There is currently running in the Jewish newspaper, B'nai B'rith Messenger, of Los Angeles, a series of articles on the Jewish religion. This is entitled, "Know Your Religion," with a subtitle, "An Authoritative Discourse On All Aspects Of Our Jewish Religion." During the month of January, three issues were devoted to the subject of the Messiah. Now because this theme is central in Judaism, we propose to take a look at this "Authoritative Source" to see what mid-twentieth century Jewish thinking is on a matter which was of old definitively set forth in the Holy Scriptures-the Old Testament.
It seems apparent from this series of articles that the modern Jew is still aware of the Messianic hope on the one hand, but that it is watered down and accommodated to almost any whim of unbelief or prejudice on the other. It can be translated into almost anything, or nothing. In one place the article says, "The Jew seldom dwells on the Messiah theme. His Rabbis rarely discourse on the subject from their pulpits." This is probably due to the fact that it would cause embarrassment to both Rabbi and people, for it is indeed a touchy subject necessitating the skirting of the Messiahship of Jesus. Furthermore, the Jews, especially in this land, are living in comparative comfort and luxury; a Messiah to deliver them does not have much appeal under these circumstances.
The writer of these articles does make a point of a certain resentment of the Jewish people against what they have seen and heard of the Messiah from professing Christians who have at times inflicted horrible atrocities on them. This can only be admitted with sorrow, and God's hand has been providentially against those Gentile nations which have inflicted them. But these tragic sufferings should not becloud the truth of their own Scriptures concerning the Messiah. Christians have likewise suffered untold horrors and persecutions from the days of pagan Rome down to the present hour for their faith in Christ, and some of the worst tortures ever invented by human beings against other human beings have been done in the name of Christ- against Jews and Christians alike. Therefore it is no just plea to use their sufferings as a basis for turning from the hope of a Messianic age.
There are probably almost as many forms of unbelief and infidelity in Judaism today as there are in Christendom. The Word of God is lost in the babble of the multitude of human conjectures, with each proponent seeking to be heard. The only authoritative voice is unheeded and despised.
One thing is sure, according to this discourse on Judaism, that all Jews [except those who have accepted the Lord Jesus and become Christians] of all distinctions are agreed upon one point; namely, that Jesus of Nazareth certainly was not their Messiah. That He was, and is, is categorically and forthwith rejected. The Rabbi who wrote the article admits that there is a certain re-appraisal of the matter yearly by those Jews living in Western lands, but says, "They are impelled to this annual assessment of the Messianic eschatology first of all, because as the children of Israel who are faithful to and believe in the One God, their unequivocal rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah involves a reaffirmation of their critical, historical dissent from Christianity."
In another place this writer quotes an Anglo-Jewish scholar, who said, "Those who believe in a superhuman nature of Messiah are guilty of idolatry." This is nothing new, for the Jews said to the Lord Himself: "For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God." John 10:3333The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. (John 10:33). They who had the Holy Scriptures knew the full implications of what He said, and what He claimed to be; it remained for Christendom's infidelity to deny His deity on the basis of the allegation that He never claimed it.
If it were not that we have been told by the Old Testament Scriptures that the Messiah would be rejected when He came to Israel, we might well find the mystery of their blindness insoluble; for their own Scriptures affirm time and time again that their Messiah would be God as well as man. How can that message be misunderstood: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel"? Isa. 7:1414Therefore 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 shall not discuss the matter of the word virgin, which the Rabbis now insist means only a young (married) woman; for the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, which was a Jewish made translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek before the birth of Christ, gave it virgin. They understood it aright before prejudice against Jesus swayed them. But consider this, that His name would be Immanuel, which means, "God with us." Was it not therefore predicated of their Messiah that He would indeed be God Himself among them? We might go into many such references, but we will name one more. In Mic. 4:22And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:2) it was foretold that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem in the land of Juda (this last designation being particularly specified because there were other towns named Bethlehem in other places), but it is added of this coming Messiah, "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
We should not overlook Isa. 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6), where the Child to be born to Israel was to be called, "Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father [or, Father of Eternity], The Prince of Peace." It is easy enough for people to attribute the title "Prince of Peace" to the Messiah, but these other names and titles are also His. He is "The mighty God."
Again we quote from this Rabbi's article: "While refusing to recognize the man Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, and appalled by his apotheosis [deifying Himself] as an intolerable heresy repugnant to their beliefs in the One God, the adherents of Judaism continued to await the true Mashiah." This probably quite accurately describes the Jewish attitude toward Him whom we confess and adore as "the Christ of God" and our Savior. ("Messiah" means anointed and is from the Hebrew; "Christ" is the same name, or word, from the Greek; and "Mashiah" is the way the Jews spell it today in English.)
