The Hebrew scriptures give us many clues to unlocking the identity of the Messiah and His mission on earth.
We know He will be Jewish and from the line of King David. We know He will be a prophet. We know He will be a redeemer. The hopes of many depend on His coming, but one question remains: how will we recognize Him?
Scriptures tell us He will fulfill the roles of king, priest and prophet.
Deut 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
The prophet Micah declares that He will come from Bethlehem.
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Even more surprisingly, He will come into this world just like the rest of us, as a child.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
But this is no ordinary child. Even His conception will be miraculous.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
And He is certainly no ordinary son.
Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Outrageous claims?
But wait. There’s more.
Scripture also says:
Isaiah 9:1-2
The people of Galilee will see a great light.
Psalm 78:2
He will speak in parables
Isaiah 53:9
He will be sinless
Zechariah 9:9
Even though He’s a king, He will be humble and ride a donkey’s foal.
Isaiah 61
He will come to bind the broken hearted, set the captives free and comfort those who mourn.
Psalm 41:9
He will be betrayed by a friend
Zechariah 11:12
He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
Isaiah 50:6
He will be spat upon, mocked, beaten, and have His beard plucked out
Zechariah 12:10
He be will crucified – have His hands and feet pierced
Psalm 34:20
Like a perfect sacrifice, none of His bones will be broken
Isaiah 53:9
He will die with transgressors
Psalm 22:18
Lots will be cast for His clothing
Isaiah 53:5-7
His blood will be an atonement for the sin of the human race
Isaiah 53:9-10
He will conquer the grave and rise again.
History records only one man who meets these criteria: Jesus.
Those who acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah believe that God’s plan has always been to restore His people to relationship with Him, like Adam and Eve in the garden Eden before sin got in the way. They believe that Jesus’ sacrifice was the one-time payment for their sin. As Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, God was also willing to sacrifice His Son – a perfect, sinless offering –the Lamb of God.
Unbelievable?
Jesus’ closest disciples didn’t think so. Not only did they turn the world upside down with this controversial message but most of them paid for it with their very lives.
Believers say that God’s plan for salvation is as simple as believing and confessing that Jesus is the Messiah, turning away from sin and surrendering your life to God.
It’s as simple as a prayer like this:
“Jesus, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, that you died for my sin and that you rose from the dead. I choose to turn away from my sin – please forgive me. I surrender my future to you. Please restore me to relationship with you, like you always intended it to be.”
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