It is commonly taught in the Israeli public school system that Yeshua was a good man, a pious rabbi who kept the Jewish Law and served His Jewish people. He was then crucified by Romans for advocating revolutionary actions. Afterwards came Paul, who promoted a new religion and made Yeshua into a "god." It is Paul, then, who is to blame for this error.

Firstly, Yeshua Himself said He was the Messiah. To the Samaritan woman who, though not a Jewess, was looking for the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua declared "...I who speak to you am He" (Jn. 4:26).

Again when Yeshua's close friend Lazarus died, his sister Martha told Yeshua, "...I have believed that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world" (Jn. 11:27). Upon that confession, Yeshua raised Lazarus from the dead.

One day Yeshua asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter replied, "Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Yeshua answered and said, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:15-17). He clearly spoke of Himself as being God and equal with God: "Yeshua said to them, `Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM'" (Jn. 8:58).

He said it explicitly enough that "the Jews were seeking...to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath (by healing someone), but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (Jn. 5:18).

In yet another incident, "The Jews answered Him, `For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God'" (Jn. 10:33).

The first public witness to proclaim Yeshua was John the Baptist. As Yeshua's elder, he declared:

...He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me (Jn. 1:15).

Matthew and Luke, who were disciples of Yeshua, both proclaimed that Yeshua was born without a human father--that is, without a human sexual act. Instead, God created a baby in a Jewish virgin's womb. If God could create Adam out of dust and Eve out of a rib, obviously He could create Yeshua without a human father.

This was in fulfillment of the words of Moses that the child of a woman would crush the head of the evil serpent who brought sin into the world (Gen. 3:15).

Yeshua Himself said, "I and the Father are one" (Jn. 10:30).

...I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me (Jn. 14:6).

I do not have an exact understanding of God, His Spirit, His Son or how these facets of God's essence interrelate. But one thing I can say for certain to Jewish people: Do not ever let someone tell you that Yeshua was only a nice Orthodox rabbi who was minding His own business until Paul came along.

Either Yeshua is Who He said He is--the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world--or He is a liar, a fraud and a charlatan. There is no middle ground on this issue. Each person must decide in his heart whether or not he will accept Yeshua as the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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