III.

The Bible's View

Turning to Christianity’s view of the Messiah, Christians agree with Muslims in that they identify Jesus as the only true Messiah.  However, they view his ministry and identity quite differently from Muslims.

The word “Messiah” in the Bible has only one meaning, “ an anointed one” and refers at its most basic to the kings of Israel, in that they were anointed before God to rule.  The Old Testament, though, also predicts the coming of a divine person who would be God’s ultimate king on the earth.  This ultimate King came to be referred to as The Messiah and He became the hope of the Jewish people in the time before Jesus.  The predictions for this Person present three main facets of the Messiah’s ministry.  First, He would be a King ruling for God over Israel as well as be the ultimate king ruling over all the nations of the earth.  Second, He would be the ultimate prophet sent to mankind whose teaching would have the greatest authority.  Third, this Messiah would be a Servant who would personally suffer the wrath of God as a guilt offering for sin. 

The Jews had a hard time figuring out how these three strands of teaching in their scriptures could refer to the same Messiah and so by the time of Jesus there had arisen many different views of the what the Messiah would be like.   Most Jews at that time focused on only one of these facets, that of a glorious King from heaven who would defeat Israel’s foes and establish Israel as the chief of the nations.  Jesus was very careful to not present Himself as the answer to just those nationalistic hopes.  This is probably why Jesus seldom used the title Messiah for himself and used the more enigmatic title, “Son of Man”. 

Rather than limit himself to just one facet of Messiah’s ministry, Jesus presented Himself as being the fulfillment of all three of the major facets, the first as King in that He claimed to be the rightful descendent of David with the right to rule over Israel and the right to rule the earth at the end of the age, the second in that He claimed to be the ultimate prophet sent to mankind, and the third as Servant in that He suffered on the cross for mankind’s sin and rose from the dead.  Let’s take these in turn to look at the Bible’s view of the role of the Messiah.

A. Role of the Messiah

1. The king of Israel and ultimate king

Jesus willingly and repeatedly accepted the title “Son of David” in its meaning as the rightful ruler over Israel when people used it of him.  (Matthew 9:27--two blind men; Matthew 15:22--a Gentile woman from Tyre and Sidon; Mark 10:47--Blind Bartimaeus; Matt. 21:9--the Triumphal Entry; Matt. 21:15--the children in the Temple;). 

 

Also, Jesus referred to Himself as the ultimate King to rule over the earth in using the title “Son of Man.”  This is a direct reference to Daniel 7:13,14, a prophecy made 500+ years before Christ’s birth, where such an ultimate king is predicted and named as the Son of Man. 

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."  (Daniel 7:13,14)

Jesus also referred to Himself as this Son of Man when He predicted His return to earth in glory in Matthew 24:5-31.  In this passage Jesus explicitly refers to Himself as both the Christ (Greek for Messiah) and the Son of Man.  Jesus said:

"For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-- if that were  possible. See, I have told you ahead of time....For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.... They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24: 24,25,27,30,31.)

2. The ultimate prophet

Another important Old Testament title Jesus took to Himself was that of the prophet that Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 18:18,19:

"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."

On one occasion, Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders who were not believing in Him:

"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father.  Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.  If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me." (John 5:45,46)

3. The servant

 Another title from the Old Testament that Jesus took to Himself was the “Servant.”  Jesus said:  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)  Here, Jesus was claiming the title “Son of Man” for Himself and tying it with the predicted “Servant” of the prophecies from the book of Isaiah, written 700 years before. 

"Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering.... After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.  For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:10-12)

Jesus presented Himself as this Messiah of the Old Testament--the King of Israel and ultimate King of the earth, the Ultimate prophet, and the Servant suffering for mankind’s sin.  The combination of these three facets shows that the Bible’s view of the Messiah makes Him much more than a prophet.  He has a unique exalted identity that is greater than the greatest prophets mentioned in the Bible.

B. Personal nature of the Messiah

Some of the titles given to the Messiah speak to His personal Nature as well as His role. These titles and the prophecies about Him assert things about his personal nature that require Him to be more than an ordinary human being. We need to look at two of these briefly: Son of Man and the Son of God.

1. Son of Man

We considered the title “Son of Man” earlier in its bearing on the Messiah being a universal King.  That prophecy in Daniel also presents the Son of Man as a divine figure coming to earth from heaven. There are other Old Testament verses that describe the Messiah as being a divine figure and even having the attributes of God. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most significant and it was written more than 700 years before the birth of Christ:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." 

2. Son of God

This title is first a Messianic title in that kings of Israel were called sons of God. The Messiah as the ultimate king would then be known also as “God’s Son.”

 

Also, “Son of God” as used of and by Jesus speaks of the personal nature of the Messiah and His unique relationship with God the Father.  In Jesus’ teaching recorded in the Gospels, Jesus taught He is of the same essential spiritual nature as the Father. They have the same kind of character, powers and abilities. They are one in essence, nature, or substance. Concerning their relationship, Jesus taught there is an eternal, spiritual relationship between God the Father and God the Son. In other words, Jesus has always been the Son. In this eternal relationship Jesus has the relationship of love, rights, and submission as a son to a Father. Jesus has taken on the role of a son. He voluntarily acts as a son and receives all the privileges and responsibilities that that relationship brings.

 

“Son of God” as it refers to Jesus the Messiah does not mean having a physical origin or any kind of idea that the eternal Son started to exist at a point in time.  It has no idea of God having a sexual relationship with Mary. Rather, the title means the Messianic King who exists in an eternal, spiritual relationship with God the Father, sharing the essential attributes of God.

All three of these titles, Son of God, Son of Man, and Messiah are related in the Bible.  They refer to the same person.  They speak to different facets of His identity, ministry, and character, but they also all refer to a person who is God in human flesh.

C. The return of the Messiah

Like Islam, the Bible and Christianity also believe in the return of Christ at the end of the age when He will return in power and glory.  But at this return, He will subdue and judge mankind according to the biblical standards of behavior and according to people’s beliefs in Him as the Messiah and Savior.  He will then usher in a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity under His rule. 

Overall, in the Bible’s presentation of the Messiah, it presents Him as: