghast because the Messiah was not to die but triumph over Israel's enemies. In desperation, with no Biblical basis, but with a clinging to hope, they stretched his activities into a "second coming" in hopes the prophecies could yet be fulfilled by Jesus. Jesus' followers deemed necessary his return to fulfill the function of Messiah, as Biblically indicated (of course the Bible to which I refer is the traditional Jewish Palestinian text..the real Masoretic Text). The generation around Jesus waited for his return during their lifetime, as stated in the New Testament. Those after his generation, disappointed that the expectation of his second coming came to naught, advanced his return to an unknown future time. And so, the non-Jewish environment in which Christianity thrived, after the parting from its Judaic roots, accepted the Messiah in terms of an indefinite and far in the future (two thousand years now) return. There is no Hebrew Scriptural foundation for this belief of Christianity.
Jesus' Jewish followers, who believed in repentance and the kingdom of G-d on earth, and who were attracted to his message by the miracles he performed, left him as recorded in the New Testament. History records the same thing. Why?
Answer for yourself: Was it because his mission as Messiah was seen false at his execution and only magnified at the failure of his return where his followers had hoped the prophecies would then be fulfilled? But time rolled on and the prophecies were never fulfilled, and now we find ourselves 2000 years later waiting their fulfillment as well! You need to know that the Messianic identity is not to be found in miracles because many did them. The proof is in the "pudding" they say and these people expected the hopes of the Prophets to be fulfilled. They were not.
Let us now continue now with the Scriptural verification of the Judaic understanding of the life of Jesus as well as questions as to who he was and what his mission was as presented in the pages of the New Testament (as seen from a Jewish perspective).
John 5:30, ". . . I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father, which hath sent me."
John 7:16-17, ". . . My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of G-d, or. . . of myself"
John 8:26-29, ". . . I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. . . . I do nothing of myself but as my Father hath taught me, . . . And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."
John 12:49, "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak."
Jesus believed he had a special mission from G-d and a special relationship with G-d. He believed he knew G-d's will in a unique way. His mission was to do G-d's will, which is expressed in G-d's doctrine written in the Scriptures and known to Jews. His actions were derived from his feelings about G-d's desires, not his own. In reading these verses, we readily see, using unbiased judgment, that Jesus' mystical feelings about his special relationship with G-d did not impinge on G-d's sovereignty.
Matthew 15:24, "But he answered and said, lam not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Mark 1:38, "And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for therefore came I forth."
Matthew 10:5-7, "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 7:6, Mark 7:2 7, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, . . . Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."
Jesus said his mission was for Jews only and told his disciples also to preach only to the people of Israel, Jews alone. His mission was to teach in the towns of Israel. His message was the message of Judaism concerning the coming of the kingdom of G-d, the Messianic earthly kingdom of G-d. He preached repentance so that those separated from G-d would be accepted by G-d into the Messianic kingdom.
Romans 9:24-26, (Paul) "Even us,. . . not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. . . As he saith, . . . I will call them my people, which were not my people; . . . And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living G-d."
Answer for yourself: What is wrong in the above verse?
Paul took this from Hosea 1:10, in which it is quite clear that the "people of Israel" are meant, not Gentiles...Paul applied it to Gentiles when the original intent of the Prophet was different...this is wrong!
Jews will be returned to G-d through repentance and become beloved.
John 10:16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
Now before you go reading into the passage that Jesus was referring to Gentiles in Christianity we need to read Isaiah 56:6,8, "Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord. . . every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; The Lord G-d which gathered the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him."
Also read Ezekiel 34:23-24, "And I will set up one shepherd over them,. . . even my servant David;. . . And I the Lord will be their G-d. . . "
These two passages are the background. In reading them we see that they depict the gathering of the Gentiles to Judaism through the light of Israel in the time of the Messiah and not the creation of a new Gentile religion which replaces Biblical Judaism!The non-Jew was expected by G-d to become part of His people and not create a separate religion which persecutes His people. I guess G-d did not see it coming! The Hebrew Bible does not describe the Messiah getting a "second people," but that the Gentiles convert to Judaism (either full conversion or part-conversion). Furthermore, it is G-d's voice which will be heard and obeyed. The Davidic Messiah will be the leader of the people of Israel, not their G-d. Through this Davidic Messiah those who have ears to hear will know that G-d is speaking through His anointed.
