Chapter 2:
The Messiah in the Old Testament
I realize that when writing to Jews, we must deal with
the question, "Who was Jesus Christ?" while standing in the
Light of the New Testament and while maintaining the integrity of the
Old Testament. The answer to the question is the fulcrum upon which
the history of the Gentile and the world turns. If so, and as the world
looks to each new Millennium and beyond, those who honor the Jewish
calendar would seem to be well served by doing some research on this
Messianic topic. Seeking answers, and God's direction as you do so,
is a reasonable endeavor. Surely those of Abraham's seed and who love
God are not the enemy, myself included. Perhaps misled or unenlightened,
but not the enemy.
The chapter we are dealing with here is best studied, in my opinion,
by first considering the words of the One to which the Old Testament
points. If that seems too difficult a starting point, please just try
to bear with me as we transition to the Old Testament. This quotation
is one of many that place the Old Testament and its prophecies in perspective.
John 5:2-47
2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called
in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed,
waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain
time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in
first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease
he had.
5 Now a certain man was there who had
an infirmity thirty-eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and
knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said
to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir,
I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up;
but while I am coming, another steps down before me."
8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take
up your bed and walk."
9 And immediately the man was made
well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said to him who
was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry
your bed."
11 He answered them, "He who made
me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' "
12 Then they asked him, "Who is
the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"
13 But the one who was healed did not
know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that
place.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See,
you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
15 The man departed and told the Jews
that it was Jesus who had made him well.
16 For this reason the Jews persecuted
Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the
Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, "My
Father has been working until now, and I have been working."
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the
more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said
that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
19 Then Jesus answered and said to
them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of
Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son
also does in like manner.
20 "For the Father loves the Son,
and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him
greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 "For as the Father raises the
dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22 "For the Father judges no one,
but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23 "that all should honor the
Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does
not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 "Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting
life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into
life.
25 "Most assuredly, I say to you,
the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of
the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26 "For as the Father has life
in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27 "and has given Him authority
to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28 "Do not marvel at this; for
the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice
29 "and come forth-- those who
have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done
evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30 "I can of Myself do nothing.
As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek
My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
31 "If I bear witness of Myself,
My witness is not true.
32 "There is another who bears
witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me
is true.
33 "You have sent to John, and
he has borne witness to the truth.
34 "Yet I do not receive testimony
from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35 "He was the burning and shining
lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
36 "But I have a greater witness
than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--
the very works that I do-- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent
Me.
37 "And the Father Himself, who
sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any
time, nor seen His form.
38 "But you do not have His word
abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
39 "You search the Scriptures,
for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which
testify of Me.
40 "But you are not willing to
come to Me that you may have life.
41 "I do not receive honor from
men.
42 "But I know you, that you do
not have the love of God in you.
43 "I have come in My Father's
name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him
you will receive.
44 "How can you believe, who receive
honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the
only God?
45 "Do not think that I shall
accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you-- Moses, in whom
you trust.
46 "For if you believed Moses,
you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 "But if you do not believe
his writings, how will you believe My words?" (NKJ)
This quotation raises and answers so many questions.
Most of them are dealt with in other chapters of this book. Here we
will focus on the last 3 verses. In those verses, what writings was
Jesus referring to? The Old Testament is full of quotations that point
to Jesus and the promised Messiah, the Christ. Let's look at only a
few.
Moses in Numbers, Chapters 22-24 recorded one of the
strangest stories in the Bible, where a donkey spoke to his master,
Balaam and Baalam subsequently prophesied as follows:
Numbers 24:16-19
16 The utterance of him who hears the
words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision
of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open:
17 "I see Him, but not now; I
behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter
shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all
the sons of tumult.
18 "And Edom shall be a possession;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion,
and destroy the remains of the city." (NKJ)
The Bible properly capitalizes references to the Deity.
Note verse 17. The Star out of Jacob refers to the Messiah, the one
coming out of Jacob and the tribe of Judah as prophesied in other Old
Testament references we will consider. The Scepter shall rise out of
Israel refers to the Messiah as Judge (see John 5:26-27, above). To
put this assertion in perspective, listen to what Jacob said as he called
his sons together.
Genesis 49:8-11
8 "Judah, you are he whom your
brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp; from the
prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
and as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and
to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in
wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. (NKJ)
Shiloh, though a city, also means "sent"
and thus would be capitalized either way, but here I believe it means
the One who is sent, who will come and to Him shall be the "obedience
of the people." The "scepter" is not capitalized here
because it is an implement in the hand of "Shiloh," the Judge.
Now, let's look at some of the most clearly stated
promises in the Old Testament regarding who the Messiah is to be and
what evidence will be present that we should know it is Him.
Isaiah 7:10-15
10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to
Ahaz, saying,
11 "Ask a sign for yourself from
the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."
12 But Ahaz said, "I will not
ask, nor will I test the LORD!"
13 Then he said, "Hear now, O
house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you
weary my God also?
14 "Therefore the Lord Himself
will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear
a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (My
emphasis)
15 "Curds and honey He shall eat,
that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (NKJ)
Biblical references call this "The Immanuel Prophecy."
Immanuel means God with us. Read verse 14 very carefully and know this
prophecy was fulfilled. No Jew needs to wonder about the dispersion
and gathering of Israel. It is a historical fact, well documented and
experienced by generations. Listen.
Isaiah 8:8-10
8 He will pass through Judah, he will
overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck; and the stretching
out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.
9 "Be shattered, O you peoples,
and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird
yourselves, but be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, but be broken
in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, but it will
come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with
us." (NKJ)
Then we read that a Child is born, the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto
us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. (My emphasis)
7 Of the increase of His government
and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His
kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from
that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
perform this. (NKJ)
Then we see that the Child becomes a Rod, from the
stem of Jesse.
Isaiah 11:1-5
1 There shall come forth a Rod from
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. (My
emphasis)
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest
upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel
and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the
LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by
the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge
the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall
strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His
lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of
His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. (NKJ)
Perhaps a Jewish reader is thinking, "Yes, this
is all about the Messiah, but it is about a Messiah yet to come."
That is true. It is about the Messiah yet to come but it is also completely
in sync with the birth, life and mission of Jesus Christ, right down
to the smallest detail. The Messiah came, born of a virgin. This Messiah,
in order to be the Messiah yet to come, would again have to come as
a child, born of a virgin, in the town of Bethlehem, from the tribe
of Judah, be crucified as the Lamb of God, and atone for the sins of
all men, as well as fulfill numerous other prophetic details. Does Israel
really look for another One, who will fulfill prophecy as Jesus Christ
did, to yet come? It has already happened! Prophecy has been fulfilled.
Read on.
Isaiah 28:16-23
16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
"Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not
act hastily.
17 Also I will make justice the measuring
line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge
of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will
be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when
the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down
by it.
19 As often as it goes out it will
take you; for morning by morning it will pass over, and by day and by
night; it will be a terror just to understand the report."
20 For the bed is too short to stretch
out on, and the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.
21 For the LORD will rise up as
at Mount Perazim, he will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon-- that
He may do His work, His awesome work, and bring to pass His act, His
unusual act.
22 Now therefore, do not be mockers,
lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of
hosts, a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.
23 Give ear and hear my voice, listen
and hear my speech. (NKJ)
Isaiah 33:10
10 "Now I will rise," says
the LORD; "Now I will be exalted, now I will lift Myself up. (NKJ)
Isaiah 42:1-9
1 "Behold! My Servant whom
I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit
upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His
voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for
truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall
wait for His law."
5 Thus says God the LORD, who created
the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that
which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit
to those who walk on it:
6 "I, the LORD, have called
You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give
You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes, to bring out
prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison
house.
8 I am the LORD, that is My name; and
My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.
9 Behold, the former things have
come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell
you of them." (NKJ)
Isaiah 48:16
16 "Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it
was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me." (NKJ)
Isaiah 49:1-7
1 "Listen, O coastlands, to Me,
and take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from
the womb; from the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
2 And He has made My mouth like
a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made
Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me."
3 "And He said to me, 'You are
My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.'
4 Then I said, 'I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just
reward is with the LORD, and my work with my God.' "
5 "And now the LORD says, who
formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him,
so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes
of the LORD, and My God shall be My strength),
6 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.' "
7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer
of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the
nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise,
princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the
Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You." (NKJ)
Isaiah 50:6-9
6 I gave My back to those who struck
Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide
My face from shame and spitting.
7 "For the Lord GOD will help
Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face
like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand
together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a
garment; the moth will eat them up. (NKJ)
Isaiah 52:13-15
13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at
you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more
than the sons of men;
15 So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them
they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. (NKJ)
Isaiah 53:1-12
1 Who has believed our report? And
to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 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.
3 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 .
4 Surely He has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted.
5 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
6 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.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
8 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.
9 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.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise
Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering
for sin, he shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul,
and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify
many, for He shall bear their iniquities.
12 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. (NKJ)
The prophecy of Isaiah 53:1-12 could not be more clear.
What possible fulfillment of this prophecy exists than that which is
before you?
Isaiah 59:14-20
14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness
stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot
enter.
15 So truth fails, and he who departs
from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased
Him that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought
salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 For He put on righteousness as a
breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; he put on the garments
of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly
He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;
the coastlands He will fully repay.
19 So shall they fear the name of the
LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the
enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard
against him.
20 "The Redeemer will come
to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," says
the LORD. (NKJ)
Isaiah 61:1-3
1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings
to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of
the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (NKJ)
This One, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord God rests,
will yet console those who mourn in Zion and those in Zion will be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.
