Jesus Is the Christ: The Messianic Testimony of the Gospels

by Michael F. Bird

Explains the importance of the title and role of Messiah in each of the Gospels and argues that Christianity was a messianic movement rooted in its Jewish context. Michael Bird engages the subject of the messianism of the four Gospels. While the title and role of 'Messiah' ascribed to Jesus in the Gospels has long been regarded as a late add on, a fabricated claim, or an insignificant feature, Bird argues in contrast that the messianic claims are the most significant for the portrayal of Jesus.

Genres: Theology, New Testament, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Dr. Michael Bird (Ph.D University of Queensland) is Lecturer in Theology at Ridley Melbourne College of Mission and Ministry. He is the author of several books including Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission (2006), The Saving Righteousness of God (2007), A Bird’s-Eye View of Paul (2008), Colossians and Philemon (2009), Crossing Over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period (2009), and Are You the One Who is to Come? The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question (2009).

Reviews

[Josie Seto · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an assignment

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word "Christ" is often used almost as a surname for Jesus, when in fact it was the Greek term for Messiah. Michael Bird would contend that the affirmation of the title is in fact appropriate to the person of Jesus.

Bird's task in this introductory monograph is to explore the testimony of the gospels with regard to this messianic claim. Before this, he deals with a preliminary question: when did Jesus become the Messiah? Was this only subsequent to his resurrection or even sometime in the life of the early church, or was it within the lifetime of Jesus, or even inherent in his person? In particular, he finds theories that somehow transform a non-Messianic Jesus into a Messianic figure in the life of the church to be implausible.

He then considers the testimony of each of the four canonical gospels. These are distinctive but not divergent, variations on a theme rather than dissonant themes. Mark focuses on the crucified Messiah, the startling idea that the Messiah would die as Israel's ransom (Mk 10:45). Matthew focuses on the Davidic Messiah, the descendant of David who is David's Lord and brings renewal to Israel. Luke-Acts shows us the prophetic Messiah who forms a new community bringing together Jew and Gentile. In John we see the elusive Messiah, the one from Nazareth from which no Messiah would come yet whose signs and testimony reveal his Messianic identity, confessed by Martha prior to the resurrection of Lazarus.

His brief conclusion focuses on the theme of belief in Jesus as the Messiah that he sees as a common thread of the four gospels--the testimony of Peter in the synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and the purpose statement of John 20:31.

Bird makes this case by carefully, yet concisely marshalling the biblical testimony. This is a rigorous yet accessible treatment that frames the biblical arguments for the traditional view of Jesus Messiahship that gives the lie to contemporary proposals that this Messiahship is simply a creation of the church. Nearly sixty pages of bibliography and endnotes provide resources for those who want to go deeper. All in all, a great introductory work to this important question!

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So when did Jesus’ followers begin to proclaim him the Messiah? Michael Bird argues that Jesus deliberately acted out a messianic role, and that his followers would hardly have proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah against Jesus’ own self-understanding. I needed no convincing on this topic, but if I did, the introduction to Bird’s book alone provides evidence enough. Indeed, I found the long introduction to be the most thought-provoking part of the book!

After the introduction the book settles down to a methodical look at each of the four gospels and their unique contribution in portraying Jesus as the Judaic Messiah. I found Bird’s examination of the gospels less bold, but no less interesting and informative. The question to be answered seems to shift from When did Jesus become known as Messiah? to How clearly is Jesus portrayed as Messiah? Bird describes the gospels as “stained-glass windows offering different shapes and colors about a figure they all regard in their own unique way as the long-promised Messiah.” He reads them this way:



Mark: The Crucified Messiah

Matthew: The Davidic Messiah

Luke/Acts: The Prophetic Messiah

John: The Elusive Messiah



The three main titles that Bird examines are Son of Man, Son of God, and Son of David. Each, he argues, is a messianic expression. The Gospel Christology thus is a form of messianism and must be understood in that light.

Bird’s writing is scholarly, precise, and well-argued, with lots of references and endnotes. I’ll definitely be picking up more books from this author.

[Greg Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a simple person. This book was a gold mine.

A little more academic than my normal reading (commentaries aside). I would encourage earnest believers to commit to reading about the messiah-ship of our Savior King, Christ Jesus the Lord. It is essential to who He is. This book helped me love my Bible, and the God of the Bible, even more.

The Gospel accounts are always fresh. If you’ve been away from them awhile (malnourished), or your eyes have become dull, commit to the chewing on the meat of this book and your soul will find good-feeding.

[Joseph Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredible engagement of the Messianic testimony of the four gospels! Bird’s argument is in-depth, supported by Scripture, keeping with orthodox Christian beliefs, and engages the contextual significance of the claims well.

His hope is to retrieve the undeniable necessity of Jesus as the Messiah for a proper understanding of His person and work, and he does so in an engaging and informative way. I had always wanted a book like this, and I highly recommend this one!

[Kendall Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent and accessible introduction and exposition of the messianic theology of the gospels. My main grips with Bird are gripes I have with most scholars in this area. It was a bit unclear to me who exactly he's arguing against. Is his foil people like Bousset and Conzelmann who thought that the gospel writers had left behind messianism? It wasn't really clear to me, but it would've made it easier to understand what Bird sees himself doing.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bird is a great scholar and good writer, so I don't know why I had so much trouble getting through this one. I think it was the constant amplifications in Greek (a language I don't read well) and sources in parentheses that tripped me up.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus is the Christ is a detailed exploration of the category of "Messiah" in the four gospels, showing that the Messiahship of Jesus is not a later accretion or a leftover from pre-gospel times, but is integral to the portrayal of Jesus — and that many other titles and identifiers of Jesus are part of the larger constellation that is "the Messiah." The Jewish underpinnings of the gospels are kept in mind throughout, but at the same time the idea of the "Messiah" undergoes redefinition in light of who Jesus actually was. The book is densely written, meaning that after an initial read-through, one may want to go through it a second time, more slowly, looking up the Scriptures listed as the argument develops. Highly recommended; written at a fairly advanced level.

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird's task is to set Jesus squarely in his Jewishness, and his overall Jewish context, while arguing that his Christ title was never just a surname, but was always a messianic proclamation for the first Christians. Furthermore, Bird argues that it is not enough to claim Jesus as Messiah, but one must recognize that Jesus came with the intention to be Messiah, and that it was the driving force behind his ministry.

Bird argues forcefully and with insight, and maybe his greatest strength is that he is a rigorous academic who happens to also be an entertaining writer. A great book on the Gospel accounts.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird strives to show how all four Gospels-with their respective emphases-cast Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. In doing so, Bird pushes back against the dominant scholarly narrative that asserts that Jesus' Messiahship was a title conferred upon him by the early Church rather than a role that Jesus himself claimed. To prove his point, Bird examines the four Gospels in terms of their narratives, episodes, and 1st-Century Jewish notions of Messiahship. Bird succeeds in showing that not only was Jesus' Messiahship not a later addition, but also that his Messiahship is integral for understanding the character of Jesus in each Gospel.

[Noah Calcagno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bird is definitely a mixed bag theologically. He is Anglican by tradition, Calvinist by soteriology, and a pretty strong egalitarian.

Despite being unable to exactly pin down where exactly Bird lies on the theological spectrum, his writing style is very engaging, which made this book a pretty enjoyable read. On top of that, he makes some very good points about the importance of recognizing and understanding Jesus' Messiahship and its ramifications.

[Todd Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong biblical commentary investigating the Gospels' presentation and defense of Jesus as the Christ. Bird works through all four Gospels, studying the arguments of each for Jesus' messianic consciousness.