I.            Introduction 

Christianity is based on the claim that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfilled all the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible.  In fact, many Christian missionary websites list hundreds of "Old Testament" prophecies, along with passages from the New Testament as "evidence" of their fulfillment by Jesus¹.  The reality is that the messianic agenda, as described in the Hebrew Bible, consists of a mere handful of significant items, which are to be completed during the reign of  משיח (mashi'ah), the promised Jewish Messiah. 

Although it is not the spiritual concern of Judaism and of the Jewish community at large whether Christians choose to believe these claims are true, unfortunate situations occur when Christian missionaries use this material for the purpose of Jewish evangelism.  They try to convince their Jewish targets, particularly those who are perceived as lacking a good Jewish education, that this is all true and that they need to accept Jesus as Messiah in order to become "completed Jews". 

This essay focuses on what the Hebrew Bible teaches concerning the qualifications and expectations of the משיח.  This information is then cast into a "Job Requisition" that serves as a template that for evaluating the suitability of a claimant to this position.  Specifically, this template is applied to Jesus, Christianity's candidate for this position, and demonstrates, (a) that he failed to qualify for the job, and (b) even though it is claimed he was appointed to the position, he did not do the job right.

 

II.            Job Requisition:  משיח , Judaism's Messiah 

A "Job Requisition" template for the position of Jewish Messiah, shown in Table II-1, has been developed to describe who, according to the Hebrew Bible, this person will be, what his known attributes are, and what he is expected to accomplish.  Further elaboration on its contents follows the table.

 

 Table II-1 – "Job Requisition" for the משיח

A.  Prior Job Experience:  

Although Jewish tradition holds that in every generation there lives a person who is worthy of being the promised Jewish Messiah, this job has never before been filled.  Consequently, it is not possible to possess any prior job experience. 

B.  Qualifications 

The Qualifications of candidates for the job of Jewish Messiah are the pre-requisites for consideration, and they are specified in the Hebrew Bible.

 1.   Seed of David through Solomon 

The Messiah will be a biological descendant of King David from the branch that goes through Solomon, since Solomon is the one who built the Temple (bolded in red added for emphasis throughout this document unless otherwise noted):

2 Samuel 7:12-16 – (12) When your days will be completed and you will lie with your forefathers,  then I shall raise your seed after you, that which will issue from your loins, and I shall establish his kingdom. (13)  He shall build a Temple for My sake, and I shall make firm the throne of his kingdom forever.  (14) I shall be to him a Father, and he shall be to Me a son; so that when he goes astray I will chastise him with the rod of men and with afflictions of human beings.  (15) But My mercy shall not move away from him as I removed [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  (16) And your dynasty and your kingdom shall be confirmed before you forever; your throne will remain firm forever.  [See also Is 11:1; Jer 23:5, 30:9, 33:15; Ezek 34:23-24, 37:24-25.] 

1 Chronicles 22:9-10 – (9)  Behold a son will be born to you; he will be a man of peace, and I shall give him peace from all his enemies around about, for Solomon will be his name, and I shall give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. (10)  He shall build a House in My Name, and he shall be to Me as a son, and I to him as a Father, and I shall prepare the throne of his kingdom forever.  [See also 1 Kgs 8:15-20; 1 Chron 17:11-15, 22:9-10, 28:3-7.]

 

 2.   Spiritual and Military  / Political Leader of Israel 

The Messiah will be steeped in Torah, an authority who will influence all of Israel to follow Torah in an environment created by his spiritual leadership: 

Isaiah 2:3 - And many nations shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the L-rd's mount, to the House of the G-d of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths;" for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the Word of the L-rd from Jerusalem.
 

The Messiah will defeat and conquer the enemies surrounding Israel.  As an ordinary mortal, a "flesh & blood" human being, he lives/will live in a world of recognizable realities of military requirements and will have to deal with these realities, and emerge victorious within the constraints that they engender.  Nevertheless, his political leadership will be well recognized throughout the world: 

Daniel 7:14 - He has been given dominion, honor and kingship, so that all peoples, nations and tongues will serve him;  his dominion is an eternal dominion that will never be removed, and his kingship will not be destroyed.

