What Will You Do with Yeshua?

We were in Israel in 2017. While there, our tour guide left us one evening in the hotel conference room and left me in charge. We were in beautiful Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.

The thought of being there surrounded by our Jewish hosts was joyously overwhelming, and our desire to see them come to their Messiah became the topic of conversation. In that conversation, I explained that our Jewish people would not easily come to Yeshua if He is preached the way Christianity presents Him. “How do we do it, then?” “Can we not use the ‘Romans Road’?” The logic was that those verses should apply to all prospective converts. They do, but to the Jews, that’s simply not enough.

I told the group that there is a Jewish Road to Messiah, and, I fully believe that under the leadership of God’s Spirit, I began to share that ‘road’.

The point was this: that the biblical expectation of who the Messiah would be develops within the story of Israel. He’s there! The Messiah Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel first! And the whole purpose of that nation was to bring Him to the world! Yeshua is not an idea that was introduced independently of Israel, but within her Scriptures!

So, the question ‘what will you do with Yeshua’ is answered for one trying to bring our Jewish people to Him: learn the Jewish road to the Messiah, and show it to them!

Most of our Jewish people have heard of “Jesus”. But, they hear a story told about a “Christ” that does not relate to the Old Testament Biblical Messiah that Jews have long expected. In fact, they see a Greek, Anti-Semitic Jesus, in most cases. What they hear is that ‘Jesus is God’, and “God died” and he rose from the dead of his own power. That is, at least partly, badly formed language for any potential gospel recipient. God did not die! But for a Jewish person, it is antithetical to the message of the Jewish Bible.

So, if there is a Jewish reader now reading this, I would say that Yeshua is God’s Son, and that He was sent to the Jewish people, to show them “The Way”, which is how to properly interpret the Torah and become righteous in this earthly world, and that is through trust in Him. The average Jew in Yeshua’s day was enthralled with His preaching, and they came out in droves to hear Him. 

He did miracles, yes, but His primary mission was to teach Israel. He worked within the confines of 1st Century Judaism to do that, teaching the Torah. And Yeshua showed them ‘the road’ to the Jewish Messiah, trying to get them to understand that all that Moshe wrote pointed to Him, [Luke 24:27, John 1:45, 5:39],  who would be the Savior of Israel. Yeshua’s very name means “Salvation”. 

Yeshua told the Jewish leaders, “Before Abraham was, I am he”. I am who? The one who was before Abraham! The Jews of the first century knew that Abraham was called by God, and that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. They should have known that there was a coming “Seed of Abraham” through whom that promise would manifest. That promise had been reiterated to the King of the Jewish people, King David. They were expecting his heir.

The covenant that God made with Abraham was twice affirmed, first in Isaac, the promised son of Abraham, and then in Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. He had twelve sons, and the one to whom the authority of the kingdom was given was Judah, when Israel blessed his twelve sons. 

Judah is the namesake of our Jewish people today, because in Yeshua’s day, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin lived in the promised land, along with a large number of Levites [the priestly tribe], and the remnant of the 10 northern tribes that were called back into the Kingdom of Judah by King Hezekiah [2 Chron]. The land came to be called “Judea”, from Judah. The people came to be called “Jews”, or Yehudim, [Judah-ites] even before Rome conquered Israel and renamed the land “Jew-dea”. 

2 Kings 16:6 calls them “Yehudim”, “Jews”. The book of Esther refers to Esther’s people as Jews at least four times. Jeremiah refers to his people as Jews at least three times, as do Ezra and Nehemiah. Daniel calls his people “Yehudim”. The word “Jews” is seen 72 times in the Hebrew text of the “Old Testament”, the Jewish Bible.

Judah, the namesake of the Jewish people, received the blessing of Israel and the promise that the kingship would come through him: “the Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” [Gen 49:10] So, if King Messiah is to emerge from Israel’s story and the royal line of Judah, what should we expect when we reach the prophets?

It is the being that is revealing this coming Messiah that creates a Biblical curiosity. When Abraham received the covenant, he interacted with a being that conveyed the message and stipulations of the covenant.

At first, it is יהוה speaking to Abram. [Gen 12]. But in Genesis 15, the “D’var יהוה ” appears to Abram in a vision. Then, in Genesis 18, it ‘seems’ that יהוה Himself is appearing to Abraham. But then, when the apparition is described, what Abraham actually sees is three men. One of those ‘men’ is actually יהוה speaking: “And יהוה said…” [18:13, 17, 20, 26 etc] 

It seems we see this same ‘being’ in Genesis 22, where the “Malakh יהוה ” calls to Abraham out of heaven. A “malakh” is a Messenger. Most people call that an ‘angel’. [From greek, similar meaning as ‘messenger’]. But this particular Messenger ‘belonged’ to יהוה … it is HIS Messenger, and speaks as if יהוה Himself is speaking: יהוה , God, the Creator. But, it is not God, because Abraham is looking at him [Genesis 18], feeding him, washing his feet, and hearing him [Gen 22]. 

This is the same entity that appeared to Moshe to call him to free Israel. The  “Malakh יהוה ” calls to Moshe OUT OF the burning bush. The burning bush did not speak! The Messenger of יהוה did, from the midst of the bush. And this messenger, a man-like spiritual being, speaks as if God Himself is speaking: “Moshe said TO GOD…” and, “God said to Moshe, “I will be whomever I will be”; and He [God] said, “Thus shall you say unto The Sons of Israel, “I WILL BE has sent me unto you.” And God said moreover unto Moshe, “Thus shall you say unto The Sons of Israel, ‘ יהוה , the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me unto you; this is My Name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.”

This ‘messenger’ is speaking, on earth, visible to Moses, and speaking as if God Himself were speaking from heaven, calling Himself by God’s Name, יהוה . Theologians call this a ‘theophany’, and Jewish sages call this ‘Metatron’. Metatron is described as a man-like being that speaks perfectly on behalf of God the Creator, as if God were bodily present on earth. He speaks with the very authority of God. 

The scriptures later call this same ‘being’, “D’var יהוה ”, The Word of יהוה , and that will be very important to this discussion later.

God told Moses that this very “Messenger”, He calls him “My Messenger”, would be the one who would go before him into the promised land. We understand that Moses did not take Israel across the river, but Joshua did. As soon as he crossed the river, he met someone.

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “Nay, but I am Prince of the Army of  יהוה  ; I am now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said unto him,  “What does my Master say unto his servant?” And the captain of the Army of  יהוה  said unto Yehoshua, “Put off your shoe from your foot; for the place whereon you stand is Sacred.” And Joshua did so.”

This figure appeared as a man. But He bears the Name and holiness of יהוה , just like the Messenger that spoke from within the bush to Moses. In Exodus 3, the Messenger was speaking to Moses with all divine authority and Presence. In Exodus 23, God the Creator is speaking from the Mountain about the coming of a Messenger with His Name in Him, who has the power to forgive sins. Here, the same Messenger that visited Moses is ‘now come’, just as God had promised in Exodus 23.

If The Messenger of יהוה can appear, speak with divine authority, and participate in encounters where יהוה Himself is revealed, could these passages prepare us to understand the later claim that The Word came in the flesh?

That brings us to Samuel.

In 1 Samuel 3, which occurs at the end of the time of the “Judges”, about 430 years after Joshua settled the nations in the land, we learn that the “D’var יהוה was “precious”, or likely “rare” in those days, since it says ‘there was no frequent vision’. 

It is the end of the chapter that is most interesting concerning The Word of יהוה and the appearing of God to the prophets:

“And  יהוה  appeared again in Shiloh; for  יהוה  revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh as the The Word of [D’var]  יהוה .” 

[3:21]

So, when the prophets weren’t hearing from God in a fruitful way, God chose Samuel, and ‘appeared’ to him. Is it safe to assume that the apparition here is consistent with the ones we already saw concerning Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua? Especially since in a vision God appeared as “The Word” to Abraham.  It is not hard to see that this is probably the same being.

We learn that Samuel is the first of the prophets in the age of the prophets, as they are no longer called ‘seers’, but prophets. [1 Sam 9:9] And since Samuel is the first in a new ‘age’, then his relationship with יהוה should be the precedent on which all those that follow him see Him?

It is. 

