For some, the figure of the Messiah is nothing more than some quaint throwback to a distant world of broken pottery and iron spears. For others, the title is meaningful, but shrouded in a frustrating maze of conflicting expectations. Where is the HELP button? How do we click on it?

What is Messiah?

The word “messiah” is the English rendition of the Hebrew word that means “anointed one.” It’s a term that is straight out of the Hebrew Bible, and it conveys the concept of an authority and a power that comes from God. The ancient Israelite kings were anointed with oil at their coronation. This ritual symbolized not only the king’s royal authority, but also his responsibility as God’s servant in relationship to the people and the land. A prime example would be King David, who was anointed by the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 16:13).

What made the Israelite kings unique among the royalty of the ancient Near East was this: while other kings were proclaimed to be “gods,” Israelite kings made no such claims. They recognized that they had been chosen by God to both rule and serve. History shows that Israel’s kings, on the whole, had a pretty poor track record. Nonetheless, this high view of kingly, godly authority and service was what they were “anointed” to uphold.

Messiah as Ruler

The “anointing” of God’s Spirit, power, and authority upon which the Israelite kingship rested was more than just a rationale for ordering Israelite society and culture. It was tied to something far greater—something with far-reaching implications for all people and all time. The kingship of Israel was the human expression of Israel’s unique and redemptive role on behalf of the whole world.

God’s promise to Abraham had set the Jewish people apart. It gave his descendants a land, a posterity and a purpose. Through them, “all nations would be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). As God’s promise unfurled in history and Israel became established as a nation, the kingship became a living symbol of a far greater royalty—one that would overtake all nations, and the scope of history itself. As Israel’s national fortunes deteriorated, the figure of a Messianic King, a “Son of David,” became firmly rooted in Israel’s expectations.

Messiah as Servant

Along with the concept of royal authority, there is also the idea of servanthood. The concept of Messiah as servant is rooted in the Hebrew Bible—particularly the so-called “servant songs” of the prophet Isaiah, such as Isaiah 53: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows . . . he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

Here we find controversy. Some Jewish teachers find no justification in the Bible for combining the royal role of Messianic King with the suffering humility of the servant of God. They claim these are two distinct, unrelated figures, and that the Christian concept of the suffering Messiah who is also the royal Son of David is just that—a Christian concept. They claim that it has no part in Judaism whatsoever.

Setting the Record Straight

The teachers who say that there is no concept of the suffering Messiah-King in Judaism are ignoring the evidence. This concept is not restricted to the New Testament. The combined roles of servant and king may not be fully fleshed out in the Hebrew Scriptures, but Jewish sages of the second and third centuries C.E. certainly understood the servant songs to be Messianic. The Talmud, the “encyclopedia” of Jewish faith and practice, makes reference to the Messiah who suffers. In Tractate Sanhedrin, Messiah is depicted sitting at the gates of the city among the poor, covered with wounds.

For centuries, Jewish commentators have downplayed the facet of Messiah’s suffering. It is not hard to understand why. Faced with a dominant and hostile so-called “Christian culture,” it became imperative to deny virtually anything that the Christian theologians affirmed—particularly regarding the Messianic identity of You Know Who.

Yet the figure of the suffering Messiah will not go away. Many would like us to think that the idea of a suffering servant who dies for the sins of the world is strictly a Christian invention. This is simply not the case. Recent scholarship (in the Dead Sea Scrolls, for example) has established that the suffering servant of God and the Messianic expectation of first century Judaism go hand in hand.

Jesus the Messiah

It remained for one person to gather the threads of royalty and servanthood into a seamless union. When Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah inaugurated His public ministry, He did so in a synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:14-21). He read from the scroll of Isaiah what was perhaps the most recognized Messianic text of His time, Isaiah 61:1-2: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Did Jesus think that He was the Messiah? His commentary on this verse is short and to the point: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus, the Son of David, brought royalty and servanthood together in a singular, unique life that has ramifications to this day for the Jewish people and Gentiles as well. We are all reconciled to God through His suffering servanthood. His royalty restores us, along with Creation itself, as we await His return.

Jesus the Messiah— Accessing the Program

We’ve pointed—it’s up to you to click. The promise of a new life awaits you, as you believe in Him and learn to know and respond to His unmistakable presence in your life. As you explore the claims of the Messiah as they apply to you personally, we invite you to look closely at the Jewishness of the New Testament. You may find that the Jesus you discover is more Jewish than you ever thought possible.

We’d love to get you started in your spiritual journey. Give us a call at 1-888-2-YESHUA and we’ll send you some things that will help you consider the claims we are making.