Yeshua Is, And Came To Be, The Messiah!

Let's begin rebutting Mr. Hagee's "Jesus was not the Messiah" nonsense here by looking at one of the first arguments he makes, namely, "And if Jesus refused by his words or actions to claim to be the Messiah to the Jews, then how can the Jews be blamed for rejecting what was never offered?" (page 136 of "In Defense Of Israel").

Mr. Hagee goes on to try to prove the point that Yeshua refused by his words or actions to claim to be the Messiah to the Jews. What an insult to the intelligence of any believer when this statement contradicts so many plain statements in the Scriptures. Also you should be award that the word Christ from the Greek New Testament means "Anointed One", as does Moshiach (Messiah) in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Tanach, as Hagee himself points out on p. 94 of his book: "Christ is the term that identifies him [i.e. Yeshua, brackets mine] as the 'Anointed One'." Which really makes one's head spin when you consider that Hagee refers to Yeshua as "Jesus Christ" and "Christ" and then makes the stupid statements he does about Yeshua's Messiahship. How self-contradictory can you get!?! Let me offer you the following passages as proof that Yeshua did indeed claim by His words and actions to be the Messiah to the Jews:

1. At His encounter with the Samaritan woman of questionable character at Jacob's well in Sychar, listen to the exchange between the woman and Yeshua at the end of their conversation as recorded in John 4:25,26 (NKJV)-
"The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming' (who is called Christ). 'When He comes, He will tell us all things.' Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am He'." Does this sound like someone refusing to identify Himself as the Messiah?

2. When Yeshua is standing on trial for His life before the High Priest of Israel on the night He was betrayed we read of this exchange between the two of them in Mark 14:60-62 (NKJV) - "And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, 'Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?' But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Blessed?' Jesus said, 'I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Again I ask, is this refusing to identify Himself as the Messiah? He plainly states in response to the question, "Are You the Messiah?", "I am." And He even applies a Messianic prophecy from the book of Daniel to Himself in the assertion that He would come back with the "clouds of heaven."

3. Mr. Hagee uses the encounter of Yeshua with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 as further evidence that Yeshua refused to be the Messiah. Hagee ends at verse 21, where the disillusioned disciples make this statement to the resurrected Yeshua, "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." Hagee then conveniently goes to the end of the encounter when they're breaking bread together in the house and as soon as they recognize Yeshua He vanishes from their sight. Here's the conclusion Hagee comes to on this on page 143 of his book: "He instantly disappeared (Luke 24:30-35). He refused to be their Messiah, choosing instead to be the Saviour of the world."

How conveniently Hagee leaves out the following exchange between Yeshua and these two disciples in verse 24-27: "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said; but Him they did not see." Then He [Yeshua] said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ [Messiah] to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. He not only identifies Himself as their Messiah here, He also uses their Scriptures to back up His claims about Himself! So what do you know!?! By word and deed Yeshua claims to be and is the Jewish Messiah to the Jews!

He is also recognized as such by others, as when Andrew first discovers him through John's witness, John 1:40-42 - "One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which is translated Christ). And he brought him to Jesus..."

So our conclusion is simply this: Yeshua did claim by word and action to be the Messiah and therefore Jewish people can and will be held accountable for accepting or refusing Him, just like anyone else is when confronted with the person and claims of Yeshua the Messiah.