Prophecy regarding the Messiah

Question 1

Definition of Messiah

Answer 1

“Messiah” is derived from the Hebrew word for “anointed one”. Kings and Priests were anointed with oil in biblical times.

Question 2

Joseph accepts Jesus as his son (Matthew’s birth narrative)

Answer 2

-Mary was planned to be married to Joseph but she was found to be pregnant
-Joseph had in mind to quietly divorce her until an angel appeared to him in a dream, telling him to keep Mary as his wife, that her baby was from the Holy Spirit and that the baby would save people from their sins
-fulfils the prophecy “the virgin will conceive”

Question 3

The Magi visit the Herod and the Messiah (Matthew’s birth narrative)

Answer 3

-three Magi (astronomers) came from the East to Jerusalem and asked “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star”
-Herod asked the Magi where the child is and they replied, “In Bethlehem in Judah” because of a prophecy
-Herod asked them for the exact time that the star had appeared and asked them to “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me”
-they found the child and worshipped him
-they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they left the country

Question 4

The escape to Egypt (Matthew’s birth narrative)

Answer 4

-An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take the child and his mother and “escape to Egypt…for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him”
-they stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod, fulfilling the prophecy: “out of Egypt I called my son”.
-Herod realised that the Magi had outwitted him and ordered for all boys two years old and younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas to be killed, fulfilling the prophecy, “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Racheal weeping for her children…because they are no more”

Question 5

The return to Nazareth (Matthew’s birth narrative)

Answer 5

-After Herod’s death, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary and Jesus to go to Israel “for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead”
-However, Joseph heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he took them to Nazareth instead of the district of Galilee
-fulfils the prophecy that he would be called a Nazarene

Question 6

Matthew’s proof texts

Answer 6

Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus are called Matthew’s proof texts because they are written to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew gives the impression that Jesus was the very Messiah that the Jews had prophesied.

Question 7

The four Gospels with regards to the Birth

Answer 7

-Matthew wanted to present Jesus as a King of the Jews and therefore showed how his birth fulfilled prophecy and how he was related to David
-Mark was writing to Romans and so didn’t mention the birth of Jesus because he wanted to focus on Jesus’ service
-Luke was writing to marginalised people in society so he emphasised the role of unimportant people (such as women and shepards) rather than focusing on the wise men
-John doesn’t focus on historical events but is more focused on the theological significance of Jesus’ birth (“the word became flesh”)

Question 8

Inconsistencies in Matthew’s birth narrative

Answer 8

-why did joseph want to divorce Mary if she knew all along that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit?
-there is no historical evidence for a census (Quirinius became governor in 6AD)
-why would everyone need to travel to their home town for a census
-two genealogies are different in Matthew and Luke
-the star that the Magi followed seems to defy the laws of science. How can a star move slowly through the sky?

Question 9

Amos on the Messiah (Alec Motyer)

Answer 9

focused on the Messianic future’s link with David, Davidic rule, world dominion, the restored creation, settled existence and eternal security.

Jesus affirms that his kingdom is not of this world, Jerusalem is the heavenly city to which we already belong.

He says that God’s people will “posses their possessions” (Obadiah 1:17) (the idea of land recovery). Amos affirmed the main line of David’s prediction, Micah follows a similar theme.

Question 10

Micah (Alec Motyer)

Answer 10

A contemporary of Isaiah who foretold that the messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. He refers to the Messiah’s mother, his work as a shepherd, and his position as “their peace” (Ephesians 2:14-18)

Question 11

Isaiah on the Messiah (Alec Motyer)

Answer 11

With the background of King Ahaz’s failure, Isaiah affirmed the Lord’s promise of a true king from the line of David.

He foretold of a “servant of the Lord”.

He foretold a great conqueror, who would bare away sin and would bring salvation and vengeance which he’ll consummate at his return. He would be born from a virgin (Isaiah 9:2-6) and his birth will bring joy and liberation. He is God himself.

The central portrait (of the servant of the Lord) is the best known. The messiah would bring justice to the gentile world. He will bring the Lord’s people back to him. He will obediently endure suffering which leads us to salvation. The servant of the Lord would be sacrificed in the place of all people.

Question 12

Isaiah 53

Answer 12

He will take “root in dry ground” ( be born of a virgin).
“He had no dignity or beauty” (he was a poor man).
“We despised and rejected him” (he was persecuted).
“he endured the suffering that should have been ours” (God sacrificed him to atone for our sins).

