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Prophecy regarding the Messiah - Coggle Diagram
Prophecy regarding the Messiah
Messiac expectations
1.
Free Christians from Romans
2.
Decent from David - born of Joseph, born in Bethlehem
3.
Cleanse or purify the Temple
4.
Suffering servant - crucifixion
5.
Prophet like Moses
6.
Son of a virgin
7.
Gather in the Gentiles - wise men, Magi
8.
Bring peace
9.
Focus on the poor - heals disabled poor people
10.
Host a messianic banquet
11.
King - riding a donkey into Jerusalem
The suffering servant in Isaiah
Isaiah is believed to have been written during the time of the Babylonian Exile. The message is that Israel had been chosen by God as His servant and will be restored from exile, revealing God's glory all nations
The theme of the servant songs is that the servant is the chosen one of God, whose mission is to bring glory to Him
The fourth song explains the atoning sacrifice of the suffering servant, who is despised and rejected yet obeys to the point of death and is highly exalted by God
Parallels can be drawn between Jesus' life and the suffering servant:
1.
The servant was an ordinary man, not of high birth
2.
He was despised and rejected
3.
He was pierced, crushed, chastised and wounded
4.
He did not protest or defend himself
5.
He was punished for others' wrongdoings
6.
His death was that of a criminal but he had done no wrong
The song reveals that the suffering was part of God's plan as a 'play off' for the people's transgressions but in the end the servant will find a place with the righteous as a reward
The significance of the suffering servant for the New Testament
Isaiah shows that a just man was punished and that the suffered for the wickedness of others. The New Testament writers believed believed that this was a messianic prophecy and Jesus was the fulfilment of it
It is generally accepted that the idea of the servant found in Deutero-Isaiah plays a role in New Testament theology but there is debate around its importance and influence
The question is whether it was Jesus himself who aligned himself with the suffering servant or whether it was the work of the early Church to explain why the expected Messiah suffered and was put to death
Was Jesus the suffering servant?
The traditional view
Jesus knew himself to be the servant found in the songs and set out to fulfil these predictions:
1.
When Jesus told the disciples that he must be rejected and killed, he used Isaiah 53 to show that he was the servant
2.
On the eve of his death, Jesus saw his death in the light of the servant song
3.
The words of Jesus suggest the idea of a suffering servant. For Example,
'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'
Mark 10:45
Morna Hooker's view
In her book
Jesus and the Servant
, Hooker challenges the traditional approach. She finds no convincing evidence to suggest that Isaiah 53 played a role in Jesus' understanding of his ministry and claims that it has more to do with the early Church finding meaning in the passage after the death of Jesus:
The Jewish interpretation of the passage at the time of Jesus does not include any reference to the atoning nature of the death of the servant
The idea of the atoning suffering of Jesus can be linked to Paul's teachings
The importance of the line of David
In the Old Testament times, kings, prophets and priests were anointed by oil. The anointing was a sign that God had chosen them. So, the term Messiah was used to describe the person whom the Jews expected would save and restore God's kingdom, as it was at the time of David
King David's rule over Israel came to be seen as the golden age in Jewish history. He was promised that one of his offspring would rule for ever and establish God's kingdom for ever
Throughout the Old Testament there is an expectation that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. The Jews were expecting a 'King Messiah' who would deliver and restore the kingdom of Israel
Matthew's Gospel records on six different occasions people referring to Jesus as the Son of David