At this point, it would be interesting to discover what meaning the performance of miracles had in the ministry of Jesus. In spite of all the anti-Judaism sentiment in the New Testament, it is said repeatedly that the Jewish masses followed Jesus in his preaching activities throughout the Holy Land.
Answer for yourself: How did he attract people?
Let's look into the enormous excitement he created when he did miraculous things. Apparently, G-d performed miracles through Jesus, in large part, in order to attract the multitudes to his message. The miracles were not a sign of his having G-d's power, but of functioning for G-d. It was G-d's miracles. We know this because it was G-d who was praised, and G-d whom the people glorified, and G-d in whom they had faith. Furthermore, we see in the Bible that miracles are not of themselves a sign of holy power, but can be performed by the ung-dly also. We should know, too, that miracles can be accomplished by nature's process itself. Jesus' followers were supposedly capable of performing miracles also. Therefore, this further strengthens the argument against miracles being a sign Jesus had the power of G-d in a unique manner, as his followers were assuredly not special like Jesus is claimed to be in Christianity. Now, we'll quote Scripture for all of the above.
Matthew 12:15, Matthew 14:14,36, ". . . and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;. . . And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."
Mark 3:7-8 (Matthew 4:24-25) (Luke 6:17), ". . . and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judea, And from Jerusalem,. . . when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him."
Luke 5:15, Luke 6:18-19, Luke 7:21, "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went a virtue out of him, and healed them all. . . . he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight."
John 6:2, John 12:9,11, "And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. Much people of the Jews. . . came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. .. . by reason of him (Lazarus) many of the Jews. . . believed on Jesus."
Matthew 15:30-31, "And great multitudes came unto him, and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the G-d of Israel."
Mark 2:12, Mark 5:19, "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went. . . they were all amazed, and glorified G-d. Jesus. . . saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee. ."
Luke 9:43, Luke 17:15, Luke 18:43, Luke 19:3 7, "And they were all amazed at the mighty power of G-d,. . . And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified G-d, And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying G-d: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto G-d. . . . the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise G-d with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen."
Luke 8:48, Luke 17:19, Luke 18:42 (Matthew 9:22) (Mark 5:34) (Mark 10:52), "And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole;. . . And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee."
Matthew 7:22-23 (Luke 13:2 7), "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart form me, ye that work iniquity."
Matthew 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, (Messiahs), and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Acts 8:9-11 (author) "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of G-d. And to him they had regard, because of the long time he had bewitched them with sorceries."
Mark 3:14-15 (Matthew 10:1), "And he ordained twelve, . . . to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:"
Mark 16:17-18, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;. . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Exodus 17:5-6, "And the Lord said unto Moses. . . thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so. ."
Numbers 11:2, "And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched."
Numbers 21:8-9, "And the Lord said unto Moses, . . . And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
Joshua 10:12-14, "Then spake Joshua to the Lord. . . and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still. . . and thou, Moon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed. . . And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man. . ."
I Kings 17:1,16, "And Elijah. . . said. . . As the Lord G-d of Israel liveth, . . . there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah."
II Kings 1:10, "And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of G-d, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty."
II Kings 2:8, "And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground."
II Kings 2 :21-22, "And he (Elisha) went forth unto the spring of the waters, . . . and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake."
lI Kings 5:10,14, "And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. Then went he down, . . . according to the saying of the man of G-d: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."
I Kings 17:20-22,24, "And he (Elijah) cried unto the Lord, and said, 0 Lord my G-d, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son" And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, 0 Lord my G-d, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of G-d, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."
II Kings 4:32-35,3 7, "And when Elisha was come into the house, behold the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went. . . and prayed unto the Lord. . . . and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. . . . and the child opened his eyes. Then she went in, and fell at his feet,. . . and took up her son, and went out."
