Who has Believed our Message?, Why do we Believe the Message? / March 2002

Who has believed our message?

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread comes in late March and early April of 2002. The eve of the 14th of Nisan will occur on the evening of March 26. However, most Jewish homes will gather on the evening of March 27, observe the seder meal and continue to eat only unleavened bread through April 4. During this season, public seders will also occur in churches and messianic assemblies.

Moses instructed us to keep this holiday period to remember how we were passed over when the angel of death came upon the homes of Egypt. The first born of Egypt died that night. Only the homes that had the blood of a lamb on the door posts and lintel were passed over. With this judgment upon Egypt, Israel went forth traveling seven days with only unleavened bread (the bread of haste) until on the seventh day, they crossed the Red Sea and left Egypt completely. Therefore, we are instructed to remember and to teach our children the great story of freedom. But for us who are messianic and know Messiah Yeshua, the Passover seder is much more.

Yeshua used the seder meal to instruct His disciples about His work of redemption, His betrayal, death, and soon resurrection. He even gave us the elements of the New Covenant using the special unleavened bread called the Afikoman and the third cup of four cups, the cup of redemption, from the Passover seder (order). Great meaning is in these symbols and they tell the story of Messiah in their own right.

There is an even deeper part to the Passover expressed by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53 of his book.. In typical Hebrew fashion, he introduces the subject using a question.

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Isaiah 53:1

This is a question about the Passover. How do we know this concerns Passover? It is the expression, "the arm of the Lord." In the Hebrew, this is Zarowa Adonai. The shank bone on the Passover seder is called the Zarowa. The shank bone along with the bitter herbs (usually horseradish), the charoseth (the mixture of apples, honey and wine to look like mortar and straw for making bricks), the roasted egg (representing the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart), and the parsley (used for dipping in salt water) are placed on the seder plate. With this plate, three pieces of matzah (unleavened bread) and the four cups, the Passover meal is observed.

Isaiah’s question is for both alien and native of Israel to answer. Who understands (sees without eyes) the message of the Passover?

The Apostle John also poses the prophet’s question.

But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them." These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

John 12:37-41

The prophet’s question links the Passover story to the Messiah’s mission. The Passover is a story about a lamb being slain and its blood being a covering from death. The Messiah is the story of the Lamb of God being slain and His blood being a covering for our sins and death. Isaiah’s question asks if any person believes the message of the Messiah or if they can understand the symbols of the seder. Isaiah goes further. He shares with us, just as the Messiah did with His disciples, the purpose of the Messiah in fulfilling the Passover.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Isaiah 53:2-3

Yeshua was called a Nazarene because He was from Nazareth. But there is more meaning to this as well. Nazareth is a nothing place. Even Nathaniel asked the obvious question, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" The rulers in Jerusalem challenged the early followers of Yeshua, "Search the Scriptures for yourself, no prophet arises out of Nazareth." The reasons for these statements stemmed from the meaning of Nazareth. Nazareth was a nowhere place. Anyone and anything from Nazareth was nothing, of no count, and did not matter for anything. A person from Nazareth was despised and looked down upon. There was no attractiveness or reason to esteem Him since He was from Nazareth.

When Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, died giving birth to Benjamin, she wanted to call him the son of sorrows. Jacob, instead, named him the son of His right hand (Benjamin).

And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

Genesis 35:18

These two names (Son of Sorrows and Son of the Right Hand) are a prophetic picture of the Messiah. Yeshua came first to us as a son of sorrows. When He ascended, He sat at the right hand of our Heavenly Father. Truly, Yeshua was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Yeshua’s death at the hand of the religious rulers (Israel) and carried out by the Romans (Gentiles) spreads plenty of guilt around for everyone. Even the disciples fled and denied Him. No one is exempt in the arrest, trial, or execution of Yeshua. It is well known that Yeshua was mistreated, whipped, beaten, spit upon, dishonored, slapped, kicked, afflicted, (etc. etc. etc) until He was crucified and finally pierced with a spear. But this is not what killed Him.

He also had all the sins of the world (yours and mine) piled upon Him. The weight of those sins actually killed Him. Isaiah describes the entire process for the Messiah.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Isaiah 53:7-9

Yeshua was crowned with thorns. Abraham’s sacrifice on Mount Moriah, in place of his son Isaac, was a ram caught in a thicket of thorns. The ram’s head was caught in thorns. Yeshua was the Son of God given in place of Isaac; He was the Lamb promised by our Father Abraham to be slain in that place. Yeshua died with other condemned men and was laid in the tomb of a rich man.

But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53:10-12

Like one of Paul Harvey’s stories, we know "the rest of the story." The tomb did not hold Him for more than three days. When they came to the tomb, they found the stone moved and only the linen cloth that formerly covered Him. In the traditional observance of the Passover seder, we take a broken piece of the second matzah called the Afikoman, wrap it in the linen cloth, and bury it behind a pillow called the "stone." After the dinner, the father (leader of the Passover) calls for the Afikoman bread to come forth. However, a game is played each year. The children remove the bread during the meal. The children, therefore, report to the father that "the stone has been moved and all we found was the linen cloth."

