<aside> 👉

Download this file here:

Why The Jewish People Didn't Expect A Suffering Savior.pdf

</aside>

Session Objective

To examine, from Scripture and history, the reasons why the Jewish people during the time of Christ did not anticipate a suffering Messiah, despite prophetic texts that clearly depict suffering. This session will help the listener grasp the historical, theological, and hermeneutical gaps that led to the national misunderstanding of Messiah’s role.

I. The Prophets Did Not Fully Understand Their Own Prophecies

Key Text: 1 Peter 1:10–11

“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently... searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

• Prophets “searched diligently” — implying confusion or incomplete understanding.
• “What” and “what manner of time” — they couldn’t pinpoint the specifics.
• Therefore, their audience—ancient Israel—would have had even less clarity.

Point To Remember:

If the inspired writers were uncertain about the meaning of their own words, how much more would the average reader fail to grasp a suffering Messiah?

II. The Prophecies of Suffering Were Veiled in Poetic or Symbolic Language

Examples:

• Genesis 3:15 – "bruise his heel" – cryptic and open to various interpretations.
• Psalm 22:16 – "they pierced my hands and my feet" – vivid, but without clear Messianic attribution.
• Isaiah 50:6 – “I gave my back to the smiters...” – poetic, not plainly identified as the Messiah.

Point To Remember:

These texts did not say, “The Messiah will suffer in this way.” They required a framework for understanding that didn’t exist yet.

III. Jewish Expectation Focused on Glory, Not Suffering