Hi Lisa. Can you please give me the specific verses you are referencing here? I think I know, but I just want to be sure before replying.
Thanks for writing this list.
First - you said that the Messiah would be born of human parents. Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying Jews believe the Messiah would be a regular human being? If so, can you provide scriptural support for that belief?
Because there are a number of Messianic prophecies that say something different. There are Messianic prophecies that portray the Messiah with both human
and divine attributes.
Secondly, correct me if I'm wrong, but you said the Messiah will be a descendent of David on the father’s side. Can you provide scriptural support for that claim? We know that the Messiah is a physical descendent of David… but which scriptures state that the physical lineage can ONLY be from the father's side?
As a matter of fact, even as early as Genesis (Genesis 3:15) there is a prophecy that indicates the Messiah would be from the “seed” of a woman…. which fits perfectly with Jesus.
Jesus did obey the law. The problem is, over the years, Jewish religious leaders added man-made traditions which eventually made the Sabbath burdensome, which was never God’s intent.
As for ‘kashrut' - are you talking about Jewish dietary laws? Other Christians might disagree with me on this, but I don’t believe Jesus “declared all foods clean”, if that's what you were talking about. I believe that is a huge misunderstanding on the part of most Christians.
That said, my view is that God’s original design and true intent is more important than any temporary laws that came about later. I know I'm in a tiny minority on this, but in my view, God’s perfect will as stated in Genesis 1:29-30 and in the prophetic scriptures like Isaiah 11:6-9 should be honored, because that is what
God wants - peace and harmony among all creation. No needless killing and exploitation. But I'm getting off topic here now.
Respectfully, I think it is as clear as can be that Isaiah 53 is about a person, not a nation. There are SO many reasons why Israel does not fit… and in fact, is often in direct opposition to what is stated in Isaiah 53.
If you want, I can elaborate, but it would take time to write out all the reasons… so for now I just want to say one thing. There are SO many Jewish people who have become followers of Christ based on Isaiah 53. I mean, tons!
However, with all due respect, if one believes everything their rabbi says, and one's mind is already made up, then when you read Isaiah 53, you’re most likely going to be closed off to anything other than what you were taught.
But you know what? There are Jewish people who had never read Isaiah 53, and then someone read it to them, without telling them where it was located in the Bible... and those Jews said, “Why are you reading to me about Jesus, that’s not in our bible, that must be in the Christian New Testament.” Then when they were told it was in the JEWISH bible, those people were floored, because they had immediately recognized Isaiah 53 to be about Jesus.
I hope we can agree that TRUTH should always come first, before all else, including any religion, tradition, culture, or loyalty to any people group. I'm not singling you out, I think that applies to everyone. Truth should always be paramount. I know this is not a new thread, but thanks for starting this discussion!