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Was Jesus the Messiah?
Clues in Matthew's Gospel
Christians today believe that Jesus was the Messiah written about in the Old Testament. It is clear that the disciples believed this too. Matthew wrote:
When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah,you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’” Matthew 2:3-6
and...
Matthew 18:20-24
... an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus—because he will save his people from their sins.
”Now all this happened in order to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel” (which means, 'God is with us'). So when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to.'
TASKS:
- How do these verses show that Matthew believed Jesus was the Messiah?
- Check out some Old Testament verses here, to compare the original prophecy to Matthew's account. Can you see the similarities? Note down some of these.
- Create a newspaper article, reporting on the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah. Be sure to include:
- A headline
- An explanation of why Jesus was the Messiah - use your comparison list from task 2 as evidence.
- An interview with two witnesses from the story, perhaps Mary or Joseph, or even one of the wise men.
- An image.