II Kings 13:20-21, "And Elisha died, and they buried him. . . . as they were burying a man, . . . they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his fret."
We have just observed that the performance of miracles was not the identifying mark that one was or was not the Messiah for many were used by G-d to heal others. Observe also that the credit for the miracles performed is given to the Lord G-d. No one, not Moses, nor Joshua, nor Elijah, nor Elisha, whose miracles are reported, claimed special powers for himself. They merely are said to be men of G-d through whom G-d performed the miracles. They functioned for G-d. If we supposed Jesus to be a "good" Jew then there would be no difference; especially in light that Judaism NEVER taught that the Messiah was to be G-d! So any miracles, if done by Messiah (whether in the past or future) are not to glorify him but only the Creator G-d.
Genesis 5:24, "And Enoch walked with G-d: and he was not; for G-d took him."
II Kings 2:11, ". . . and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
This special happening to Elijah can be compared to the account of Jesus allegedly ascending to heaven in Luke 24:51, ". . . he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Both Enoch and Elijah had special ascents. Our conclusion on this point is that no matter what Christianity makes of Jesus' supposed ascent, he could not be called unique in this occurrence reported in the New Testament.
Luke 17:5, "And the apostles said unto the Lord (Jesus), Increase our faith."
If the miracles Jesus performed were to prove he had G-d-like power, as Christianity believes, or that he was the Messiah, which is also their belief, the miracles proved no such thing to his own disciples. This verse relates that all the disciples, whom he taught and who witnessed his miracles, needed more faith in him and his message (think).
Mark 8:11 -12 (Matthew 12:38-39) (Matthew 16:1-4) (Luke 11:29), "And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, . . . Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation."
Obviously, the people as well as Jesus himself did not believe that the miracles he performed were a sign of his special nature. For a "sign from heaven" is requested and denied, apart from the miracles Jesus had been performing. They knew what few Christians today know; namely, that the performance of miracles attested not to the Messiah but only the fulfillment of expected promises and prophecies made by the Holy men of old.
Matthew 6:10,13, (Luke 11:2), "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. . . . For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
It is G-d's earthly kingdom which Jesus preached.
Luke 4:18-19, ". . . he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; . . . heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, . . . sight to the blind, . . . liberty (to) them. . . bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
Please notice that nothing is said about belief in Jesus' dying for mankind's sins in order to make vicarious atonement. The word "gospel" here is associated with Judaism's teachings. And it is Judaism that the historical Jesus always taught.
Luke 8:1 (Luke 10:9), ". . . he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of G-d..."
Mark 1:14 (Matthew 4:23) (Matthew 9:35) (Matthew 10:7), ". preaching the gospel of the kingdom of G-d."
Luke 4:43 (Luke 9:2,11) (Luke 12:31), ". . . I must preach the kingdom of G-d to other cities also: for therefore am I sent."
Jesus' mission was to preach the good news, the glad tidings, the gospel of the kingdom of G-d. These terms, which Christianity has taken for its meaning of Christology, actually refer to Jesus' preaching of the earthly kingdom of G-d, the Messianic kingdom. There is not one word said about his message being vicarious atonement, because it was not.
Mark 1:15, Mark 6:12, ". . . the kingdom of G-d is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. And they went out, and preached that men should repent."
Luke 5:32 (Matthew 9:13) (Mark 2:17), "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Matthew 4:17, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 10:7, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But seek ye first the kingdom of G-d, and his righteousness;. . . And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
What most Christians fail to realize is that the many of the promises and prophecies of G-d are "conditional." The Messianic Kingdom was not going to "just" happen; Israel had to merit it as well as her King by rising to her calling as a Holy Nation and a Royal Priesthood. If Israel failed in this regard the Kingdom on Earth would not appear; nor would her King be revealed to the world. Therefore you now better understand the priority of "repentance" in the Kingdom message as found taught by Jesus, John the Immerser, and Peter. Without repentance and a return to obedience to the Commandments of G-d the promises and prophecies of G-d would not be realized by that generation and they were responsible as not only a light to the nations but they were to be the "first fruits" for the others nations of the world in this regard. If Israel failed, all mankind will be deprived of the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth.
Answer for yourself: What was Jesus' message? Was it the same as being taught by the vast majority of Christian Churches today who go by his name? Is repentance the heart of the Gospel message you hear or is it just part of a "new member's" class?
The real Kingdom message taught by Jesus was that Jews should repent and return to obedience of the Commandments of G-d, for the Messianic kingdom was coming soon and return to G-d was necessary for acceptance into the kingdom. Basically the Jews, through repentance, was to merit the Kingdom of Heaven, not only for themselves, but by being a Royal Priesthood of such a Kingdom they were to be mediators for the non-Jews coming to G-d. This message is totally within the framework of Judaism as revealed in the Holy Bible.
Jesus did not preach Christology. As surprising as this fact may be, Jesus' preaching was within the confines of Biblical Judaism, as Jews interpret the Jewish religion. Jesus did not preach or teach anything close to the salvation messages taught by the Gentile Churches of today. Once understood, and seen for yourself, this is very problematic for the Christian who is a "thinking believer."
Mark 6:4 (Matthew 13:57) (Luke 4:24) (John 4:44), "But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house."
Matthew 21:11,46, "And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. . . . they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet."
Luke 7:16, Luke 13:32-33, Luke 24:19, ". . . they glorified G-d, saying, That a great prophet is risen among us; And he said unto them,. . . for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem....Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before G-d and all the people:?
John 6:14, John 7:40, ". . . when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. Many of the people. . . said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. . ."
The above passages state that Jesus, as well as his followers, considered that he was in the category of a prophet.
Answer for yourself: Can you envision the person who considers himself sent by G-d to be the Messiah calling himself merely a prophet?
Although both are holy, they are worlds apart in function. And as for G-d the Son of the Trinity calling himself a prophet-well, you contemplate it.
Acts 3:22 (Acts 7:3 7) (RE: Deuteronomy 18:15,18), "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your G-d raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you."
So Jesus, according to the New Testament, is supposed to be the special prophet Moses asserted would arise for the people.
Answer for yourself: But is he? Is Jesus the fulfillment of Deut. 18?
Answer for yourself: First, what are the attributes of a prophet?
As we begin to tackle this difficult issue we must be reminded that the New Testament is not infallible history; in fact it is anything but that. The New Testament is written for theological purposes and has an agenda to present a "belief system" about Jesus. In so doing we find the exaltation of Jesus in the New Testament way beyond what any Messiah was ever to be. Such a depiction of course if false when bearing in mind what the Jewish Scriptures promised about the Messiah. That being so, we cannot believe everything we read in the New Testament concerning Jesus needless to say. The only way to be assured what we read about Jesus is true, or might be true, is to know both what Biblical Judaism teaches and then compare this knowledge with the picture we find of Jesus in the New Testament. Only in this way can be come close to the truth about the Jesus of the New Testament because both Jesus and the Messiah were to be Jews. When we find "un-Jewish" depictions of Jesus or even the concept of the Messiah in the New Testament then we can rest assurred that we have found falsehoods and theological inventions that do not find their origin in G-d.
Jesus like the prophets, chastised the Hebrew people for not doing G-d's will, for turning from G-d's laws. But, the prophets justified their pronouncements on G-d's Torah, never on their own authority and it is common place that the Jesus of the New Testament often refers to his own authority for what he teaches. They Prophets always gave to G-d His supremacy and to G-d's laws their immutability. Jesus, however, as presented in the New Testament anyway, did not follow this tradition of the prophets. His justification seemed to be on his own authority. But, once one sees for himself the exaltation of both Jesus and the Messiah as contained in the New Testament far beyond what the Old Testament taught concerning G-d's anointed, it is rather easy to see how Jesus was "crafted" to become one greater than Moses and if not greater, definitely equal to G-d himself by some of the writers of the New Testament. It was natural with literary creationism by the writers of the New Testament to separate Jesus from the crowd and an easy way to do such a thing was to exalt the authority of Jesus above all others.
