THE MESSIAH AND ISRAEL’S SINS

This will be a very short post.

According to the Aramaic paraphrase of Micah 4:8, the Messiah was hidden from Israel because of their sins:

וְאַתְּ מְשִׁיחָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְטָמִיר מִן קֳדָם חוֹבֵי כְנִשְׁתָּא דְצִיוֹן לָךְ עֲתִידָא מַלְכוּתָא לְמֵיתֵי וְיֵיתֵי שִׁלְטוֹנָא קַדְמָאָה לְמַלְכוּת כְּנִשְׁתָּא דִירוּשְׁלֵם:

And you, O anointed one (Messiah) of Israel, who have been hidden away because of the sins of the congregation of Zion, the kingdom shall come to you, and the former dominion shall be restored to the kingdom of the congregation of Jerusalem. (Targum Jonathan on Micah 4:8 https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Micah.4.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en)

This implies that the identity of the Messiah was veiled from Israel as punishment for their sins, which sounds much like what the NT writings teach:

“And as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He cried over it, saying, ‘If you knew in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44

“And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, in letters having been engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more in glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had been glorious, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which was being brought to an end was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the consequence of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is brought to an end in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-18

“Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

FURTHER READING  

The Messiah Revealed Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4

The Time of Messiah’s Advent Pt. 1

MORE ON DANIEL’S MESSIANIC TIMELINE

MESSIANIC TIMELINE OF DANIEL REVISITED AGAIN

RABBINIC JUDAISM ON THE TIME OF MESSIAH’S APPEARANCE

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