Death of the Messiah

Do Not Be Shaken

Of the earthly life of Christ, there are more prophecies concerning His death than any other subject. His substitution death was the main purpose for His time on earth. For this reason, the prophets of old were prophetically shown great details involving the suffering of the Messiah, so that the specific ways in which they were fulfilled could not be denied.

The Messiah would be betrayed by a friend.

Prophecy: "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted (relied on and was confident), who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalm 41:9 ).

"For it is not an enemy who reproaches and taunts me; then I might bear it...But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we had sweet fellowship together, and used to walk to the house of God in company" (Psalm 55:12-14 ).

Fulfilment: "He replied, He who has just dipped his hand in the same dish with

Me will betray Me!" (Matthew 26:21 ).

"...But it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats (his) bread with

Me has raised up his heel against Me...After Jesus had said these things, He was troubled (disturbed, agitated) in spirit, and said, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you that one of you will deliver Me up-be false to me and betray Me!" (John 13:18, John 13:21 ).

The Messiah would be sold for thirty pieces of silver.

Prophecy: "...So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver" (Zechariah 11:12b ).

Fulfilment: "And said, What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you? And they weighed out and paid him thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:15 ).

The thirty pieces of silver would be returned for a potter's field.

Prophecy: "And the Lord said to me, Cast it to the potter (as if He said, To the dogs!), the munificently miserable sum at which I (and My shepherd) am priced by them! And I (Zechariah) took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord" (Zechariah 11:13 ).

Fulfilment: "And casting the pieces of silver (forward) into the holy place of the sanctuary of the temple, he (Judas) departed and went off and he hanged himself. But the chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, It is not legal to put these in the (consecrated) treasury, for it is the price of blood.

So after consultation they bought with them the potter's field in which to bury strangers" (Matthew 27:5-7 ).

The Messiah would be forsaken by His disciples.

Prophecy: "Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered..." (Zechariah 13:7

Fulfilment: "And Jesus said to them, You will all fall away this night-(that is,) you will be caused to stumble and will begin to distrust and desert Me; for it stands written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered" (Mark 14: 27 ).

The Messiah would be accused by false witnesses.

Prophecy: "Malicious and unrighteous witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I know not" (Psalm 35:11 ).

"For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me, they have spoken to me and against me with a lying tongue" (Psalm 109:2) .

Fulfilment: "Now the chief priests and the whole council (the Sanhedrin) sought to get false witnesses to testify against Jesus..." (Matthew 26:59a ).

The Messiah would be silent before his accusers.

Prophecy: "He was oppressed, yet when He was afflicted He was submissive and opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before her sharers is dumb, so he opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7) .

"But I, like a deaf man, hear not; and I am like a dumb man who opens not his mouth. Yes, I have become like a man who hears not, in whose mouth are no arguments or replies" (Psalm 38:13-14 ).

Fulfilment: "But when the charges were made against Him by the chief priests and the elders, he made no answer...He made no reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor marvelled greatly..." (Matthew 27:2, Matt 27:14 ).

"When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; (when) He was abused and suffered, He made no threats of (vengeance); but He trusted (Himself and everything) to Him who judges fairly" (1 Peter 2:23 ). 7. The Messiah would be smitten across the face.

Prophecy: "Smite the Shepherd..." (Zechariah 13:7 )."They shall smite the ruler of Israel with a roda sceptreon the cheek" (Micah 5:1 ).

Fulfilment: "And they took the reed-staff and struck Him on the head" (Matthew 27:30 )."Then they...struck Him with their fists; and some slapped Him in the face" (Matthew 26:67 ).

The Messiah would be spat upon.

Prophecy: "I gave My...cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6 ).

Fulfilment: "Then they spat in his face, and struck him with their fists; and some slapped Him in the face, Saying, Prophesy to us, You Christ, the Messiah! Who was it that struck you?" (Matthew 26:67-68 ).

"And they spat on Him" (Matthew 27:30 ).

The Messiah would be whipped on the back.

Prophecy: "I gave My back to the smiters..." (Isaiah 50:6 )

Fulfilment: "So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, set Barabbas free for them; and after having whipped Jesus, he handed (Him) over to be crucified" (Mark 15:15 ).

The Messiah's body would be disfigured.

Prophecy: "(For many, the Servant of God became an object of horror; many were astonished.) His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man's, and His form beyond that of the sons of men" (Isaiah 52:14 ).

Fulfilment: This above verse gives us a picture of what Jesus must have looked like before He was nailed to the cross, as well as during His time on the cross when His bones became out of joint. The following excerpt is taken from "All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible" by Herbert Lockyer (Zondervan):

"His bruised and swollen face the smiting with the reed produced must have looked more terrible when, after the crown of thorns had been pressed onto His forehead, the oozing blood made Him a pitiable sight to behold, blindfolded as he was (Luke 22:64 )."

The Messiah Would be Pierced in His Hands and Feet.

Written a thousand years before Christ was born, Psalm 22 reveals the manner of death the Messiah would die. David had never heard of crucifixion, as it was not a practice in Israel at that time. Nevertheless, David writes of piercing the hands and feet, the bones out of joint, the terrible thirst, the body openly displayed, and many other aspects of the crucifixion that Jesus would suffer.

Prophecy: "For (like a pack of dogs) they have encompassed me; a company of evildoers has encircled me, they pierced my hands and my feet" (Psalm 22:16 ).

Fulfilment: "Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here and see My hands; and put out your hand and place (it) in my side" (John 20:27 ).

The Messiah's body would be pierced.

Prophecy: "...And they shall look (earnestly) upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for His only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him as one who is in bitterness for his first-born" (Zechariah 12:10b ).

Fulfilment: "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear..." (John 19:34 ).

"And again, another Scripture says, They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced" (John 19:37 ).

The Messiah would be killed alongside the guilty.

Prophecy: "And they assigned him a grave with the wicked...and He let Himself be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:9, Isa 53:12 ).

Fulfilment: "And with him they crucified two robbers, one on (His) right hand and one His left. And the scripture was fulfilled which says, He was counted among the transgressors" (Mark 15:27-28 ).

The Messiah would pray for His persecutors.

Prophecy: "He...made intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12 ).

"In return for my love they are my adversaries; but I resort to prayer" (Psalm 109:4 ).

Fulfilment: "And Jesus prayed, Father forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34 ).

The Messiah would be the object of ridicule.

Prophecy: "I am also become a taunt and a reproach to others; when they see me they shake their heads" (Psalm 109:25 ).

"All who see me laugh at me and mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, he trusted and rolled himself on the Lord, that He would deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing He delights in him!" (Psalm 22:7-8 ).

"As with a sword (crushing) in my bones, my enemies taunt and reproach me; while they say continually to me, Where is your God?" (Psalm 42:10).

"He said to them, You will doubtless quote to me this proverb, Physician, heal

Yourself!" (Luke 4:23a).

Fulfilment: "And those who passed by spoke reproachfully and abusively and jeered at Him, wagging their heads" (Matthew 27:39).

"In the same way the chief priests with the scribes and elders made sport of Him saying,... He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He cares for Him and will (have Him), for He said, I am the son of God" (Matthew 27:41,43).

"And those who passed by kept reviling Him and reproaching Him abusively in harsh and insolent language, wagging their heads and saying, Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, now rescue Yourself (from death) coming down from the cross. So also the chief priests with the scribes made sport of Him to one another, saying, He rescued others (from death); Himself He is unable to rescue" (Mark 15:29-31).

"Those who were crucified with Him also reviled and reproached Him-speaking abusively, harshly, and insolently" (Mark 15:32).

"...The rulers scoffed and sneered (turned up their noses) at Him, saying, He rescued others (from death), let Him now rescue Himself, if He is the Christ, the Messiah of God, His Chosen One! The soldiers also ridiculed and made sport of Him..." (Luke 23:35-36).

The Garments of the Messiah were to be gambled for.

Contrary to popular paintings depicting Jesus wearing a loincloth as He hung on the cross, He most likely hung there absolutely naked, as the soldiers gambled for His inner and outer garments beneath the cross. This exquisite detail of

David's prophecy is a highlight of the amazing accuracy of his prophetic picture of the crucifixion scene in Psalm 22.

Prophecy: "They part my clothing among them, and cast lots from my raiment (a long shirt-like garment, a seamless under tunic)" (Psalm 22:18).

Fulfilment: "...Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus took His garments and made four parts, one share for each soldier, and also the tunic (the long shirt-like undergarment). But the tunic was seamless, woven from top to bottom throughout. So they said to one another, Let us not tear it, but let us cast lots to decide whose it shall be. This was to fulfil the Scripture, They parted My garments among them and for My clothing they cast lots. So the soldiers did these things" (John 19:23-24).

The Messiah would be publicly gazed and gaped at.

Prophecy: "I can count all my bones; (the evildoers) gaze at me" (Psalm 22:17).

"...just as many were astonished at Him..." (Isaiah 52:14b).

Fulfilment: "Then they sat down there and kept watch over Him" (Matthew 27:36).

"Now the people stood by, (calmly and leisurely) watching" (Luke 23:35).

The Messiah would be deserted by God.