Also, see here that the special prophet announced by Moses would be "like" Moses, not greater, but just like him. Certainly, this is not Christianity's view of Jesus Christ. One must take into account in this issue that with so much error as found in the New Testament and with the abundance of purposefully misrepresented "facts" to the contrary, it is not certain that the historical Jesus actually presented himself in such a manner as if he spoke or came in his own authority, of if he considered himself greater than Moses. Such could easily be the work of the writers of the New Testament to separate Jesus from those other "anointed ones of G-d" and make Jesus the icon of a new religion.
Matthew 13:10-11,13 (Mark 4:11-12) (Luke 8:10), "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables" He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. . . . they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."
Matthew 16:13-1 6 (Mark 8:27-29) (Luke 9:18-20) (Mark 6:14-15) (Luke 9:7-8), ". . . Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. . But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living G-d."
There was confusion and difference of opinion among the people as to who Jesus was. Actually, Jesus said he spoke in parables and this often left the people bewildered and lacking knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom. On the other hand, Jesus said he gave his disciples knowledge of the Messianic kingdom. Understanding this they should have known he was the Messiah, if he believed he was. Yet the picture in the New Testament is contradictory on this issue. This important information would have been part of the mysteries of the kingdom. Yet, the disciples are portrayed by the New Testament writers as if they did not know this supposed fact. Peter had to venture an opinion when asked by Jesus who he thought Jesus was. If Jesus had divulged that he was the Messiah, Peter would not have had to be asked to give an opinion as to his identity.
Clearly, Christianity has a choice here. Either Jesus lied, and did not give his disciples the mysteries of the kingdom, as he said he did, or Jesus did not believe himself to be the Messiah. If you read what Jesus said in Matthew 16:17, and take as truthful the picture we find of Jesus in the New Testament, then when we consider passages like the following...". . . (my Father) hath. . . revealed it (that Jesus is the Christ) unto thee (Peter)," the conclusion which must be drawn is that Jesus did not include his being the Messiah in his revelation of the secrets of the kingdom. The conundrum is Christianity's.
John 3:2, ". . . Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from G-d: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except G-d be with him."
Here Jesus is seen as a holy teacher, addressed as "Rabbi." The miracles he performed are seen as evidence of his being close to G-d.
John 6:68-69, "Then Simon Peter answered him,. . . And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living G-d."
Yet, right after this assurance of belief comes the revelation that Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, will betray Jesus. There is evidently something missing in the sureness of the disciples' belief.
John 7:41, "Others said, This is the Christ. . ."
We read before that many said he was a prophet. Here, others said he was the Messiah. Opinions did vary. They yet vary still today.
Mark 11:9-10 (Matthew 21:9) (Luke 19:37-38), "And they cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord. .
Some people ventured to think Jesus was the Messiah. However, others believed him to be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, a prophet, a teacher-rabbi, a miracle worker of G-d, or even a mad man.
John 1:49, ". . . Rabbi, thou art the Son of G-d: thou art the King of Israel."
A man here expressed his belief that Jesus was the expected Messiah because of the great things he did. This, of course, was one of the differing opinions about Jesus before the expectation of his Messianic fulfillment collapsed when he was executed by the Romans.
Matthew 18:11 (Luke 19:10), "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
John 4:25-26, "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh. . . Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."
Matthew 26:63-64, ". . . tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of G-d. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said. . ."
John 18:3 7, ". . . Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world. . ."
Luke 7:20,22 (Matthew 11:2-4), ". . . they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard. . ."
Unlike the confusion and uncertainty about the identity of Jesus as seen in the above texts, Jesus, in these passages, seems to avow that he believed he was the Messiah of the Jewish people. In the usage of the term "Son of man" the Messiah could be interpreted, even though in many other passages this term simply means "man."
Answer for yourself: What can be made of this?
