The Noahide Nazarene Way Part Three

"The Earth belongs to HaShem and the Fullness Thereof."

The Noahide Nazarene Way
By Jagannatha Prakash © 2003
Welcome to Page Three of this introduction to the Noahide Nazarene Way. In this study, you will gain a basic understanding of the Noahide Movement in general and the Noahide Nazarene Way in particular. Page Three begins with an overview of our Master Y'shua of Nazareth. May HaShem and our Master bless your desire to learn more and empower you to walk the Noahide Nazarene Way.!
The Noahide Nazarene Way
An Overview:

Part 1: Introduction: Moshiach
Part 2: The Noahide Way
Part 3: Master Y'shua of Nazareth in Brief
Part 4: The Rise of the Universal Church
Home Page of The Noahide Nazarene Way

The Noahide Nazarene Way
Part Three

Master Y'shua of Nazareth in Brief

As discussed in the second part of this series, a key distinction between Noahides and Noahide Nazarenes is the latter's belief that Master Y'shua was a holy prophet of HaShem and more. So here's an overview of the Master from our perspective.
Around 7 BCE a young Judean woman named Mary (Miriam) gave birth, by normal means, to a son she named Y'shua (normally written as either Jesus or Joshua). Mary and Joseph the carpenter were engaged at the time but not yet married. Presumably he was the father of her child although it is impossible to say for certain (for my study on the virgin birth please visit This Page.
To protect Mary's reputation, Joseph married her, although apparently with some trepidation. As the child grew, older questions arose about his ancestry, an important consideration in both Jewish and Roman society of the day. Being unable to answer these questions in terms of polite society, it seems likely that Mary and Joseph (now married), took their child and left Judea for Egypt as the New Testament describes.
It should be pointed out that there is no evidence beyond the Gospel accounts that King Herod sought to find the newborn child, fearing that he might be the Jewish Messiah or otherwise. Likewise with the slaughter of the area's children that resulted neither from this search, nor of the visit of the magi, nor the gifts of the kings of the East to the child etc. This does not deny that these accounts took place of course, only that history is mute on these key New Testament events that one would expect to have been recorded as common knowledge.
Following the death of King Herod, sometime prior to 5 CE and Y'shua's twelfth birthday, the family returned to Judea, doubtless hoping that people would have forgotten the details of Mary's pregnancy. As the issue resurfaces during future debates between Master Y'shua and his opponents according to the Gospel accounts however, it appears that the matter was not forgotten.
John 9:29:
"We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow [Master Y'shua], we know not from whence he is."

For clarity sake, the World English Bible has it this way:
"We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don't know where he comes from"

They accepted the words of Prophet Moses, however due to Master Y'shua's questionable background and pedigree, they were inclined to doubt his word. In our culture, it would be like saying one accepts a controversial opinion by one's pastor or bishop due to their position, but the same comment from the person who bags your groceries would be much harder to accept.
Eighteen years or so later, Y'shua listened as John the Baptizer preached the need for spiritual revitalization in the wilderness. The calling of Israel to repentance moved Y'shua deeply and sparked the divine embers HaShem had placed within him. So many Jews were praying for an end to Roman oppression. The people wanted change, a new order that would give them a sense of pride, not to mention stability. As Y'shua listened to John's inspired sermons he realized that true liberation must begin within. He knew that the Jews are not like any other people. Political freedom without spiritual freedom wouldn't be enough for them. The Roman Pagans could exchange one god for another with little or no difficulty, but for the Jews there was only one God and He had strict requirements that had to be observed. Unless the people returned to the Way of Moses it was doubtful that HaShem would grant any degree of freedom to the Jews because, as Master Y'shua understood, the Jews are the Chosen People, a people with a mission; his assignment was to help them fulfill their destiny. The Jewish mission requires absolute submission to HaShem. And so Y'shua heeded John's call to the mikveh, and was baptized in preparation for his ministry
For Jews, Nazarenes and most Christians the ritual bath is an essential aspect of religious life. It represents ritual purity and rededication to HaShem. Noahide Nazarenes and Christians add certain significances to the rite as taught in the New Testament.
For Jews and all Noahides, ritual baptism requires the person to enter the waters nude, as nothing is allowed to come between the worshiper and the symbolically cleansing waters. Another reason for this requirement among Jews is that male circumcision is required of those entering the ritual baths and nudity makes it impossible to conceal one's observance.
In some circles, worshippers enter the mikveh once or even several times a day. Others enter the waters only on Fridays, just prior to Shabbat. Yet others view the mikveh as a single life-changing event.
Men are always completely immersed in the water whereas women are sometimes allowed to sit in the mikveh, the waters coming only to their necks. It is evident however, that women may also undergo full immersion if they choose. Properly utilized, the mikveh is a power spiritual experience of obedience and symbolism.
At conversions and especially significant baptisms (for instance prior to holidays or when one seeks forgiveness for some particular sin etc.), after coming up from the waters, instructors may give select instructions from the Torah. For Noahide Nazarenes these instructions may include a recitation of the Seven Noahide Laws or choice teachings of Master Y'shua as the spirit leads the instructors. The person being baptized, if male, stands before the instructors and listens attentively to their words, females may stand or sit. The person leaves the mikveh after these words are spoken, and is deemed clean from all trespasses and is spiritually renewed. In some cases, restitution for sins may also be recommended if one has wronged others. Such restitution may be suggested by one's rabbi, pastor, the mikveh instructors or other respected persons, however one is ultimately answerable only to HaShem and there is no compulsion in restitution, even as there is no coercion in other matters of religion. Jews traditionally observe a separation of the genders in their shuls as well as in the mikveh. Noahide Nazarenes do not observe this custom:
Galatians 3:28:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

As is to be expected, different teachers stress different things. Where possible, Noahide Nazarenes are encouraged to enter the mikveh at least weekly, preferably just prior to the beginning of the Shabbat on Friday evenings. Noahides are not required to observe Shabbat, as are the Jews, however as it is the day HaShem set apart for His people; Shabbat is a good day to engage in spiritual activities. Some Noahides observe Shabbat as an act of optional piety others do not. The Shabbat is discussed in some detail elsewhere on the site.
John the Baptizer may well have belonged to an Essene community or some other esoteric Jewish sect; we don't know for sure. It does seem likely however that at the least he was under a Nazirite vow (Num. 6, Matt. 11:18). We infer from the information in the Gospels that, like Samson, John may have been a lifelong Nazirite (Luke 1:13-1). His doctrine and general demeanor were not in keeping with average Judean or Roman customs. He was a deeply religious and politically astute man with a mission. He sternly warned of the coming of Messiah and of the need for the spiritual revitalization of Israel if they hoped to receive him.
The Messiah, John boldly proclaimed, would soon come and deliver Judea from the yoke of Roman occupation and oppression. He would then establish the Kingdom of HaShem globally, replacing Rome (as foretold by Daniel at Dan. 2:36-44 and elsewhere), but the people needed to 'repent for the Kingdom of Heaven draweth nigh'. Those who hoped to enjoy the blessings of the coming Kingdom and the Olam ha Ba or World-to-Come needed to abandon their mundane pursuits and devote themselves fully to HaShem. Receiving John's baptism symbolized their readiness to do this.
The people of Israel, John warned, needed to prepare their hearts, minds and bodies so as to be ready for the coming of Shiloh. Such teachings doubtless inspired Master Y'shua and his message, however the Jewish people at large failed in the task John and later Master Y'shua set before them and so the Kingdom was not established and HaShem did not empower Master Y'shua as Shiloh, the one to whom the Kingdom belongs. The world would have to wait longer.
Y'shua appears to have served his father Joseph as a carpenter from his early years until his late twenties, prayerfully studying the Tanakh and listening to the teachings of the various rabbis as time permitted. He had a keen mind and intellect and learned his lessons well. HaShem revealed to him the truths that formed the basis of the Torah and he quickly surpassed the wisdom and knowledge of his elders. He questioned them in great detail, challenging their teachings and wisdom. He wanted to understand why the Torah taught the things it did, not merely how to observe the external requirements. In this, as a child conceived out of wedlock, he would have faced stern opposition from certain fronts, yet he persevered.
Y'shua spent untold hours in the Temple, the synagogues and libraries studying the Written and Oral Torah, the Kethuvim and, especially, the Nevi'im or prophets, prayerfully seeking to develop his understandings of the ways of HaShem and of the coming of his Messiah. All this he did with a pure and sincere heart, with a mind charged by the Holy Spirit that was directing his every step even as HaShem had communed with Adam.
Y'shua had doubtless heard John's preaching many times before, however he had probably never studied under him directly nor spoken with him personally. I suspect that the New Testament relationship between John's mother Elizabeth and Mary is largely the product of Church fiction. I assume this because while the story fits well into the Christian tradition by creating a valuable connection between Y'shua and the well-known preacher, which might bolster Y'shua's credibility in some circles, the later New Testament accounts seem to be at odds with the story in a few important areas.
For instance, had Y'shua and John been related (cousins) as stated in the early portions of Luke's Gospel, the later accounts about their meeting and John's attempts to determine whether or not Y'shua was the Messiah would seem implausible. If Mary ran to share the news of her pregnancy with Elizabeth, then surely the two sons would have been acquainted as well as they grew up.
In any event, after his arrest it sounds as though John knew that the Master was preaching with power and great authority, but that he was not sure what to make of it. Miracles alone do not the Shiloh make! Because of his own doubts, John sent a servant to ask Master Y'shua directly whether of not he was the Messiah. Y'shua does not respond to this question directly, but rather says that the servant must determine that for himself based upon what he sees.
This conversation takes place early in Master Y'shua's three and a half ministry. It seems likely that early on Master Y'shua may have entertained hopes that HaShem might empower and ordain him as Shiloh in the future, and so he could not answer either way. Indeed, although everything is known in the foreknowledge of HaShem, not everything is revealed.
In the Book of Matthew Master Y'shua acknowledges that he doesn't know when the Kingdom will be established (Matt 24:36). Why would this be? The most likely answer seems to be that at that point the Jews of Jerusalem still had not decided whether to accept the call to repentance. If they repented and turned to the God of Israel, Master Y'shua would be empowered to establish the Kingdom of God, if they did not, he would not be. While this decision was already known in the mind of HaShem, it was not known to our Master at that time. Speaking in his role as holy seerer, in the same section Prophet Y'shua utters some of the clearest biblical prophecies of the Last Days we have. We'll discuss this elsewhere.
In any case, what is clear from the New Testament account is that Master Y'shua did not claim to be the Shiloh who would establish the Kingdom when directly asked by John's servant. Knowing that John, whom Master Y'shua deeply respected and who had spent his entire life praying for the Kingdom, was under arrest and probably facing immanent death, it seems inconceivable that Master Y'shua would not have confirmed his messianic identity to him, had he viewed himself as the Messiah, as a kindness to John if nothing else. Surely he would have said, "Yes, go and tell John that I am he." Master Y'shua didn't do this however because he did not know when the Kingdom would be established (Matt. 24:36) not to whom HaShem would give the Scepter of Jesse.
That Master Y'shua thought he might be the one is clear as well. He does not deny the possibility to the messenger either. Rather he truthfully replies that HaShem is clearly doing great works through his ministry and implied that John should take heart in the fact that HaShem had sent a potential Shiloh. As John would have understood, the decision however remained with the Jewish people.
The Gospels present Master Y'shua as a man tormented by his compassion for his fellow Jews, his faith in his God, and his uncertainty of his own destiny. Throughout his life, and certainly during his three and a half year ministry, Master Y'shua was a man living in two dimensions simultaneously. As the greatest of prophets, he saw beyond the veil and yet as a human, he beheld suffering and pain. He knew the cure was for his people to return to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but how could he convince them do this? At one point in the teachings, the Master said:
Matthew 24:
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

