Jesus in the Tanakh

Is It True the Tanakh mentions Jesus (Yeshua)?

Jewish people often say we do not want to hear about Jesus because He is not in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures). But is this indeed accurate? Or is Jesus (Yeshua) mentioned in the Hebrew Bible?

Let us journey into the book of Exodus and uncover where God declares His presence among the Israelites, our ancestors. Most Christian scholars suggest these instances were manifestations of the Son of God, Jesus. So, let us examine a few examples:

Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank. (Exodus 24:9–11)

Moses and the elders beheld God. How is this possible? How did they see Him and not die?

Now, let us delve into a particularly poignant passage. God says to Israel:

Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. (Exodus 23:20–21)

There was an angel—a messenger in Hebrew—who had the very name of the Lord “in him.” Think about it for a second. How can anyone have God’s name in him? Look at what the Bible says about the name of the Lord:

We know the name of the Lord is holy, set apart, and in a completely different realm than the created order. If God sends a messenger to Israel with the name of the Lord “in him,” then we can conclude this messenger is divine. Since this is the case, he is no mere angel sent by God—the messenger sent to Israel in Exodus 23 is God Himself. Look back at the verse. It says Israel must obey the messenger, and the messenger “will not pardon your transgression.” This warning implies the messenger has the power to forgive sins, though this is something only God can do. In Daniel 9, we read,

To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness. (Daniel 9:9a)

Only God can forgive our sins. Just as Yeshua was forgiving sins to illustrate His divinity while He walked on earth, this messenger in Exodus could also forgive sins because he was divine. The truth is, the messenger and Jesus are the same person!

Yeshua as the “I Am” Who Spoke with Moses

There is one last example of Yeshua in the book of Exodus we should highlight. But before we go there, let us read what Jesus said in the New Testament, in John 8:58—

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)

Now, in the Greek, just as in the English, this verse makes no grammatical sense. The correct grammar for this sentence would be, “Before Abraham was born, I was.” But this is not what Jesus said. He said “I am”—in the Greek, ego eimi. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) records the same Greek phrase when God speaks to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. God tells Moses His name is:

Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν. (Ego eimi ho on.)

The English version translates this phrase as “I am who I am,” though it is more literally rendered, “I am the one who is.” Jesus is using the exact phrase for Himself, claiming to be the God of Israel, even the one physically present inside the burning bush!

Jesus’ claims and demonstration of His life show us He is indeed the Lord, the Son of God. His name—Yeshua (ישׁוע)—means salvation, and it is through Jesus we have salvation. Through Him, our sins can be forgiven—not once a year as we commemorate during Yom Kippur—but forever. He is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on the cross on our behalf and whose blood saves us from death and judgment as the ultimate Passover representation.

Our lives depend only on Him. As the Son of God, He is the one by whom everything was created. You were created by the power of His voice, and by the mighty resurrection, He has called to life all those who confess Him as Lord and Savior.

Read more in the original article at AboutMessiah.com.

Published on May 1, 2024.

Header photo by nellyaltenburger on Pixabay.