Program Transcript
Episode 20: Jesus the Messiah. More than a Man.
Heather M R Olsen
Welcome back, friends!
We have talked about Elohim, God, His Covenants, Living in the Gap, Prayer, Messianic birth prophecies, plus many other topics. Jesus is the subject in every podcast, yet I have not isolated Him in one. A 30-minute talk will not scratch the surface as I say on almost every podcast. But I have felt an overwhelming nudge to write about Jesus, the Christ. Jesus the Messiah. Yeshua ha mashiach.
Why?
The Bible is nothing without God’s plan of redemption for the world. This Plan would not be a plan without a Savior. Jesus is the Protagonist, who truly does come and does save the world.
As a review, His name means “Salvation” or “Salvation from God.”
In Hebrew, the word, Yasha = ישע means “to save” or “he saves”
“Yeshua” is Jesus’ name from the verb Yasha.
Yeshua’s name means “Salvation” or “God’s Salvation.”
Salvation language relates to God’s Promise of a Messiah, Jesus’ ministry and our faith in Him.
Isaiah prophesied that,
Isaiah 52:10
10 All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
And that,
“All people will see God’s salvation.”
Salvation language is throughout the entire Bible. It is not a random word of promise but Jesus’ name!
The popular verse in the Gospel of John 3:16-17 spells it out the reason this Protagonist came.
“16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Because of God’s great love, He sent Jesus, an only child, God’s only child, a firstborn, to the world. Though these designations may sound redundant, in the ancient near east mindset, a son, an only child, the firstborn bekhor בכור in Hebrew, had important ramifications.
Most people & religions recognize Jesus as an historical figure, so the true question is, what makes Jesus the Son of God?
Karl and I chewed on this recently at dinner as I was stuck. How do I portray this in a meaningful and logical way? His promptings really helped me fine tune this podcast. You see, I don’t want what I say to be cliché, but I want you to deeply think about Jesus in a new and fresh way.
Here are some truths about Jesus:
- Jesus said He was the Son of God, and he did what he said he would do.
- Jesus performed miracles repeatedly with eyewitness testimony.
- There are multiple eyewitnesses to Jesus’ teachings and claims.
- What other faith or religion teaches a love of others above oneself?
- Belief in Jesus exemplifies the only religion where you can’t work your way into God’s good graces. God’s Gift of Salvation is free and available to everybody. Remember, God so loved the WORLD? Our simple response is to accept this gift.
- Jesus fulfilled prophecy repeatedly. Prophecies that were written hundreds of years before His arrival in history.
- Jesus’ body is not here on earth. There is no grave to visit. The foundation of belief in him lies in the resurrection. And this resurrection gives us who believe, hope that this is not all life is about.
- God put a desire to know him in all human hearts. Many are seeking something more than just earth… sadness, mortality, aging, death, and the question is, is this all there is?
- The Jewish people have no logical reason they should have withstood multiple attempts at exile, genocide, attack, expulsions from neighborhoods, cities and countries… attempts to blot out Judaism and forced conversions & assimilation, except for God’s hand on them in His Great and Eternal Story.
Jesus was prophesied in ancient times through all the Biblical books of the Hebrew Bible.
Jesus entered human history as a Jewish infant, born of a Jewish mother and raised by an earthly Jewish father.
He was prophetically born in Bethlehem. See Micah 5:2.
Ancient rabbis recognized this Ruler as the Messiah.
We read about the Magi in my intro podcast. Read Matthew 2:1-12 again.
Going further into the Magi from Matthew 2, they stopped in Jerusalem and inquired, “Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” King Herod, as in Herod the Great, a historical figure, was disturbed that there was another king born, and these dignitaries were coming to worship him. Consequently, he called in the [Jewish] people’s Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law to ask them where the Jewish Messiah was to be born. They promptly replied in Bethlehem in Judea, then quoted the prophet Micah, what I just read to you.
Here’s the thing. The Magi were in Jerusalem, trying to discern where this star was to permanently stop. They were close to Bethlehem, about 5 miles, or 8.8 km (thank you Google Maps).
The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law KNEW the prophecy, but I picture them getting out of bed at their summons, putting their priestly robes on, hoofing it to the palace to answer King Herod’s questions, then hoofing it back to bed tucking in for the night. THEY knew the prophecy, but THEY did not act on it! They didn’t even send their least minion to zip over to Bethlehem to confirm or deny this child. They completely missed it.
King Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem, and they found the child there! Prophecy fulfilled.
Back to Micah, these origins of old, from ancient times supported that Jesus was with God in the beginning of time. Another mind blower.
The book of Genesis starts with the Hebrew word, “B’reshit” translated, “in the beginning.”
Consequently, Gospel writer, disciple, and eyewitness John, when writing His Gospel, though his was written in Greek, began the gospel as Genesis started – first phrase B’reshit “In the beginning…”
John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Some important facts of note:
- The word:
- This WORD with a capital “W” Devar in Hebrew, was with God in the beginning. When God spoke creation into being, with WORDS devarim, Jesus concurrently was THE Word. John asserts that, “all things were made through Jesus, nothing was made apart from him.”
- We just read from Micah 5:2 that this One who will be ruler over Israel, His origins are from of old, from ancient times
- Jesus always was, is, and will be.
- Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
- Like God’s immutable name “yod heh vav heh”, Jesus was, is, and will be. Eternal. Without beginning or end.
- The common “to be” verb, in the John passage, which was in the past tense is nothing less than a neon sign of Jesus’ “I am. I exist.”
- Jesus is Light.
- Jesus is Life.
- Jesus is Living Water.
- Jesus is Salvation.
The Gospel writer John used the word “sign” repeatedly in His Gospel instead of the word “miracle.” The “sign” is just that; an arrow pointing to God’s promises. The prophecies spoken by Isaiah, were at least 700 years before Jesus was born. More than just coincidental.
We read recently in Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew translates the Hebrew for “God with us” or “God is with us” as Immanuel. Remember our godly designation “El” is a shortened version of Elohim? “Im” in Hebrew is “with,” “Nu” is a personal pronoun, “us.” We’ve got Immanuel. “God with us.”
Some unbelievers have acknowledged that the God in the Bible is difficult to understand. Why would He allow famine, wars, death, rape? Yet Jesus is understood to be a good person.
I’m here to tell you, Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus was God here in human form. Jesus’ heart is God’s heart, and Jesus’ love is God’s love. This is one of the many mysteries of God—how He can be God of the universe before and throughout time, and yet come to earth as a human? In fact, in his human state as Jesus, Jesus limited His godly power here on earth to experience life as a human. This made him completely relatable to humanity. He knows what you and I feel, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
But why would he do this?
God so loved the World. Even those who don’t know him—yet. Even those who hate him. Even terrorists, murderers, bombers, those who live in pure evil. God loves each of them. Jesus came to witness to each one. Then and now. To be our salvation.
Jesus’ name alone is “salvation, or salvation of God.”
Matthew 1:22 Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, was instructed prior to the birth, to call this child, Jesus: 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Prophetically, he would come through the line of King David, as we hear that Joseph was of King David’s lineage. Of the 12 tribes of Israel, from the 12 sons of Jacob, Jesus would come from the Tribe of Judah, the tribe of Kings.
The Apostle and Gospel writer Matthew used this language to spell out the fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14. We can find more prophecy in Isaiah 9 about this baby – that the promised LIGHT would come to Israel in the looming darkness.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Also,
Isaiah 11:1-3 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
In the book of Isaiah alone, there are at least 16 messianic prophecies that have been fulfilled.
And we’ve barely begun prophecy. This messianic prophecy was proclaimed more than 700 years before Jesus’ arrival here on earth. Hard to believe.
So what does this mean?
There have been many predictions (prophecies) that a Deliverer, a Messiah, An Anointed One would come for the Salvation of Israel and the Nations. If you were to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you could catalog the promises of a needed Deliverer beginning in Genesis 3. We covered that in our Adamic Covenant.
Yet, it’s not a far stretch to realize that the world is a mess. We can catalog more and more hate in our world. If you haven’t listened to the previous podcast, Living in the Gap, we address how we live in this chaos. Honestly, this world has been and always will be a mess, since that bite of the fruit in the Garden of Eden.
It will be until Jesus comes the second time as the Warrior Messiah King to restore the earth to its original perfect status.
