Whats In A Name

Before I go on you need to know a couple of things. First and foremost, just in case there is someone reading this who doesn't know, I am not a Christian. I was, and I was even a pastor, but I left it over 10 years ago because of the very things that I am sharing with you.

I started out with the intention of proving to a few Jewish folks that I knew, that they had missed Jesus as the Messiah. I believed the Christian idea that the Jews were made blind to the truth because they had “rejected” Jesus and had crucified him.

Turned out, after studying all of this, that we (Christians) were wrong, and I was wrong as well. Once I came to that conclusion, I wrestled with it for over a year, I couldn't decide if it really mattered or not but the longer I wrestled the harder it became. Finally I told my wife, it took her awhile to see it, but she did, and then I came out of the proverbial closet to another pastor that I was ministering with, thus ending my ministry, and now here we are.

So now I will start at the beginning. I actually started down this path after trying to defend something that Jesus said in one of his parables, on a Jewish radio web page. Luke 19, especially vs.27 “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.”

The argument that was made was that this was just another piece of evidence that Jesus couldn't have been the messiah because he is advocating violence when the Jewish belief is that when the Messiah comes he will bring about an end to all war and killing and bring about a universal knowledge of G-d.

I argued against that saying that is was simply a story that he told to try and help people understand the coming kingdom, that he didn't mean that he would be the one to kill anyone. That didn't go over very well. I got blasted from many sides. Remember, I was a Christian on a Jewish web page, they didn't take too kindly to my comment.

This,however, got me to ask one simple question: Why is it that the Jews can't see that Jesus is the messiah?

Most Jewish people I had ever met seemed very intelligent and there were a few Rabbi's that I had listened to that knew the New Testament better then most Christians, so how was it possible that they couldn't see the truth right in front of them?

So I decided that I was going to prove that Jesus was the messiah and I was going to do it with nothing more than the “Old Testament” and my concordance. In the end I was using several versions and my computer as well.

Before I go any further, please understand I did not do this lightly. I was afraid, what if it turned out that they, the Jews, were right? A part of me had already started to believe it, I was after all a Messianic person at that time and I already believed that most Christians should be following the holy days and festivals of the Jews if they really believed in and followed Jesus because, he was after all a Jew. Having said that I was also fearful that I was going to condemn myself to hell for even questioning that which I had been taught and believed. This was my mind set to begin with.

So I started.

First I wanted to find every reference that I could for the word Messiah. The word for it in Hebrew is Mshich, pronounced something like Machiach, which simply means anointed or anointed one. See H4899.

I found that the word anointed or anointing was used 92 times in the OT. It was primarily used in reference to the priests, kings and prophets and the processes of anointing thereof.

What I didn't find was any reference to Jesus ( though Cyrus is named anointed of G-d) or that the “messiah” had anything to do with saving man kind from their sins by dying for them, or that he was any kind of G-d. A servant of G-d, yes, a king, yes but not G-d.

There are many passages that describe what things will be like when the Messiah reigns, I thought I'd use just one and trust that you will take the time to look at others.

Isa.11:1-4 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 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 of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” KJV

No one disputes that the Messiah will come from the line of Jesse and David ,but the fact of the matter is that he is quite human. Note that it says that the “spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” it does not say that he is the Lord (G-D) only that His spirit is upon him, much in the same way as the spirit of G-d came upon the prophets and rulers. It also states that he will have the “spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” This tells me that he will be as wise but that he will have great respect for G-d. There is much more just in this chapter but the bible is full of similar prophecies. Read all the rest of chapter 11 for yourselves to get an idea of what the real messiah will do.

Now some will say that Jesus will full fill all these things upon his second coming. Yet in the Jewish scriptures there is no concept of a “second coming” all is to be done in the time of the Messiah.

Some of you may be saying what about chapter 9, especially verses 5-6, doesn't that call the messiah “G-d”? No. In fact it is one of many verses that most Christians know ( mostly because of Handel's Messiah) that is really taken out of context.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

While I love the song that goes with this, remember a couple of things, Hebrew tends to translate a bit different in English, there is no punctuation, nor is there uppercase or lowercase letters. The way you see it, with the caps especially, is the way Christian translators, with their already pre disposed idea that this is about Jesus, has made it. Also take note of the wording. In the KJV it says “His name will be called” implying that it is after, at a later date, which reads differently in the Jewish scriptures.

The Jewish bible (JPS) Reads a bit different. “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us, and authority has settled upon his shoulders. He has been named “The mighty God is planning grace; The eternal Father, a peaceable ruler.

In this Jewish translation it says “He has been named” meaning that these are his names given to him when he is born.

Actual translation from Hebrew

that boy he is born to us son he is given to us and she shall become chieftainship on shoulder blade of him and he shall call name of him one marvelous one counseling el masterful father of future chief of well being

Sounds a bit less romantic or G-d like when literally read.

In all three cases it should be noted that these were to be names that he would be called, it doesn't mean that he is G-d. All names have meaning, but it doesn't mean that you are what your name translates to. For example my first name means “fiery lizard”, my middle name means “strength of a bear” and my last name means “table top land”

Now I can certainly be fiery at times, yet I'm not a lizard, I have been told on occasion that I don't know my own strength, yet I am not a bear, nor am I a table top, yet this is what my names translate to.

These names were to show just how powerful that the Messiah is going to be but they do not name him G-d.

I know that this is only a small portion of verses that I have shared with you, and I also know that some are not going to believe me, so I encourage you to read the OT, slowly. Translate the Hebrew for yourself, compare the prophecies to see if they match. Then you decide.

I will share more soon.

Shalom