It is not unimaginable that a man caught up in the extreme Messianism of the times could go one step further and believe he was the man with the Messianic mission from G-d. He, it seems, had a strong spiritual relationship with G-d. Others have thought themselves to be the Messiah, why not Jesus? At his immersion he had a Word from G-d that set the course of his life. He definitely had a call on his life and his compassion and vision propelled his life to its ultimate conclusion. He was unique, however, in that a new religion was built around him as Messiah. But his was not his doing but is attributable to Paul and other non-Jews who would ultimately reject Judaism and dress their pagan beliefs in Jewish and Biblical "dress." His assertion (or perhaps hope) of being the Messiah, nevertheless, as seen today, is just as invalid as other false Messiahs' claims in light of the Messianic prophecies not being fulfilled.
Matthew 20:28, ". . . the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. ."
Remember that it is written that the Messiah is to be ministered unto. For example, read Psalm 72:11, "Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him." Jesus's Messianic status, therefore, at least as described by this New Testament writer, is doubtful due to his description of Jesus (Son of man) in this verse.
Mark 7:18 (Matthew 15:17), ". . . Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into a man, it cannot defile him;"
Matthew 16:8-9, ". . . 0 ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?"
Matthew 14:31, "(to Peter). . . Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him... 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matthew 17:19-20, "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief. . ."
Matthew 21:21 (Luke 17:6), "(to disciples).. . If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree.. ."
Mark 4:39-40 (Matthew 8:25-26) (Luke 8:24-25), "And he. . . said unto the sea, Peace, be still. . . . And the wind ceased, . . . And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"
Proximity to Jesus, being those in his chosen group, and being taught by him still left the disciples with doubts about Jesus' power, ignorance of his claimed mission, and general lack of faith.
Mark 8:31-33, Mark 9:31 -32 (Matthew 16:21 -23) (Matthew 17:22-23) (Luke 9:44-45), "And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, . . . and be killed, and after three days rise again. And Peter. . . began to rebuke him. . But. . . he rebuked Peter, saying, . . . thou savorest not the things that be of G-d, . . . For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him: and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him."
The above should be read very carefully. The supposed vicarious atonement of the Messiah-Christ is newly taught to the disciples by Jesus. This occurred after the disciples had been with Jesus for quite a while. The Hebrew Messiah they expect is not of this teaching, and they do not comprehend Jesus' description of what is supposed to happen to him. We know this because Jesus is reprimanded by Peter who says Jesus should not say he will die. Peter was shocked to be told that Jesus, who he believed was the Messiah and, therefore, should have success and world dominion, instead was to die. Peter was not ignorant of his Old Testament was was fully aware of Messianic expectations and this was news to him. Further on, we find that all the disciples are confounded by this new teaching. And well they should have been, for Messianic vicarious atonement has no place in Hebraic Biblical revelation.
John 21:12, ". . . And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing it was the Lord."
This is a perfect example of non-reasoning within a verse. Why would they "not dare to ask him" unless there was doubt involved. And then it says "knowing it was" which is unbefittingly planted on the first part. Yes, doubt existed even at seeing Jesus after his alleged resurrection.
Matthew 28:16-17, "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted."
You have just read another extraordinary passage. At the end of Matthew's writings, some of Jesus' disciples are said to doubt. They saw Jesus after his supposed rising from the dead and did not believe in it. They doubted the resurrection in the same way they could not understand when Jesus told them that he would be killed and rise on the third day. Remember, Jesus said the disciples were given the mysteries of the kingdom. We are left wondering what Jesus' revelations included, if the disciples knew nothing about Christologics. It appears that Jesus' kingdom of G-d mysteries were not those of Christianity. Even assuming that only then, at the end, were they allowed to know the mysteries, Christianity still has explanation difficulties. For, if they were given the mysteries, why didn't they understand the mysteries given to them?
Matthew 24:3, ". . . the disciples. . . saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
Acts 1:6-7, ". . . they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power."
Acts 3:20-21, "And he shall send Jesus Christ, . . . Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which G-d hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. . ."
