Al-Masihu-Isa: The Glory of Jesus the Messiah
Chapters
Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Was he the Lord and Savior of all men as Christians believe? Was he just a prophet as Islam teaches? Was he an impostor as the leading Jews of his time claimed? (Matthew 27:63). Who really was this man Jesus?
There are few people in history who have demanded the attention of the world as Jesus has and few popular figures have been debated about as much as he has been. Indeed, right from the beginning, during the early days of his ministry, there was much discussion about him among the Jews, some approving of his good works with others claiming he was leading the people astray (John 7:12). The disputes continued right through his ministry.
One day, when Jesus was retiring with his disciple to the district of Caesarea Philippi to the north of the Sea of Galilee, he asked them: "Who do men say that I am?" Mark 8:27
They answered that some said he was John the Baptist, raised from the dead, while others claimed that he was Elijah and yet others that he was one of the prophets. The general consensus of opinion was that he was a prophet. John the Baptist is mentioned as a prophet in the Qur'an under the name Yahya (Quran 3.39) and Elijah is likewise named as one of the prophets under the name Ilyas (Quran 37.123). The Jews concluded that Jesus was one of the prophets - which one, they were not sure - but nonetheless a prophet, no more, no less. So likewise Islam today regards Jesus (Isa in the Qur'an, Quran 3.45) as a mighty prophet of God, but nevertheless as no more than a prophet.
After his disciples had told him that the Jews all appeared to agree that he was one of the prophets, he turned to them and said, "But who do you say that I am"? (Mark 8:29). One of them, Simon Peter, answered him: "You are the Messiah". Mark 8:29
Peter's reply was, "the people may say that you are only a prophet, but I say you are far more than a prophet - you are the Messiah" (In most English translations the original Greek word Christos is usually translated "Christ", but as the Greek word itself is a translation of the Hebrew Mashiah, we shall always use the word "Messiah" in this booklet). The Jews had long believed that their Messiah was coming into the world and it was universally believed that he would be far more than a prophet. Peter's exclamation was clearly intended to be in contrast with the opinion of the masses. They were prepared to accept Jesus as a prophet but he was willing to go much further and declared Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The Jews cherished the hope that their Messiah would be a political leader who would free the nation from the Romans and set them up as the greatest nation on earth in a timeless reign of unparalleled prosperity. As Jesus regularly resisted their attempts to set him up as the King of the Jews (John 6:15) and spoke to them of their own need to repent and humble themselves before God, they turned away from him. The whole Christian world throughout the centuries, however, he has openly declared Jesus to be the true Messiah and has also accepted him as far more than a prophet, indeed as the very Lord and Saviour of all mankind (Titus 2:13).