Messiah: Not an Ordinary Man

the-cross

In Luke 9:18-20, Yahushua [Jesus] asked the question of His Disciples: “Whom do you say that I am?”

Yahushua [the Hebrew name for Jesus] continues to ask: “Whom do you say that I am?”

Some may answer this question with, “He is an honourable man; He’s a prophet, a good teacher, and nothing more.”

But this answer contradicts the written Scriptures, as we shall see below.

There are many details revealed in the Bible about Yahushua Messiah and His message. There are references to Yahushua in nearly every book within the Bible. The Bible’s recorded prophecies and messages clearly reveal that this man, Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ], is very different from all other men! He is not an ordinary man. In fact, He is a very mysterious person.

When we look into the Scriptures with child-like faith (Mark 10:15), then God’s mysteries no longer concern us, because we can accept the sovereignty and supreme greatness of His power and wisdom and character. Let us look at some of the mysteries surrounding the identity of Yahushua.

What Did Yahushua Say?

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To understand the true identity of Yahushua Messiah, we must look very carefully into the Scriptures alone! This is the only way to discover that Yahushua Messiah is much more than just an ‘honourable man’!!

In the Scriptures, there are many verses to show us that no ordinary man, who is in his right mind, would say the things that Yahushua said:

Yahushua [Jesus] said, … That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honours not the Son, honours not the Father which has sent Him. (John 5:23)
Yahushua [Jesus] said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
Yahushua [Jesus] answered,… “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Yahushua [Jesus] saith, … he that has seen Me has seen the Father … 10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you, I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works. 11) Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me …. (John 14:9-11)
These words spake Yahushua [Jesus], … Holy Father, keep through Your own name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one, as We are. (John 17:11b)

No ordinary man would say that he is one with Yahuwah Elohim [the Hebrew name for the LORD God].

No ordinary man would say that he is one with the God of the whole earth, the Creator of ALL things, the One who inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15).

No ordinary man would say that when you see Him, you have seen Yahuwah Elohim, the Most High God, who is exalted far above all gods (Psalms 97:9).

No ordinary man would say that before the prophet Abraham was, He already existed!

If an ‘ordinary’ man said such things, we would consider him a lunatic, an idiot! And we would be repulsed by him!

But Messiah Yahushua [Christ Jesus] said all these things, and we are not repulsed. Instead, we are attracted to Him, drawn to Him even more. Upon examining only a few of the things that Yahushua said, we can see that there is indeed something very unique about Him!

Now let us look at only a few of the amazing prophecies regarding Messiah’s birth.

The Messiah’s Birth

We can find in the Scriptures several prophecies regarding Messiah’s coming and His birth. These prophecies were handed down and recorded century after century before Messiah Yahushua of Nazareth was born.

The patriarch Jacob, who lived around 2,000 years before the birth of Messiah, accurately prophecied that Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). Centuries later, the prophet Natan prophecied that Messiah would come from the family of David (who was of the tribe of Judah), and that Messiah’s throne would be “established forever” (1Chronicles 17:11-14; Romans 1:3-4). The prophet Micah prophecied that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, as the Gospels of Matthew and Luke confirmed (Micah 5:2; see also Matthew 2:1-6 and Luke 2:4-7).

The prophet Isaiah (a contemporary of the prophet Micah), prophecied 700 years in advance of Messiah’s birth, that God would provide a sign (a miraculous, distinguishing sign) — that a virgin would conceive, and bring forth a child:

Therefore Yahuwah [the LORD] Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Here we are told that this ‘sign’ includes an identifying mark — that the child, born from a virgin, shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. The Gospel of Matthew confirmed Isaiah’s prophecy when Yahushua of Nazareth was born:

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of Yahuwah [the LORD] by the prophet (Isaiah), saying, 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 1:22-23).

Some scoff at the idea of the virgin birth of Yahushua, claiming that His mother was simply a maiden or an ordinary young woman. But how would it be a “miraculous sign” for an ordinary young woman to give birth to a child?

Let’s look at the account of Yahushua Messiah’s birth in the Gospel of Luke:

26 … the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Greetings, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women. …
30 Fear not, Mary: for you have found favour with God.
31 And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Yahushua [Jesus].
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest
33 … and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you …  that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35)

1a-mary_and_josephMary was a virgin, serving the God of Israel. She was a daughter of the royal family, who was descended from King David, of the tribe of Judah. She was the chosen vessel for carrying the Son of Yahuwah Elohim, from conception to birth.

As the above Scripture passage teaches us, Yahushua was conceived by God Himself, when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her. Yahushua is therefore called the “Son of the Highest.” This is a fitting title, because sons always possess the qualities of their father.