The resurrection of Yeshua was the fulfillment of this traditional observance. They found the stone moved and only the linen cloth. From these events, we believe that the payment for our sins has been made. We believe the atoning death of Yeshua, the innocent for the guilty, has made us clean and forgiven before a Holy God. The meaning of the word Afikoman seems to say it all, "It is fulfilled."

This year as you come to observe the Passover, I encourage you to pause and reflect upon the meaning of the event. Do we really understand the message of freedom and deliverance? Do we really see Yeshua as our Redeemer, the One who purchased us out of slavery? Do we understand the symbols of the seder, the shank bone, the bread, the bitter herbs, the egg, the charoseth, the parsley, the holiday table, etc? Are we really teaching our children about God by sharing the great teaching (the Hagaddah) of the Lamb of God with one another? I trust that you will join with your like-minded brethren and keep the Passover this year with renewed understanding. In particular, I hope that you will take your rightful place at the Messiah’s table and consider what He has done for you personally.

Why do we believe the message?

John the Baptist was preaching a baptism of repentance, a preparation for the King to come. We don’t know exactly how John came to know this, but he was told that the Messiah would be the man whom the Spirit of God in the form of a dove would land upon Him and remain. John witnessed this happen to Yeshua of Nazareth and he announced to his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world."

John, the future apostle of Yeshua, one of the sons of Zebedee, with Phillip and Andrew asked where Yeshua was staying. Yeshua responded, "Come and see." From this interchange and initial meeting, Andrew ran off to get his brother Simon (Peter). Andrew announced, "We have found the Messiah!" Phillip went to get his friend Nathaniel. Phillip proclaimed, "We have found Him spoken of by Moses and the Prophets." From these interchanges, we have the Messiah and five believing disciples. But, I have a question.

On the basis of what do these men believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah?

We know that devout men of Israel were looking for the Messiah. But why is it that these men suddenly believe in Yeshua? Consider the question this way. What miracle has Yeshua done? What speech has He made that says He is the Messiah? What prophecy has been fulfilled? How do they know He is the Messiah and that He is the One that Moses and the Prophets spoke of?

If you follow the Gospel account of John the Baptist, even he will send a messenger to check if Yeshua is the expected One. So even he was not that sure that Yeshua was the Messiah.

And when the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’"

Luke 7:20

Maybe we should ask another question before we answer why these five believed in Yeshua. Why do we believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah? Think about it for a moment.

The Gospel of John was written for a specific reason.

Many other signs therefore Yeshua also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:30-31

In the Apostle John’s letters, he writes for the same reason.

And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.

I John 5:11-13

So, why do we believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah?

After examining my own heart and experiences, I have concluded that most brethren go through a process similar to the disciples described in the Gospels. That is, the disciples may have had an initial reason for belief but the discipleship process of Yeshua challenged and strengthened their belief. They were challenged to discover that their faith was weak and needed evidence of proof. They were strengthened to learn how people avoid belief and fight the truth. But they had something going for them that many of us don’t have that supported their initial faith. They had Torah.

Each of these five men had been trained in Moses and the Prophets. Virtually all new Christians, particularly Gentile Christians, have no understanding in Moses and the Prophets. The Gospels record how Yeshua fulfilled the words of Moses and the Prophets. This is what convinced the disciples that Yeshua was the Messiah to begin with.

Remember what Phillip said to Nathaniel. "We have found Him spoken of by Moses and the Prophets." Consider this also. After the crucifixion and death of Yeshua, some of the disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaeus. The resurrected Yeshua walked with them and explained His death and resurrection using Moses and the Prophets.

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaeus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were conversing with each other about all these things which had taken place. And it came about that while they were conversing and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached, and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, "What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?" And they stood still, looking sad. And one of them, named Claps, answered and said to Him, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. "But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. "And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see." And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! "Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:13-27

Let’s be honest. The average Christian does not believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah on the basis of Moses and the Prophets. They don’t even know what Moses and the Prophets say about the Messiah. Even more so, they do not understand how Moses and the Prophets foretold of Yeshua’s death and resurrection. They don’t understand the work of redemption or how Yeshua fulfilled the Scriptures. So, why do these same Christians believe that Yeshua is the prophesied Messiah and that believing in Him causes anyone to have eternal life?