So too must Master Y'shua have felt. If the people had heeded Noah's warnings they could have joined him in the ark of safety, and yet they refused "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away." In the same way, had the Jerusalem Jews received his warnings, and John's, they could have avoided the devastation that happened forty years later when Titus sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and expelled the Jews from the homeland. How his heart must have ached! But I'm getting ahead of our story...
Being naturally inquisitive, as we see when Y'shua questioned the rabbis in the Temple at the age of twelve, while in Egypt he would doubtless have inquired from people about the mysterious ways there. Considering his keen intellect and spiritual discernment, it seems fair to assume that Y'shua would have picked up a bit of their knowledge. Its also safe to assume that he would have acquired some knowledge of the Hebrew mysticism that later came to be known as Kabala and that was reportedly practiced in Egypt for the same reasons (indeed, I assume that he studied Kabala and Gematria in minute detail, although there is no New Testament support for this assumption). There are also extra-biblical reports of young Y'shua studying in India, Persia and elsewhere during his teens and early twenties. Such reports can be neither confirmed nor denied and yet we know that his knowledge and spiritual powers far exceeded anything thus far experienced in Israel.
As Master Y'shua later taught his own revelations to the people, he doubtless employed many of these mystical techniques skillfully, as the New Testament indirectly records, as teaching aids to help them understand his message, even as he utilized parables.
Master Y'shua began teaching and preaching the truths he had realized after many years of study, prayer and meditation. The New Testament suggests that he began his active ministry at the age of thirty.
His was a fiery message. As John before him, Master Y'shua called all of Israel to repentance 'for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand' (compare Matt 4:23). He spoke not as a humble rabbi but as a powerful prophet and leader (Matt. 7:29). His message moved many people to repentance but worried the Jewish religious and political power structures that preferred the status quo. These leaders knew the prophecies and doubtless recognized his messianic potential, but they feared the possibly harsh reaction of Rome to such a charismatic figure. They also did not approve of certain of his doctrines. For instance, by this point the Oral Torah (the collected teachings of the rabbis) had been elevated to a place equal to the Written Torah (and possibly beyond it). Master Y'shua however, while never denying the value of this knowledge base, rejected the Oral Torah being viewed as superseding the Written Torah;
Mark 7:
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Master Y'shua's teachings probably took on much of the form and content presented in the biblical Gospels as he traveled the countryside warning of the wrath of HaShem upon all who failed to repent. If his hearers truly wanted the Kingdom to come, he preached, they first needed to look to the inner kingdom and get their hearts right with God. As it was with John, this was Master Y'shua's central message.
The Baptist had come to prepare the people for the Kingdom; Master Y'shua had come to establish it. Had the city repented, Master Y'shua as messiah and Shiloh would have proven John's prophecies true and established the Kingdom of God "on earth as it in heaven." But they did not.
Master Y'shua clearly did not intend to start a new religion nor did his followers! They were all loyal Jews. The Master was interested only in the spiritual revitalization of his people Israel, because only that would make the theocratic reign possible.
At one point a Gentile woman, probably a Noahide as we will see below, approached the Master:
Matthew 15:
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.