This is truly an amazing event! There is no other event in recorded history, or in the claims of any other religious system, that a man was conceived and birthed by a virgin!

Because the prophecies of the Messiah’s miraculous birth were fulfilled, then Yahushua is thus immediately set apart from all other men, making Him very different from every other man!

How could a man, who was conceived in the womb of a virgin, be ordinary?!?

  • (For further confirmation that Yahushua’s Father was not a human man, see video at end of post.)

Yahushua’s virgin birth, and many other events of His life, are indeed a great mystery:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1Timothy 3:16)

In the above verse, the apostle is speaking of the man, Yahushua [Jesus], who was God Himself — the God of the Bible, Yahuwah Elohim — who was manifested in the flesh, and revealed to the world!

Yahuwah, the Living, Eternal, ALL-Mighty God [who can do whatever He pleases], came to this earth, born into this world through a virgin birth. He came to communicate His character, His nature, His power, His purpose, and His plans.

Only Yahushua Messiah could have accomplished this mission, because . . . Yahushua was not an ordinary man!

The Word Made Flesh

Another mysterious quality that sets Yahushua Messiah apart from all others is that He is referred to as “the Word of God” and “the Word of Life”:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….  14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled (touched), of the Word of life (1John 1:1).

In the days when Yahushua walked on the earth, everyone understood who “the Word of the LORD” was.

The Word of the LORD [the Word of Yahuwah] was the One seen throughout the Old Testament writings — the One who appeared to Abraham and all the Prophets, the One who gave Moses the Torah, the One who led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land.

Then in the above passages, we are told that the Word of the LORD was God Himself — He, who was made flesh, and lived among the Disciples; He whom the Disciples had seen and touched for themselves — this was the Living, breathing “Word” made flesh!

The Word of the LORD became a human being, and was named Yahushua [Jesus]. The great significance of this fact is seen in a number of New Testament verses, including the following meaningful verse, when Yahushua said:

If you love Me, keep ‘My’ commandments” (John 14:15).

We must ask ourselves: Whose commandments is Yahushua referring to? Let us remember that there was NO New Testament in existence at the time Yahushua spoke these words!

The Word of the LORD was made flesh and dwelt among us is such an important part of Messiah’s identity that we discuss this particular aspect of His identity in a separate article. ‘The Word Was Made Flesh‘ is indeed another of our heavenly Father’s great mysteries that many in today’s religious world have not yet seen!

Let’s look further.

Completely God, Completely Man – God and Man in One Person

Notice that Messiah made the decision to “empty Himself” — that is, He emptied Himself of all His rightfully owned attributes of God — His power, authority, and dignity, and He made Himself of ‘no reputation’:

5) For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah Yahushua,
6) who, being in the form of God [Elohim], did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped,
7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men,
8) And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

In the above passage, we see that Messiah, though in the form of God, laid aside His glory, His divine power and majesty, to come to this earth, in the likeness of men. As a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient. His mission and His message, over and over again, demonstrated and communicated the true nature of the Mighty, Eternal God — the only righteous, loving, and merciful, Living God.

Yahushua took the form of an ordinary servant, appearing as an ordinary man. But when He spoke, and when He did what He did, then His divine qualities were revealed and manifested! There was no limit to what He could do. Why? Because, as the Scriptures reveal, Yahushua was not an ordinary man:

For in Him [Yahushua Messiah] dwells all the full-ness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9)

hole_calming_a_stormYahushua was a perfect man, the only perfect, righteous, and sinless man to have ever lived! He was God in the flesh, born in the likeness of a man. Yet in His physical appearance, He was an average man. His physical appearance was not unusual.

Scriptures tell us that Messiah possessed no particular physical splendor that we should be drawn to Him. He had no special beauty that we should desire to see Him (Isaiah 53:2).

Yahushua was a man who had to be water baptized, at the start of His ministry. And in order to have the power from on high,’ He needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, just like any other man.

Yahushua had to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, just like any other man. He gave us the example of what is possible when someone is filled with the Holy Spirit!

Yahushua had to humble Himself, as any other man. And just like all of us, He had to learn obedience by the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

Yahushua possessed all the frailties of any other human person.

He was weak at times, He was hungry at times, He was emotional at times — and yet . . . He did not commit any sin (Hebrews 4:14-15), as the Scriptures reveal:

21b)…Messiah [Christ] also suffered for us, leaving us an example …
22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:
23) Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not …
24) Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree….
(1Peter 2:21b-24a; see also Hebrews 4:15)
And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. (1John 3:5)
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest [the man, Yahushua Messiah], holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26)

As the above Scriptures tell us, Yahushua did no sin. No other person in all of history can claim to be sin-LESS!! But Messiah Yahushua [Christ Jesus] was sin-less because . . . He was not an ordinary man!

