Israel turned aside to sin. Therefore, they failed to fulfil God’s purpose for them. However, God in His mercy promised to send them a Redeemer from the seed of David. He was anointed ( Messiah= Anointed One) with God’s Holy Spirit for this reason. The coming of this Messiah is a central theme of the Old Testament. The Prophets very carefully describe how he would come and what He would do.

In the first century, Jewish writers who believed these promises described a man who fulfilled them and whom they acknowledged as Messiah. Their writings were collected in the New Testament. The questions in this study refer partly to the Old Testament and partly to the New Testament.

Memory work: Malachi 3:1

Study Questions and Answers

A. MESSIAH’S GENEALOGY

1. To whom did God promise a special seed? ( Gen.22:15-18)God promised a special seed to Abraham.
2. What did God promise to all nations through this seed? ( Gen.22:18).God promised blessings to all nations.
3. Was Jesus descended from this ancestor? ( Matt.1:1)Yes. Jesus descended from Abraham.
4. What is now offered through Jesus to the gentiles?( Gen.3:13-14)The blessing of Abraham is now offered through Jesus.
   The blessing includes (i) spiritual blessing,(ii) Physical blessing,(iii) Financial blessing
5. Through which of Abraham’s two sons was the promised seed to come? ( Gen.17:19,21)Through Isaac, the promised seed came.
6. Was Jesus descended from Isaac? ( Matt.1:2) Yes. Jesus descended from Isaac.
7. To which of His sons did Isaac transmit the blessing of Abraham?(Gen. 28:1-4) Isaac transmitted the blessing of Abraham to Jacob.
8. Was this blessing extended also to this Son’s descendants ( Gen.28:4) Yes. This blessing was extended to Jacob’s descendants.
9. Was Jesus descended from Jacob?( Luke 3:34) Yes. Jesus descended from Jacob.
10. From which tribe of Israel was the ruler ( Messiah) to come? ( Gen.49:10). From the tribe of Judah, the ruler ( Messiah) came.
11. From which tribe did Jesus come? ( Luke 3:33) Jesus came from the tribe of Judah.
12. From which king of Israel was Messiah to be descended? ( Ps.89:35-36) (Isa.9:6-7) King David.
13. Was Jesus descended from this king? ( Matt.1:6-16). Yes. Jesus descended from this King David.

B. MESSIAH’S BIRTH

14. Where was Messiah to be born ( (Mic .5:2). Messiah was to be born from Bethlehem of Judah.
15. Where was Jesus born? ( Matt.2:1)(Luke 2:4-7) Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah.
16. What was to be unique about the birth of Messiah? (Isa.7:14) Messiah was to be born of a virgin.
17. What was unique about the birth of Messiah ( Matt.1:18,22-23) ( Luke 1:26-35)Jesus was born of a virgin ( virgin Mary)
18. Did Daniel provide a way to calculate when Messiah would come? ( Dan.9:25-26). Yes.
19. How long after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was Messiah to come? (Dan.9:25-25)69 weeks ( or a total of 483 Jewish years).
20. Did Jesus come at a time predicted by Daniel? Yes. Jesus came at a time predicted by Daniel.

C. MESSIAH’S MINISTRY

21. Was any messenger to precede the Messiah? ( Mal.3:1) Yes. A Messenger was to precede the Messiah.
22. What was to be the task of this Messenger?(Mal.3:1) The Messenger’s task was to prepare the way before Messiah.
23. Which Messenger preceded Jesus? ( Matt.3:1-3;11:7-10) John the Baptist preceded Jesus.
24. What was the task of this Messenger? ( Matt.3:1-3; 11:7-10) ( Luke 1:76) His task was to prepare the way before Jesus.
25. Of what was the Lord to come as Messenger? (Mal.3:1) The Lord was to come as a Messenger of the covenant.
26. Did God promise a New Covenant to Israel? ( Jer.31:31-34) Yes. God promised a New Covenant to Israel.
27. Does that Covenant provide a complete forgiveness of sins? ( Jer.31:34)Yes. This covenant provides a complete forgiveness of sins.
28. Did Jesus come to mediate such a covenant? ( Heb.9:13-15). Yes.
29. What did John the Baptist see descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove? (John 1:29-30).The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove.
30. Isaiah depicts a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. State four things this anointing would enable him to do (Isa.61:1).
    1. To preach the Good tidings to the poor
    2. To heal the broken hearted
    3. To proclaim liberty to the captives
    4. To open the prison to those who are bound
31. After reading these words in the synagogue, what did Jesus say about Himself? (Luke 4:16-21)Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
32. With what did God anoint Jesus of Nazareth? ( Acts 10:38)With the Holy Spirit and with power.
33. State two things which this anointing enabled Jesus to do.( Acts 10:38)
    1. To go about doing good
    2. To heal all who were oppressed by the devil’s power.
34. Isaiah predicted that God would come to save Israel and would bring healing of four types of sickness. List these four types ( Isaiah 35:4-6)
    1. Blindness
    2. Deafness
    3. Lameness
    4. Dumbness ( Muteness)
35. List four types of sickness which Jesus healed. ( Mark 8:22-25; 7:32-37) ( John 5:5-9) ( Matt. 9:32-33)
    1. Blindness
    2. Deafness
    3. Lameness
    4. Dumbness ( Muteness)
36. Upon what animal was Messiah to ride into Jerusalem? ( Zech.9:9).On a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
37. Upon what animal ( or animals) did the disciples place Jesus for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem? ( Matt.21:6-11) ( Matt.11:1-11) On a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Memory Work: Malachi 3:1

“ Behold, I send My Messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, Behold, He is coming”, says the LORD of hosts.

NOTES ON CORRECT ANSWERS :

God promised Abraham a special seed. Through this seed, God promised blessings to all nations. Jesus descended from Abraham. The blessing of Abraham is now offered through Jesus. This blessing includes i. spiritual blessing, ii. Physical blessing, iii. Financial blessing. Jesus descended from Isaac. The blessing was passed down through Jacob’s descendants. Jesus descended from Jacob and came from the Tribe of Judah. This was fulfilled first in David and then in Jesus, who descended from David. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah. Jesus was born of virgin Mary. The Hebrew word for virgin is Almah.
Jesus came at a time predicted by Prophet Daniel. The Lord came as the Messenger of the covenant. The New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 has three main features: 1. A new inner nature,2. A personal relationship with God, 3. Forgiveness of sins. These features are included in the covenant that Jesus instituted. Jesus came to mediate this covenant. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus marked Him out as the promised Messiah. This equipped Him to be the deliverer of God’s people from both sin and sickness.
Jesus went about doing good and healed all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus healed four types of sickness: Blindness, Deafness, Lameness and Dumbness. Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
( Mtt.1:1; Gal.3:13,14;Isai.7:14; Dan.9:25-26;Jere.31:31-34; Acts 10:38; Isa.35:4-6; Zech.9:9)