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Subject: Messianic Expectations: Looking for Messiah (Part 3 of 3)
Date: Sunday, 19 March, 2000 00:29
From: Dean and Susan Wheelock
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Messianic Expectations: Looking for Messiah (Part 3 of 3)
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Messianic Expectations: Looking for Messiah
(Part 3 of 3)
From the website:
http://www.oocities.org/~hebrew_roots/html/hr-3-2-01.html#Looking
~ Suffering Servant ~
Yeshua also brought another enigmatic Jewish eschatological figure
into the proper understanding of Himself. That figure was known as
the 'Suffering Servant.' Apocalyptic Literature, and other
eschatological writing of this period, deals with this figure and
relates him to both the 'Messiah' and the 'Son of Man.'
"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and after three days rise again." (Mark 8:31)
The disciples were apparently quite astonished by Yeshua's
statement, indicating that they had never made the connection between
the Messiah, the Son of Man and the Suffering Servant. Peter actually
took Yeshua aside and chided Him for saying such a thing. This
brought a stem rebuke from Yeshua.
The 'Suffering Servant' passage found in Isaiah 52:13 -53:12 is
perhaps one of the major points of disagreement between Christians
and Jews today. Jews interpret this passage as referring to the
people of Israel, while Christians see it as a clear reference to the
Messiah, Yeshua. Neither side wishes to budge from their preconceived
position. However, it must be noted that a great many of the ancient
Jewish manuscripts teach that the 'Suffering Servant' passage does
refer to the Messiah. Take the following verse for an example:
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and
extolled and be very high." (Isa. 52:13)
Now let us compare this to the following quote from the Targum
Jonathan, which is an Aramaic paraphrase of the Scriptures, written
during the Second Temple period to assist those who were not fluent
in Hebrew to a proper understanding of the Scriptures.
"Behold, my Servant Messiah shall prosper; He shall be high, and
increased, and be exceedingly strong." * [* The Messiah of the
Tanach, Targums and Talmuds, by F. Kenton Beshore, D.D. LL.D. Ph.D., pub by World Bible Society, Los Angeles,
1971, Chart 15.]
Here we see clearly that at least one 1st century understanding of
this passage equated the 'Suffering Servant' to the Messiah.
Another marvelous Jewish book that covers the subject of the
Messiah in depth is: The Messiah Texts, by Raphael Patai, pub by
Wayne State University Press, Detroit. 1979. Patai dedicates an
entire chapter to; The Suffering Messiah, Following are a
few of his comments and quotes:
"The Messiah himself, ... must spend his entire life, from the
moment of his creation until the time of his advent many centuries or
even millennia later, in a state of constant and acute suffering. ...
"In all this the Messiah becomes heir to the Suffering Servant of
God. who figures prominently in the prophecies of Deutero-lsaiah, and
who suffers undeservedly for the sins of others." (pp. 104-105).
The next quote from The Messiah Texts is taken from an eleventh
century CE manuscript called Midrash Konen. "'And in it is Messiah
ben David who loves Jerusalem. Elijah of blessed memory takes hold
of his head, places it in his lap and holds It, and says to him:
"Endure the sufferings and the sentence of your Master who makes you
suffer because of the sin of Israel." And thus it is written: he was
wounded because of our transgressions, he was crushed because of our
iniquities (Isa. 53:5)"until the time when the end comes."' (Ibid., p 115).
It is apparent that even as late as the eleventh century CE, the
Jewish sages understood Isaiah 52-5.3 as applying directly to the
Messiah.
~ Son of God ~
References to the Messiah being the 'Son of God' are infrequent in
the existing extra-biblical literature of this period. However, as we
have already seen, there are repeated allusions to this possibility
in the Scriptures themselves. Following is one such passage:
"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." (Isa. 9:6)
Christians understand this verse as applying to Yeshua HaMashiach
(Jesus the Messiah). Jews take issue with this idea by pointing out
that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies contained in this passage.
Christians counter by saying that He will do so at His second coming.
Such arguments can continue endlessly with neither side giving an
inch to the other. However, the Targum Jonathan, renders this same
verse with a definite reference to the Messiah.
"For to us a SON is born, to us a Son is given: and He shall
receive the Law upon HIM to keep it: and HIS name is called from of
Old, Wonderful, Counselor, ELOHA, THE MIGHTY, Abiding
to Eternity, THE MESSIAH, because peace shall be multiplied on us in
HIS days." ** [* Ibid. .Chart 16.]
