Which Messiah? An Israeli Man Ponders

A few months ago, our staff member Peter met Matan,* an Israeli  man, at a friend’s party. Peter and Matan ended up discussing Isaiah 53 and the Suffering Servant. Recently, Peter ran into Matan again and, to his surprise, he was the one to bring up religion and spiritual questions. Their conversation led to a discussion of Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah, the son of Joseph) in the Jewish tradition.

The ancient rabbis looked at all the words of the prophets about the redemption of Israel and Messiah, and they had a hard time reconciling the facts. They saw an image of the victorious Messiah, like King David, and they saw an image of the suffering Messiah, like Joseph in Egypt. Out of this thinking, the ancient rabbis supposed that there would be two different Messiahs. Amazed, Peter took the opportunity, starting with the Talmud, to connect the dots to Jesus. It was a fascinating conversation that really made Matan think. Matan is seeking by asking the right questions.

Please pray with Peter that Matan can open his heart enough to recognize Jesus as Messiah.