Nathan is the next prophet to see Him and speak to Him: “And it came to pass the same night, that the D’var  יהוה  came unto Natan.”

Solomon is next, “And the D’var  יהוה  came to Solomon, saying,” [1 Kings 6:11]

And later, He appears to Elijah: “And the D’var  יהוה  came unto him [Elijah], saying…[1 Kings 17:2]

Several times we see the same visitations for many of the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and all the minor prophets received visits from The Word of יהוה . The Word that belonged to יהוה . 

We cannot and do not assert that each prophet absolutely ‘saw’ the same Messenger standing there when “The Word” came to them, but, by the same token, no one can say that He did not similarly appear to them all. What is consistent, however, is that The Word is identified with the authority of the message that the prophets spoke. And, in 1 Samuel 3, The Word is identified as the visible appearance of a man who has the authority of יהוה Himself. The two cannot be entirely separated, then. 

It is reasonable to conclude, then, that in the Jewish books of the “New Testament”, there should be some consistency with the “Old Testament”, or the “Jewish Bible”. 

There is remarkable and very profound continuity.

Jews today call Yeshua a teacher. Muslims call Him a prophet. But the ones who preach Him to the world call Him The Son of God. And their claim is consistent, that He rose from the dead.

Rising from the dead would definitely distinguish Him from among men. But, so does the identity that He preached, concerning Himself, which is consistent with what His followers preached.

What does it mean to be the “Son” of God.

It means that God is His Father, His progenitor, through the humble Mary. Which means that His origin as the man-child is both divine and human. 

John, known in scripture as Yokhanan, was a Jew. He wrote his gospel late in the game, in order to clear up the most critical issue about Yeshua: His identity. 

One of the most compelling passages about who Yeshua is is therefore John’s first 14 verses:

“In the beginning was The Word [HaDavar], and He, The Word, was within the form of God, and The Word belonged to God.  The same was in the beginning within the form of God.  Everything came to be by His hands; and without Him not even one thing that was created came to be.” …

“There was a man sent from God whose name was Yokhanan.  He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that every man might believe by means of Him.  He was not the light, but a witness to testify concerning the light.  …  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But those who received Him, to them He gave authority to become Sons of God, to those who firmly trusted in His Name, those who are not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God.  And The Word became a Body and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, a glory like that of the first-born of The Father, full of compassion and truth.”

Taken apart from the rest of scripture, conclusions can indeed be drawn from this passage that deviate from what the Jewish Bible says about “The Word” manifesting to mankind. But, no one should endeavor to offer to explain the New Testament apart from the counsel of the Old Testament.  

Peter said this, “Not every prophetic writing is made clear in its own book”. But, if we consider all that the prophets said and explained, and the interaction of “The Word” with the prophets, then we know that “The Word” manifested often, standing before men in the form of a man, on earth, while at the same time representing the Presence of God, on earth, while God is still in Heaven. 

If this is true about Yeshua, then a Jewish reader of scripture should consider it. It is a bold claim, that a human being had no earthly father! Just like it is a bold claim that this same human being died, and was dead for three days, and rose again later, raised from the dead by God Himself, according to Peter’s first message of good news:

“Men of Yisra’el, hear these words: Yeshua The Nazarene, a man of God, who appeared among you by miracles and signs and wonders which God did by Him among you, as you yourselves know, this man, who was consecrated for this purpose by the foreknowledge and will of God, you have delivered into the hands of wicked men, and you have executed and murdered Him, whom God has raised up, having destroyed the pains of Death, because it was not possible for hell to hold Him.”

Peter, or better Shimon, called Peter, was a Jewish man, and he died a horrible death without renouncing the claim he made for the rest of his life, in front of the Sanhedrin, kings, and all the people. All of the Jewish apostles did. 

If there is nothing in Jewish scripture to support this claim, then it makes sense to reject it. But, if there is, it would be foolish to dismiss it off hand. 

So, let’s take a look at the scriptures, some of which are quoted in the New Testament that support the claim that The Word, יהוה in a man-like body, actually then became a human being, and died, and rose from the dead.

The first place we will look is the book of Isaiah. First, “The Word of יהוה ” came to Isaiah as well, as we see in chapter 38:4. 

In chapter 52, God is speaking. In the 13th verse, the passage of the “Suffering Servant” begins. God says, “Behold, My Servant”. He described this servant as having been marred beyond recognition. Then, poetically, a question is asked of those who ‘saw’ this servant. “Who would believe our report? And to whom has the “Zero’ah יהוה ” [Arm of יהוה ] been revealed?” “The Arm of יהוה ” is clearly calling this servant an “extension” of יהוה God. [Is 53:1]

And then a very compelling description of this servant is given: 

“For He shot up right forth as a sapling, and as a root out of a dry ground; He had no form nor comeliness that we should look upon Him, nor beauty that we should delight in Him. He was despised, and forsaken of men, a man of pains, and acquainted with sorrows, and as one from whom men hide their faces: He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely our sickness he did bear, and our pains he carried; whereas we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded because of our transgressions, He was broken because of our iniquities: the chastisement of our shalom was upon Him, and with His stripes we were healed. All we like sheep did go astray, we turned every one to his own way; and  יהוה  has made to light on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, though He humbled himself and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her shearers is dumb; yes, He opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and with His generation who did reason? For He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. And they made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich His tomb; although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.”

There is no other figure in history that fits this description so clearly as Yeshua, the man from Nazareth. Yeshua was despised, forsaken even by his own Disciples, in pain and sorrow. Most of his Disciples hid their faces from Him during His execution. “We esteemed Him smitten of God” is clearly the mindset of those at the base of the tree cursing Yeshua. 

The Rabbis have since taught that Isaiah 53 is a reference to the Jewish people, because of all the suffering Israel has endured over the last 2,000 years. But, they know in their hearts that Israel cannot expiate the sins of the world, whereas of this servant Israel cries poetically, “יהוה has made to light on Him the iniquity of us all.” Israel knows they are no propitiation for sin, but the apostles teach that Yeshua is our propitiation, and it matches Isaiah 53. 

Yeshua was clearly led like a lamb to the slaughter, and He did not open His mouth in His own defense during three trials: before a partial Sanhedrin, before Herod and before Pilate two times. 

Peter said that Yeshua’s body did not remain in the grave, and neither did His soul remain in She’ol/hell, thus, while dead, Yeshua was indeed ‘cut off’ from the land of the living. He was in the realm of the dead.

He was executed with criminals [wicked] and buried alongside others, by a rich man, Joseph of Aramethea, in his empty tomb.

This passage leaves a gap between the Servant’s true significance and the way the Rabbis describe or explain who the servant is. With Yeshua’s account, there is no such gap.

There is a clear substitutionary role played by the servant in this passage, one of bearing the sin of others and restoring those who went astray. This would indeed be impossible for any ordinary man, but this is an extension of יהוה , as the passage reveals, and is alluding to the Word of יהוה who has been manifesting to Israel. 

Isaiah goes on and says that it pleased יהוה to break this servant and make his soul a guilt offering. His soul would see travail to the full, and by his knowledge will ‘justify’ many and bear their iniquities, because he, the servant, poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sin of many, and interceded for transgressors. 

This does not meet what most Rabbis explain about this passage, even though they discourage Jews from reading it or considering it. But, the language of this passage matches the explanation of what the Apostles said about Yeshua’s mission, and indeed, what Yeshua said of Himself. 

Of the notion that The Servant is the extension of God’s authority and power [Zeroah יהוה ], Peter preached this to the Jews when the good news of Yeshua was first preached:

God has made this Yeshua, whom you executed, both יהוה and Messiah.” [Acts 2:34]

If this were an isolated passage, perhaps it would be easily dismissed. But, there are other scriptures from the Jewish Bible [OT] that support this idea as well.

Just a few chapters after the first preaching of the good news, when Peter had been arrested by Jewish authorities for preaching this faith, the congregation prayed:

“Why do the nations rage? And the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth revolt, and the rulers take counsel together, against  יהוה , and against His Messiah!” [Psalm 2, Acts 4]

In this same Psalm, we read, “ יהוה said unto me, ‘You are my son, this day have I begotten you’. This is a messianic psalm, and it calls this “Messiah” the son of יהוה . And the last verse says, “Kiss [plural imperative, ‘y’all kiss’] the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in The Way.”

