Messiah Requirements

Question

My great-Grandmother was Jewish; but I was not raised that way. My practicing friends tell me Jesus was not the messiah because he did not do what messiah is supposed to do. I am confused/ignorant because I do not know what the requirements are. I want to know because I am a thinking man and try to live honestly, even though I am not observant.

Please educate me.

Thank you.

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    The Messianic Era will be heralded in with peace and tranquility throughout the world. According to an accepted view, the Messianic Era will span one thousand years. The Messiah will be a mortal being who will pass on his dynasty to his descendants. What will be after that time is something that cannot be answered.

    Jewish Tradition states that a potential Messiah is born in every generation. It is the behavior of each generation that dictates whether he will live out his life incognito or not. The Messiah will have parents and will be born in a natural fashion. Knowing who that person is will have no bearing on whether he will be “allowed” to fulfill his destiny. The only thing that it would do is place the most unbearable pressure on him.

    The Rambam, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, states that, as we have no way of knowing what will be, one should not spend too much time mulling over the End of Days and the Messianic Era.

    Please allow me to point out that the Jewish status of a person is passed down through the mother. If your great-grandmother was Jewish on your mother’s side and there is a unbroken female line from your great-grandmother to you (i.e. your maternal grandmother and your mother) it would actually mean that you are Jewish.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team