Tracing The Covenant People – Jesus The Christ
ALL THE PROPHETS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL HAD FORETOLD THE GLORIES of a distant era when YAHWEH as YAHSHUA, Saviour, would come to visit His people, these of the Covenant race.
We also read: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the LORD whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in; Behold, He shall come, saith the LORD of Hosts.” (Mal. 3:1)
Matthew tells us that all things were done as foretold in Isaiah. (Matthew 1:22-23 and Isa. 7:14) The men of Israel knew that the birth of Messiah would be in Bethlehem of Judea. And even the slaughter of the babes by Herod’s order was prophesied in Jeremiah.
The prelude to the ministry of YAHSHUA or Jesus the Christ, was the preaching of John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea as foretold by Isaiah in chapter 40. Jesus was then baptised by John and then led into the wilderness where He withstood the tempting of Satan. After that, His great work began. He went to Capernaum which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulon, and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled when spoken by the prophet Isaiah 9:1-2 and Matt. 4:13-16.
Since you readers are familiar with the principal events of His live, as YAHSHUA went about preaching and teaching and doing good, then we will look instead at the scenes which reveal that attitude of the Jews toward the Christ. First notice their reactions to John the Baptist. As he began preaching, many people went to hear him. Many believed and confessed their sins and were baptized. The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent priests to investigate. When they questioned him, he said he was not the Christ, but was the forerunner of Christ who was them among them though they knew Him not. (John 1:19-28)