Similar to Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 is very compelling in its description of the Suffering Servant. David wrote it as a lament, but it was clearly prophetic. Some of the verses are very nearly quoted verbatim at Yeshua’s execution.

Yeshua quoted verse 2: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” as He hung on the tree dying.

The Rabbis around Him, and the centurions very nearly quoted other verses from it. “Let יהוה rescue him! Let Him deliver him, seeing He delights in him!”

The soldiers gambled over Yeshua garments, as verse 19 reports. 

Zechariah adds to the weight of the Jewish Bible’s predictions about the coming Messiah being an extension of יהוה , even having equality with Him, just as Yeshua asserted, and just as the apostles preached.

Zechariah starts his twelfth chapter of prophecy calling it the “Burden of The Word of יהוה ”. In the chapter, it is consistently obvious that יהוה  is the one speaking. 

Verse 8 says something very compelling concerning this ‘burden’: “the house of David shall be like God, and like the Messenger of יהוה before them.” Then, verse 9 show us that it is  יהוה  speaking, and in verse 10 He says:

“And I [ יהוה ] will pour upon The House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, the Spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look upon Me [ יהוה ] whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for Him [ יהוה ] , as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.”

Given that it is the “Burden of  יהוה ” spoken, and that the House of David, of whom Yeshua is legally and genetically descended from, will be ‘like’ God, and also like the Messenger of  יהוה , and that Yeshua is called The Word of יהוה , it is hard to walk away not seeing that Yeshua is the fulfillment of these passages. It is true, the Jewish translators have rendered these verses into English differently, but there are multiple faithful translations that agree with our cited version. יהוה was pierced, when Yeshua was pierced, because He is the perfect manifestation of  יהוה in a human form: The Word, His authority and power extending into humanity itself. 

“The Word” appeared to Avraham in a dream and in reality as a man-like messenger, and had dinner with him, while at the same time יהוה was in Heaven, raining down fire on Sodom. The Messenger of יהוה appeared to Isaac in the same fashion. Jacob wrestled with a man, and asked him his name. That ‘man’ asked Jacob, “Why do you ask of me My Name”. But, when the man vanished, Jacob understood he had seen the FACE OF GOD, and he named the place “House of God”.

Moshe saw a messenger in a bush whose name was יהוה . He predicted that Messenger would go before Israel when they crossed over into the promised land. When they did, Joshua saw a man standing there, who was Sar Tzevah יהוה , holding a sword, and demanding the same kind of reverent holiness as the Messenger that spoke to Moses, “the place where you are standing is holy”. Then, Manoah, Samson’s father, saw the same man his wife did, who predicted Samson would deliver Israel from the Philistines. He asked this man the same question Jacob did, and this man gave Manoah a very similar answer: Why do you ask of me [the man] my name, for it is “Feli”, “My Wonder” [awe]. And this ‘man’ consumed a sacrifice that was offered to יהוה as he ascended in to heaven. 

And finally, when the age of the prophets begins, Samuel sees יהוה appear to Him AS “The Word of יהוה ”. 

We have seen how the prophets treat this being as the coming “Anointed One”, or “Messiah”. Daniel predicts the coming of the Messiah as well. And he fixes the timing of the coming Messiah between two benchmarks: the going forth of the decree, and the ‘cutting off’ of the Messiah. Isaiah 53 and Acts 2 show us how Yeshua fulfills that cutting off. 

In Daniel’s vision, a heavenly figure receives dominion [Daniel 7:9-14], and is predicted as a coming anointed one [Messiah], and is cut off [Daniel 9:24-27]. There is strong evidence that this is pointing to the timing of Yeshua arriving and then dying in 30 A.D.

It is compelling that in Jewish responses to these very strong evidences that support Yeshua’s fulfillment of the Jewish Bible’s “The Word in a Body” motif, they direct people away from these compelling scriptures: the whole book of Daniel, Isaiah 53, Psalm 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 22, and Proverbs 30:4.

