Category: Joseph

Jesus is called the Messiah in Matthew 1:16.
In fact, every time someone says, “Jesus Christ,” he is referring to Jesus as the Messiah, since Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” The Old Testament predicts the Messiah, and the New Testament reveals the Messiah to be Jesus of Nazareth.

There are several things that the Jewish people who anticipated the Messiah expected Him to be, based on Old Testament prophecies. The Messiah would be a Hebrew man (Isaiah 9:6) born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), a prophet akin to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18), a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), a king (Isaiah 11:1–4), and the Son of David (Matthew 22:42) who suffered before entering His glory (Isaiah 53). Jesus met each of these messianic requirements.

Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Messiah in that He was a Hebrew of the tribe of Judah (Luke 3:30), and He was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–7) to a virgin (Luke 1:26–27).

Another proof that Jesus was the Messiah is the fact that He was a prophet like Moses. Both Moses and Jesus were prophets “whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10; cf. John 8:38). But Jesus is an even greater prophet than Moses in that, while Moses delivered Israel from slavery, Jesus frees us from the bondage of death and sin. Unlike Moses, Jesus didn’t just represent God—He is God (John 10:30). Jesus doesn’t just lead us to the Promised Land; He takes us up to heaven for eternity (John 14:1–3). For these and many more reasons, Jesus is a prophet greater than Moses.

The Messiah was to have priestly duties; Jesus was not a Levite, and only Levites were allowed to be priests. So how could Jesus qualify? Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20). Melchizedek predated the Jewish temple, and his very name means “King of Righteousness.” Melchizedek was also called the “King of Salem,” which means “King of Peace” (Hebrews 7:2). Melchizedek blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser, Hebrews 7:7), and Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe. Thus, as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, Jesus is greater than Abraham (see John 8:58) and the Levitical priesthood. He is a heavenly priest who offered a sacrifice that removes sin permanently, not just temporarily covers it.

Jesus must also be a king in order to be the Messiah. Jesus was from Judah, the kingly tribe. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came looking for the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–2). Jesus taught that He would one day sit on a glorious throne (Matthew 19:28; 25:31). Many people in Israel saw Jesus as their long-awaited king and expected Him to set up His rule immediately (Luke 19:11), although Jesus’ kingdom is currently not of this world (John 18:36). At the end of Jesus’ life, during His trial before Pilate, Jesus did not defend Himself except to answer affirmatively when Pilate asked if He was the King of the Jews (Mark 15:2).

Another way Jesus fits the Old Testament description of the Messiah is that He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. On the cross Jesus was “despised” and “held . . . in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3). He was “pierced” (verse 5) and “oppressed and afflicted” (verse 7). He died with thieves yet was buried in a rich man’s tomb (verse 9; cf. Mark 15:27; Matthew 27:57–60). After His suffering and death, Jesus the Messiah was resurrected (Isaiah 53:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:4) and glorified (Isaiah 53:12). Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest prophecies identifying Jesus as the Messiah; it is the very passage that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip met him and explained to him about Jesus (Acts 8:26–35).

There are other ways in which Jesus is shown to be the Messiah. Each of the feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament is related to and fulfilled by Jesus. When Jesus came the first time, He was our Passover Lamb (John 1:29), our Unleavened Bread (John 6:35), and our First Fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20). The pouring out of Christ’s Spirit happened at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). When Jesus the Messiah returns, we will hear the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God. It is no coincidence that the first fall festival day is Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. After Jesus returns, He will judge the earth. This is the fulfillment of the next fall festival, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Then Jesus will set up His millennial kingdom and reign from the throne of David for 1,000 years; that will complete the final fall festival, Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, when God dwells with us.

To those of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the proof that He is the Jewish Messiah seems overwhelming. How is it that, generally speaking, the Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah? Both Isaiah and Jesus prophesied a spiritual blindness upon Israel as a judgment for their lack of faith (Isaiah 6:9–10; Matthew 13:13–15). Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural savior, not a Savior from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world (see Acts 1:6). They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that.

The story of Joseph provides an interesting parallel to the Jews’ missing their Messiah. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and after many ups and downs he was made prime minister of all of Egypt. When a famine hit both Egypt and Israel, Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to get food, and they met with Joseph—but they did not recognize him. Their own brother, standing right in front of them, yet they were oblivious. They did not recognize Joseph for a very simple reason: he did not look as they expected him to look. Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian; he spoke as an Egyptian; he lived as an Egyptian. The thought that he might be their long-lost brother never crossed their minds—Joseph was a Hebrew shepherd, after all, not Egyptian royalty. In a similar way, most Jewish people did not (and do not) recognize Jesus as their Messiah. They were looking for an earthly king, not the ruler of a spiritual kingdom. (Many rabbis interpret the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 as the Jewish people who have suffered at the hands of the world.) Their blindness was so great that no amount of miracles made a difference (Matthew 11:20).

Still, there were many in Jesus’ day who saw the truth about Jesus. The Bethlehem shepherds saw (Luke 2:16–17). Simeon in the temple saw (verse 34). Anna saw and “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (verse 38). Peter and the other disciples saw (Matthew 16:16). May many more continue to see that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who fulfills the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).

Throughout the New Testament, we encounter many titles for Jesus of Nazareth—"Son of God," "Son of Man," "Lord," and others. However, the title that is given to Jesus most often in the New Testament is one that is familiar to us, but one that we do not understand well. It is the title "Christ." Why do I say that we do not understand this title well? I say it because "Christ" is used so often in conjunction with "Jesus" that we tend to think of it as His last name. However, "Christ" is not a secondary name for Jesus; He would have been known as "Jesus Bar-Joseph," meaning "Jesus, son of Joseph." Rather, "Christ" is Jesus' supreme title. But what does it mean? The meaning of Christ is drawn from the Old Testament. God promised the ancient Israelites that a Messiah would come to deliver them from sin. The idea of the Messiah is carried over into the New Testament with the title Christ. The Greek word Christos, from which we get the English word Christ, is the translation of the Hebrew term Mashiach, which is the source for the English word Messiah. Mashiach, in turn, is related to the Hebrew verb masach, which means "to anoint." Therefore, when the New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ, it is saying "Jesus the Messiah," which literally means, "Jesus the Anointed One." In Old Testament times, people were subject to anointing when they were called to the offices of prophet, priest, and king. For example, when Saul became the first king of Israel, Samuel the prophet anointed his head with oil in a ceremonial fashion (1 Sam. 10:1). This religious rite was performed to show that the king of Israel was chosen and endowed by God for the kingship. Likewise, the priests (Ex. 28:41) and prophets (1 Kings 19:16) were anointed at God's command. In a sense, anyone in the Old Testament who was set apart and consecrated for a servant task was a messiah, for he was one who received an anointing. But the people of Israel looked forward to that promised individual who was to be not merely amessiah but the Messiah, the One who would be supremely set apart and consecrated by God to be their Prophet, Priest, and King. So, at the time Jesus was born, there was a strong sense of anticipation among the Jews, who had been waiting for their Messiah for centuries. Amazingly, when Jesus began His public ministry, few recognized Him for who He was, despite overwhelming evidence that He possessed an anointing from God that far surpassed that which had rested on any other man. We know that there was great confusion about Him even after He had been ministering for some time. At one point, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" (Matt. 16:13b). He was taking the pulse of His culture, getting feedback regarding the rumors about Himself. In response to Jesus' question, the disciples ticked off various views that were being put forward: "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (v. 14). Jesus was being identified with all kinds of people, but none of these speculations was correct. Then Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" (v. 15b). Peter answered with what is known as the great confession, a statement of his belief as to the identity of Jesus: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (v. 16). With these words, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christos, the Mashiach, the Anointed One. Then Jesus said an interesting thing. He told Peter that he was blessed to have this understanding of Jesus' identity. Why did He say this? Jesus explained: "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (v. 17). Peter had received a divine insight that Jesus was the Messiah; it was not something that he had discerned by his own ability. Again, this amazes me because one would think that nearly everyone who encountered Jesus would have recognized Him immediately as the Messiah. After all, there is no shortage of information in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah—where He would be born, how He would behave, and what power He would manifest—and everyone could see what Jesus had done—raising people from the dead, healing all sorts of maladies, and teaching with great authority. But, of course, they did not. Jesus' anointing was not immediately apparent. Many people today have positive things to say about Jesus as a model of virtue, a great teacher, and so on, but they stop short of saying He is Messiah. This is the great divide between Christians and unbelievers.

What is unlimited, #eternal, merciful, sacrificial love? It is #found in #Jesus alone. #Christ Messiah suffered unbearably, and accepts the sufferings #willingly. (“Because he himself desires to bear them… and we esteemed that he would not take them himself but that he was stricken, smitten by God. But when the #time comes that he will be #revealed in all his majesty then all will #see and #understand how great is the strength of the one who suffers torments for that generation.”) Zechariah and Isaiah prophecies that the Messiah will die by the piercing or the stabbing of his body, and in his death, he will take our transgressions upon himself; [“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of #grace and pleads for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”] “They shall look unto me’, for they shall lift up their eyes unto me in perfect repentance, when they see him whom they pierced, that is, Messiah, the Son of Joseph; …he WILL *take *upon *himself *all the *guilt of Israel.” [Zechariah12:10] God, when He #created the Messiah, gave him the -choice- whether to accept the sufferings for the sins of Israel- Jesus replied, “I accept it with *joy, so that *not a single *soul of Israel should perish.” [Jesus is the most well-known Jewish figure in all history and yet He was rejected, humiliated, and crucified. He is a Messiah with whom (historically) Jews can #identify, for their people were also rejected, humiliated, and (almost) destroyed]. The #goodnews is that God’s Word -doesn’t end- with the suffering and death of the Messiah, because in his #resurrection from the dead, we were given #complete #forgiveness, a new life with his holy spirit, sparking regeneration through the body of christ for ALL in the Messianic Age. The gospel is a message of #redemption on numerous coexisting levels, yet the ultimate redemption of the Gospel message lies in Israels #return to Gods #dwelling place.

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ARAB PREACHES JESUS IN ISRAEL?

12/31/2021

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Compelled by the Holy Spirit, he jumped up on the table, microphone in hand, and began to preach about Jesus. But what happened next amazed us all!
In Haifa, northern Israel, there’s a multicultural neighbourhood called Wadi NisNas. Each year they throw a “Holiday of Holidays” for all three faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam and believers make the most of the golden opportunity to share the good news of Jesus. And so it was that Carlos Damianos, an Israeli Arab, was presented with an unmissable chance to make Jesus known.

Filled with love for the Israeli crowd, Carlos spoke with earnestness about the Messiah in a way Jewish people could understand, pleading with them to accept Yeshua as their Lord and Savior.Here’s what he said: Moses. The most revered prophet in the Bible. Moses, when he went and killed the Egyptian, someone came and asked him, “Who are you? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” After that, Moses ran away for forty years. They rejected Moses, but he became the leader of the entire Jewish people. Joseph. They sold Joseph, but he became the leader not just of the Egyptians but the savior of many nations. Brothers and sisters, this picture recurs throughout history also in our days. Jesus.Yeshua who is called today “Yeshu” (a curse: “May His Name and Memory be Blotted Out Forever) is Jesus is the Messiah! He’s the Son of God that has been rejected by you. He’s been rejected for 2000 years. And today we, as a people – today the one thing that unites us is that we all oppose Jesus!We sold Jesus. But Jesus is like Joseph. He is our Savior. He’s our blessing!

And so like the ten brothers who went to Egypt to be saved from death they were horrified to see the person standing before them was the brother they sold years ago – Joseph. And the day will come. Jesus the Messiah will be revealed before the whole house of Israel.Don’t get caught out like Joseph’s brothers! So that you won’t be ashamed on the Day of Judgement put your trust in Jesus so you won’t be caught out. Because now there is grace all who believe in Him will be saved. Everyone who puts their trust in Him will be saved on the basis of the blood that was shed for us on the cross.Brothers and sisters, I implore you read the New Covenant – the New Testament. Jeremiah the prophet said that God would make a New Covenant different to the Old Covenant. The Sinai covenant judges us. It judges you! Because no one can measure up to its standards.

The New Covenant was also given by God’s grace. A gift we didn’t deserve. The first covenant was given at Sinai and was written in blood, but in the blood of animals. The New Covenant also had to be written in blood – not the blood of animals, but the blood of the Messiah, the Son of God – because through His blood we can become children of God. And this is not just for Jewish people also for Gentiles! A New Covenant was made for us – as promised by the prophets Today I bring good news. Friends, brothers, we all live here and we face the same future, but the good news is that through this blood that was shed on the cross, we can receive God’s promise to our Fathers and receive status as his children and receive God’s Spirit as Ezekiel the prophet promised. We are accepted by faith. Dear brothers and sisters, come, through Jesus we have eternal life peace with God. Not to be religious, but to have a living relationship with God. We’re not asking you to become religious – just to repent!

Check out the prophecies for yourself and return to the God of your fathers. Put your trust in His sacrifice for you who was slain on the cross 2000 years ago, and then you will receive forgiveness for your sins and also status as God’s child. Give him a chance – he’s been pursuing you for 2000 years! Don’t harden your heart or rebel against him as our fathers did. Give him the chance – accept him. Don’t turn your back on this good news! Look at the prophecies so that you can enter into the blessing that the Patriarchs yearned for. They longed for this blessing: the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. So this Covenant is given to you and to your children through the Holy Spirit that was given after Yeshua gave Himself on the cross and rose on the third day. Today we bring good news in his name. Do not harden your hearts! Don’t rebel against him!It’s time to stop being stiff-necked the way the Bible has described us! Let’s change our hearts, our attitude, back towards the God of our Fathers.

Several Israelis accepted Yeshua on the spot, right then and there, including a prominent member of a local synagogue.Another Jewish man cried out, “I feel my heart burning with fire! What can we do to fix all the injustice we’ve done to Yeshua?” Here is Carlos explaining the answer to that question after his bold message.

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