Explore the key ideas about Jesus being a Messiah in the Gospels.(8 marks)
In the Gospels Jesus can be seen as a Messiah (the anointed one) who would come from God to save
and lead Israel. In the synoptic the titles that were used for Jesus in the old Testament were used to
portray the belief that Jesus was the Messiah that the Jews were expecting. It also helps the early
Christians to understand who Jesus was by utilising the terms that were understood by both Jewish and
Greeks. Jewish people believed that Messiah meant ‘anointed one’ the idea that Jewish kings were
anointed with oil. This linked to the idea from psalm 89:20. This verse states that ‘i have found my
servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him’. This creates the idea that the oil is close to God
that is why he was the anointed one. The Messiah would have been a person described in the books of
prophecy. Immediately before the Messiah arrived there would have been a time of war and suffering,
so when the Messiah arrived it would begin the Messianic era.
There were many teachings about the Messiah in scripture. For example, in Jeremiah 23:5-6 it states ‘I
will raise up for David’ which highlights the idea of David bringing peace. Micah 5:2 also states ‘o
Bethlehem...you shall come forth me one who is to rule’ which links to what Jews believe about the
Messiah. The prophecy of Messiah is the idea that after the rule of king David the Jews were taken into
slavery and suffered under their enemies. They would have waited for a warrior Messiah who would
come and kill their enemies and save them. This was never what was prophesised but was a creation of
Jews for comfort.
Jesus is seen as a kingly Messiah as he is born in Bethlehem like King David, which is stated in Micah 5:2,
he is seen as the descendant of King David in Mathew 1:1. Jesus is referred to as the son of David when
he arrives at Jerusalem and he fulfils the kingly Messiah prophecy. In Mathew 1:1 the Jews are waiting
for a Messiah waiting in the line of David. In Mathew 21:9 ‘the crowds that went ahead of him and that
followed were shouting’. In Mathew 21:5 it states ‘your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on
a donkey and on a donkey’. We have seen how the earliest thinking of the church might have been to
declare that Jesus was made the Messiah at the Resurrection; as they expected Jesus to return in glory
and to transform the Earth.
In the Gospels Jesus can be seen as a Messiah (the anointed one) who would come from God to save
and lead Israel. In the synoptic the titles that were used for Jesus in the old Testament were used to
portray the belief that Jesus was the Messiah that the Jews were expecting. It also helps the early
Christians to understand who Jesus was by utilising the terms that were understood by both Jewish and
Greeks. Jewish people believed that Messiah meant ‘anointed one’ the idea that Jewish kings were
anointed with oil. This linked to the idea from psalm 89:20. This verse states that ‘i have found my
servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him’. This creates the idea that the oil is close to God
that is why he was the anointed one. The Messiah would have been a person described in the books of
prophecy. Immediately before the Messiah arrived there would have been a time of war and suffering,
so when the Messiah arrived it would begin the Messianic era.
There were many teachings about the Messiah in scripture. For example, in Jeremiah 23:5-6 it states ‘I
will raise up for David’ which highlights the idea of David bringing peace. Micah 5:2 also states ‘o
Bethlehem...you shall come forth me one who is to rule’ which links to what Jews believe about the
Messiah. The prophecy of Messiah is the idea that after the rule of king David the Jews were taken into
slavery and suffered under their enemies. They would have waited for a warrior Messiah who would
come and kill their enemies and save them. This was never what was prophesised but was a creation of
Jews for comfort.
Jesus is seen as a kingly Messiah as he is born in Bethlehem like King David, which is stated in Micah 5:2,
he is seen as the descendant of King David in Mathew 1:1. Jesus is referred to as the son of David when
he arrives at Jerusalem and he fulfils the kingly Messiah prophecy. In Mathew 1:1 the Jews are waiting
for a Messiah waiting in the line of David. In Mathew 21:9 ‘the crowds that went ahead of him and that
followed were shouting’. In Mathew 21:5 it states ‘your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on
a donkey and on a donkey’. We have seen how the earliest thinking of the church might have been to
declare that Jesus was made the Messiah at the Resurrection; as they expected Jesus to return in glory
and to transform the Earth.
