Hello All!
Im struggling with Jesus as the Messiah. Ive been a Catholic all my life and I recently deiced that i want to peruse the Catholic Priesthood. But recently i believe Satan has been tempting me into believe that Jesus was not the Messiah. I saw a video with a Rabbi who said that Jesus didn’t fulfill all the prophecies. Since he didnt rebuild the temple (but wasnt the temple still around when Jesus was alive?) and Jesus didnt save the Kingdom is Israel. These things have just shocken my faith and i would like some geopolitics on these issue. And please pray for me!
God Bless,
Arnold
First of all, thank you for being open to the possibility that God is calling you to the priesthood.
The Old Testament has several prophecies, some of which are messianic in nature (i.e., they pertain to who the Messiah will be and what he will do). But the OT does not specifically label which prophecies are, indeed, messianic, and it does not give details as to exactly how the prophecies are fulfilled. Simply put, they are vague and open to a variety of interpretations. Moreover, Judaism does not have a body such as the Magisterium to provide official interpretations of Scripture. In light of all this, the Jews have historically debated among themselves (including rabbis and learned scholars) as to which prophecies are about the Messiah, and how the Messiah is to fulfill them.
Therefore, in the video you saw, the rabbi was simply giving you his
personal interpretation of Scripture and judging the concept of Jesus being the Messiah against it. For example, how does the Messiah rebuild the temple? Some say that it means that the Messiah will kick the Muslims out the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, hire a demolition crew to tear down that mosque and then hire a construction crew to haul in stones and build a new temple. And what would be the purpose of this new temple? It would allow the Jews to reinstate the levitical priesthood and offer sacrifices once again. Of course (as the OT prophets repeatedly pointed out), God was often displeased with the sacrifices they offered in the past, and Judaism has gotten along without sacrifices since the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., so I personally fail to see why the construction of a stone building (even if that building happens to be the temple) is such an messianic undertaking.
But Jesus said that his body is the true temple, and that his resurrection is the promised rebuilding. In Revelation we learn that we are not supposed to be fixated on the old Jerusalem and the old temple, but rather the new Jerusalem and the new temple, which is heaven. Heaven, after all, is our destination, and we get there through the grace and power of Christ, who is the true temple (this concept permeates the Gospel of John).
In the context of this discussion, there are two kinds of Jews: those who believe that Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies, and those who do not. Either side has to appeal to their personal interpretation of the Scripture passages in question because (as I pointed out) there is no official Jewish interpretation. Those who believe that Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecies compose the hundreds of thousands of Jews who converted to Christianity over the centuries, starting with the apostles themselves. Today you will find a number of websites created by messianic Jews (the general term used to describe Jews who accept Jesus as the Messiah but retain the ritual practices of Judaism) detailing exactly how Jesus fulfilled the OT prophecies. These messianic Jews include rabbis and scholars and (from a Jewish perspective) their interpretation of Scripture is just as valid as that of the rabbi in the video you saw. Note that many other Jews do not join one of the messianic Jewish churches, but rather convert to Catholicism, an Orthodox Church or a Protestant denomination (and therefore do not refer to themselves as “messianic Jews” but rather, “Catholics”, “Baptists”, etc.).
Here are some links concerning messianic Jews that I am posting to support what I have presented in this thread. Keep in mind that when you see the name “Yeshua”, it is the Hebrew spelling of Jesus. Another common reference to Jesus is “Mashiach ben David” (meaning the Messiah from the line of David).
Jews for Jesus: “What Proof Do You Have that Jesus Was the Messiah?”
Jews for Jesus: “Prophecy”
Messianic Jewish Rabbinical Council
And here are examples of Christian responses to the claim that Jesus did not fulfill the OT’s messianic prophecies:
“Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus” by ScriptureCatholic.com
“Did Jesus Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies?” by Beatrice S. Neall, Ph.D. (her website, including this article, is a response to the challenges to Christians set forth in Rabbi Tovia Singer’s “Let’s Get Biblical” series).
“Does Jesus Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies?” from ProveTheBible.net
Gratia vobis et pax multiplicetur,
Fr. Eric
Diocese of Savannah
