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Few doctrines can be considered more fundamental than the nature, character and works of Messiah; and few teachers are able to convey such truths with the thoroughness, detail, accuracy, clarity, organization and fluidity that so characterizes Dr. Fruchtenbaum. So fasten your seatbelts, and let’s continue!
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Study 7: Ariel Ministries’ Messianic Bible Study # 013:
WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS ABOUT JESUS
By Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum
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© 1983, 2005 Ariel Ministries. All rights reserved. This manuscript is for your This manuscript is republished by special permission of Ariel Ministries. * |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION * The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, |
INTRODUCTION
The primary point of the New Testament is that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah of the Old Testament. While each of the four biographies on the life of Jesus that have come down to us have their own theme, they still all make one primary point: Yeshua is the Messiah.
The New Testament begins with the words: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. This opening statement of the New Testament sets the stage for the entire New Testament (Mat. 1:1).
I. MESSIAHSHIP KINGSHIP JEWISHNESS
Giving Yeshua the title of Messiah points to His Messiahship and has reference to the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The word Christ is simply the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah.
Giving Jesus the title of the son of Abraham, points to the Jewishness of Yeshua since, throughout biblical history and theology, Jewishness was always associated with the covenant that God made with Abraham.
Giving Jesus the title of the son of David, points to His Kingship, because the kingship of the Jews was sustained through the House of David.
The entire New Testament revolves around this opening statement of Matthew 1:1. It will be repeated, developed, and enlarged upon by the various writers of the New Testament, as will be seen in the following Scriptures.
Messiahship: Matthew 1:16: and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Messiahship: John 4:25-26: The woman said unto him, I know that Messiah comes (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. Jesus said unto her, I that speak unto you am he.
Kingship: Matthew 2:1-2: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Kingship: Matthew 27:37: And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Jewishness: John 4:9: The Samaritan woman therefore said unto him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman?
Jewishness: Galatians 4:4-5: but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Jewishness: Hebrews 2:16: For verily not to angels does he give help, but he gives help to the seed of Abraham.
His Messiahship, His Kingship, and His Jewishness are the dominant claims of the New Testament. This is true in the Gospels, the four biographies of His life, as well as in the rest of the writings of the New Testament that deal with the theology of the life of Yeshua. He is clearly portrayed as the Messiah of the Old Testament.
A. The Son of Joseph
Most of what the Gospels have to say place Yeshua precisely into the mold of the Old Testament Messiah. He would be the One to whom the rabbis referred as the “Messiah, the Son of Joseph,” meaning Joseph, the Patriarch, who was characterized by suffering.
This is seen in John 1:45: Philip finds Nathanael, and said unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
B. The Son of David
But He is also portrayed in the four biographies as the very Messiah to whom the rabbis referred as being “Messiah, the Son of David.”
This is found in Luke 1:31c-33: and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
II. AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE TWO MESSIAHS THEORY
How could both aspects be true in the same person? The answer of the Talmudic rabbis was to declare that it could not be. Hence, they adopted the Two Messiahs Theory, making one as the Suffering Messiah and the other the Conquering and Reigning Messiah.
The New Testament declares, however, that there is an alternative to the two-Messiahs view and goes on to show how the two aspects can indeed be true of the same person.
A. The Uniqueness of His Birth
First, as has already been stated, the primary point of the Gospels is to portray Yeshua as the Messiah who came to suffer and die for sin. He was the One the rabbis would have called “Messiah, the Son of Joseph.”
Jesus was the Messiah who came into the world in both a normal and a miraculous way; normal, in that He came into the world by birth as do all other human beings; miraculous, in that He was given birth by a virgin.
This is recorded by Luke 1:30-31 and 34-35: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. Verses 34-35 state: And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
And in Matthew 1:21-23: And she shall bring forth a son; and you shall call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.
The Virgin Birth of the Messiah, first hinted at in Genesis 3:15 and later developed by Isaiah 7:14, is viewed by the Gospels as being fulfilled in the birth of Yeshua.
His Davidic lineage is established by the fact that both Mary, His mother, and Joseph, His stepfather, were descendants of King David. So on His mother’s side, Yeshua was a descendant of David by blood, and on His stepfather’s side by adoption.
