We often hear about Jesus and about the fact that he saved us by dying on the cross for us. And whoever believes in him has eternal life.
Saving our lives - that is the role of the expected Messiah... But is Jesus the real Messiah, or we have to wait for someone else?
Most of the information about the chosen one, the one who will save all of us, we are getting from the book of the prophet Isaiah, who lived and prophesied at around 8th century BC. Roughly, it was 700 years before Jesus was born.
從耶西的樹墩子必生出一根枝條來﹐從他的根必發生【傳統：結果實】一條嫩枝子。 永恆主的靈必住在他身上﹐就是智慧和明達之靈﹐謀略和能力之靈﹐認識和敬畏永恆主的靈。 他也樂聞敬畏永恆主的香氣。他行審判﹑不憑眼見﹐他斷是非﹐不憑耳聞； 他義氣為貧寒人申正義﹐以正直判斷國中的困苦人【傳統：卑微人】；他以口中的之杖擊打強橫人【或譯：地】﹐以嘴裡的氣殺死惡人。 公義必做他的腰間的圍帶﹐忠信必做他脅下的束巾。( 以賽亞書 11:1-5 )
We expect the Messiah to be a descendant of the king David…
看哪﹐我的僕人﹐我所扶持﹐所揀選﹐我心裡所喜悅的；我將我的靈賜於他身上﹐他必將正義傳出到列國。 他不嚷叫﹐不揚聲﹐不使街上聽到他的聲音。 壓傷的蘆荻﹑他不折斷﹐將熄的殘麻﹑他不撲滅；他只忠實實把正義傳出去。 他不斥責人﹐也不壓制人﹐直到他在地上立定了正義﹐沿海地帶都等候著他的指教。 那創造諸天﹐展開穹蒼﹐將地和地所出的都鋪開﹐賜氣息給地上萬族之民﹐又賜靈性給行於地上的人的上帝永恆主他這麼說： 「我永恆主憑著義氣召了你﹐我拉你的手﹐守護著你；我使你向萬族之民做立約證﹐做列國之光﹐ 去開瞎子的眼﹐去領被囚的出牢獄﹐領坐黑暗的出監牢。( 以賽亞書 42:1-7 )
Here we see that the “servant” will be humble, won’t raise his voice in public, will open the eyes of the blind…
What else does Isaiah tells in his book about him? How will the Messiah be treated by other people? What happened to him and what is the meaning of that for us? To answer that, Isaiah fast-forwards to the future and talks directly to us, about the Messiah that we have already rejected.
我們所聽見的﹑有誰能相信呢？永恆主的膀臂向誰現露過呢？ 他在永恆主面前長起來像幼樹秧﹐像根出於乾旱之地；他沒有佳形威儀讓我們瞻仰他﹐也沒有美容使我們羨慕他。 他被藐視﹐被絕交﹐是個多受痛苦﹑熟知憂患的人﹐像被人掩面不看的一樣；他被藐視﹐我們並不算他為甚麼。 其實呢﹑我們的憂患是他擔當了﹐我們的痛苦他背負了；我們呢﹑卻以為他是被痛擊﹐被上帝擊打﹐而受苦楚的。 哪知道是他為了我們的過犯而被刺透﹐為了我們的罪孽而被壓傷；那加於他身上的刑罰使我們得了安康；因他受的鞭傷﹑我們纔得醫治。 我們都如同羊﹑走迷了途﹐各人偏向自行的路；永恆主卻使我們眾人的罪孽罪罰都集歸在他身上。 他被壓迫﹐受苦楚﹐總不開口；就如小羊被牽到屠宰之地﹐又如同羊在剪毛人面前無聲﹐總不開口。 他因受威壓﹑受審判而被奪取了性命﹐他那世代的人誰還思想到他從活人之地被剪除是為了我人民的過犯而被鞭打呢？ 他雖沒有行過強暴﹐他口中雖沒有詭詐﹐人還使他的墳墓跟惡人在一起﹐使他的丘墳【傳統：在他的死】跟富人在一道。 永恆主雖定意用憂患將他壓傷﹐但他【傳統：你】將本身獻為賠罪祭時﹐他卻要看到他的後裔﹐並且延年益壽﹐而永恆主定的旨意也必在他手中順利地實現﹐ 他受了致命苦難以後﹑必得見光明；他必心滿意足﹑因知自己無罪【同詞：稱義】﹐我的僕人必使許多人得稱為無罪【同詞：稱義】；他們的罪罰是他要背負的。 故此我必將許多人分給他做業份﹐他必分得強盛的為擄掠物﹐因為他將自己傾倒至死；他被數算跟罪犯同列﹐卻是他擔當了許多人的罪﹐又為罪犯們代求。( 以賽亞書 53:1-12 )
We see the rejected and despised Messiah died for our sins, like a slaughtered lamb. He died without descendants, but yet he “will have a long life” and “will have many descendants”. This likely means that the Messiah will be resurrected after his death, on earth or in Heaven, and will have children biological or spiritual.
Now, as an exercise for yourself, and to decide whether Jesus is the expected Messiah, read testimonials about Jesus Christ from Matthew, Mark, John who physically spent a good part of their lives alone with Jesus, and doctor Luke, who meticulously gathered facts about the life of Jesus Christ the Nazarene…