Note that since the woman wasn't Jewish, Master Y'shua was reluctant to even speak with her.
As Father Noah delineated the roles of his three sons and their offspring, Japheth and his descendants were told to "dwell in the tents of Shem." As a Canaanite Gentile, this woman was almost certainly a descendant of Japheth and so, she pointed out, had a right, under the Noahide Covenant, to reside in the House of the Jews and to request their "table scraps!" This is the heart of the Noahide Covenant! God cares for us all. Nonetheless, the notion of creating a Gentile religion was not something Master Y'shua was even considering. Notice how he responds to her faith however:
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

"I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
The Kingdom of HaShem will bless the entire world and so the problems Gentiles face in their lives will be removed by the Kingdom, but the Kingdom will be based on the promises of HaShem to redeem Israel. By fulfilling this pledge, all nations of the earth will be blessed:
Zechariah 8:
22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

And again Genesis 12:3:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This was Master Y'shua's ministry. The people of Israel needed to prepare themselves for the coming Kingdom. "Repent! For the Kingdom of HaShem is at hand! Prepare yourselves!"
So then, where do we Noahide Nazarenes fit into Y'shua's plan?
According to the Matthew 15 text cited above, the woman referred to Master Y'shua as the "Son of David." As has been discussed elsewhere, many people hoped that Y'shua would be the Shiloh. By using this title, the woman was acknowledging her belief that he was the promised one. She may also have been referring to the fact that the promise of David's kingdom included blessings for the Gentiles. In other words, she begins her request with the acknowledgement that she has no right to ask, being a Gentile, however in the name of King David and his mercy to the Noahides, would the Master please help her. This is the proper attitude for Noahides to hold. We are permitted to eat the scraps that fall from the table of the Chosen People. In time, these scraps will restore the earth to the paradise originally intended by HaShem to the benefit of the whole planet.
While Master Y'shua and the woman were speaking in the metaphor of "little dogs" and "tables", the teaching is clear. The wisdom and blessings of the Jews, and hence of Master Y'shua, are accessible to the 'goy' or Gentiles if we "take hold of the skirt of the Jew" acknowledging them as the Chosen People.
This is tough on the ego! Yet this Gentile woman has shown the way for the rest of us:
"[HaShem] has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what HaShem requires of you
Only to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God.