B. The Place of His Birth
Furthermore, His birthplace was in Bethlehem, although His parents lived in Nazareth. This is recorded in Luke 2:3-7: And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Thus, the birth of the Messiah is the fulfillment of Micah 5:2, which declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
C. His Suffering and Death
1. Isaiah 53
More than anything else, the sufferings and death of Yeshua fit into the mold developed by Isaiah 53.
a. The Historical Personality
He is portrayed as the historical, individual personality fulfilling, to the letter, the content of Isaiah 53.
b. The Innocent Sufferer: Isaiah 53;4-6, 8b, 9b
He was innocent of any sin and so suffered innocently as we see in II Corinthians 5:21: Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
c. The Voluntary and Willing Sufferer
He was a voluntary sufferer and willingly allowed Himself to be mistreated by those who took Him captive, according to John 10:17b-18a: I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself.
Not only did He submit Himself to the mistreatment resulting in suffering and death, but He did so silently, without any real protest.
d. The Silent Sufferer: Isaiah 53:7
One of the very things that surprised and amazed men at His trial was His total silence, never vocalizing protest against the injustice of the false accusations.
In Matthew 27:12-14, we read: And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hear you not how many things they witness against you? And he gave him no answer, not even to one word: insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
e. The Vicarious Sufferer: Isaiah 53:4-6, 8, 10, 12
All His sufferings, however, were vicarious; that is, He was suffering for the sins of others rather than His own.
This is recorded in I Peter 2:21-24: For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: who his own self bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
f. The Death of the Messiah: Isaiah 53:8, 12
The death of the Messiah is seen by the New Testament writers to be the fulfillment of all the factors regarding the death of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Just as the suffering of the Servant ended in death; after scourging, mockery and crucifixion, so too, Yeshua died. Just as the Suffering Servant was treated as a criminal and died a criminal’s death; so Jesus, by dying a death by means of crucifixion, died a criminal’s death along with two other criminals. The death of the Suffering Servant was a result of a judicial sentencing and a judicial judgment.
Yeshua underwent two trials, the first was a religious one in which He was condemned on false charges of blasphemy and sentenced to death; the second was a political trial by the Romans on false charges of fomenting rebellion against Caesar. Again, He was sentenced to death and underwent the Roman-type of tortuous death.
Although, like the Suffering Servant, He was assigned a criminal’s grave, He was, nevertheless, buried in a rich man’s tomb, according to Matthew 27:57-60: And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.
g. The Resurrection of the Messiah: Isaiah 53:10-11a
In the Isaiah passage, the Suffering Servant does not stay dead but is resurrected to see the results of His sufferings and death. Three days after the body of Yeshua was buried in a rich man’s tomb, His death gave way to resurrection. The Gospels record that forty days after the Resurrection, He ascended into Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God, just as the Suffering Servant was to be: exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Is. 52:13).
h. Justification and Reconciliation: Isaiah 53:5-6, 11b
Finally, the Isaiah passage concluded that the Suffering Servant would bring justification and spiritual healing to those who would accept His substitutionary death on their behalf. He would bring justification, redemption, and reconciliation to many. Whether or not Jesus had done this will be discussed later.
2. Psalm 22
Not only is the life of Yeshua portrayed as fitting the mold of Isaiah 53, but it is also portrayed as fitting the mold of Psalm 22.
a. Psalm 22:1
While dying on the cross, Jesus cried out the first verse of the psalm in Matthew 27:46: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
b. Psalm 22:18
The Roman soldiers gambled for His clothes, according to Matthew 27:35: And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots.
And John 19:23-24: The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which say, They parted my garments among them, And upon my vesture did they cast lots.
c. Psalm 22:6-8
While Yeshua hangs on the cross, the people ridicule, using almost the very same words found in Psalm 22:8. Matthew 27:43 states: He trusted on God; let him deliver him now, if he desires him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
d. Psalm 22:14-15
As in Psalm 22, when His side was pierced by a spear, a mixture of blood and water poured out which is the sign of a broken heart.
e. Psalm 22:16b
Finally, His hands and feet, having been nailed to the cross, were pierced just as those of the person in Psalm 22 were pierced.
Summary: The Jesus of the New Testament is portrayed as the Messiah of the Old Testament with regard to His suffering and death. In all, Jesus fulfilled about three hundred prophecies dealing with the coming of the Messiah by His life, suffering, death, and Resurrection. According to the New Testament, He fulfilled all that the rabbis expected of the Messiah, the Son of Joseph.
