articlesforchristians

Political/religious leaders will conspire against the Messiah.

• Psalm 2:1–3
  • Why are the nations in an uproar [in turmoil against God],
    And why do the people devise a vain and hopeless plot?
  • The kings of the earth take their stand;
    And the rulers take counsel together
    Against the Lord and His Anointed (the Davidic King, the Messiah, the Christ), saying,
  • “Let us break apart their [divine] bands [of restraint]
    And cast away their cords [of control] from us.”
• Matthew 26:3–4
  • Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the [elegant home of the Jewish] high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.
• Mark 3:6
  • Then the Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians [to plot] against Him, as to how they might [fabricate some legal grounds to] put Him to death.

The Messiah will feel forsaken by God at His crucifixion.

• Psalm 22:1
  • My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
    Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
• Mark 15:34
  • And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

The Messiah will pray without ceasing before His death.

• Psalm 22:2
  • O my God, I call out by day, but You do not answer;
    And by night, but I find no rest nor quiet.
• Matthew 26:38–39
  • Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.”
  • And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 

The Messiah will be despised and rejected by His own.

• Psalm 22:6
  • But I am [treated as] a worm [insignificant and powerless] and not a man;
    I am the scorn of men and despised by the people.
• Luke 23:21–23
  • but they kept shouting out, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 
  • A third time he said to them, “Why, what wrong has He done? I have found no guilt [no crime, no offense] in Him demanding death; therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.” 
  • But they were insistent and unrelenting, demanding with loud voices that Jesus be crucified. And their voices began to prevail and accomplish their purpose. 

The Messiah will be mocked.

• Psalm 22:7-8
  • All who see me laugh at me and mock me;
    They [insultingly] open their lips, they shake their head, saying,
  • “He trusted and committed himself to the Lord, let Him save him. Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
• Psalm 109:25
  • I also have become a reproach and an object of taunting to others;
    When they see me, they shake their heads [in derision].
• Matthew 27:39
  •  Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule], 

Unbelievers will say to the Messiah, “He trusted in God, let Him now deliver Him”.

• Psalm 22:8
  • “He trusted and committed himself to the Lord, let Him save him.
    Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
• Matthew 27:41–43
  •  In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

The Messiah will be abandoned by His disciples.

• Psalm 22:11
  • Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;
    And there is no one to help.
• Psalm 69:20
  • Reproach and insults have broken my heart and I am so sick.
    I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
    And for comforters, but I found none.
• Mark 14:50
  • Then all of His disciples abandoned Him and fled.

The Messiah will be encompassed by wicked beings.

• Psalm 22:12–13
  • Many [enemies like] bulls have surrounded me;
    Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
    They open wide their mouths against me,
    Like a ravening and a roaring lion.
• Colossians 2:15
  •  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross.

From the Messiah’s body will flow blood and water.

• Psalm 22:14
  • I am poured out like water,
    And all my bones are out of joint.
    My heart is like wax;
    It is melted [by anguish] within me.
• John 19:34
  •  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came [flowing] out.

The Messiah will be crucified.

• Psalm 22:14
  • I am poured out like water,
    And all my bones are out of joint.
    My heart is like wax;
    It is melted [by anguish] within me.
• Matthew 27:35
  •  And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots.

The Messiah will thirst while dying.

• Psalm 22:15
  • My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery;
    And my [dry] tongue clings to my jaws;
    And You have laid me in the dust of death.
• Psalm 69:21
  • They (self-righteous hypocrites) also gave me gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food,
    And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
• John 19:28
  • After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said in fulfillment of the Scripture, “I am thirsty.”

The Messiah will be observed by Gentiles (were called dogs at that time) at His crucifixion.

• Psalm 22:16
  • For [a pack of] dogs have surrounded me;
    A gang of evildoers has encircled me,
    They pierced my hands and my feet.
• Luke 23:36
  • The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him and [cruelly] offering Him sour wine,

The Messiah will be observed by Jews (the evildoers) at His crucifixion.

• Psalm 22:16
  • For [a pack of] dogs have surrounded me;
    A gang of evildoers has encircled me,
    They pierced my hands and my feet.
• Matthew 27:41–43
  •  In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying,  “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 

The Messiah’s hands and feet will be pierced.

• Psalm 22:16
  • For [a pack of] dogs have surrounded me;
    A gang of evildoers has encircled me,
    They pierced my hands and my feet.
• Matthew 27:38
  • At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. 
• John 20:25
  • o the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

The Messiah’s garments will be parted among the soldiers through the casting of lots.

• Psalm 22:18
  • They divide my clothing among them
    And cast lots for my garment.
• John 19:23–24
  •  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer clothes and made four parts, a part for each soldier, and also the tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven [in one piece] from the top throughout. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it will be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture, “They divided My outer clothing among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” 

The Messiah will be accused by false witnesses.

• Psalm 27:12
  • Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
    For false witnesses have come against me;
    They breathe out violence.
• Psalm 35:11
  • Malicious witnesses rise up;
    They ask me of things that I do not know.
• Psalm 109:2
  • For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me;
    They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
• Matthew 26:59–61
  • Now the chief priests and the whole Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) tried to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus, so that they might [have a reason to] put Him to death. ⁶⁰ They found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward,  and testified, “This man said, ‘I am able to tear down the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

The Messiah will cry out to God, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit”.

• Psalm 31:5
  • Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
    You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness.
• Luke 23:46
  • And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” Having said this, He breathed His last. 

There will be many attempts to kill the Messiah.

• Psalm 31:13
  • For I have heard the slander and whispering of many,
    Terror is on every side;
    While they schemed together against me,
    They plotted to take away my life.
• Matthew 27:1
  • When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) conferred together against Jesus, [plotting how] to put Him to death [since under Roman rule they had no power to execute anyone];

The Messiah will have no bones broken.