The sages of Israel have told people not to read Isaiah 53 and the book of Daniel. And, it appears they may have actually changed a verse that Paul uses to establish Yeshua’s humanity as critical to His identity:

“Therefore, when He entered into the world, He said, “Sacrifices and offerings You did not desire, but You have clothed me in a Body… Then said I, ‘Lo, I come; in the beginning of the books it is written of me, ‘I delight to do Your will, O God’.” 

This is a prophecy of Yeshua explained in Hebrews 10:5-7. The prophecy is in the book of Psalms:

“Sacrifice and offerings You have no delight in; “You have clothed me in a Body” (from the Aramaic Targums) [In the Masoretic texts, it reads “my ears have You opened”] Then said I, “Lo, I am come! In the scroll, a book is written concerning me, I delight to do Your will, O my God; yes, Your Torah is in my inmost parts.”

Paul clearly cited a version that matches the Aramaic targums. It is entirely possible that later Jewish scribes altered the Masoretic text! It would be hard for the Targums to get a verse so utterly wrong when translating from Hebrew to Aramaic.

It is important to see that Paul is pointing to a verse that says that God prepared a Body for Yeshua, to house The Torah. He wrapped His Torah in flesh, and Messiah ‘says’ back to God in this poetic psalm, “Your Torah is in my inmost parts”, thus, He does God’s Will. That is a painting of The Word manifesting in a body!

Did our Jewish sages change the narrative? The book of Daniel was relegated to poetry instead of prophet by later sages. Yeshua told 1st Century Israel that Daniel was a prophet, and they seemed to agree. Josephus, a first century Jewish writer, soldier, and priest, classified Daniel as a prophet. The Dead Sea Scrolls seem to have given the same weight to Daniel as Yeshua and the people of the New Testament, that he is a prophet. But, later Jewish leaders declassified him as a prophet and moved him to the poetic books. And certain communities explicitly instruct their people not to read it, where one religious community even threatens their adherents that the one who reads Daniel, his bones will explode. 

It may be for this reason that the Rabbis finally said that only Rabbis can interpret the Torah. [Pirkei Avot 1:1, Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 59b, Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a]. The famous account in the Talmud concerning the Oven of Akhnai (Bava Metzia 59b) illustrates this principle: “It is not in heaven.” The passage presents Torah interpretation as a responsibility entrusted to the community of sages rather than a matter to be settled by heavenly revelation in The Word. Whether this development was connected to the classification of Daniel among the Writings, however, remains a historical question rather than an established fact. The evidence, however, suggests that some of what the Talmud created is a direct response to the gospel of Yeshua, to steer Jewish people away from Him.

No one can absolutely prove that Yeshua is the one filling all these prophecies, none except God’s Spirit speaking to a person who asks Him. But, even on a purely intellectual basis, the evidence seems to weigh heavy in favor of Yeshua being the manifestation of this Figure of a Man that is central to the Torah and the Prophets.

So, for the modern Jewish reader, the question may then be, did Yeshua really exist?

Jewish literature proves His existence. First, the New Testament is an entirely Jewish book. But, we understand why our Jewish friends do not [yet] see it that way. So, apart from NT texts, what other Jews testified concerning the existance of that man from Nazarene, Yeshua Son of Joseph?

Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a

The passage states, in a commonly cited translation:

“On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshua the Nazarene.”

It goes on to deride Yeshua as a charmer and false prophet, but, nonetheless, it associates his execution with the eve of Passover. This is a much later talmudic entry, but it demonstrates that in the Jewish community Yeshua was acknowledged as a historical figure, one that necessitated polemic language to dissuade Jews from following Him.

Josephus, Antiquities 20.200 — James, the brother of Yeshua

Josephus describes the high priest Ananus convening the Sanhedrin and bringing charges against James and others.

The key phrase reads:

“the brother of Iesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James”

— Antiquities 20.200 (translation wording varies).

This passage is widely regarded by scholars as authentic. It appears in Josephus’s account of events during the high priesthood of Ananus II, around AD 62.

So, if these ancient Jews acknowledged Yeshua’s existence as a man from Nazareth, as did the Roman Empire and tomes of other extrabiblical witnesses, then our Jewish people today should consider:

Did He Rise from the DEAD?