III. THE NEW TESTAMENT SOLUTION TO THE PARADOX
But what about the prophecies dealing with the Messiah as a king? What about His coming to restore peace and prosperity on the earth? What about the messianic figure that the rabbis termed “Messiah, the Son of David?” While the rabbis sought to solve the paradox by developing the Two Messiahs Concept, the New Testament offers a different alternative. Instead of two Messiahs, each coming one time, the New Testament speaks of one Messiah coming two times.
A. The First Coming of the Messiah
He first comes by birth into the world; He lives His life on the earth, eventually undergoing a period of suffering which ends in death for the sins of Israel; He is then resurrected and returns to His place in Heaven. At some future time, He will return to set up the Messianic Kingdom by reestablishing the Davidic throne and will reign over a Kingdom of peace, prosperity, and security for Israel.
But in the meantime, anyone who will believe and accept the substitutionary death for his sins will be justified and reconciled with God and have a living relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
B. The Second Coming of the Messiah
After the death and Resurrection of Yeshua, the New Testament looks forward to His return to set up the Kingdom. A number of passages in the New Testament speak of one Messiah coming two times.
1. The Kingship of the Messiah
Of these numerous passages, we will quote only the following few.
Matthew 19:28: And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 24:29-31: But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 25:31: But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory.
Luke 1:32-33: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Acts 1:6-7: They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, do you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has set within His own authority.
Romans 11:25-27: For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part has befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins.
I Corinthians 15:20-28: But now has Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he said, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all.
Hebrews 9:27-28: And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this comes judgment; so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.
Revelation 20:4-6: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: over these the second death has no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
All these verses indicate that Yeshua is to come again and establish a Kingdom. Connected with the Kingship passages in the Old Testament were also the Sonship of the Messiah with God and the God-Man Concepts. Both of these ideas are also to be found in the quotations just cited from the New Testament regarding the Messiah.
2. The God-Man Concept and Jesus
Another factor regarding the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6-7 and Jeremiah 23:5-6 was the God-Man Concept. In other words, Messiah was to be both man and God at the same time. Does the New Testament teach the same thing about Yeshua?
In the New Testament Book of Philippians 2:5-8, we read: Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
Furthermore, in the New Testament Book of John 1:1-2, and 14a, we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
Verse 14a states: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
3. The Sonship of Jesus with God
Again, the Jewish writers of the New Testament see in Yeshua the messianic requirements of the Old Testament, right down to the God- Man Concept. Now only one thing remains. Does the New Testament make Jesus the Son of God as demanded by Psalm 2:7 and Proverbs 30:4?
Going back to Luke 1 when Gabriel announced the coming miraculous birth of the Messiah to Mary the virgin, we read in verses 34-35: And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
According to this passage, Jesus Messiah would be called the Son of God because of His miraculous conception and Virgin Birth. In every way, this is in keeping with the demands of the Old Testament.
Years later, when Yeshua is about to begin His career of public ministry, we read in Matthew 3:16-17: And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the New Testament proclaims Yeshua to be the Messiah of the Old Testament. The New Testament solution to the Old Testament paradox is that there will be only one Messiah, and this Messiah comes two times. This seems to be consistent with the Old Testament, since the Old Testament often speaks of the suffering and the conquering aspects of the Messiah in one and the same passage, giving no indication at all that two persons are meant.
All scriptures are in the American Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
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RECOMMENDED READING
If you enjoyed this Bible study, Dr. Fruchtenbaum recommends the following messianic Bible studies (mbs):
mbs 003: The Basis of the Second Coming of the Messiah
mbs 007: Jews, Gentiles, and Christians
mbs 011: The Suffering Messiah of Isaiah 53
mbs 012: The Messiah of the Old Testament
mbs 014: Why Did the Messiah Have to Die?
mbs 016: Nicodemus, A Rabbi’s Quest
mbs 026: Zionism: What It Is and What It Is Not
mbs 087: The Book of Romans and the Jews
Also the Ariel series on Christology by Dr. Fruchtenbaum
Many of Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s studies are available for free online reading and
listening at Ariel Ministries’ Come and See. All of his materials are
available for purchase at Ariel Ministries in various formats.
Other select materials and resources are
available at Ariel, as well.
Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Th.M, Ph.D,
is founder and director of Ariel Ministries.
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Content retrieved from: http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine38-af-christology-messianic.htm?fbclid=IwAR13K1LyZrQcEf5rtYWv_HrJTYMOB8wLZRRINAY2z_YVssVLCYkOBJBSOWo.