Throughout the world, Jewish men and women have come to believe that Jesus (in Hebrew, Yeshua) is the Messiah who died for our sins and who rose from the dead. But do we really have any proof that Jesus is the Promised Messiah? Yes, we do. We have the proof of fulfilled prophecy. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus challenged some of our Jewish religious leaders with these words. “You search the Scriptures, thinking that in them you have eternal life. But these are they which speak of Me.” Of course, when Yeshua mentioned the Scriptures, He was speaking of what we Jews call Tenach, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
What are the passages in Tenach that point to Jesus? There are actually more than three hundred prophecies that point to Him! We can’t discuss all of them here. But consider just a few of the major prophecies that God recorded through the prophets, hundreds of years before Y’shua walked on earth.
The Messiah’s Birth and Origins
The Hebrew Scriptures explain that the Messiah must be born in the city of Bethlehem, for the prophet Micah declared, five hundred years before Jesus’ birth,
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from Everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
This prophecy not only tells us the place of Messiah’s birth. It tells us something very crucial about the Messiah’s identity as well. Though He would be born like any other person, His origins are actually everlasting. In other words, He is eternal. Could Micha have been saying that the Messiah would be something and someone more than just a great ruler? Yes. Listen to the words of another prophecy, found in the book of Isaiah, written seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Truly, the Messiah was prophesied to be one of us, and yet so much more.
One other prophecy about the Messiah’s birth is especially important. According to the prophet Isaiah, His birth would be like no other, for He would be born from a young woman who had never had sexual relations with a man.
“Behold,” Isaiah wrote, “a virgin (alma, in Hebrew) will conceive and bear a son, and she shall call His name Immanuel.”
And what does this word Immanuel mean? It is a Hebrew phrase which means nothing less than “God is with us.”
The Messiah’s Ministry according to The Hebrew Scriptures
Where else does Tenach speak of Jesus? Once again, Isaiah tells us that the Messiah’s ministry will begin in Galilee, and that it will extend not just to Jews, but to non-Jews as well.
“By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:1-2).
In fact, God makes it very clear that the Messiah will be the hope of all nations, for He says through Isaiah,
“It is a light thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also make You a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
Where else does Tenach point to Jesus? The prophet Zechariah tell us that the Messiah will enter Jerusalem on a colt, for he writes,
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).
The prophet Daniel tells us that the Messiah will die before the destruction of the Temple that occurred in 70 of the current era.
“Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Dan. 9:26).”
Once again, Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will not die for His own sins, but as a payment for the sins that all of us have committed before God.
“He was wounded for our transgressions,” Isaiah writes. “He was bruised for our iniquities…All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Is.53:5,6).”
The Scriptures even tell us the manner of His death. He dies by crucifixion. Psalm 22 tells us,
“They pierced My hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16).
But though He dies, the Messiah will not stay dead. Psalm 16 declares,
“For You will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).
And through Zechariah, God declares,
“They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. (Zech. 12:10).”
And what of Jesus?
We know from the New Testament that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
He was born of a virgin.
- We know that His ministry began in Galilee, and that throughout the centuries, both Jews and non-Jews have believed in Him.
- We know that He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, that He was put to death on a Roman cross.
- And we know that He could not remain dead, for He is “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Most wonderfully of all, we know that Yeshua died for our sins and rose from the dead, just as Moses and the prophets predicted that He would.
Does Tenach, the Old Testament, speak of Jesus? Do the Hebrew Scriptures prove that Yeshua is the Messiah for whom we’ve waited for so long? Yes, they do.
But what now?
If Jesus is the Messiah of Jews and Gentiles alike, then what must we do with that information? We must certainly believe that the information is true. But we need to do something more. We need to believe the reason for which Jesus came.
In a sense, that reason consists of good news and bad news. The bad news is that we’re separate from God because of our wrongdoings, because of our sins. It’s because of our sins that our lives never really feel satisfied. We’re cut off from the only One who has a good and righteous plan for our lives and who can affirm us for a job well done. It’s because of our sins that our relationships fall apart. Our relationship with God is broken, and we feel that tearing in every other relationship that we have. If our relationship with God isn’t restored in this life, then we perish and enter a conscious existence, separated from God forever.
But the good news is this.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
Very simply, Yeshua died in order to pay the price for all of our wrongdoings – all of our sins. Then He rose from the dead, so that we can ask His forgiveness, and promise to follow Him. When we believe that good news, acknowledge our sins, and ask His forgiveness, He cleanses us from our past and empowers us to live lives that please Him, now and forever. He grants us the free gift of eternal life – a vibrant and everlasting personal relationship with Him. He makes us sons and daughters of God.
If you’ve never before taken those steps of asking Him to forgive you and pledging to live for Him, why not take those steps now? Just repeat the prayer that’s written below.
Jesus, I know that my life doesn’t please you. I know that my sins have cut me off from the plans and purposes that you have for me now, and from the relationship you want to have with me throughout eternity. But I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the dead. Please forgive me and take me back. From now on, I will follow you.
If you’ve said that prayer, sign your name and write down the date. Then keep the signed prayer as a commemoration of the wonderful step you’ve just taken.
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(Your name) (Date)