Here we find clear evidence, from the Aramaic paraphrase, that the
Jews of Yeshua's day saw this passage as referring directly to the
promised Messiah, and that He was to be called a 'Son.' Another
'messianic' passage that receives similar treatment is found in the
Psalms:
"'I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are
My Son, Today I have begotten You.'" (Psalm 2:7)
Midrash Tehelim, fol, 3, col. 4 is quoted on page 108 of a book by
Philip N. Moore entitled; The End of History--Messiah Conspiracy, as
follows:
"When the time of the advent of Messiah will be near, then the
blessed God will say to him: 'With him I will make a new covenant'
And this is the time when he will acknowledge him as his
son, saying This day have I begotten thee.'" *** [*** Moore, in turn,
is quoting from the following publication: Rev. B. Pick, Ph.D., Old
Testament Passages Messianically Applied by the Ancient Synagogue,
published in the compilation. Hebraica, A Quarterly Journal in the
Interests of Semitic Study, vol. II, p. 129.]
Another reference which clearly shows the title 'Son of God'
enjoyed some usage during the 1st century, is found in fragment 4Q246
of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
"'he shall be called the son of the God; they will call him the
Son of the Most High ...He will judge the earth in righteousness,
..and every nation will bow down to him.. .with (God's) help he will
make war, and...[God] will give all the peoples into his power.'"
**** [**** From an article by Michael Wise and James Tabor,
Biblical Archaeology Review, Nov/Dec 1992. Quoted in a footnote by
Philip N. Moore, The End of History- Messiah Conspiracy, p. 109]
One interesting aspect of this passage is that it speaks not of
multiple messiahs, but of one Messiah.
~ Conclusion ~
It is apparent from this brief survey of the Scriptures and
various 1st Century Jewish writings, that there was not a
single unified view of exactly who the Messiah might be, what He
would do when He arrived, or even how many Messiahs would show up.
About the only thing upon which there was agreement was the fact that
Messiah was expected to appear in the 1st Century CE, and probably
during the first third of that century.
Many people believed that the Messiah (or a Messiah if they
thought there might be more than one) would usher in a period of
greatness for the nation of Israel. According to Acts 1:6-7,
it seems as though many, if not all, of the disciples of Yeshua
expected that very event to take place in the near future. Some also
believe that Judas iscariot was, in fact, a member of the Sacarii, the
band of assassins that operated within the Zealot party. It is
believed that Judas betrayed Yeshua so that He would be forced to
reveal Himself as Messiah and unite the Jews to overthrow the Roman
rule, just as the Maccabees had done to the Syrians, some 175 years
previous.
Is it any wonder that many people (who may have followed Yeshua
during His ministry) who were expecting the Messiah to bring in the
Kingdom of God at that time, were more than a little disillusioned
when they discovered that Yeshua had been crucified and was laying
dead in a tomb?
Actually, a number of his disciples gave up following Him much
earlier, when He tried to explain to them that He had come from God
and was going to return to God. This was just not the 'Messiah' they
were expecting. Yeshua made these important remarks on the day
following the feeding of the five thousand. He had escaped the
crowds by returning to Capernaum, however they figured out where He
was and crossed over the lake to find Him. It was the Passover season,
when all the Jews were required to eat only bread that was unleavened,
and He took the opportunity to teach them about the true bread:
"And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said
to Him, 'Rabbi, when did You come here?' "Jesus answered them and
said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw
the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not
labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to
everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the
Father has set His seal on Him.' "Then they said to Him, 'What shall
we do, that we may work the works of God?' "Jesus answered and said
to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He
sent.' "Therefore they said to Him, 'What sign will You perform
then, that we may see It and believe You? What work will You do: "Our
fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them
bread from heaven to eat."" "Then Jesus said to them, 'Most
assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from
heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the
bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.' "Then they said to Him, 'Lord, give us this bread always.'
"And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me
shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All
that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me
I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to
do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of
the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will
of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in
Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.'
"The Jews then murmured against Him, because He said, 'I am the bread
which came down from heaven.' And they said, Is not this Jesus,
the son of Joseph whose father and mother we know? How is it
then that He says, "I have come down from heaven?'" "Jesus therefore
answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur among yourselves.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I
will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets,
"And they shall all be taught by God," Therefore everyone who has
heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has
seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting
life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down
from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living
bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he
will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which
I shall give for the life of the world.'
"The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, 'How
can this Man give us His flesh to eat?' "Then Jesus said to them,
'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My
flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day, For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink
indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I
in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the
Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the
bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate
the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.'