This is the maturing of the atonement sacrifices in Leviticus; this is the Lord making a sacrifice to atone for humanity’s sins.

Question 13

Jeremiah

Answer 13

Added to Isaiah’s picture of the servant and the blood bought salvation.

Jeremiah saw the messianic future in terms of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31: 31-34), but didn’t explain how the Lord would forgive our iniquities and forget our sin. He relied on the explanation which Isaiah had already given.

Question 14

Born in Bethlehem (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 14

Micah 5:2 :”But you, Bethlehem… out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel”

The story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is told in Matthew, Luke and John

Question 15

Born of a virgin (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 15

Isaiah 7:14 :”Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive…and will call him Immanuel”.

Matthew repeats this prophecy when detailing Joseph’s encounter with the angel

Question 16

From the line of Abraham (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 16

Genesis 22:18 :”And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed”. The genealogy of Jesus is told in the book of Matthew, which refers to him as “the son of David, the son of Abraham”.

Question 17

A descendant of Jacob (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 17

Numbers 24:17 :”A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel.”

Matthew’s genealogy details Jesus’ lineage through Isaac and Jacob

Question 18

Called out of Egypt (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 18

Hosea 11:1 :”When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son”.

In Matthew, Joseph takes his family back from Egypt

Question 19

Born among sorrow (Prophecies fulfilled in Matthew)

Answer 19

Jeremiah 31:15 :”A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping. Rachael weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more”.

Herod “gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and younger”.

Question 20

General introduction to the star and its purpose (The star of Bethlehem by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 20

Most scholars believe the mentioning of the star over Jerusalem was only to satisfy Old Testament Prophecy: “a star shall come forth out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).

In Matthew 2:1-12, written around 80CE, Matthew describes how a star was seen by Magi who believed that it heralded the birth of the Messiah-King of the Jews

Question 21

Identifying the star (The star of Bethlehem by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 21

There are characteristics of the star which can be used to identify it: it had newly appeared, it travelled slowly in the sky as it “went ahead of them” (Matthew 2:9), it “stood over the place [Bethlehem] where the child was”.

Question 22

The star could have been a comet (The star of Bethlehem by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 22

The star being a comet is a possible explanation. Comets are bright and can be visible for weeks.

There was a comet in 5BCE, (supported by the Chinese Han shu which claims that “a sui hsing (broom star) appeared at Ch’ien-nui for over seven days”.

The way in which comets tend to move allows for this possibility.

Question 23

Other astronomical events of the time (The star of Bethlehem by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 23

There are other astronomical events which could also provide an explanation: the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in 7 BCE leading to the massing of three planets in 6 BCE. It is possible that these signs together led to the Magi believing that prophecy was to be fulfilled.

Question 24

The problem with the census (The problem of the census by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 24

Luke 2:1-5 claims that a census took place at the time of Christ’s birth and Joseph travelled with Mary to Bethlehem in order to register.

There were three well documented censuses conducted by Augustus: in 28BCE, 8BCE and 14CE but it is believed that theses were only for Roman citizens.

Josephus mentions a census in Judea which took place under Quirinius in 6CE.. There is no record for a census for taxation purposes around the time of Christ’s birth.

Question 25

Possible other censuses which Luke may have been referring to (The problem of the census by Colin Humphreys)

Answer 25

It may have been a census of allegiance to Caesar Augustus. Fifth century historian Orosius states that Augustus “ordered that a census be taken of each province everywhere…at that time, Christ was born”.

Question 26

Other possible translations of Luke (The problem of the census by Collin Humphreys)

Answer 26

Luke 2:2 is usually translated as “this census was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria”, which would’ve been after Christ’s birth.

The Greek sentence construction was strange however and can be translated as “This census took place before the one when Quirinius was governor of Syria”.

This shows that Luke was aware of the census under Quirinius and the earlier census he refers to can be used to help date Christ’s birth. Using this and another reference from Josephus, claiming this census took place about 1 year before Herod’s death, we can retain the placing of Christ’s birth at 5 BCE.

Question 27

The virgin birth

Answer 27

The story of the virgin birth isn’t written as a fairy tale, but as history. The virgin birth is an early tradition- Mary would likely have spoke against it if it wasn’t true. The virgin birth isn’t implausible in a world of miracles. The virgin birth points to the true nature and purpose of Christ.

Question 28

Slaughter of the Innocents

Answer 28

Josephus wrote a book about Herod and doesn’t mention the slaughter of the innocents. However, Bethlehem was only a small village so it was probably only a dozen young boys who were killed which is a small enough tragedy to not be mentioned. The slaughter of the innocents is consistent with Herod’s character. which Josephus describes as wicked.

Question 29

Introduction (France’s criticism of Hooker- servanthood)

Answer 29

The servant songs of Isaiah are the clearest foreshadowing of redemption

It is assumed that Jesus knew himself to be the one predicted in Isaiah 53

Question 30

Dr Hooker’s criteria (France’s criticism of Hooker-servanthood)

Answer 30

Dr Hooker gives these criteria for recognising the use of the servant idea in the New Testament:

-the language from the New Testament passage must be from, and only from, that particular Old Testament passage;
-the words used (in both passages) must refer to the person or mission of the central figure;
-it must refer to the significant features of the prophecy

if no supposed allusions pass these tests then Jesus’ expectation of suffering must be explained by another source.

if some do pass then it is still possible that Jesus saw himself as more than the servant while still possessing some of the servant’s features.

Question 31

France’s criticism of Hooker

Answer 31

France claims that Hooker’s criteria seem to exclude as much as possible and Hooker treats allusions in isolation (disregarding their cumulative effect).

Hooker concluded that Jesus’ announcements of his death and its meaning do not show the influence of the Servant Songs, claiming that the references would be too general.

The source of Hooker’s conviction is the figure of the Son of man in Daniel 7, who, as the representative of his people, must share their feelings.

Question 32

did Jesus deliberately fulfil prophecy (did Jesus fulfil prophecy)

Answer 32

There are some prophecies that Jesus could not have fulfilled deliberately, for example, that he would be born in Bethlehem and that he’d be called a Nazarene.

However

Jesus was aware of the prophecies could have deliberately fulfilled some prophecies, for example, he could have chosen to ride a donkey into Jerusalem.

Question 33

Fabricated stories (did Jesus fulfil prophecy)

Answer 33

The Gospel writers could have fabricated Jesus’ story so that his life would appear to fulfil prophecy.

However

At the time that the gospels were written, there were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life who were still alive. If the gospels had lied, they’d probably have said something.

Question 34

The Talmud (did Jesus fulfil prophecy)

Answer 34

The Talmud, a Jewish book finished at around 500AD which was highly critical of Jesus, never claimed that he did not fulfil prophecy. If the writers believed that he did not fulfil prophecy, then they’d surely mention that in their criticisms of him.

However

A lack of criticism isn’t proof that he didn’t fulfil prophecy.

Question 35

Jesus being secretive about his Messiahship earlier in Mark and becomes more open about it

Answer 35

From Mark 1 until Mark 9, Jesus gives his followers strict orders not to call him the Messiah or to tell anyone about his miracles. From Mark 10 however, he does not tell people to keep his secret and in Mark 11, he fulfils prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
At first, Jesus didn’t want knowledge of his miracles to spread because he wanted to avoid prosecution and to be able to continue preaching.

Question 36

Jesus becoming more open about his Messiahship later in Mark

Answer 36

Later on, he doesn’t stop a blind man from calling him the son of David, making it seem as though he was less worried about being seen as a blasphemer. It could also be the case that, because Jesus was aware that he needed to die to fulfil prophecy, he began to let word of his miracles spread.
He then rides into Jerusalem on a donkey and claims to be the son of man when on trial with the Sanhedrin. At this point, he is very openly fulfilling prophecy and doesn’t seem concerned about getting caught. He was preparing to fulfil the prophecy that he would die.

Question 37

The Messianic secret

Answer 37

1901, German Lutheran theologian Wilhelm Wrede argued that Jesus was not consciously aware that he was the Messiah and therefore nobody saw him as such. The gospel of Mark included his miracles to sensationalise him and make it seem as though he is the Messiah. The gospel of Mark included that he warned people not to spread his word to explain how nobody knew that he was the Messiah. Him doing this also served to allow him to continue his ministry.

Wrede also uses his idea to explain why Jesus spoke in parables (to maintain secrecy). Mark 4:11, he tells his disciples that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God had been given to them but spoke to others in parables saying that, “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

Question 38

Counter arguments to the Messianic secret

Answer 38

Jesus doesn’t only do this in Mark but in other gospels too.

It is more plausible that he didn’t want people hearing of his healings because, in Mark 1:43-45, Jesus commanded the leper he had healed to, “see that you say nothing to anyone”. The ex-leper didn’t obey and so Jesus, “could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country”.