Bullet points about Jesus:
- He came to earth to be the final living sacrifice for all believer’s sins. No more sheep… no more goats… no more birds killed, blood drained out and sprinkled on the altar in the temple. Animal sacrifice became obsolete that day on the Cross.
- This begins the story of redemption
- Jesus called himself the Life, the Light, the Living Water, the Resurrection, I AM.
- Jesus was life in the beginning of the world, as Jesus is life here on earth after his human intervention. Jesus at the beginning was the light that shone the darkness… and his intervention here on earth was the light.
DARK cannot overpower Jesus. John 1:1-5
God’s redemption story began with his beautiful creation—that was good, “tov”—and culminated with Adam and Eve… and they were “tov meod,” very good. They were placed in this perfect beautiful garden to cultivate, tend and care for. There were no weeds. No thistles or dandelions, just beautiful trees, shrubs, plants.
I wonder how long this perfection lasted. An hour, day, week, years? It would be wonderful if it were years before the first humans were approached by the deceiver, but that seems unlikely knowing the enemy and knowing human nature. If it were years before they succumbed to the tempter it would have been all the much harder to be kicked up. But I’m getting ahead of myself as always.
Adam and Eve were given one prohibition, they may eat of any tree, any fruit, any anything, but one. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
They were also given the gift of free will—like all of us—to think, and reason, and decide, and love—to not be controlled—to be given the choice to make good ones or bad ones.
Within an unspecified amount of time, they were approached. The Bible calls this tempter a serpent, “more crafty or cunning than all of the animals,” and this serpent can talk, unfortunately.
Reading the text in Genesis 2 & 3 carefully, there was no fear, shame, anger, in the garden but the serpent awakened greed, disobedience, and lust for the fruit. Much literature depicts this fruit as an apple, but it could realistically have been a mango, grapefruit, or it could have been a fruit we have never encountered.
If that is the case, we are in for a treat one day!!!
Doubt about God and His faithfulness was implanted into Eve’s mind. In an instant, the fruit of that one tree looked better than all the fruit in the garden!
In fact, within the middle of the garden, was another very special tree, the Tree of Life, Genesis 2:9. They could eat this fruit endlessly. If you were to fast forward to the end of the Bible, we will again be able to eat this fruit, but again getting ahead of myself.
Free will gave into temptation, which resulted in disobeying the single prohibition of God’s. He knew it had happened, and they were ashamed of their nakedness. As a good father would, he asked them questions to let them confess what they had done; after all, they had a personal relationship with God, one where they walked and talked in the garden regularly. So why would this be different, except that they felt guilty, ashamed, as they hid and covered up their sin.
The first recorded death in the Bible is God covering Adam and Eve with skin because their invention of using fig leaves was not going to last. With sin, comes death. This case was no different—in the death of the animals to cover Adam and Eve. Death of the animals during the sacrificial system set up by God, in the Hebrew Bible, with the ancient Israelites, was a reminder that sin needed blood atonement.
As the final sacrificial death and blood atonement, Jesus willingly went to the cross to die once for all. Three days later, His body resurrected, and us who believe are atoned. His body is not in the tomb.
At first hearing, this resurrection sounds preposterous. Yet, it is the key to a saving faith.
The bodily resurrection proves that Jesus’ words are true. That he would rise just as he said he would. We can read these predictions in all four of the Gospels. Plus, you can find all of my references on my website transcript: IlluminationHebrewInsights.com.
- Matt 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 27:63
- Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34, 14:28
- Luke 9:22, 18:31-33, 24:6-7
- John 2:19-22
Rather than going through the proof of the resurrection today, I challenge you to read a powerful book written by a former skeptic and atheist, Lee Strobel. He was a reporter and legal editor at the Chicago Tribune. One day, Lee Strobel’s wife announced that she had become a Christian. He worried that she would become a “sexually repressed prude” trading their lifestyle for “all night prayer vigils and volunteer work in grimy soup kitchens.”
He was pleasantly surprised by the “fundamental changes in her character, integrity, and personal confidence.” Consequently, Lee Strobel set out to “investigate” Christianity, attempting a spirit of non-bias, but looking at it through his legal and investigative eye. He consulted with experts all over the country, from the best universities and medical schools. He read histories, philosophy, psychology, and found the proof “to begin to point toward the unthinkable.”
This book is entitled, The Case for Christ. There is also a movie made from it, and considering all of the detail in the book, it still is a good overview of his investigation.
Where am I going with this?
- The physical evidence of Jesus’ bodily death as described in the Gospels is credible.
- There are eyewitnesses of the resurrection, hundreds.
- There is increasing archaeological evidence reinforcing the places and people of first century Israel.
- Even Jewish historian for Rome, Flavius Josephus, writes a blurb about Jesus in Jewish Antiquities.
Jesus told his disciples that:
John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The Gospel Message in 5 points:
- If you aren’t a believer, please listen closely, read the verses, and pray.
- Remember that praying (listen to podcast 17) is simply talking to God. There is no formula!
- If you are a believer, please take note, so you are ready to share this miraculous Gospel.
1 – We are all sinners. If you believe there is good and bad in this world, you are already on the right track. We can read:
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
The apostle Paul quoted this verse in, Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one;”
Breaking one law, one commandment, one bit of gossip, a raised temper, a little white lie, you fill in the blank; it is all sin.
1 John 1:8 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
2 – God cannot look at sin and, as sinners, we cannot approach God.
Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Ezra 9:15 “Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”
Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death
3 – We need a way to be able to approach God. Through the Mosaic Covenant, the sacrificial system was set up because sin needed the shedding of blood. Sin is costly. But that was a temporary system. People continued to sin. People continue to sin and with sin there is a penalty; death.
4 – We need a Savior. A permanent solution. Only God could initiate this solution.
John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
1 John 1:9-10 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:23b But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Perfect Jesus took our sin to the cross, willingly. He hung there in shame and horror, for each of us personally. His death resulted in tragedy until His resurrection on the 3rd day. Death could not hold him. Sin had no power over him. Through our faith in Him, we are free. Justified!
5 – This gift of a Savior is available to everyone. Seek Him. Ask Him to come into your heart.
Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 1:20 reminds us all that God put a desire to know Him in every human heart. He created all humans and that is a deposit He left in us.
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
One hangup many people have about Christianity is that it is so easy. There is nothing anyone can do in our own power to be saved from the evil of this world. And this gift? You receive the gift of faith and salvation. It is not an active verb, like “I decided to,” or “I chose.” “Receive” is a passive verb. If someone had a gift for you, you wouldn’t decide to take it from them or snatch it from them. You would wait until it was held out to you and receive it. The thing about Jesus is he continually holds this gift out to unbelievers.
In all other faiths, one has to work one’s way to salvation. And if you do it well enough, you obtain it. Your work, your salvation.
That’s not how it works with the God of Creation. This is God’s gift and you either receive it or you reject it. Two options. Receive or reject. Complacency is rejection. Apathy is rejection.
When we receive this gift, God places His Spirit inside of us. This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, helps us with day to day living. The Spirit reminds us of our status in God’s family on our journey in the faith.
Anything added to this free gift is heresy and false. You can never work your way into God’s good graces. Period.
Below are some more verses based on Jesus’ gift. (Remember they are on the website.)
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
You can be part of this body of believers. That simple. His promises for those who believe:
John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 6:35 Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
In Matthew 17, Jesus said that it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed, the smallest seed on earth. We can read what faith is in,
Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Romans 1 reminds us that this gospel is for everyone!
Romans 1:16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
This belief in the saving grace of Jesus is for everyone. But not everyone will answer. Alternatively, some will have head knowledge and think it’s enough. This faith involves a relationship. A heart relationship with the LORD trumps everything. Faith over religion.
So, unbelievers, what will you do? How will you respond?
Start with a simple prayer asking God to come into your heart. Seek Him. Acknowledge your sin. Acknowledge Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tell Him you want Jesus in your life. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he said confess with your mouth, believe in your heart. You will be saved. Simple.
If you feel nothing, pray it again and again.
And so your journey begins! Start reading the Bible. It’s fascinating!
Begin with the Gospel of John or Matthew.
And for Believers, know your scripture and start speaking it out loud. Know the steps to witnessing.
In the words of the prophet,
Amos 5:4: “Seek God and live;”
Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Seek God and Live.
Choose Life.
Shalom.
**Heather!
©2025 Heather M R Olsen, Illumination: Hebrew Insights. All rights reserved. 