 

3.      Married with Children

 

Although marriage and children are not stated pre-requisites for being the Messiah, there is a clear indication that the Prince, who is the Messiah/King [see Ezek 34:23-24, 37:24], will have children (via marriage) at some point in time during his reign, and they will be entitled to inherit his property: 

Ezekiel 46:16-17 – (16) Thus says the L-rd G-d:   “If the Prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance to remain in their possession; it is their property by inheritance. (17) But if he gives a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his [the servant's] until the year of liberty, and then it returns to the Prince;  only to his sons shall his inheritance belong.

 

C.    Performance Appraisal Criteria

The Performance Appraisal Criteria comprise several significant messianic agenda items against which the performance of a qualified candidate for the job of Jewish Messiah must be evaluated.

 

1.  Arrival of Elijah the Prophet

 Elijah the prophet will precede the Messiah and "pave the way" for his arrival, heralding the commencement of the messianic era: 

Malachi 3:23[4:5] – Behold,  I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd.

 2.  Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem 

The presence of the Third Temple is envisioned in what is, perhaps, one of the most detailed and vivid descriptions of the messianic era to be found in the Hebrew Bible - Chapter 37 in the Book of Ezekiel: 

Ezekiel 37:26-28 – (26) And I will form a covenant of peace for them, an everlasting covenant shall be with them; and I will establish them, and I will multiply them,  I will place My Sanctuary in their midst forever.  (27) And My dwelling place shall be over them; and I will be to them for a G-d, and they shall be to Me as a people.  (28) And the nations shall know that I am the L-rd who sanctifies Israel,    when My Sanctuary is in their midst forever.   [See also Is 33:20; Ezekiel Chapters 40-48.]                                           

Later on, in Chapters 40-48, Ezekiel provides detailed descriptions of the Third Temple and the ritual services to be held within its walls.            

3.  In-Gathering of Jewish Exiles to Israel 

The Messiah will repatriate the Jewish people from the Diaspora to the promised land of Israel in preparation for the repair of the schism that followed Solomon's reign: 

Isaiah 11:12 - And he [Messiah] shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.  [See also 43:5-6; Jer 16:15, 23:3; Ezek 37:21-22; Zech 10:6-10.]                                                                                                                                                                                    

 4.  Reunification of Judah and Israel into One People

 The messianic agenda calls for the restoration of a unified kingdom for the people of Israel: 

Ezekiel 37:22 - And  I will make them into one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be to them all as a king; and they shall no longer be as two nations, and they shall not be divided into two kingdoms anymore.  [See also the "lead-in", Ezek 37:16-21; Is 11:13.]                                                             

 5.  World Peace 

The Messiah will be recognized as a fair judge and peacemaker, and in the messianic era, disputes between countries will be settled through peaceful means and not by war: 

Isaiah 2:4 - And he [the Messiah] shall judge among the nations, and he shall reprove many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, and they shall not learn war anymore.  [See also , Is 11:6-8, Micah 4:3-4.]                                                                                     

 6.  Universal Knowledge of G-d

 There will prevail a universal knowledge of G-d that will put an end to destruction and violence:

Isaiah 11:9 - They shall not harm and not destroy on all of My holy mountain;  the land shall be as filled with the knowledge of the L-rd, as the waters cover the sea bed.    [See also Jer 31:33[34]; Zech 14:9.]

 7.  Resurrection of the Dead 

Most, but not all, of the dead will come back to life.  The righteous will live in bliss, and the wicked will live in misery: 

Isaiah 26:19 -   May Your dead live, ’My corpses shall rise; awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for a dew of lights is your dew, and [to the] earth You shall cast the slackers.  [See also Ezek 37:12-13; Dan 12:2.]

 

(continued on the page “Is Jesus the Messiah?” 

 

 

 

 

¹ One such example is 300 Messianic Prophecies:  Prophecies From the Old Testament that Reveal that Jesus is the Messiah—http://www.gotell.gracenet.org/gbn12.htm

²  Chapter / Verse numbers shown in square brackets, e.g. [4:5-6] are those used in the Christian bible.

©

UriYosef

 

Virtual Yeshiva

Used with Permission

Kosher Judaism ©

Kosher Judaism

 כַּשְרוּת יַהֲדוּת