Each of the four gospel accounts say that He did. Paul, in teaching a Gentile congregation about the criticality of the resurrection to true faith in Yeshua, wrote this:

“Now if it is declared that Messiah rose from the dead, how can some say among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? And if there is no resurrection of  the dead, then Messiah also has not risen; and if Messiah is not risen, then is our proclamation in vain and your faith is also in vain; and we are also found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Messiah when He had not raised Him. For if the dead rise not, then neither did Messiah rise; and if Messiah did not rise, your belief is in vain, and you are yet in your sins. And also, then, those who have died in Messiah have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Messiah then we are of all men most miserable.”

Is it at all possible that the newer Jewish doctrine that there is no resurrection is a response to this gospel? It looks that way! The original 18 Benedications of Talmud fame, being formulated during and after Yeshua’s day, say otherwise, as the second benediction is a treatise on God being the performer of resurrection of the dead. 

Resurrection of Yeshua is the very foundation of the good news about Yeshua the Messiah: that is how He fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of The Suffering Servant being cut off and yet justifying many. That is why Peter quoted David, who predicted the resurrection: 

“For You will not abandon my soul to She’ol; neither will You suffer Your Devout One to see decay.” [Psalm 16]

Yeshua was confident about this. He identified Himself as the Son of God, the Messiah, and when His disciples affirmed that, immediately He predicted His own death and resurrection:

“Yeshua said to them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Shimon [Simon Peter] answered, saying to Him, “You are the Messiah, The Son of the Living God.”  And He warned them not to tell any man about Him. Then He began to teach them that The Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders and the chief Priests and the Scribes, and be killed, and rise again on the third day.  And He spoke that word [The Word / HaDavar] openly.” [ Mark 8:31; also Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:22]

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the Scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.  And they will deliver Him to the Gentiles and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and execute Him; and on the third day He will rise up.” [Matthew 20:17–19; also Mark 10:32–34; Luke 18:31–33]

And some of the Jewish sages confronted Him:

“Then some of the men of the Scribes and Pharisees answered and said to Him, “Teacher, we would like to see a sign from you.”  But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the Prophet.  For as Jonah was in the great fish’s belly three days and three nights, so The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth, [She’ol] three days and three nights.” [Matthew 12:38–40]

Each time, Yeshua specifically said that He would be dead, and His body would be in the grave for three days and nights. And each time, He refers to Himself as “The Son of Man”. This is indicating that He is human, and can die. But, the prophets all said that The Word that manifested to them was an extension of  יהוה , of His authority and might. And that is the same authority that God gave to Yeshua before He died. [He was immersed, and God said from heaven, “This is My Beloved Son, hear him”, and at the same time, the Spirit appeared and wrapped Him up like a dove’s wings.]

And Yeshua’s apostles all testified that they had seen Him killed at Passover, and then saw Him risen, having touched His body and eaten with Him, conversing with Him, for forty days after He rose from the dead during the counting of the Omer. 

And on Shavu’ot they preached that He had been executed, but that God had raised Him up:

“Men of Yisra’el, hear these words: Yeshua The Nazarene, a man of God, who appeared among you by miracles and signs and wonders which God did by Him among you, as you yourselves know, this man, who was consecrated for this purpose by the foreknowledge and will of God, you have delivered into the hands of wicked men, and you have executed and murdered Him, whom God has raised up, having destroyed the pains of Death, because it was not possible for She’ol to hold Him.  For David said concerning Him, ‘I saw  יהוה  always before me, for He is on my right hand, so that I should not be shaken; therefore my heart is comforted and my glory is exalted; even my body shall rest in hope, because you will not leave my soul in She’ol, neither will you suffer your Devout One to see decay.  You have revealed to me the way of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’  Now, men and brethren, permit me to speak to you openly concerning the Patriarch David, who is dead and buried and whose tomb is with us to this day; for he was a Prophet, and he knew that God had sworn by an oath to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up one to sit on his throne.  So he foresaw and spoke concerning the resurrection of Messiah, that His soul was not left in She’ol, neither did his body see decay.  This very Yeshua, God has raised up, and we are all His witnesses.  It is He who is exalted by the right hand of God, and has received from The Father the promise of The Holy Spirit, and has poured out this gift which you now see and hear.  For David did not ascend into the heavens, because he himself said, ‘ יהוה  said to My Adon, ‘Sit at my right hand,  until I make your foes your footstool.’   Therefore  let  all  The House of Israel know assuredly that God has made this very Yeshua, whom you have executed, both  יהוה  and Messiah.”

