Who is Jesus-Christ?

Part 1

This theme, long studied through documentaries, archaeological research, and debates of all kinds, remains an essential question in the lives of many human beings around the world. Who is Jesus-Christ, or Yeshua as our Jewish brethren call him?

Beyond any secular, religious, or agnostic discussion, it is important to define the central element of our exposition, the Bible which is undoubtedly for us the Word of God, The Almighty, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, The Bible through the books of the prophets, the psalms of David, the gospels, and the books of the apostles gives us several elements to answer this question.

            Let's start with Genesis chapter 14, verse 18, “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High”, Deuteronomy 18, verses 15 to 19, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet from the midst of your brethren like me; to him you shall listen. This is what you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, or see this great fire any more, lest I die. And the Lord said to me, they have well said all that they have spoken. I will raise up for them a Prophet from among their brethren like you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not hearken to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

Psalm 45, verses 6 to 7, “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of your Kingdom is a righteous scepter. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above your fellows.” Ps. 110:1-4, “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.””, PS. 118: 22-23, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Isaiah, chapter 9 verse 6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 11:1-5: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” Is. 35: 4 to 6, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;”. Is. 42:1 to 9, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.””. Is. 52:13-15, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.” and 53 verses 1 to 12, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not 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,
stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”.

Micah, chapter 5 verses 2-4; ““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”

Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9; “Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Zion! Shout out loud, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble — he’s riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey’s colt.”.

Part 2

Now, let's look at what was written by the Lord Jesus-Christ contemporaries, beginning with the gospel of Matthew, chapter 1 verse 23; “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”. Matthew 2, ver. 6; “And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel.”. Luke 1:30-35; “And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” And the angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore, also that Holy Being who shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”.

The Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 10-12, shortly after the birth of the Lord; “And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”, verses 29-32; ““Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.””.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, verse 11, John the Baptist says; “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”. John in chapter 1 verses 29-31; “The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me cometh a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore have I come baptizing with water.”. Luke 3:21 and 22; “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized. And while He prayed the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, “Thou Art My Beloved Son; In Thee I Am Well Pleased.””. Finally, John 1: 32-34; “And John bore record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and It abode upon Him. And I knew Him not. But He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the Same is He that baptizes with the Holy Ghost.’ And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.””.

The second testimony of John the Baptist in the Gospel of John chapter 3 verses 27 to 36 says; “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it be given him from Heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but that ‘I am sent before Him.’ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. “He that cometh from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from Heaven is above all. And what He hath seen and heard, to that He testifieth, and no man receiveth His testimony. He that hath received His testimony hath set his seal to this: that God is true. For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.””. John the Baptist wanting confirmation of what he knew, sent 2 disciples to the Lord, Luke 7: 19-23; “John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord. They were to ask him, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?” When they reached Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you. He asks, ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?’” Right then, Jesus healed many of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to a number of blind people. Then he replied to John’s disciples, “Go, report to John what you have seen and heard. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled now walk. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. And good news is preached to the poor. Happy is anyone who doesn’t stumble along the way because of me.””

The Bible gives us several answers to the question “Who is Jesus-Christ (Yeshua Ha-Mashiach)?”, some of which have been mentioned here to guide the disciples who would like to have a precise knowledge of our Lord and Savior, the King of kings, Jesus-Christ of Nazareth. The testimonies of the Apostles were omitted in this message to invite those whom the Lord has called to continue their search by comparing the writings of the prophets, with what was announced by the angels, and what they have learned from the Lord. Also, to prevent fueling “the conspiracy theory” from those who seek in the Bible any contradiction to justify their unbelief, by claiming that The Lord’s Apostles and first disciples proof about His nature and personality were all staged using what they knew then from the writings of the prophets to deceive the simple minded and the naïve. For us the believers, this message is a reminder and an encouragement as the Apostle Paul says in his epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 2, verse 1; “This is why it’s necessary for us to pay more attention to what we have heard, or else we may drift away from it.”. Furthermore, Hebrews 4: 12-13; “because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer.”.

My brethren, we are going to end this message by reminding ourselves of the fifth chapter of the book of the Revelation, written by the Apostle John at the Patmos island; “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one seated on the throne. It had writing on the front and the back, and it was sealed with seven seals. I saw a powerful angel, who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it. So, I began to weep and weep, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has emerged victorious so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then, in between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb, standing as if it had been slain. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are God’s seven spirits, sent out into the whole earth. He came forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne. When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each held a harp and gold bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They took up a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain, and by your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will rule on earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the sound of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. They numbered in the millions—thousands upon thousands. They said in a loud voice, “Worthy is the slaughtered Lamb to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and might, and honor, glory, and blessing.” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea—I heard everything everywhere say, “Blessing, honor, glory, and power belong to the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and always.” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.”. Romans 8: 28-30; “We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified.”. Finally, Revelation 22: 12-16; ““And behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the city. For outside are dogs and sorcerers, and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star.””. Amen!