Virtually all Jews are proud of their identity as Jews, and rightfully so. Jewish identity however does not necessarily make a statement about what a Jew believes about God. For some, Jewish identity is ethnic more than it is religious. But, even religious Jews may have varying beliefs about God. When it comes to religion, some Jews think that the opposite of Judaism is Christianity. For these, to consider Jesus as the Messiah is problematic because they may believe embracing Jesus means losing their Jewish identity. It is important for Jewish people to understand that they do not need to give up their identity as Jews in order to embrace Jesus as their Messiah. Believing that Jesus is the Messiah, Savior from sin, Creator, and Lord of our life, is the greatest truth to be embraced. Here are some examples of how the Bible speaks to Jesus being the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
| Messiah to be the seed of the Woman | Genesis 3:15 | Galatians 4:4 |
| Messiah to be the seed of Abraham | Genesis 12:3; 18:18 | Luke 3:23,34. Matthew 1:1-2, Acts 3:25. Galatians 3:16 |
| Messiah to be of the tribe of Judah | Genesis 49:10 | Luke 3:33. Matthew 1:1-2 |
| Messiah to be of the seed of Jacob | Numbers 24:17, 19 | Matthew 1:1-2. Luke 3:34 |
| Messiah to be of the seed of David | Psalm 132:11 Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15 Isaiah 11:10 | Matthew 1:6. Luke 1:32-33 Acts 2:29-30. Romans 1:3 |
| Messiah to be a prophet like Moses | Deut. 18:15, 19 | Matthew 21:11. John 6:14 John 1:45. Acts 3:22-23 |
| Messiah to be the Son of God | Psalm 2:7 Proverbs 30:4 | Luke 1:32. Matthew 3:17 |
| Messiah to be raised from the dead | Psalm 16:10 | Acts 13:35-37 |
| Messiah to experience crucifixion | Psalm 22:1-31 Psalm 69:21 | Matthew 27:34-50 John 19:28-30 |
| Messiah to be betrayed by a friend | Psalm 41:9 | John 13:18, 21 |
| Messiah to ascend to heaven | Psalm 68:18 | Luke 24:51. Acts 1:9 |
| Homage and tribute paid to Messiah by great kings | Psalm 72:10-11 | Matthew 2:1-11 |
| Messiah to be a priest like Melchizedek | Psalm 110:4 | Hebrews 5:5-6 |
| Messiah to be at the right hand of God | Psalm 110:1 | Matthew 26:64. Hebrews 1:3 |
| Messiah, the stone which the builders rejected, to become the head cornerstone | Psalm 118:22-23 Isaiah 8:14-15 Isaiah 28:16 | Matthew 21:42-43. Acts 4:11 Romans 9:32-33. Ephesians 2:20 1 Peter 2:6-8 |
| Messiah to be born of a virgin | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:18-25. Luke 1:26-35 |
| Galilee to be the first area of Messiah’s ministry | Isaiah 9:1-8 | Matthew 4:12-16 |
| Messiah will be meek and mild | Isaiah 42:2-3,53:7 | Matthew 12:18-20, 26:62-63 |
| Messiah will minister to the Gentiles | Isaiah 42:1,49:1-8 | Matthew 12:21 |
| Messiah will be smitten | Isaiah 50:6 | Matthew 26:67,27:26, 30 |
| Messiah to suffer, die and rise again | Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | The four gospels |
| The new and everlasting Covenant | Isaiah 55:3-4 Jeremiah 31:31-33 | Matthew 26:28. Mark 14:24 Luke 22:20. Hebrews 8:6-13 |
| Messiah as the right arm of God | Isaiah 59:16,53:1 | John 12:38 |
| Messiah as intercessor | Isaiah 59:16 | Hebrews 9:15 |
| Twofold mission of the Messiah | Isaiah 61:1-11 | Luke 4:16-21 |
| Messiah will perform miracles | Isaiah 35:5-6 | John 11:47. Matthew 11:3-6 |
| Messiah is called “The Lord” | Jeremiah 23:5-6 | Acts 2:36 |
| The time of Messiah’s coming prophesied | Daniel 9:24-26 | Galatians 4:4. Ephesians 1:10 |
| Bethlehem to be the place of Messiah’s birth | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1. Luke 2:4-6 |
| Messiah will enter the Temple with authority | Malachi 3:1 | Matthew 21:12 |
| Messiah will enter Jerusalem on a donkey | Zechariah 9:9 | Matthew 21:1-10 |
| Messiah will be pierced | Zechariah 12:10 Psalm 22:16 | John 19:34, 37 |
| Messiah to be forsaken by his disciples | Zechariah 13:7 | Matthew 26:31, 56 |
| The coming of the Holy Spirit in the days of the Messiah | Joel 2:28-29 | Acts 2:16-18 |
| Opposition of the nations; Messiah’s final victory over death | Psalm 2:2 Isaiah 25:8 | Revelation 19:19 1 Corinthians 15:54 Revelation 7:17; 21:4 |
| The glorious Messiah; Messiah as King | Isaiah 63:1 Psalm 2:6-9 | Revelation 19:11-16 |
| Submission of all nations to Messiah’s rule | Isaiah 2:4 Micah 4:1-4 | Revelation 12:5 |
| The Gentiles shall seek the Messiah of Israel | Isaiah 11:10 | Romans 11:25 |
Without denying one’s culture and heritage, a Jewish person that comes to see that Jesus is the Messiah, and wishing to embrace Him as Lord, can put his/her faith in Jesus. The Bible teaches in Roman’s 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
A simple prayer can be spoken from the heart which says something like this, “Father God, I’m a sinner and I’m sorry! I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, who died to pay the price of my sin. I believe that He rose from the grave and conquered sin and death. I choose now to receive His forgiveness for my sin and I choose to trust Him with my life going forward. Continue to teach me what it means to trust You with my daily choices and to honor You for who You are and what You’ve done for me. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen!”