The Messiah

The chapters in this book were written over a twenty year period and reflect my intense interest in the subject of the “Messiah” as it relates to both Jewish and Christian interpretation.  In the field of Biblical study there have appeared many suggestions as to what is the central theme of the Bible.  To express it more academically, Biblical scholars have debated about what is the “center” of Old Testament Theology or of a Biblical Theology that encompasses both Testaments.   While a multitude of suggestions have been put forward, I am in essential agreement with the approach of Walter Kaiser as expressed in such books as his Toward an Old Testament Theology and The Messiah in the Old Testament.  Kaiser argues quite convincingly that the concept of a “promise” of a Coming Deliverer can be traced vividly through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.  It is that “promise” that integrates and holds together both the Old and New Testaments.  The promise of a “Coming One,” that one most often referred to by both Jews and Christians as the “Messiah” is what, in my opinion, forms the center of the entire Biblical revelation.  It is that theme, or should I say that Person, which I will seek to explore in the following chapters.

The purpose of the following pages is to explore with the reader the evidence from the Hebrew Scriptures about the person, nature, and mission of the Messiah of Israel.  We will successively examine each prophecy in its context, seeing whether or not the Christian claim that it was fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth has credibility.  We will also try to examine how that Messianic promise developed and was shaped by the events that followed the writing of the Old Testament.  That will involve a brief consideration of the events during those roughly four hundred years called the “Intertestamental Period” by Christians.  How various Jewish groups responded to Jesus will be discovered.  Against the social, cultural and religious background of this period, the Messianic hope will be seen.  Finally, we will explore how the unbelieving Jewish community responded to Jesus’ message and what attitudes about him crystallized over the years.  An attempt will also be made to defend the Christian claim against certain Jewish objections to it.  It will be an exciting journey through Scripture, history, culture and apologetics.  It could also be a life-transforming journey if the reader keeps his mind and heart open to the teaching of the Word of God.