As Noahide Nazarenes we are to walk humbly before HaShem and acknowledge that He has called the Jews to be His Chosen People through whom the entire world will be blessed.
Whenever the topic of resistance to Rome came up Master Y'shua expertly redirected it. If he became the Shiloh Rome would fall (Dan 2:44). If he did not assume that role, Jerusalem would fall (Matt 24:2). He was asked for instance about paying the Roman taxes, a noxious thing to the Jews, and, using a Roman coin, he replied that God's things should go to God and Rome's to Rome. These are not the words of a man planning the overthrow of Rome! Yet this is what many of his chief disciples expected and wanted from him! It even appears that Judas Iscariot's main reason for betraying Master Y'shua was his firm conviction that by doing so, the Master would be forced to take up the messianic Scepter of Judah and defeat the Romans! He couldn't fathom why Master Y'shua was taking so long! This did not happen of course because the Jews of Jerusalem did not accept his call to repentance. As in the story of the householder who, after sending in servants to convey the owners wishes finally sent his own son, so too Master Y'shua was rejected by those he had come to help. We discussed this important parable earlier. In every such instance Master Y'shua made it clear that what was importance was Israel's repentance. Without that, the Kingdom could not be established. Had they listened to John and Master Y'shua, Rome would have been overthrown and the Kingdom established but it was his hearers must choose.
Y'shua considered the Judaism of his day and found it wanting. He charged that its priests and rabbis had sold out the Jewish people and nation to Rome and that their religious legalism was cutting the people off from true spiritual power. Even as the Jewish people had for so long failed to resist the lure of idolatry and the worship of other gods, in effect they had now made an idol of their inflexible observance of the Oral Traditions.
They had compromised and sacrificed too much in their desire for peace. Master Y'shua yearned for the coming of the Kingdom to rescue society, however he felt certain that his people were not yet ready to commit themselves to the degree of holiness that would require. He argued that John's holiness and Torah observance had been second to none and yet the least in the Kingdom of God would be more righteous than he because they would enter it based on a living faith!
Like John, the Master criticized the Pharisee's teachings and the misguided requirements of the Oral Torah to the exclusion of the Written Word of HaShem. He charged that:
Matthew 23:24:
"...they strain at a gnat, and yet swallow a camel!"

The Apostle Paul makes this teaching even clearer at Romans 10:
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

It wasn't that Master Y'shua considered the Oral Torah wrong exactly, but rather that through it, the Pharisees were missing the essential goals that HaShem wanted to achieve in His people (compare Micah 6:6-8). By doing so, both they and their hearers were falling into the pit of legalism: "Shabbat was made for man, not man for Shabbat!"
To Master Y'shua, the Orthodox Pharisees were in effect apostates to Judaism who were pushing people away from HaShem. We see certain parallels to this today within Christianity and elsewhere (comp. Rev. 3:14-20)! Like the Baptist, Master Y'shua felt duty bound to reprimand these rabbis publicly for their transgressions and religious hypocrisies. He charged that they had become so enmeshed in the Oral Torah that they were actually violating the more important Written Word! This was a serious allegation indeed! He refers to them in the Gospels as 'whitewashed sepulchers: They appeared to be holy in their robes and religious finery, but in reality, they were filled with the corpses of those they had pushed away from HaShem. The Master also charged that these misguided teachers were in collusion with the Roman occupying forces and hence directly rebelling against HaShem and the Jewish people.
Just as a Christian who criticizes the Pope or Jerry Falwel is not thereby denying Christianity, so likewise Master Y'shua's harsh criticism of certain segments of the Jewish religious hierarchy in no way suggests he was rejecting the Jewish faith or its people. The exact opposite was clearly the case! He was what is sometimes referred to as 'a member of the loyal opposition.'
Master Y'shua made a lot of powerful enemies! Righteous truth-tellers often do!
Master Y'shua dreamt of the coming Kingdom and prayed that the Jewish people would return to HaShem in faith and righteousness, order and peace. He was ready to be the man HaShem would use to comfort and care for his people, but they would not accept him.
For twenty-five some odd years Master Y'shua devoted himself to his studies. He prayed and sought the Will of HaShem for his life. He waited on HaShem, ever ready to obey. He waited on his people, ever ready to serve. Perhaps with great difficulty, he restrained his hand from what HaShem had not given him, ordination as the Shiloh. The cries for a political leader around whom the Judeans could rally into battle were intense and Master Y'shua could easily have raised and led a mighty Judean army to possible, yet this was not his calling, at least not until the people willingly committed themselves to HaShem.
Not long after his ministry ended, many Israelites did unite and seek to gain their independence through armed struggle against Rome. The devastating result, as foretold by Master Y'shua forty years before, was the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the two thousand year Jewish Diaspora that lasted until May of 1948 when HaShem called His people back to their Eretz Israel, also as foreseen by our Master (Matt 24:32-35).
According to the Gospel accounts, following his baptism by John, Master Y'shua taught for three and a half years. During these years, many people became convinced that he was a tzaddik or holy man, although they did not know what sort nor to which order he might belong: Master Y'shua is said to be a priest after "the Order of Melchizedek." This is a very telling comment however it be considered the topic for another study (Heb 5:10). This aspect of the Master's ministry is discussed elsewhere.
As for the Master's actual teachings, it seems safe to assume that the sayings ascribed to him in the Gospels are his own. It is also likely that most of the accounts of his confrontations with the various religious leaders, his travels and other experiences are at least based on his personal experiences. In some cases it appears that extraneous material has been added (for instance at Luke 9:22), while in other cases it is not so obvious. The best guideline for studying the New Testament seems to be that if the text is in harmony with the spirit of the Tanakh and/or does not violate its teachings, it's probably from the original writings. In those cases where the New Testament contradicts or misquotes the Tanakh, for instance at Matt. 1:22, 23 with reference to Isa. 7:10-16, one does well to consider the material tainted.
We read that after the three and half years of his earthly ministry had ended, Master Y'shua was betrayed by a friend's kiss and led away to his death. According to the Gospel accounts, this was not the end of Y'shua however! After three days, HaShem is said to have raised Master Y'shua from the dead. Master Y'shua remained on the earth for some time following his resurrection and finally, after appearing to scores of people, he was led up into the sky via a cloud, as the people looked on amazed.
According to standard Christian belief, Master Y'shua continues to live on in Heaven where he serves the dual role of Judge and Defense Attorney as High Priest before the Throne of HaShem. One day, it is taught, this same Jesus will return to the earth and fulfill the remaining messianic prophecies, ushering in a Thousand-Year Kingdom in which Christians will rule the earth under their returned Messiah. The state of the Jews in this Kingdom varies depending on the teachers quizzed.
While this teaching sounds fairly reasonable, if one accepts the basic premise of Christian theology, there are no teachings in the Tanakh supporting the belief that the Messiah will accomplish his mission in two separate "comings." Nor the Bible teach that the Messiah will first be brutalized and murdered, that he will rise from the dead, or later return following an extended absence. Likewise, the virgin birth of the Messiah is not taught, nor that he will be God incarnate. The only way to prove that Master Y'shua or anyone else is or was the Messiah is by the messianic requirements laid out plainly in the Tanakh and thus far, these remain unfulfilled by anyone.
Speaking in John the Beloved's Book of the Apocalypse, the risen Master clearly says that when the Messiah finally comes, he will "have a name written that no one knows but he himself." Everyone on earth knows the name of Jesus (Rev. 19:12).
The question therefore is whether Master Y'shua of Nazareth fulfilled the messianic requirements.
This Study of the Noahide Nazarene Way Continues in Part Four