Why can’t I just pray to God without Jesus in the middle?” asked a Jewish friend of mine in Israel. The lady to whom he spoke answered, “Why don’t you just pray that God will reveal to you who Jesus is all about?”
(Photo: My friend Amir at Masada, Israel)
So for the first time, Amir sat down, wrote out a prayer, stuck it on the wall where he could see it—and prayed. “And I made sure I said every word,” he said.
The next day changed his life.
Messianic Prophecies Change a Life
Amir opened the morning newspaper and, mortified by what he saw, immediately slammed it shut. He slowly opened it again, and what he saw was still there.
YESHUA, Jesus’ name in Hebrew, stood out in large letters on the page. Campus Crusade for Christ planned to show the Jesus film that night in Jerusalem.
I watched the movie and knew all those Messianic prophecies. I could see them being fulfilled. At the end of the movie, it was either I accept it or reject it—but I cannot stay apathetic.
The movie was there only one night. “But that was the night that the Lord designed for me,” Amir said. “I decided to accept it, because it was clear to me that this is the truth.” And of all places—remember this was Israel, with the Jordan River—Amir was baptized in a swimming pool.
Watch the Jesus Film—and Decide for Yourself
Here is the movie that changed Amir’s life. You can see it here.
Messianic Prophecies
Jesus’ fulfillment of the many Messianic prophesies couldn’t be mere coincidence. The Hebrew Scriptures record many prophecies about the Messiah.
Here are just a few of them, along with their fulfillment in Jesus as recorded in the New Testament.
| Subject | Prophecy | Fulfillment |
| Sold for 30 Pieces of Silver | Zechariah 11:12 | Matthew 26:14-15 |
| Wounded and Bruised | Isaiah 53:5 | Matthew 27:26, 29 |
| Hands and Feet Pierced | Psalm 22:16 | Luke 23:33 |
| Lots Cast for His Garments | Psalm 22:18 | John 19:23-24 |
| Bones Not Broken | Psalm 34:20 | John 19:33, 36 |
| His Side Pierced | Zechariah 12:10 | John 19:34-37 |
| Suffering for Our Sins | Isaiah 53:4-6, 12 | 1 Peter 2:24 |
One Changed Life Changes Another
“One day you’re an unbeliever, and the next day you’re a preacher,” Amir said. After seeing the Jesus film, he immediately went home to tell his nine brothers about it.
“I was sitting around the table with all my foster brothers, and I wanted everybody to know the Lord—except one. One I really couldn’t stand. But God has a sense of humor, because of all people around the table, the only one who responded was him!”
Tell me what you think: Who is Jesus of Nazareth to you? I’d love to know. To leave a comment, just click here.