Section 3 ñ Ministry of the Messiah as foretold in the Jewish Scriptures

Section 3 Ministry of the Messiah as foretold in the Jewish Scriptures

Bible Prophecy Seventeen

The Messiah was to be anointed by the Spirit of God.

"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" (Isaiah 11:2).

Anointed is a word that means to be sent and authorized by someone. It also means to be empowered by the sender. Jesus was all God and all man, but He left His Godly power in Heaven. He was born to a poor family in a poor country.

God anointed Jesus, as a man, with His Holy Spirit to accomplish His work. God will anoint you to accomplish the work He has for you here on earth.

"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased '" (Matthew 3:16,17).

Bible Prophecy Eighteen

The Messiah was to be preceded by a messenger.

"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, Says the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 3:1).

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3).

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! ' For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight ' '" (Matthew 3:1-3).

God had promised to send a messenger who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Now we will see who this messenger is and how God sent him. God always keeps His promises!

There was an older Jewish priest named Zacharias. His wife 's name was Elizabeth. They had no children.

One day as he was doing his duties in the Temple before God, an angel appeared to him. He was afraid, but the angel told him to "fear not."

The angel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a child, that they should name the child John and that he will be a servant of God filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

The angel also told Zacharias that John would be the messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Luke 1:5-25).

Bible Prophecy Nineteen

The Messiah was begin His ministry in the region of Galilee, in Israel.

"Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined" (Isaiah 9:1,2).

"Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. ' From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. '" (Matthew 4:12-17).

Bible Prophecy Twenty

The Messiah would have a ministry of miracles.

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert" (Isaiah 35:5,6).

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people" (Matthew 9:35).

Jesus did miracles to feed more than 5,000 people with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish.

Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. '" (Matthew 11:4-6).

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John Chapter 11).

Jesus did many mighty miracles.

Here He is giving sight to a man who was born blind.

Jesus will do a miracle in your life because He loves you.

Bible Prophecy Twenty One

The Messiah would teach using parables.

"Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done" (Psalms 78:1-4).

"All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world '" (Matthew 13:34,35).

Bible Prophecy Twenty Two

The Messiah would enter the Temple.

" 'Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, ' Says the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 3:1).

"And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, 'Who is this? ' So the multitudes said, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. ' Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves." (Matthew 21:10-12).

Bible Prophecy Twenty Three

The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey.

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9).

This was an amazing prophecy. Kings never entered into battle on a donkey, but always on a white horse.

The crowds thought that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem to set up the "New World," or His Kingdom.

Actually, the first time Jesus rode into Jerusalem (on the donkey) His goal was to set up His spiritual kingdom by defeating His spiritual enemy, Satan. He did that when He allowed Satan (through the people) to crucify Him.

The second time Jesus will come into Jerusalem, it will be on a white horse, as the King of King and Lord of Lords!

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11).

"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them, ' and immediately he will send them. ' All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

'Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. ' ' So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them" (Matthew 21:1-7).

Bible Prophecy Twenty Four

The Messiah would be a stumbling stone to many Jews. Many would reject Him.

"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed '" (Isaiah 28:16).

"The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone" (Psalms 118:22).

"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" (Isaiah 53:3).

"For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, ' and, 'A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. ' They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for '" (1 Peter 2:6-8).

"He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11).

Jesus came as a meek and humble person into the world. Many of the Jews and others in His day were looking for a Messiah who looked more successful from the worldly point of view. Many people cannot believe that the Messiah is actually God! When He comes the second time, He will come as a ruling King!

Many people feel that the idea of the Messiah being God violates the Scripture that says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Actually as far back as Creation, God referred to Himself as "We", and "Us."

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground '" (Genesis 1:26).

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). The word used for God in this Scripture is " 'Elohim," which infers that God is plural.

The Bible teaches that God has three forms, but is only One God. He appears and functions sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Holy Spirit, and sometimes as the Son of God, or in other words, The Word of God.

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Bible Prophecy Twenty Five

The Messiah would be a light to many Gentiles.

"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 '" (Isaiah 49:6).

Originally, God chose Abraham to develop a family from which the Messiah would come. Abraham became a Hebrew, or the originator of God 's family. Through the centuries many Hebrews always felt that God was only a God of the Hebrews, or Jews.

The truth is God used the Hebrews to bless all the Gentiles, sometimes called nations. In Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abraham that He would bless him, so that he could bless all the families of the earth. God's plan and intent is to bless all people of all races with His salvation.

Again in Amos God spoke of the Gentiles, as in many more Scriptures.

"'On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,' Says the LORD who does this thing" (Amos 9:11,12).

"Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth. ' ' Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:46-48).