Actually, gentile Christians faced with this problem shouldn’t feel too bad. Their pastors and Sunday School teachers can’t answer these questions either. I once had a conversation with a Pastor about this subject. I made the statement that Moses was the greatest prophet of the Messiah. The Pastor nodded his head in the affirmative. I pushed my Bible over to him and said, "This Bible contains the teaching of Moses and the Prophets about the Messiah. Show me where Moses spoke of Yeshua of Nazareth. Prove to me that Yeshua is the Messiah." He couldn’t do it. He had to admit that he had no idea what the first five disciples were basing their faith on or what Yeshua would have shared with the men on the road to Emmaeus.

I have some theories as to why Christians believe in Yeshua as the Messiah. But it is not based on things in the Bible. Let’s see if you have seen any of these reasons before.

I was born in America.

Therefore, I believe that Yeshua is the Messiah. Had I been born in Afghanistan, I would have been a Muslim. Had I been born in India, I would have been a Hindu. Had I been born somewhere else, I would have been whatever religion they had there. Have you ever met a Christian who said He was born into a Christian home and that was why He was a Christian? That is why most people say they are of a particular faith.

Is this the proof and the evidence to say that Yeshua of Nazareth is the prophesied Messiah of Israel? I don’t think so. Being born in America may involve people in the customs and culture of Christianity, but custom and culture is not a reason for faith.

I was told that He was the Messiah.

Of course, Jesus is the Christ. That’s His name – Jesus Christ. He’s Mr. Christ. That’s His last name and that’s where we all get our Christian names. Since Christ means Messiah, that’s why He is the Messiah. That’s what I was told and that’s what I have always said about Him. He is the Messiah. Besides, that’s His name in the Bible and I believe in the Bible.

Our parents may have told us about Jesus. Maybe we learned it from other Christians, but is this the reason we believe that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah? This testimony just means we believe what other people tell us. This isn’t faith in Yeshua; this is faith in others.

Other people believe in Him, so I believe in Him.

Other people smarter than me, who have studied the Bible a lot more than I ever will, believe in Him. Besides, I want to be accepted by other people like my friends and community and if I believe like they believe, then I will be accepted like them.

Again, this isn’t faith. This is believing in others and getting them to believe in you. But, this has nothing to do with whether Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah.

I have blind faith.

I know that I know that I know. That’s how I believe in Him. Besides, God can do anything He wants and if He wants to come as Yeshua, then He can certainly do it. Didn’t God say we were to walk by faith and not by sight? So, I have faith that Yeshua is the Messiah; therefore, He is the Messiah and no one will convince me otherwise. That’s why I believe.

There is no such thing as blind faith. Blind faith is presumption. Presumption is not based on evidence or truth. Just saying something is so, does not make it so. Truth is established by the evidence of two or three; therefore, if we are to say that Yeshua is the Messiah, then we must have evidence that proves it. It must be confirmed and stand up to scrutiny and examination before we can conclude that it is true. Our faith is the ability to see without eyes. It is to hear without ears. It is to know and understand things that can not even be imagined.

So what is the answer for us? Why did those five men believe that Yeshua of Nazareth was the Messiah even before He spoke, did miracles, or performed miracles? What was their faith in Him based on?

They believed Moses; they believed Torah. They believed that God would give a sacrifice called the Lamb of God for willful and defiant sin. They believed that the Lamb of God sacrifice would have to be declared as an acceptable sacrifice just like all other sacrifices. All sacrifices, according to Moses, required a Levite Priest to make the declaration. John the Baptist was a Levite Priest. His father was Zacharias.

When the Priest, John the Baptist, declared that Yeshua was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, then they had sufficient evidence to begin the journey of growing faith in Him. Each of them would come to a much deeper faith as they observed Him give the same signs that Moses gave when he came to Israel with a message of redemption. They witnessed Him do things only God could do: give sight to man born blind, heal a man crippled from birth, heal an incurable leper. They heard Him speak wisdom and knowledge that no man had ever spoken. They saw a dead man raised from the grave and live again. They had a lot of reasons to believe that He was the Messiah.

Now, the question remains concerning us. Why do we believe that Yeshua is the Messiah? It really is a pretty important question, because it is the prerequisite to having eternal life. We might fake one another out about our belief in Yeshua, but I don’t think we will fake Him out on this. Maybe that’s why He says there is a day coming when some won’t make it in the kingdom.

Yeshua said it this way.

Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." Matthew 7:22-23

According to this word, there will be some very charismatic, evangelical, religious, Christians who call Jesus, Lord, who will not make it to the kingdom. The reason they won’t make it is because they don’t know (believe) that Yeshua is the Messiah. Even further, they also don’t believe the words of Moses and know about the Torah or keep the commandments. Had they believed Moses and kept the Torah, they would have believed like the disciples. They would have believed in the Lamb of God.

I trust that at this Passover season you will be able to answer Isaiah’s question and say, "I believe the report about Yeshua of Nazareth. He is the One spoken of by Moses and the Prophets. He is the Lamb of God that takes away my sins. He has passed me from death to life."

Praise the Lord!

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
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Editor - Monte Judah
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