What Did The Jews Expect? Series

What did the Jews expect?

We are in the second week of a group of messages that deal with the idea of “Classic” Jesus. Generally it is a plan to look and some of the questions or doubts that people might have about Jesus. I mentioned that I was totally surprised that the story of Jesus has survived at all. How did the story of Jesus survive in the telling of history when so many other great teachers and good people’s stories did not?

Last week we took the question that Jesus asked in Matthew 16 of “who to people say that the son of man is?” and looked at a few statements from the modern culture. I gave you examples from TV shows, movies, famous and infamous people, most of which differed from what most of us would say.

However the challenge for you to consider is to judge how the culture has influenced your view and your willingness to share what you believe in today’s anything goes…(except Christianity), culture that we live in. I shared with you a very small sample of 11 scriptures where Jesus states or demonstrates things about his identity.

Jesus Said He came down from Heaven

Jesus Said He was more than a good man.

Jesus said, He was the Son of Man.

Jesus performed miracles.

Jesus Said He was God.

Jesus said He was sinless.

Jesus forgave sin.

Jesus taught people to pray to Him as God.

Jesus promised to judge all people ad God.

Jesus said, HE was the only way to heaven.

Jesus claimed authority and superiority over all people.

In Jesus’ day some of these statements and actions could get you killed. Today they might get you a place in the Physiological Evaluation line at NW GA regional.

Jesus when challenged as to his authority and actions does not remind people about the OT descriptions of the “prince of peace” that would come.

He tells the questioners and accusers to examine his teaching and actions as proof of his origin.

The idea that came to my mind, he never should have needed to declare himself to be the messiah because, for centuries the Jews leaders had been looking for the promised messiah. They knew the scriptures….they had a set of expectations as to what the Christ would be like.

So it seems like they should have recognized the arrival of the Messiah based on fulfillment of Information in the Torah.

Today we will take a brief look at some Messianic prophecy.

The term "Messianic prophecy" refers to a gathering of over one hundred predictions in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah. They have an amazing degree of accuracy even though these prophecies were recorded by numerous writers in various books of the Bible over a period of 1000 years. We are assured that these prophecies were not conspired after the fact due to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint. These writings in our OT existed prior to Jesus’ time on earth.

-- This is another very large topic and today we are limiting the focus to:

What did the Jews expect and what should they have been looking for?

Basically, we are going to review the who, what, where and how using a few of the prophecies identified with the Messiah.

Isaiah is a prophet that God raise up in Israel at a time to tell Israel that their land would be laid to waste, everything destroyed did they did not turn back to God. He preaches destruction with the promise of a remnant that would survive and the ultimate reconciliation with God when He sends his anointed one.

Isaiah 11:1-4 and it identifies who – the linage of the leader that God would send. It contains a combination of genealogy and abilities.

Isaiah 11:1-4

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

Jessie is the son of Obed and the Grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He has 8 sons and 2 daughters. The reason he is remembered in scripture is because he is the father of King David. This prediction comes after the time of David so it is not talking about him. Isaiah is identifying that the line of Jessie will be restarted. This anointed king will be in the same line as King David.