ALL humans have sinned! Every person that has ever lived on this earth has committed sins. (1Kings 8:46a and Romans 3:23)

Except for one man — the man, Messiah Yahushua, never committed a sin! He was innocent, unstained, righteous, and holy, in every way (See above verses).

The purpose of His mission was to demonstrate His great love for us by becoming an acceptable sacrifice on our behalf — to be “a lamb without blemish.”

A Lamb Without Blemish

The Biblical requirement for a sacrifice to be acceptable to the Righteous, Living God, was that the sacrificial lamb must be perfect, and without blemish (Exodus 12:5).

Messiah Yahushua was the perfect, spotless [sin-less] ‘Lamb’ provided by God, to become a sacrifice for our sins (Isaiah 53:10 and John 1:29).

The Scriptures tell us that Yahushua was born into this world to destroy the works of the devil, and to take away the sin of the world (1John 2:2 and 1John 3:8). No other man has ever been qualified to fulfill such a mission!

Only the perfect, sin-LESS, remarkable man, Yahushua Messiah, could qualify to be the sacrificial ‘Lamb of God’ — to bear the sins of the whole world, and to give Himself as a ransom for all (1Timothy 2:5-6)!

Only through the pure, sinless, and most precious blood of Yahushua Messiah could redemption and forgiveness of our sins be obtained (1Peter 1:18-19 and 1John 1:7).

Raised From the Dead

Ordinary, sinful men condemned Yahushua to death, and killed Him. Why? They were outraged that Yahushua claimed equality with the Most High God, Yahuwah Elohim (Mark 14:61-64).

But death could not hold Him down, because . . . Messiah was not an ordinary man:

5) And the angel answered and said … I know that ye seek Yahushua [Jesus], which was crucified. 6) He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. …. (Matthew 28:5-6)

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Knowing that Messiah [Christ] being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. (Romans 6:9)
… by the appearing of our Saviour Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ], who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (2Timothy 1:10)

As the Scriptures confirm, Yahushua Messiah rose from the dead and conquered death.

After His miraculous resurrection, Yahushua entered the heavenly Holy Place, to make atonement for all mankind (Hebrews 9:24-28).

No ordinary man could do that!!

No ordinary human being has ever had the pure, sin-LESS blood that is required for the atoning sacrifice of sins!! The only man that could do that is the One, extraordinary man, Yahushua Messiah!

As the centuries pass, the evidence is accumulating that, measured by His effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life that ever lived on this planet. — Kenneth S. Latourette

Two Kinds of People

There are two kinds of people.

One kind of person believes that the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, are the perfect Words of the Eternal, Living God. These people believe the written Scriptures that declare that Yahushua Messiah is God Almighty in the flesh:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. 14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …. (John 1:1,14)
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23) That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him. (John 5:22-23)
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ] (Titus 2:13)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord [Yahushua Messiah], which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

There are many more written Scriptures that clearly reveal that Yahushua Messiah is God in the flesh (See Isaiah 43:3a; 45:15,21; 60:16; Titus 2:10-14; 3:4-6; Jude 1:25).

The other kind of person believes that Yahushua Messiah was a good man, perhaps a special and moral man, or even a prophet. These kind of people believe that Yahushua [Jesus] was only an ordinary man, and nothing more.

These have been deceived by teachers who teach a fabricated version of Yahushua — their own invented “Jesus”, a man-made concoction. These people reject certain Scriptures that conflict with their man-made doctrines. These people are blinded to the many Scriptures that clearly and plainly reveal the deity of Yahushua. These people have not honestly investigated the Scriptures for themselves.

We must be very careful to not receive a man-made concept [error] regarding Yahushua’s true identity. The apostle Paul gives us a very strong warning against perverting the gospel message and the identity of Yahushua — warning against receiving another Yahushua/Jesus’, because it leads to a curse and a corrupted understanding (Galatians 1:6-9 and 2Corinthians 11:3-4).

To avoid deception, we must examine, with a humble and honest heart, what the Scriptures actually say.

Oh Dear Reader, may it be that we would pray fervently for our eyes to be opened to the truth of the Scriptures! Let us shun all worldly, man-made wisdom and tradition that deceives and hides Yahuwah’s truth from us:

The god of this world [the devil] hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving ones (2Corinthians 4:3-4; Matthew 4:8-9; see also 1Corinthians 3:19; 2:5-8; Mark 4:11; Luke 10:21)!

Love The Truth

The Bible gives us many warnings about the kind of people that reject the truth of its message.