Many have undertaken to disprove the existence of Yeshua, and some have undertaken to disprove the resurrection of Yeshua. Titus of Rome purportedly spent a fortune and exhausted efforts to find his dead body, and never did. But, most importantly, the twelve men that Yeshua commissioned as ‘shlikhim,’ apostles, and many others who went into the world on His behalf, all died defending the idea that Yeshua is the Son of God, a man whom God had raised from the dead.

If that is true, then is it possible that it proves that He is indeed God’s Son because He rose from the dead? And if He is God’s Son, is He thus the “Zero’ah יהוה ”, the suffering servant who is the extension of God into humanity? Is He thus also the Word of יהוה in flesh, as His closest confidant and longest living apostle claimed? 

Yeshua said “I am The Way, I am The Truth, and I am the Life”. All of these appellations are pseudonyms for The Torah, The Way of Life.

Now consider these New Testament declarations:

– John 1:1, 14: The Word was with God, belonged to God, and became flesh.

– John 14:6: Yeshua declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

– Matthew 5:17: Yeshua says He did not come to destroy the Torah or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.

– Acts 9:2; 24:14: The earliest Yeshua-followers’ movement is called the Way, and its adherents are associated with belief in what is written in the Torah and the Prophets.

The Word of יהוה is the means by which God’s will is revealed.

– Genesis 15:1: The Word of יהוה  comes to Avram in a vision.

– 1 Samuel 3:21: יהוה reveals Himself to Samuel as the Word of  יהוה .

– Psalm 119:9–11: The psalmist connects keeping one’s way pure with living according to God’s Word.

– Isaiah 2:3: The nations are invited to learn the ways of יהוה because The Torah goes forth from Zion.

The Word reveals the instruction; the instruction defines the way. These concepts are closely related, even though the Hebrew Scriptures do not invariably use them as interchangeable names.

The Hebrew Scriptures repeatedly describe God’s instruction as a way in which His people are to walk.

• • Psalm 119:1, 142: The Torah is associated with walking blamelessly and with the righteousness of God’s instruction.
  • Deuteronomy 5:32–33: Israel is commanded to walk in the way יהוה has commanded.
  • Psalm 119:105: God’s word is a lamp to the feet and a light to the path.
  • Proverbs 6:23: The commandment is a lamp, the Torah is light, and reproof is the way of life.

The Torah is more than a collection of regulations. It is divine instruction revealing how Israel is to walk before יהוה . 

This is the reason Paul writes, “Messiah is the goal at which the Torah aims”. [Romans 10:4].

The Way is The Torah, and it points to Yeshua as the Messiah, and if Jews reject Him, they perish in the Torah. Because they know they do not keep the Torah, but abide outside of it, prevented from it by the fence created by the Rabbis.

But a Jew who acknowledges that Yeshua kept the Torah, teaches it, and compels those who follow Him to walk in it in simple obedience, that Jew has done the very thing that the whole Word of God always meant to achieve: to reconcile people to God, and free them from the guilt of sin.

So, when we invite our Jewish friends to hear the story of Yeshua, wew are not in any way asking them to abandon the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Quite the contrary. We are asking them to examine whether the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob acted in history through Yeshua the way the Jewish apostles proclaimed, to the death.

Read these passages, and consider all the above:

Genesis 22 and 49 :: Exodus 3 and Joshua 5 :: 1 Samuel 3 :: Isaiah 52:13–53:12 :: Zechariah 12:10–14 :: John 1 and 1 Corinthians 15.

After that, decide for yourself if there is any merit whatsoever to our claim. This is not in any way asking if someone should identify as Jew or Christian. It is asking whether Yeshua is the Son of God, the Word of God in a human body, and risen from the dead. If those things, which are simple to understand, are true, then the answer is eternally important.