"These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in
Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this,
said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?' "When Jesus
knew in Himself that His disciples murmured about this. He said to
them, 'Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of
Man ascend where He was before? It is the spirit who gives life; the
flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and
they are life., But there are some of you who do not believe.' "For
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and
who would betray Him. And He said, 'Therefore I have said to you
that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My
Father.' "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked
with Him no more." (John 6:25-66)
Given the current understanding about the Messiah, the Son of Man,
the Suffering Servant, and the Son of God; the words of Yeshua were,
at least for some, very difficult meat to swallow. We should all be
able to appreciate the fact that here was a flesh and blood man
standing up before them saying that He had been in heaven and had
come down to dwell with them. Not only that. He talked about them
eating His flesh and drinking His blood. If that were to be taken
literally, rather in the symbolic way in which it was intended,
the effect on the Jewish listener would have been one of revulsion,
for these were people who had been taught from birth to never eat or
drink blood. So strict were they on this point, their meat had to go
through a strict process of kashering to draw out as much blood as
possible before it was thoroughly cooked. Not only that, the idea of
eating human flesh would have been even more repulsive, for these
people would not even touch the meat of swine, much less human flesh!
So, for the literalists, this message was a real stumbling block.
However, there were those whom the Father had called to be a part of
the Bride of Messiah, who were able to accept the teaching and
understand it at least in a partial sense.
"Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'
"Then Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know
that You are the Christ (Mashiach), the Son of the living God."'
(John 6:67-69)
We have quoted this passage from the book of John at length
because it serves to point out the crux of the controversy that
swirled around Yeshua during His time of ministry. It also serves to
point out in clarity how those who were looking for a different kind
of 'Messiah' were not going to be able to discern that Yeshua was
indeed that individual.
Today, as Believers, we face a similar situation. What do you
believe the Messiah is going to do when He arrives? Will He come
dressed as a Bridegroom or as a Man of War? Is He going to come
wearing a three piece suit, looking like corporate America? Or
will He wear long robes and appear as a great religious leader? Will
He be wearing fringes (tzit-tzit) on His garments? Will His hair be
short and neatly trimmed, or will it be long and scraggly? Will He
have a beard, and if so, what will it look like?
We all must be careful not to put our Savior, the Messiah Yeshua,
into a little box and say that if He does not look or act in the
manner we expect then He cannot be the Messiah. That is
exactly what happened when Yeshua first appeared, causing many to
overlook Him. Therefore, let all who believe in Him continue to
proclaim
"...the Good News, since it is God's powerful means of bringing
salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but
equally to the Gentile. For it is revealed how God makes people
righteous in his sight; and from beginning to end it is through trust
- as the Tanakh puts it, 'But the person who is righteous will live
his life by trust'" (Rom. 1:16-18 JNT)
If we indeed belong to Him (a part of His beautiful Bride), then
when He comes we have this blessed assurance:
"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who
has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (I John
3:2-3)
Since Yeshua is the 'Son of God,' and we shall be like Him, then
what shall we be like?
Shalom.
DEW
~ ~ ~
~ Sources ~
Beshore, F. Kenton. D.D. LL.D. Ph.D., The Messiah of the Tanach,
Targums and Talmuds, World Bible Society, Los Angeles, 1971.
Green, Jay P., St., The Interlinear Bible, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody,
1985.
Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G., Th.M., Ph.D., Jesus Was A Jew, Ariel
Ministries, PO Box 3723, Tustin, CA 92681, 1981.
Frydtand, Rachmiel, What the Rabbis Know About the Messiah, Messianic
Literature Outreach, Columbus, OH, 1991.
Moore, George Foote, Judaism In the First Centuries of the Christian
Era, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. 1955.
Moore, Philip N., The End of History -- Messiah Conspiracy, The
Conspiracy Incorporated, PO Box 12227, Atlanta. GA 30355,1996.
The Open Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, 1985.
Patai, Raphael, The Messiah Texts, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, 1979. Russell. D.S., The Method and Message
of Jewish Apocalyptic, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1964.
Silver. Abba Hillel, A History of Messianic Speculation in Israel, Beacon
Press, Boston, 1927.
Strong, James, S.T.D., L.L.D., Strong's New Exhaustive Concordance of
the Bible, World Bible Publishers, Inc., Iowa Falls, 1986.
Wigram, George V., The Englishman's Hebrew and
Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament, Baker Book House, Grand
Rapids, 1980.
(End Part 3 of 3)
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