From these verses, we grasp the fact that Jesus had not performed as his disciples anticipated he should in the role of the Messiah. Biblical revelation remained unfulfilled. As Jews, the disciples knew that the Messiah must be in an earthly kingdom of G-d. The Christologics of death-resurrection-vicarious atonement-did not correspond to or satisfy the Messianic expectations. Therefore, in desperation, they reflected on, and took needed comfort from, Jesus returning to earth to complete what must be done.
Matthew 16:28 (Mark 9:1) (Luke 9:2 7), "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom (kingdom of G-d with power)."
Luke 21:31-32 (Matthew 24:33-34) (Mark 13:29-30), "So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of G-d is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled (done)."
Matthew 10:23, ". . . for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come."
Luke 12:37,40 (Matthew 24:44), "Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:. . . Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."
Luke 19:11, ". . . they thought that the kingdom of G-d should immediately appear."
Acts 1:4, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me."
Romans 16:20, "And the G-d of peace shall bruise Satan under your fret shortly. . ."
I Corinthians 7:29, "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none. . ."
I Thessalonians 4:15, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord..."
Hebrews 1:2, Hebrews 10:3 7, "(G-d) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, . . . For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."
James 5:8, "Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
I Peter 4:7,17, "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. For the time is come that judgment must begin. . ."
I John 2:18, "Little children, it is the last time: . . . even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
Revelation 22: (7)12,20, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. . ."
These quotations say it clearly. The second coming was at hand, coming quickly, within the lifetime of the generation standing then. Despite II Peter 3:8, ". . . one day is with the Lord as a thousand years . . ." the promise was to come within the lifetime of the living generation at that time, two thousand years ago. This, according to the "inspired and inerrant New Testament" was Jesus' promise and the understanding and belief of the early followers of Jesus. But, it did not occur as promised in the New Testament, did it? Something is wrong and the failure is not with Jesus but the "theological agenda of the New Testament." The promise, however, did create a spark in the early Church which must have helped make it dynamic and successful.
Faithful Jews returned to mainstream Judaism after the hopes of Jesus being the Messiah collapsed when he was put to death by the Romans. These Jews gradually gave up apocalyptic hopes and dreams following the failure of the Messianic hope of the first century, the failure of the prophecies to be fulfilled, the failure of "the" anointed man of G-d to emerge to accomplish such things, and the two wars of 70 A.D. and 135 A.D. These Jews who returned to basic Judaism, it is interesting to observe, were the only authentic "Jews for Jesus" who ever lived. For they were truly observant Jews who hoped that Jesus was the Messiah as prophesied in the Hebrew Bible. Hoping was not wrong. Neither is today. As a former Christian I tell others that G-d used Jesus, although a counterfeit Jesus, to get me to him. The only Rabbi that came knocking on my door as my "light" was a mixed up theological Rabbi that had both mixture of Judaism and pagan Gentile religions. I wish I had learned the truth about Jesus in the beginning, but that was not to be. Emotionally I can identify with Christians to look to Jesus as "their" Messiah because in a rather unique way he is responsible for my knowledge of G-d because it was in and around him, and his legacy, both right and wrong, that I came to the saving knowledge of G-d. But that does not make him the fulfiller of Messianic prophecies. I wish that they had been and Jesus would have been the one to do it; but it was not to be. It is our hope that the Christian, when he encounters such truthful teachings as given by Bet Emet as well as other ministries, he will be able to intelligently evaluate the evidence presented and when found to be mistaken, like the Jews of the first couple of centuries, he will then return to the faith of the historical Jesus, to basic Judaism where as a non-Jew a place waits for him. It is here, in the real faith of Jesus we wait for the Jewish Messiah.
Sadly, some misdirected Jews continued in the Pauline-Christologic belief and were the first converts to the new religion of Christianity. For these converts, a new interpretation of Jesus' life took precedence over traditional Biblical Messianic expectations. This was wrong however as history attests. Hebrew Messianism became Christologic, with expectations delayed, distorted, and demoted in importance. Such is the hidden leaven of Sun-Worship as filtered through sects of Judaism as they strayed from center.