Here is another newspaper statement: "The human Messiah, albeit more sage than Solomon but not quite measuring up to Moses, would not raise the dead nor disturb nature with his magical powers." So whoever penned these words expects the Messiah to be greater than Solomon, but not as great as Moses; but Moses wrote, "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken.... And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him." Deut. 18:15, 1915The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:15)
19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:19). Here is One to come, and some of the Jews in the day when the Lord was here said of Him, "This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world." John 6:1414Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. (John 6:14); see also 7:40. And is it not plainly stated that this Prophet will be greater than Moses? The Lord Himself said to the Jews that Moses wrote of Him; hence they did not believe what Moses wrote when he wrote of that Prophet. The so-called "Sermon on the Mount" is the Lord's declaration of what will be suited to His kingdom; and He quotes Moses over and over, but always adds, "But I say unto you." He was the One to come who would be greater than Moses, and whose word was to be final. The general thought throughout the discourse was that Moses judged actions, but He would look into the heart and judge what was there.
And as for Solomon's being a sage, he likewise cannot be compared with the true Messiah; for Solomon judged after the sight of his eyes and the hearing of his ears. The case of the disputed mother of the child is proof of that, but when Messiah reigns, "He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears: but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid," etc. Isa. 11:3-63And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:3‑6). Now who is this great One? Is it Solomon? or Moses? or David? This is One greater than any or all of these-Israel's true Messiah. It is further said, "In that day there shall be a root of Jesse." Yes, this is Israel's long-awaited, but once rejected Messiah. And will any mere man fulfill the descriptions found here in Isa. 113And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:3‑6)? Impossible! Let any Jew read Isa. 113And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:3‑6) and say that a man can do these things! It would be blasphemy. This One will be great David's GREATER SON, the Lord from heaven.
Another reason given for Jewish skepticism today is the fact that many imposters have come and gone who in their days claimed to be messiahs. Does this in the slightest degree reflect against the coming of the true Messiah in His day? Not at all! Imposters are counterfeits, but does a counterfeit piece of money prove that there is no real money? To ask this question is to expose the folly of which the metaphor speaks. The Lord in His day warned His disciples that false Christs would arise; but more than that, He said: "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43). Israel will accept a false Messiah, a false Christ-the antichrist-in the not-too-distant future. The very form of present Jewish unbelief prepares the way for the acceptance of the false Messiah who will come in his own name; he will not claim to be sent from God, but will be every whit a man and nothing more. We read about him in a number of Old Testament scriptures. He is the "idol shepherd," or "shepherd of nothingness," whom God in righteous judgment will give Israel for their rejection of the true Messiah when He came. Read Zech. 113Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:3), and see how God commissioned Christ as the Shepherd of His people, and how He was treated; even the amount for which Judas sold Him is mentioned, and then God decreed that He would give them "a shepherd in the land, which... shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces."
The antichrist is also spoken of in Dan. 11; and in John 10, he is the "hireling" who will flee when he sees the wolf coming-he will leave the flock in the day of their dire need according to Zech. 11:1717Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. (Zechariah 11:17). The Jews of today are looking for A MAN, and that is what they will have shortly-a man who will be in league with the soon-to-come head of the Western confederacy, which will be the last condition of that which was at one time the Roman Empire. It will be the Old European territory of the empire and its peoples united in a common defense pact in view of Russia's expanding might. The antichrist in Jerusalem will divide the land for gain with this Western "beast" (Dan. 11:3939Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)); and in the final stage this apostate head will be in league with the devil himself; for he, the Roman beast, and the devil will form a triumvirate of wickedness.
But God will yet set His King upon His holy hill in Zion, and He will have all the forces of evil in derision-read Psalm 2. Everything that man has built or done will come down "when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth" (Isa. 2:1919And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. (Isaiah 2:19)).
There is one Psalm-110 which is frequently quoted in part in the New Testament, and which contains the passage that silenced the unbelieving Jews when the Lord was here. It says: "The LORD said unto my Lord [or, Jehovah said unto adon], Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." Now this is obviously a reference to the Messiah, and who but One who is God could sit at God's right hand? The Lord asked His opponents whether the Messiah would be David's son. They answered, Yes. Then He quoted this verse and asked them, How could David refer to his son as his Lord? They could not answer it then, nor can the learned Rabbi today answer it correctly. The one and only way to answer this question is to admit that for David's son to be his Lord, He must also be more than a man; otherwise it would be folly, if not worse, for David so to speak. But since He is deity, all difficulty in the passage disappears.
Another piece of Jewish unbelief concerns the work of the atonement by the Messiah when He came the first time, and yet their whole God-given system of worship abounded with types and shadows of the work of the atonement. Adam's and Eve's coats of skin spoke of it -also Abel's sacrifice, and Abraham's saying to Isaac his son, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Gen. 22:88And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:8). All the sacrifices of the book of Leviticus present Christ's sacrifice in one aspect or another, and it takes them all to present one complete picture of His perfect sacrifice. That the Jews today do not offer the sacrifices, does not change the fact that those of old pointed on to the Lord Jesus Christ. How blind are those who cannot see Christ in those offerings!
