The ending of that blog post, I wrote,
If any of you fine blog readers believe I've misrepresented John Hagee in any way, please let me know in the comments; I don't mean to spread lies about anyone, but only to bring things to light, resulting in clarity.
Well, it turns out Hagee is not so far off after all: one commenter, Lou Vasquez, noted,
He [Hagee] is stating the issue poorly, probably for the shock value of it.
He is trying to say that Yeshua (Jesus) did not come as the perceived Messiah by most Jews but came as the suffering servant. Most Rabbinical Jews that I know only know of the Messiah as the coming King (Meshiach ben David).
What Hagee is trying to say here, but it is offensive, is that He did not come as King but as the servant, “Meshiach ben Yoseph”.
To clarify, the idea of 2 Messiahs is a very old, very common idea in Judaism:
- Moshiach Ben David: The Messiah son of David who, like David, becomes physical, political king over Israel, conquers all the nations, and finally brings lasting peace. This is the Messiah prophesied of in Scriptures like Isaiah 2.
- Moshiach Ben Yosef: The Messiah son of Joseph who, like Joseph, suffered through many hardships, only to bring about the salvation of the whole world. This is the Messiah prophesied of in Scriptures like Isaiah 53.
According to Lou's comment, John Hagee may be merely saying Jesus was not Moshaich Ben David the Jews were expecting. Indeed, Jesus did not conquer the nations, judge the world, or bring lasting peace, as is prophesied of the Messiah son of David.
On the contrary, Jesus fits the Moshiach Ben Yosef perfectly and fulfilled the prophecies concerning him to a tee.
Therefore, it is believed Jesus was Moshaich Ben Yosef. New Testament prophecy in Revelation has it that Messiah will return as Moshaich Ben David, and will conquer the nations and bring lasting peace to the world.
Getting back to Hagee, I realized I need more information about what Hagee is really saying in order to have correct discernment on this matter. Is Hagee really saying Jesus wasn't the Messiah, at all? Or was he saying Jesus merely wasn't the Messiah the Jews were looking for, Messiah Ben David?
Well, I decided the best way would be to buy the book and give it a read. (I'm such a tool, I know!)
Turns out, Hagee is saying Jesus wasn't the Messiah son of David. He doesn't quite put it in those words, but rather, he says Jews were looking for the Messiah who would throw off the Roman Empire and make Israel independent and great once again, and who would bring peace finally. Jesus wasn't that person.
Hagee makes his case by saying, even the disciples thought Jesus was Messiah son of David, even up to the last moment Jesus was here on earth. From Acts 1 in the New Testament,
So when they met together, they asked him, "Master, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
From this, we see even the disciples didn't understand; they still thought Jesus was going to become physical king of Israel, throw off the Roman bondage, restore Israel to its once-great status, righteously judge all nations, and finally bring lasting peace to humanity. But Messiah responded by saying it isn't for us to know when that time is. We don't get to know.
John Hagee is correct in saying Jesus was not the Messiah the Jews were looking for. Jesus was not Moshaich Ben David. Instead, Jesus was the Moshaich Ben Yosef -- the suffering servant who would bring salvation to the whole world.
In an ironic twist, most modern Christians today are ignorant of the different roles of Messiah, and believe that when Jesus returns, he'll still be the same pacifist, hippy, peacenik, Greek-looking adonis we've been led to believe he was.
On the opposing side, Jews are *still* waiting for Moshiach Ben David.
And this time, Jews will get what they're expecting, while the gentile world will get something totally radical and foreign: a Jewish revolutionary who becomes ruler of Israel and who righteously judges all nations.
Interesting times!
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