The face of God was turned-not so much from His Only Begotten Son in Whom He delighted, but in all the sin of all humanity who has ever lived, piled up on one Person. He literally took our sin and made it His sin. He totally identified with it, and took all upon Himself, as if He, Himself was the one who did it. All of the world's rebellion, arrogance, cowardliness, hatred, and hypocrisy were piled on Him. The sight was so filthy that God turned His head away. Surely this was the pinnacle of the suffering which Jesus endured on the cross.

Prophecy: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1).

Fulfilment: "Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?" (Matthew 27:46).

The Messiah would agonize with thirst.

Prophecy: "(With thirst) my tongue cleaves to my jaws" (Psalm 22:15).

"They also gave me gall (poisonous and bitter) for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar (a soured wine) to drink" (Psalm 69:21).

"My throat is parched" (Psalm 69:3).

Fulfilment: "After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfilment of the Scripture, I thirst" (John 19:28).

"They offered Him wine mingled with gall to drink, but when He tasted it, He refused to drink it" (Matthew 27:34).

"And one of them immediately ran and took a sponge, soaked it with vinegar (a sour wine), and put it on a reed staff and was about to give it to Him to drink" (Matthew 27:48).

The Messiah would commit His Spirit to God.

Prophecy: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit;" (Psalm 31:5).

Fulfilment: "And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit! And with these words, He expired" (Luke 23:46).

The Messiah's friends would stand far off.

Prophecy: "My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my neighbours and my near ones stand afar off" (Psalm 38:11).

"You have put my (familiar) friends far from me; You have made me an abomination to them. I am shut up and cannot come forth" (Psalm 87:8).

Fulfilment: "And all the acquaintances of (Jesus) and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched these things" (Luke 23:49).

The Messiah's bones would not be broken.

This symbolic prophecy likens Jesus to the Passover Lamb of Exodus. This lamb was to be "without blemish," "a male," and without any bones broken. After being slaughtered, it's blood was to be applied to the doorposts of the houses of the Israelites, to prevent the destroyer from killing their firstborn.

Today, the blood of Jesus does for us, what the blood of the Passover lamb foreshadowed. As we apply His blood to our "forehead" and "hands" (the top and sides of the door posts) we also, are protected from the Destroyer, and from the Second Death.

Prophecy: "...Neither shall you break a bone of it" (Exodus 12:46).

"They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it" (Numbers 9:12).

Fulfilment: "But when they came to Jesus, and they saw that he was already dead, they did not break His legs...For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled (verified, carried out) Not one of His bones shall be broken" (John 19:33, John 19:36).

The state of the Messiah's heart.

"Jesus literally died of a broken heart. Not only was it punctured by the soldier's sword thrust, but the extreme mental and spiritual torture was so great that His heart was ruptured before the point of the sword pierced it. Appearance of the blood and water indicated that the lymphatic fluid apparently had separated from the red blood, producing 'blood and water.'" (From "All The Messianic Prophecies of the Bible" by Herbert Lockyer, Zondervan, page 156).

Prophecy: "I am poured out like water...my heart is like wax, it is softened (with anguish), and melted down within me" (Psalm 22:14).

Fulfilment: "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out of it" (John 19:34).

"This is He who came by (with) water and blood..." (1 John 5:6).

The Messiah would be hid from a gaping crowd by darkness.

Prophecy: "And in that day, says the Lord God, I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the broad daylight time" (Amos 8:9).

Fulfilment: "Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over the all the land until the ninth hour (three o'clock)" (Matthew 27:45).

The Messiah would be buried with the rich.

Normally, the Roman custom was to throw the corpses of the crucified to wild roaming dogs. However, the body of Jesus was spared this fate, as one of His secret disciples, wealthy Joseph of Arimathea received special permission to bury his body in his own tomb.

Prophecy: "And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death..." (Isaiah 53:9).

Fulfilment: "When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given him. And Joseph took the body and rolled it up in a clean linen cloth used for swathing dead bodies, and laid it in his own fresh (undefiled) tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a big boulder over the door and went away (Matthew 27:57-60).

The Messiah would die a voluntary, substitutionary death.

Prophecy: "...He poured out His life unto death, and He let Himself be regarded as a criminal and be numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore (and took away) the sin of many...(Isaiah 53:12).

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole....All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light on Him the guilt and iniquity of us all...My Servant (shall) justify and make many righteous-upright and in right standing with God; for He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt (with the consequences, says the Lord)" (Isaiah 53:5-6, Isa 53:11).

"I gave My back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6).

Fulfilment: "I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd risks and lays down his (own) life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

"..I lay down My own life to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily" (John 10:8).

"Just as the Son of man came not to be waited on but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many--the price paid to set them free" (Matthew 20:28).

"He personally bore our sins in His (own) body to the tree (as to an alter and offered Himself on it), that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

Do Not Be Shaken