The healing of the leper is also found in Matthew 8:1-4 and Luke 5:12-16. The sensationalisation caused by his miracles would hamper the spreading of his message.

The use of parables by Jesus is not a plea for secrecy, but rather an explanation of divine revelation in the hearts of true believers. He was saying that revelation was unavailable to those who continue to reject the truth (the Pharisees). This is reiterated in Matthew 13:11-17.

Some argue that Jesus was not entirely sure of his sanity because he could hear the voice of God in his head. However, their is no real evidence of this and it relies on him being uncertain as to wether or not he was the Messiah.

Question 39

1st Century Social Concepts

Answer 39

Honour: there was an idea that there was only so much honour to go around. If Jesus was openly performing miracles, then people may feel that he was taking away form their honour.

Envy: the idea that people would envy Jesus’ powers and hate him for them. This could have hindered his ability to minister.

Question 40

Introduction (The Birth Stories In The Gospels by David Catchpole)

Answer 40

There is much agreement between the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke,: Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Joseph and Mary, he is a descendant of David, the birth was the result of supernatural intervention, Herod the Great was king (so it was before 4BCE).

Question 41

Joseph’s unawareness and the Census (The Birth Stories In The Gospels by David Catchpole)

Answer 41

Matthew 1, Joseph is planning on taking legal action over Mary’s pregnancy, showing that he was not aware of the Holy Spirit’s involvement which, according to Luke, Mary had known from the beginning. Why wouldn’t Mary have explained to Joseph what she had heard before he had his dream.

Luke 2, the problem with the census. Luke wrote that this tool place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, but this wan’t the case until 6 CE. It also wouldn’t make sense for a census to require everyone to return to their home towns. It is possible that Matthew included this to show that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy that a Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Question 42

Virgin Birth, Genealogy and The Star (The Birth Stories In The Gospels by David Catchpole)

Answer 42

Isaiah 7:14 is quoted in Matthew 1:22, although this passage doesn’t necessarily refer to a virgin but only to a young woman of marriageable age.

Both Matthew and Luke refer to the genealogy of Jesus but give different names. They also both only use the male lines, despite how Jesus had no human father. Jesus is not biologically related to Joseph and, therefore, isn’t related to David.

There are issues with the star: Magi see it over Israel, travel to Jerusalem, and from there it somehow directs them to Bethlehem.

Question 43

Conclusion (The Birth Stories In The Gospels by David Catchpole)

Answer 43

The narratives stress Jesus’ relation to King David and the involvement of the Holy Spirit, therefore, they exist to prove his Messiahship.

Question 44

Introduction (Jesus’ Understanding of Himself by Mark Goodacre)

Answer 44

It is difficult to distinguish between which gospel writings are an insight into how Jesus saw himself and which are the comments of other people telling us how they saw Jesus. John: “I am the light of the world”,”I am the good shepherd”,”I am the bread”,”I am the vine”. If Jesus did say these, they mainly tell us about his purpose, instead of who he was.

Question 45

Jesus was more concerned with his mission (Jesus’ Understanding of Himself by Mark Goodacre)

Answer 45

Jesus was more concerned with completing his mission of love and redemption than explaining who he was to everyone. In Matthew and Mark, he’s wary of people calling him the Messiah. It is possible that he wanted people to be able to relate to him.

Question 46

A teacher and a healer (Jesus’ Understanding of Himself by Mark Goodacre)

Answer 46

He may have thought of himself as a healer. Jews at this time would’ve prayed for healing and Isaiah 35 mentions healing in the end days. Maybe Jesus thought that his healing abilities were a sign that the end was coming.
Jesus may have seen himself as a teacher. He often spoke in front of crowds.

It would be limiting to describe Jesus as only a healer and a teacher.

Question 47

A prophet (Jesus’ Understanding of Himself by Mark Goodacre)

Answer 47

He would also have seen himself as a prophet. Jesus was aware that Old Testament prophets often suffered and were killed. He spoke of this being his fate also.

Question 48

Conclusion (did Jesus see himself as the Messiah?) (Jesus’ Understanding of Himself by Mark Goodacre)

Answer 48

Scholars are divided on wether or not Jesus saw himself as the Messiah.

Jesus wanted to push the idea that he would die to his disciples, but they weren’t expecting this as they were expecting a warrior like Messiah. Jesus was convinced that he needed to suffer as part of God’s plan, which can be seen to suggest that he knew that he was the Messiah.