Notice this remark of the Rabbi: "As for the singular Redeemer, whose base ethic will have him suffer our burden? How depraved and barbarous our heart to expect relief and expiation outside of our own self-purgation and atonements. Where is this Messiah?" This is radical infidelity which rejects the whole tenor of the Old Testament sacrificial commands as given by God. Where does one find "self-purgation and atonements" in the Old Testament? Was not Abel accepted on the basis of an acceptable sacrifice? was not Cain rejected when he attempted to approach God on the basis of his own works or deeds? And did not David say, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:11<<A Psalm of David, Maschil.>> Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1))? Did David cover his own sins? No; he said, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:22Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2). Did he propose to cleanse his sins himself? No, he besought God to do it. And God passed over those sins in view of the coming work of Christ on Calvary's cross; Rom. 3:2525Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25) is explicit on this point.
Isa. 53 will be the language of the heart of the remnant of Israel who will in the latter day accept Him-when the Lord Jesus comes back to reign, and shows them the wounds in His hands and side. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not ... But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (vv. 3, 5). They will appropriate the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus to themselves, and rejoice in it.
And how does Isa. 53 close? "And He was numbered with the transgressors [crucified between two thieves]; and He bare the sin of many [not of all, but only of those who believe on Him to the saving of their souls], and made intercession for the transgressors [who cried out, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do']." (vs. 12).
But there is another Old Testament scripture to which we wish to call attention. It is Hos. 5:1515I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. (Hosea 5:15) and 6:1, 2. The Lord there prophetically speaks of His rejection and going away, thus: "I will go and return to My place." If He were only a man going from earth to heaven, He could not have said, "return to My place." He had been there before; His goings forth had been from eternity, and it was His own place to which He was returning. But He did not stop there, because He is coming back to bless Israel. Then what will mark the time of His return to them is also stated-"till they acknowledge their offense, and seek My face." Yes, the remnant of Israel will return to Him and acknowledge their offense. They will mourn and be in bitterness for Him when they look on Him whom they pierced, and realize that the Jesus they once rejected was indeed their Messiah (Zech. 12:10-1410And 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. 11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (Zechariah 12:10‑14)).
This verse in -Hosea adds, "In their affliction they will seek Me early." The article we have reviewed discounted the time of tribulation that is to precede His return to Israel, but Jeremiah speaks of this period of trouble as "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:77Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:7)).
The first verse of Hos. 6 is then their language; they will say, "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up." They will return to their once-rejected Messiah and, after confession and humiliation, will have confidence that He will heal them.
They will also say, "After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." What a time that will be for Israel! But first there will be the awful deception of the antichrist, and the judgments of God, before they return to Him who smote them in His governmental dealings.
There is much in John's Gospel that has a prophetic character to it. We would call our reader's attention to the 4th chapter. There the Lord leaves Judea and goes unto the Samaritans. This is different than in Matthew where He is presented to Israel as their Messiah, and instructs His disciples not to go to the Samaritans. In John's Gospel He is seen as rejected by Israel in the first chapter; then in the 4th chapter He leaves them and goes to a race really outside of Israel's blessing. The Samaritans receive Him during His absence from Israel. He remains away two days, and when He returns He finds a nobleman's son about to die. This will be Israel's dire condition when He returns to them -ready to perish. When He was here before, they demanded signs; in the coming day they will not ask for signs, for their condition will be critical. Then He heals the son with His word, and the fever left the son at the seventh hour. Will not Israel's blessing come about in the Millennium of which the seventh hour no doubt speaks? Do not the two days of His absence in Hosea and John refer to the same period-these 2000 years while salvation is being offered to Gentiles? We submit these thoughts to our readers for their meditation and, we trust, profit.
And should these lines fall into the hands of a son or daughter of Israel who until now has seen "no beauty in Him," we would beseech you to search out the Old Testament references herein made, and ask the God of your fathers to enlighten you. Why wait until those awful days of trouble to return to Him? Do it at once, for He is waiting to receive you now. And be not fearful of Judaism's contention that the revelation of the three Persons in the Godhead as found in Christianity is at variance with the revelation of the one true God in contrast to the multitude of heathen gods as recorded in the Old Testament. True, the Trinity was not revealed then; but an honest perusal of the Old Testament will discover it hidden away there in place after place. Take the very first verse of the Old Testament, where we have God-Elohim-a plural name combined with a singular verb. How can that be explained apart from the Trinity? And in Isa. 48:1616Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me. (Isaiah 48:16) we read, "The Lord GOD [1], and His Spirit [2], hath sent Me [3]."
There is not one word of anti-Semitism in this review, for that people are "beloved for the fathers' sakes."