One of the best ways to examine Yeshua is to look at the writings of the prophets.
I find it fascinating that one thousand years before the birth of Christ, Nathan prophesied that one of David’s offspring would have a father/son relationship with God.
It is recorded in 1 Chronicle 17:13 of the Hebrew Bible that Nathan delivered a word from the Lord to David, I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
Then, three hundred years later and seven hundred years before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied about Yeshua. In Isaiah chapter 42 of the Hebrew Bible, it is written:
This is my servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one, in whom I delight. I have put My spirit upon him, He shall teach the true way to the nations.
It is clear that Isaiah was writing about Christ, and he was saying that this servant will teach others the true way.
We have an advantage over Isaiah. He only had a vision of Christ, but we have 4 gospels that outline some of Yeshua’s actions and teachings. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is the best example we have.
Yeshua taught his disciples how to enter a spiritual place called the the kingdom of God.
This is powerful, because Isaiah is saying that the way to God can be taught.
In contrast, the Christian religion teaches that the way to God is through the blood sacrifice of Christ, which must be accepted as a gift through faith.
Therefore, the true purpose of Christ as teacher has been altered and negated by religion.
So, in this post, we are approaching Christ from the perspective as a spiritual teacher who connected with God, so closely, that he referred to God as his Father.
The gospels often show Christ in the act of teaching. it is mentioned over fifty times that Christ was teaching or that he had taught.
He taught by the seaside, on mountains, in the synagogues, and even in the temple. Besides being a healer, that is what Yeshua was known for, being a teacher.
He was often called master by his disciples and the religious leaders.
The word master in Hebrew means expert, and in the Greek a teacher.
Christ told his disciples that the disciple is not above his master, but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.
So, why don’t we see others today arriving at master level and doing the works of Christ?
And, by the way, this is not an instant phenomenon. Although a mustard seed grows rapidly, it does not turn into a massive tree overnight.
We don’t see others arriving at master level, because the Christian religion has taken believers on an entirely different path.
When one thinks of Jesus, people almost never think of him as a spiritual teacher.
That title got lost when the Christian religion made him a blood sacrifice and then elevated him to the status of King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the excess of activity, which people think is worship, the teaching of the true way got trampled underfoot.
Christ said to his disciples, why do you call me Lord, Lord and do NOT the things that I say?
He also told his disciples, if you love me, then keep my commandments/teachings.
It is so much easier to take Paul’s free gift by faith than to follow the teachings of Christ which require high moral integrity and giving up the love of money.
Many Christian Ministries today are thriving because their main message is about prosperity, which is puzzling because Christ clearly said that you cannot serve God and money. It’s an absolute.
If you answer the call of God and God wants you rich, it will be after seeking first the kingdom of God and then, all these things shall be added unto you.
The teachings of Christ are not requirements for the people of the world of whom the church focuses on so diligently to “buy in” to their religion.
Yeshua’s words are for those who are called by God. Many are called but few are chosen.
Why are only a few chosen?
Because nobody wants to make the sacrifice to lay down their lives and let God direct their steps and become like the master, Yeshua.
The world is suffering today because the ones who are called have failed to answer. Instead, they are trapped in the blood sacrificial religion of Christianity.
Yeshua’s words are not optional, they are the true way.
They are the way for his disciples to connect with God, and know God, so they can bless the world around them, just like Christ did.
Yeshua’s teachings of the true way have been violated by the Christian religion and Isaiah addressed this atrocity in the Hebrew bible in the 42nd chapter of the book that bears his name. In verse 18-21, Isaiah writes:
Listen you who are deaf; You blind ones, look up and see! Who is so blind as My servant, so deaf as my messenger I send? Who is so blind as the chosen one. So blind as the servant of the Lord?
Isaiah is telling the ones deafened and blinded by religion to listen and look up and see, but why is the Lord’s messenger deaf and blind as well?
Because he was murdered, and dead people can’t see or hear. He was not only murdered, but he was turned into a religion. It is religion that deafens and blinds people.
Isaiah goes on to write:
The Lord desires his servant’s vindication, that he may magnify and glorify His teachings.
If God sacrificed Christ as a sacrificial lamb, then why does God desire his servant’s vindication?
Because it’s not true. God never required blood sacrifice of any kind and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah said it clearly.
It is by addressing the horrible wrong done to Christ and rejecting the spirit of religion that the Lord’s servant will begin to be vindicated.
Then, and only then, will those who are called have the ability to see and hear our Father’s voice and be able to walk in the true way of the teachings of Christ.
Vindication will be complete when the mission of the Messiah has been fulfilled, taking the true way to the nations.