Job 19:25-27
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed,
this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and
my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (NKJ)
Job, whose writings are considered the oldest in the
Old Testament, said that he knew that his Redeemer lives and that upon
death he would see God. You and I both know that his Redeemer was the
Messiah. The only question is "Has he come or shall we look for
another?" (Gospel of Luke 7:19)
Job 33:14-25
14 For God may speak in one way, or
in another, yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men, and
seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
and conceal pride from man,
18 He keeps back his soul from the
Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 "Man is also chastened with
pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones,
20 So that his life abhors bread, and
his soul succulent food.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
and his bones stick out which once were not seen.
22 Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 "If there is a messenger
for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness,
24 Then He is gracious to him, and
says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom';
25 His flesh shall be young like a
child's, he shall return to the days of his youth. (NKJ)
Please read verses 22-24 again carefully. Life is finite.
Job misestimated the situation here, in terms of how much time he had
left. Here we have in these last few verses the answer to his question
about a messenger, mediator, one who would deliver him from the pit.
He says, "I have found a ransom." When you consider the Prince
of Peace as Messiah, know that He broke the power of death, He provided
the ransom for each of our souls.
The Old Testament is full of references to the Messiah.
Again, this letter is intended to point you towards God's Word. There
is no authority outside of God's Word upon which you should rely. Listen
again, and consider memorizing, one of the most powerful verses in the
Bible concerning the Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJ)
Before I leave the issue of the circumstances and mission
of the Messiah, as prophesied in the Old Testament, let's look at some
of the Messianic Psalms.
Psalms 2:6-7
6 "Yet I have set My King on My
holy hill of Zion."
7 "I will declare the decree:
the LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
(NKJ)
Psalms 16:8-10
8 I have set the LORD always before
me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my
glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.
10 For You will not leave my soul in
Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (NKJ)
Psalms 22:1-18
1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night
season, and am not silent.
3 But You are holy, enthroned in the
praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them.
5 They cried to You, and were delivered;
they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach
of men, and despised of the people.
7 All those who see Me ridicule Me;
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 "He trusted in the LORD, let
Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"
9 But You are He who took Me out of
the womb; you made Me trust while on My mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother's womb you have been My God.
11 Be not far from Me, for trouble
is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong
bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
13 They gape at Me with their mouths,
like a raging and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and
all My bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within
Me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and My tongue clings to My jaws; you have brought Me to the dust of
death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; the
congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and
My feet;
17 I can count all My bones. They look
and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them,
and for My clothing they cast lots. (NKJ)
Psalms 96:13
13 For He is coming, for He is coming
to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and
the peoples with His truth. (NKJ)
Psalms 110:1
1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make
Your enemies Your footstool." (NKJ)
Psalms 118:19-22
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD, through
which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise You, for You have
answered me, and have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. (NKJ)
If you would like to compare Messianic prophecy with
New Testament fulfillment, go to www.solascriptura.com , Messiah and review the three topics which do so, Messiah
I, II and III. The Sola Scriptura Project is an assembly of 85 "topics"
such as The Story of Abraham, The End Times, Faith, Marriage, Godly
Habits, God's Children and so on. Each topic consists of direct quotations
from the Old and New Testament, without commentary. Please read this
quotation.
Matthew 15:22-28
22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came
from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me,
O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."
23 But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for
she cries out after us."
24 But He answered and said, "I
was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
25 Then she came and worshiped Him,
saying, "Lord, help me!"
26 But He answered and said, "It
is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little
dogs."
27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet
even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
28 Then Jesus answered and said to
her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
(NKJ)
These verses make a point that I wish to amplify and it is not a point
most Gentiles will love to hear. Jesus said, "I was not sent
except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Now, one could argue that this was a sentence lifted out of the context
of a situation wherein the disciples were annoyed with the persistence
of a Gentile woman. They were annoyed, true, but Jesus taught them a
lesson that reinforces something not often taught by Gentiles. The
ministry of Jesus was focused on the Jews.
We Gentiles, as a result of the grace of God and our faith in Jesus
Christ have chosen (actually responded to God's invitation to
accept His Grace) to be attached to the God of the Jews, not the gods
of the Gentiles, to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ. We
Gentiles are not the root, but the branch, and a grafted branch, at
that! The history of man pivots upon the Jewish nation, as does the
immediate future of man. Again, the entire history of man pivots on
the relationship of God to His chosen people.
This earth and all of the flesh upon it shall perish. God will first
return it to a "Garden of Eden" situation for 1000 years,
and the Messiah will reign and the nation of Israel shall enter into
His rest. What a perfect ending for Judaism and a perfect beginning,
thereafter, for eternity. This glory, this grace, is not of yourselves
but of God, who sent His Lamb to redeem you and cleanse you, forever.
Me too, thank God. Thank you Israel for preserving the Word and for
being the Oracle of God.
|