Jesus' followers believed Jesus and his teaching of repentance for the kingdom of G-d. Repentance, turning back to G-d, was part of their Jewish heritage. The Scriptures taught them of the earthly kingdom of G-d and the Day of the Lord, Judgment Day. Jesus, through his miracles, attracted Jews and awakened them to the righteousness required by G-d for entrance into the kingdom and the nearness of it! All this his followers could and did accept, as believing Jews.
I have tried to show you in this article that Jesus' message was Judaism's and that the miracles he performed were not indicative of any G-d-like or Messiah-like stature. He did have a special closeness with G-d. He did G-d's will in urging Jews to repent, return to G-d's requirements of us, and be ready for the coming kingdom. His miracles drew people to him and his Judaic message. Hopes that he was the Hebrew Messiah terminated at his death by Roman execution. Christianity takes it from there.
One's hope or belief in Jesus as the Messiah of the Jewish Bible is unfounded in light of the fact that the Messianic prophecies were not fulfilled by him in the first century. Be that at it may we must try to divorce our emotion from such study and ruthlessly consider the possibility that even if the Messiah was present in the first century he could not be revealed to the masses owing to the lack of the spiritual maturity of G-d's Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood. Considering the poor spiritual state of the religious leaders as well as the nation, the Messianic Kingdom could NOT have appeared along with her King without the necessary repentance as was preached in the Kingdom message. The repentance did not come and the fruit of Israel was inspected and found wanting. All that I am saying is that regardless if the Messiah walked among first century Israel the Messianic Kingdom could not have appeared given the spiritual state of that "Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood" of the first century, and by default neither could her King. The Messianic Kingdom was aborted.
If you understand what I just said, and if you have read our series of articles on "Why The Messianic Prophecies Were Not Fulfilled" then there is something that must be said to be honest to both truth and to both sides of this Messianic question.
We have a problem for both Judaism and Christianity in these simple statements. Too much energy is lost in angry debates of "who is" or "who is not" the Messiah. I believe time is better spent in properly understanding what the true Messianic prophecies are so that whey they begin to be fulfilled we can at that time look up for our redemption draws night.
Understanding the above dichotomy allows for one to believe as he chooses regarding the "anointed of G-d." The identity of the Messiah is yet in doubt and will be so until the true Jewish prophecies are fulfilled. Once the Christian's Old and New Testaments are investigated as to their reliability in the faithful translation of the Jewish Bible then one sees exactly why I am saying what I am saying. This is something I hope both our Jewish readers as well as our Christian readers can understand. This means that in spite of such comments in the New Testament that are attributed to Jesus concerning his "Messianic status" we really cannot know for sure if he, or anyone, was truly the Messiah in the first century because of the events and conditions just described. We just cannot be sure either way! So today we have two camps; those who deny Jesus is the Messiah and those who do not. Considering the situation as just described neither camp can be sure! With G-d all things are possible so when we begin to think we can "out-think" G-d we are set up to fail. What the Jews need to hear as well as the Christians is that the failure of the Messianic promises to be fulfilled does not negate the possibility that the Messiah walked among them "unrevealed." Only time will tell in this regard if he did. I am sure when we meet G-d face to face we will know for sure. Without such fulfillments it is foolish to say "so and so" is or "is not" "the" Messiah. We simply cannot tell given all the facts.
Needless to say, the New Testament is Christianity's Holy Book and is filled with passages of Christologic import: Jesus Christ's death is the vicarious atonement-Belief in his resurrection is the Christian hope for salvation-Eternal life is offered only through belief in Jesus as Savior-Jesus has G-d's power and glory. This is incompatible not only with Judaism, but with contradictory passages in the selfsame New Testament. In this article I have attempted to return Jesus to his faith...to Biblical Judaism! Christianity can present their "Christ," but they cannot deny their Jeshua ben Joseph:
Judaism presents G-d and His Chosen People and the Hebrew Messiah of G-d's earthly kingdom. When we ask who Jesus was, this should be your answer.
Bennoah1@verizon.net