For two thousand years the Jews have had an excellent answer for why they flatly reject Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. Have you ever asked a Jew why they are thoroughly convinced Jesus is not their Messiah? They will quote Jesus’ own words to you as their answer. Those words are found in the 12th chapter of Matthew’s gospel account. Here is what He said to those Jews so long ago: “The certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered,saying, ‘Master (or teacher), we would see a sign from thee,’ (as proof positive He was truly their Messiah). But He answered and said unto them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly (Greek “ketos” any huge fish), so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (a tomb carved out of the earth).” And what had Jesus just said before making that declaration? “But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (when the moment arrives that will prove or disprove the truthfulness of what has been uttered), for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (See Matthew 12:36-40). And note that these Pharisees well remembered Jesus’ words, for following our Lord’s crucifixion the “Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, ‘Sir, WE REMEMBER that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, AFTER THREE DAYS I WILL RISE AGAIN. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead, so the last error shall be worse than the first.'” (See Matthew 27:62-64).
The ONLY sign Jesus gave the Jewish people He indeed was their promised Messiah was not that He would rise from the dead. More than once in Jewish history the dead had come back to life again. (See I Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:18-37 and 2 Kings 13:20-21). The ONLY sign He gave them as absolute proof He was their Messiah was the length of time He would remain in the tomb – three days and three nights! And it is the false tradition of deceived Christians celebration of the Good Friday – Easter Sunday myth that has convinced the Jewish people that Jesus Christ was a false Messiah. For two thousand years the vast majority of Christian denominations have taught that Jesus was placed in the tomb at sunset on “Good” Friday and came out of the tomb before sunrise Easter Sunday! But that myth is only one day and two nights! The Jew argues, “So there you have it! Jesus of Nazareth said you are either justified by the words you have spoken or condemned by the same as someone speaking falsehoods. He said He would be in the tomb for three days and three nights. You Christians say He was only in the tomb for one day and two nights, so, by your very own well accepted tradition, you reveal the Jesus you worship as being one who spoke falsehoods, and, hence, a false Messiah! He failed to fulfill the ONLY sign He gave us that He was our Messiah.” To be continued in Part 2.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley