A Final Summary
Let us ask our questions again, and summarise our answers.
Did the Jewish nation have any expectation of a Messiah at
the beginning of the Christian era?[1] Some
historical indicators suggest there was such anticipation, at least among some
of the population of Israel
Did Jesus claim to be the promised Messiah?[2] Yes!
His claim to be the fulfilment of the Messianic promise of Isaiah 61
would be enough, but repeatedly through His ministry, He called for people to
accept Him as such, with dire consequences if they did not. He said, “ye shall die in your sins: for if
ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins”.[3]
Did Jesus of Nazareth claim to be God incarnate?[4]
Yes He did, both obliquely and directly. This claim was the most difficult for
the Sanhedrists to evaluate. Rejection
of this claim allowed them to justify to the public their complicity in the
execution of Jesus.
What evidence was the Messiah expected to provide to
support His claim?[5] The
attesting signs were familiar to the students of the T’nach arising from those
identified as attesting signs for the great Jewish prophet and deliverer Moses.
Did Jesus of Nazareth provide that evidence to support His
Messianic claim?[6] Yes! His
ministry is peppered with attesting miracles, especially the healing of leprosy
(in one recorded instance ten lepers healed at the same time), and the casting
out of demons in large numbers. The quantity and quality of healings and exorcisms
testified that heaven was in harmony with the miraculous ministry of Christ. “The
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear
witness of me”.[7]
How did the nation’s leaders investigate His claims?[8]
They followed accepted procedures. First
investigating, then interrogating and finally deciding. So striking was the ministry of Jesus that
the Sanhedrists were compelled to spend many man-hours checking, debating and
evaluating the claim of the prophet from Nazareth
What was the decision of the nation’s leaders?[9] How
did the Jews react to His claims? The
leaders rejected them, and led the bulk of the population to reject them also. The Scribes and Pharisees rejected the Messiah
because He exposed their hypocrisy, and opposed both their commitment to the
oral law, and their position as interpreters of the law. The Sadducees rejected Him because He opposed
both their doctrine and their hypocrisy. He opposed their doctrine because it
was weak and limited, being based on the Pentateuch alone. He exposed the
hypocrisy of the many Sadducean priests who gave lip service to holiness by
following the rules of purity imposed by the Pentateuch, while being corrupt,
running the Temple
What was the response of Jesus to their decision?[11] He
rejected that generation of Israel
What happened
next?[12] The
sign of the prophet Jonah. The first part of the sign was the death of the
Messiah (blood on the ground). The second part was His burial, His descent into
Hades. The third part of the sign was His resurrection. The highest exaltation followed the
humiliation of Messiah.
And then? From the throne of God, the Christ of God sent
the Spirit of God, to equip and guide the Church. The commissioned apostles of the Messiah went
everywhere preaching His gospel, a gospel of a crucified, resurrected and
exalted Messiah, they too providing attesting and authenticating signs.
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