• Psalm 34:20
  • He keeps all his bones;
    Not one of them is broken.
• John 19:32–33
  • So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other who had been crucified with Him.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

The Messiah will be hated without cause.

• Psalm 35:19
  • Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
    Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously].
• John 18:19–23
  • Then the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where all the Jews habitually congregate; and I said nothing in secret. Why question Me? Question those who have heard what I said to them. They know what I said.” But when He said this, one of the officers who was standing nearby struck Jesus [in the face], saying, “Is that how You answer the high priest?” Jesus replied, “If I have said anything wrong, make a formal statement about the wrong; but if [I spoke] properly, why did you strike Me?” 
• John 15:24–25
  •  If I had not done among them the works (attesting miracles) which no one else [ever] did, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now [the fact is that] they have both seen [these works] and have hated Me [and continue to hate Me] and My Father as well. But [this is so] that the word which has been written in their Law would be fulfilled, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

The Messiah will be silent as a lamb before His accusers.

• Psalm 38:13–14
  • But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
    I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.
  • Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
    In whose mouth are no arguments.
• Matthew 26:62–63
  • The high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Have You no answer to give? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I call on You to swear a binding oath by the living God, that you tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

The Messiah will be God’s sacrificial lamb for redemption of all mankind.

• Psalm 40:6–8
  • Sacrifice and meal offering You do not desire, nor do You delight in them;
    You have opened my ears and given me the capacity to hear [and obey Your word];
    Burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require.
  • Then I said, “Behold, I come [to the throne];
    In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
  • “I delight to do Your will, O my God;
    Your law is within my heart.”
• Hebrews 10:10–13
  • And in accordance with this will [of God] we [who believe in the message of salvation] have been sanctified [that is, set apart as holy for God and His purposes] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) once for all.
  • Every priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over, which are never able to strip away sins [that envelop and cover us]; whereas Christ, having offered the one sacrifice [the all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself] for sins for all time, sat down [signifying the completion of atonement for sin] at the right hand of God [the position of honor], waiting from that time onward until his enemies are made a footstool for His feet. 

The Messiah will be betrayed by one of His own disciples.

• Psalm 41:9
  • Even my own close friend in whom I trusted,
    Who ate my bread,
    Has lifted up his heel against me [betraying me].
• Mark 14:17–18
  •  When it was evening, He came with the twelve [disciples]. While they were reclining at the table, Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you that one of you will betray Me—one who is eating with Me.” 

The Messiah will be hated and rejected without cause.

• Psalm 69:4
  • Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
    Those who would destroy me are powerful, being my enemies wrongfully;
    I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
• Luke 23:13–22
  • Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man before me as one who corrupts and incites the people to rebellion. After examining Him before you, I have found no guilt in this Man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and indeed, He has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.” [Now he was obligated to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.]
  • But they [loudly] shouted out all together, saying, “Away with this Man, and release Barabbas to us!” (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection that happened in the city, and for murder.) Pilate addressed them again, wanting to release Jesus, but they kept shouting out, “Crucify, crucify Him!”  A third time he said to them, “Why, what wrong has He done? I have found no guilt [no crime, no offense] in Him demanding death; therefore I will punish Him [to teach Him a lesson] and release Him.”
• John 15:24–25
  • If I had not done among them the works (attesting miracles) which no one else [ever] did, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now [the fact is that] they have both seen [these works] and have hated Me [and continue to hate Me] and My Father as well. But [this is so] that the word which has been written in their Law would be fulfilled, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

The Messiah will be condemned for God’s sake.

• Psalm 69:7 & 9
  • Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
    Confusion and dishonor have covered my face.
  • For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
    And the [mocking] insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.
• Matthew 26:65–67
  • Then the high priest tore his robes [in mock horror] and exclaimed, “He has blasphemed [by making Himself God’s equal]! What further need have we of witnesses or evidence? See, you have now heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?” They answered, “He deserves to be put to death.”
  • Then they spat in His face and struck Him with their fists; and some slapped Him, 
• Romans 15:3
  • For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written [in Scripture], “The reproaches of those who reproached You (the Father) fell on Me (the Son).”

The Messiah will be rejected by the Jews.

• Psalm 69:8
  • I have become estranged from my brothers
    And an alien to my mother’s sons.
• John 1:11
  • He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him—His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people—the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him.

The Messiah’s very own brothers will reject Him.

• Psalm 69:8
  • I have become estranged from my brothers
    And an alien to my mother’s sons.
• John 7:3–5
  •  So, His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples [there] may also see the works that You do. No one does anything in secret when he wants to be known publicly. If You [must] do these things, show Yourself openly to the world and make Yourself known!”  For not even His brothers believed in Him.

The Messiah’s heart will be broken.

• Psalm 69:20
  • Reproach and insults have broken my heart and I am so sick.
    I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
    And for comforters, but I found none.
• John 19:34
  • But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came [flowing] out. 

The Messiah will be offered gall mingled with vinegar while dying.

• Psalm 69:21
  • They (self-righteous hypocrites) also gave me gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food,
    And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
• Matthew 27:34
  •  they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

The Messiah will offer up prayer for His enemies.

• Psalm 109:4
  • In return for my love, they attack me,
    But I am in prayer.
• Luke 23:34
  • And Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves.

The Messiah’s betrayer will have a short life.

• Psalm 109:8
  • Let his days be few;
    And let another take his office.
• Acts 1:16–18
  • “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David [king of Israel] about Judas [Iscariot], who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he (Judas) was counted among us and received his share [by divine allotment] in this ministry.” (Now Judas Iscariot acquired a piece of land [indirectly] with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery, and falling headlong, his body burst open in the middle and all his intestines poured out.
• John 17:12
  • While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them, and not one of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.