Was Jesus the Messiah?

The Messiah was the “anointed one” or the coming “King of Israel”. We could also think of the Messiah as being the savior. Many still believe to this day that the Messiah has not come and they are still in search of him. The only clues available about the coming Messiah are contained in the prophecies of the Old Testament. In order to understand who the Messiah is let’s look at the prophecies which describe and speak of the Messiah.

 

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14

 

We learn here that the Messiah is going to be born of a virgin. Honestly that sounds impossible and definitely should make finding the Messiah very easy.

 

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. – Micah 5:2

 

In this prophecy of Micah we discover that Bethlehem is the prophesied birthplace of the coming king.

 

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. – Jeremiah 23:5

 

The King, the Messiah, is going to be a descendant of David.

 

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. – Jeremiah 31:15

 

Now this prophecy may not seem to have anything to do with the Messiah at first glance but we will learn that this directly relates to the time of the Messiah’s birth. Children were going to be slaughtered or killed at the time of his birth.

 

Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. – Psalms 41:9

 

Now we are seeing some things that will occur during the life of the Messiah. We learn from the psalmist that He will actually be betrayed by a friend.

 

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. – Zechariah 11:12

 

The prophet Zechariah speaks of the Messiah on more than one occasion and we will look at one more or his prophecies. However in this prophecy we learn that the Messiah would be sold or worth thirty pieces of silver.

 

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. – Zechariah 12:10

 

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. – Psalms 22:16

 

Within these two prophecies we learn that the Messiah would be crucified, He would be pierced in His hands and His feet. Now what makes this prophecy even more interesting is the fact that the book of Psalms was written approximately around 1,000 BC and crucifixions were not started until approximately 500 BC. So the Messiah was foretold of dying in a way that was unknown to man at that time.

 

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. – Psalms 22:18

 

We find another unique prophecy about the Messiah in Psalms. We learn that lots would be cast for His clothing.

 

So let’s look at the overall picture and see what we know about the Messiah. He was going to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem and be a descendant of King David. Also at the time of his birth children were going to be slaughtered. Later on in His life He would be betrayed by a friend, sold for thirty pieces of silver, crucified, and lots would be cast for His clothes. Now in all honesty it would seem a little unreal for a single person to fulfill all of these prophecies but there was a man. This man was Jesus Christ. In Matthew 1:18-23 we find that He was born of a virgin. In Matthew 2:1 we find that He was born in Bethlehem. In Revelation 22:16 Jesus was the offspring of David. In Matthew 2:16-18 Herod ordered for the children under the age of two to be killed at the time of Jesus’ birth. In John 13:18 Jesus was betrayed by a friend. In Matthew 26:15 He was sold for thirty pieces of silver. In John 19:16-18, and 37 we learn that He was crucified. Then finally in Matthew 27:35 we read that lots were cast for His clothes.

 

There are many more messianic prophecies in the Old Testament than I can list here but this last one is amazing. In Daniel 9:24-27, the famous prophecy of Daniel’s 70 Weeks is recorded. In verse 26, it explicitly states that the Messiah would come and be cut off before the city and the sanctuary were destroyed. We know the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. Thus the Messiah had to be here before 70 AD. Who was the Messiah that came prior to 70 AD, and was he cut off?

 
Jesus Christ was the only man to ever meet every specification given to us in the Old Testament. It is without question that Jesus Christ was and is the Messiah.