Here is one of the warnings:

8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed…
9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie ….
(2Thessalonians 2:8-12)

As the above passage teaches us, the Words of the Bible are not to be trifled with. It is a fearful thing to not receive ‘the love of the truth!

Either the Bible is the true and eternal Word of God, or the Bible is the most outrageous creation ever conceived in the history of mankind!

A tender-hearted person will receive the wisdom and testimony of the inspired-by-God Scriptures, regardless of the mysteries! And, the tender-hearted will also gladly embrace the full testimony of the One Person who was not, and is not, an ordinary man!

Little Creatures

The kingdom of God is an overwhelming mystery to those who rely on man-made understanding, or those who have not yet entered Yahuwah’s Kingdom (Mark 4:11)!

Only when we truly and honestly humble ourselves; only when we are truly objective; only when we yield ourselves to believing the Words written in the Scriptures, only then will we be able to avoid deception, and gain a true understanding of God’s Word.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, and accept the fact that we are little — little in power, little in knowledge. We are simply little creatures — dust, ashes, and worms — in comparison to God Almighty (Genesis 3:19See also Genesis 18:27 and Job 4:19).

We are incapable of understanding completely the Creator of the universe, no matter how high our IQ is, no matter how much ‘brain-power’ we might possess.

But by honest and objective humility, we can begin to understand the Bible’s marvelous, merciful message, and this unique, extraordinary man, Yahushua Messiah!

The Bible — the only source of truth, the only standard for what is right — is meant to help us understand, line-upon-line, who the Ever-Lasting, Ever-Present Yahuwah Elohim is, who His Son is and what He has done on our behalf, and what His plan is!

A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you. — C. S. Lewis

Some Further Quotes

The Bible must be the invention of either good men or good angels, or it is the invention of bad men or devils, or it is the invention of God.

It could not be the invention of good men or good angels, for they neither would or could make a book, and tell lies all the time they were writing it, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ when it was their own invention.

It could not be the invention of bad men or devils, for they would not make a book which commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to hell for all eternity.

Therefore, I draw this conclusion, that the Bible must be given by divine inspiration. —John Wesley

I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” But that is the one thing we must not say!

A man who was merely a man, and who said the sort of things that Jesus said, would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says that he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man Jesus was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.

But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. — C. S. Lewis

Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, and the story of His life, death, and resurrection is the only Good News the world will ever hear. —Billy Graham

May each one of us be of a humble heart, praying for spiritual eyes to see the full truth of God’s Word!

Let us seek for understanding according to His written Word (Psalms 119:169).

Let us gladly accept all of God’s carefully-preserved Scriptures, as they are written, because it is clear that Yahushua Messiah is Yahuwah Elohim [the LORD God] In The Flesh:

And, behold, I [Yahushua Messiah] come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:12-13)
Thus saith Yahuwah [the LORD] the King of Israel, and His Redeemer Yahuwah [the LORD] of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6; see also Exodus 3:13-15)

When we examine these Scriptures, and many others, and we ask Father God for His understanding,

then we will know that . . .

Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ] is not an ordinary man!!

See the companion articles:
Messiah: The Word Made Flesh
Messiah: The Prophet Sent From God
Messiah: The Brightness of God’s Glory

If you have never received Yahushua Messiah as your Saviour, see Good News!

See this 4:28 minute video by Ron Wyatt, who discovered the Ark of the Covenant, buried beneath the rubble of Golgatha. Ron Wyatt talking about Jesus’ blood sample

Next: the companion article: Messiah: The Word Made Flesh

Related Articles:

 

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“Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people!”
– Dwight L. Moody
Let Us Keep the New Covenant Passover

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"Messiah our Passover has been sacrificed for us, (1Co 5:7-8) therefore let us keep the Feast."

To find out why all followers of Messiah are called to observe the Passover, see the following:

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Are you satisfied? Or do you want to go further? If you would like to go further, then begin to understand and obey the 2nd Commandment.

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Take A Closer Look!

The Son of God:
Yahuwah Elohim [the Hebrew name for the LORD God], Who is the Living, Eternal God, Creator of all things, came to this earth, born through a virgin birth, to communicate His character, His nature, His power, His purpose, and His plans. Only Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ] could have accomplished this mission, because . . . He was not an ordinary man!!

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Thirsty Souls are looking for the true refreshing that reaches into our inner-most-being. Thirsty Souls are looking for the things that are Eternal!
Can we find these Eternal things? — the pure ‘Living Waters‘ that are truly satisfying?

Take A Closer Look:
How Can I Satisfy
My Thirsty Soul?

In all your ways acknowledge Yahuwah [the LORD], and He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes: fear Yahuwah [the LORD], and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:6-7
3 Keys to Receiving God’s Guidance
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