The numbers of
Hebrews that were spiritually prepared for the acceptance of the Messiah can be
seen from the first chapters of the Gospel of St. Luke. There, the Holy Virgin
Mary, the righteous Elizabeth, the priest Zechariah, the righteous Simeon, the
prophetess Anna and many citizens of Jerusalem linked the birth of Jesus with
the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, of
the forgiveness of sins, of the overthrow of the proud and the elevation of the
meek, about the restoration of the Testament with God, about the service of
Israel to God with a pure heart. After Jesus Christ began to preach, the Gospel
witnesses the ease with which many sympathetic hearts of the Jews recognized in
Him the promised Messiah, which they related to their acquaintances, for
instance, the apostles Andrew and Philip, later — Nathaniel and Peter (John
1:40-44).
Jesus Christ declared Himself the Messiah and attributed the predictions of the
prophets to Himself, for example: the prediction of Isaiah about the Spirit of
the Lord, Which was to descend on the Messiah (Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18). He alluded to Isaiah’s prediction about the healing of
the infirm by the Messiah (Is. 35:5-7; Mt. 11:5). Jesus praised Apostle Peter
for calling Him Christ, the Son of the Living God, and promised to build His
Church on faith in Him (Mt. 16:16). He told the Judeans that they should delve
into the Scriptures, because the Scriptures witness of Him (John 5:39). He also said that He is the Stone, Who is to sit on the
right hand of the Father, alluding to Psalm 110 (Mt. 22:44). Jesus Christ also said that He was the “Stone”
cast out by the “builders,” alluding to the well-known prediction in
Psalm 118 (Mt. 21:42). Before His sufferings Jesus Christ reminded His
followers that “that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me” (Luke
22:37, Is. 53rd ch.). During the trial before Caiaphas, to the
direct question of the high priest whether he is “Christ, the Son of God,” Christ
answered in the affirmative and reminded him of the prophecy of Daniel about
the Son of Man (Matt. 26:63-64, Dan. 7:13), and His acknowledgment served as
the formal reason for His condemnation to death. After His resurrection form
the dead, Christ reproached His apostles for being “slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). In a word, Jesus Christ
right from the beginning of His public service, even to His sufferings of the
Cross and after His resurrection, declared Himself the Messiah, promised by the
prophets.
If Christ shunned referring to Himself directly as the Messiah when among
people, and only cited prophecies about Him, He did this by reason of the
coarse and distorted representations of the Messiah which had become
established among the people. Christ in every way avoided worldly glory and
interference in political life.
Due to their belittling dependence on Rome, many Jews wished the Messiah to be
a mighty warrior-king, who would give them political independence, glory and
earthly blessings. Jesus came in order to evince in people a spiritual rebirth.
He promised heavenly blessings, not earthly blessings, as a reward for a
virtuous life. This was the reason why many Jews rejected Christ.
Although the apostles before the crucifixion of Christ faintheartedly wavered
in their faith in Him, after the resurrection of Christ from the dead they no
longer had any doubts that He was the Messiah promised by God. After the
resurrection their faith in Him was so strengthened, that they were ready to
give and truly gave their lives for Christ. The apostles in their letters
constantly mentioned the ancient prophecies about the Messiah in order to
convince the Jews of the verity of the Christian faith. For this reason, their
word, notwithstanding the disbelief and opposition mainly of the high priests
and scribes, had such great success at first among the Jews, then later — among
the Gentiles. Toward the end of the first century the Christian faith had
spread to almost all the ends of the vast Roman empire.
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