Who Is Yeshua to Me?
Have you ever wondered who Yeshua really is? Some people call him Jesus, others call him Yeshua, and many people have different ideas about who he was and why he came. But instead of simply believing everything we hear, we should open our Bibles and discover what Yeshua taught about himself and about the God of Israel.
I believe Yeshua is the promised Messiah, the special person God sent to teach us how to live, love one another, obey His commandments, and understand His Kingdom. I do not believe Yeshua is God Himself, because Yeshua prayed to God, listened to God, and called God his Father. But I do believe Yeshua is someone very special whom God chose for an extraordinary purpose.
Let's discover why!
1. Yeshua Is My Rabbi
Did you know that Yeshua was called a Rabbi? Rabbi is a Hebrew word that means teacher.
Imagine having a teacher who not only explains what is right but also shows you how to do it every day. That is what Yeshua did for his disciples. He taught them to be kind, forgive others, help people in need, pray, and love God with all their hearts.
When Yeshua said, “Follow me,” he was inviting people to become his disciples. A disciple is someone who learns from a teacher and tries to follow that teacher's example.
Today, we can be Yeshua's disciples by practicing what he taught, even when doing the right thing is difficult.
📖 Read Matthew 4:19 and John 13:13.
2. Yeshua Taught Us to Worship the One God
One day, someone asked Yeshua which commandment was the most important. Yeshua answered by repeating a very special prayer from the Torah called the Shema.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
Deuteronomy 6:4
Yeshua taught that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the greatest commandment. He also taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
When Yeshua prayed, he prayed to his Father in heaven, and he taught his disciples to do the same.
That is why I worship the God of Israel and follow Yeshua as the Messiah whom God sent.
📖 Read Mark 12:28–31 and Matthew 6:9.
3. Yeshua Is the Promised Messiah
The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, which means “anointed one.”
In ancient Israel, kings and priests were sometimes anointed with oil to show that God had chosen them for a special responsibility.
The Bible tells us that God promised to bring a special ruler who would help fulfill His plans for Israel and His Kingdom. I believe Yeshua is that promised Messiah.
Yeshua did not come to teach people to forget God. He taught people to return to God, repent of their sins, practice righteousness, and prepare for God's Kingdom.
Think about a king who is given authority to rule. The king's authority comes with a responsibility to lead faithfully. In a much greater way, I believe God gave Yeshua authority to carry out His special mission.
📖 Read John 4:25–26 and Matthew 28:18.
4. Yeshua Is the Prophet We Should Listen To
Long before Yeshua was born, Moses told the people of Israel that God would raise up a prophet from among them.
Moses said:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me... You must listen to him.” - Deuteronomy 18:15
A prophet is someone who delivers a message from God. Moses spoke God's words to Israel, and Yeshua also said that his teachings came from the Father who sent him.
The followers of Yeshua believed he fulfilled this promise, and that is why they listened carefully to his words.
Imagine your parents sending someone with an important message for you. If you trust your parents, you should pay attention to the message they sent. In a similar way, I believe we should listen to Yeshua because God sent him.
📖 Read Deuteronomy 18:15–19, John 7:16, and Acts 3:22.
5. Why Do We Go Into the Waters of Mikveh?
Have you ever seen someone go completely underwater during a baptism?
In Hebrew, we often call ritual immersion tevilah, and the special pool used for immersion is called a mikveh.
Jewish people practiced immersion long before Yeshua's time. Immersion was connected with becoming ritually clean and, in some circumstances, marking an important change in a person's life.
The first disciples of Yeshua also practiced immersion. When someone was immersed in Yeshua's name, it showed that the person wanted to identify with him and follow his way.
When I was immersed in Yeshua's name, I was showing my commitment to become his disciple. I wanted to follow his teachings and live in a way that honors God.
Being immersed does not mean we will never make mistakes again. It means we are choosing a path of repentance, learning, and growing closer to God.
📖 Read Acts 2:38 and Acts 8:12.
6. Why Do I Pray in Yeshua's Name?
Yeshua taught his disciples to pray to our Father in heaven. When I pray, I speak to the God of Israel, and I often end my prayers by saying, “In the name of Yeshua.” or in hebrew "B'shem Yeshua"
📖 Read Matthew 6:9, John 16:23.
7. Yeshua Is a Tzaddik
Here is another Hebrew word I want you to learn.
צַדִּיק
Tzaddik pronounce (sadeek)
A tzaddik is a righteous person, someone who tries to live faithfully before God and do what is right.
Yeshua taught people to love God, care for others, forgive their enemies, and practice righteousness. I believe he was a special and faithful Tzaddik who obeyed God even when doing so brought suffering.
Have you ever done the right thing even though it was difficult? Perhaps you told the truth when you were afraid of getting in trouble, or defended someone who was being bullied.
Those are small examples of choosing righteousness even when it costs us something.
Yeshua's faithfulness was much greater, and I believe his life teaches us what it means to remain faithful to God.
📖 Read Matthew 5:6–10 and Acts 3:14.
8. Why Did Yeshua Die?
This is one of the most important and difficult parts of Yeshua's story.
The Bible teaches that people sometimes suffer even when they have done nothing wrong. The prophet Isaiah describes a righteous servant who suffers and whose suffering is connected with the sins and healing of others.
I believe Yeshua is the righteous servant described by Isaiah.
Jewish sages, who were wise teachers who spent their lives studying and explaining the Torah, also taught something very interesting: the suffering and death of a righteous person can have a special meaning and even bring atonement for others.
In the Talmud, a collection of discussions and teachings from ancient Jewish rabbis about the Torah and Jewish life, we find a fascinating teaching in a section called Moed Katan 28a. There, the rabbis discuss the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the sister and brother of Moses, and explain that just as certain sacrifices and priestly rituals were connected with atonement, the death of righteous people can also bring atonement.
But what does atonement mean? Atonement is connected with forgiveness, making things right after we have done something wrong, and restoring our relationship with God. It reminds us that even when we make mistakes or sin, God provides a way for us to repent, seek His forgiveness, and return to Him.
I believe God used the faithfulness and suffering of His righteous Messiah as part of His plan to bring redemption.
And just because Yeshua died for this special purpose does not mean he became God.
It means I believe God accomplished something extraordinary through His Messiah.
📖 Read Isaiah 53:4–6, Acts 2:23–24, and Moed Katan 28a.
9. God Raised Yeshua From the Dead
The story of Yeshua does not end with his death.
The apostolic writings teach that God raised Yeshua from the dead. His disciples believed they saw him alive again, and they began sharing the message that God had exalted him.
Peter said:
“This Yeshua God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
Acts 2:32
Notice something important in Peter's words. Peter says that God raised Yeshua. He speaks about God and Yeshua distinctly.
For me, the resurrection is a wonderful sign of God's power and a reason to hope that death does not have the final word.
📖 Read Acts 2:24, Acts 2:32, and 1 Corinthians 15:20–22.
10. So Who Is Yeshua to Me?
After learning all these things, I can answer the question with confidence.
Yeshua is my Rabbi because I want to learn from his teachings and follow his example.
He is my Messiah because I believe God promised to send him, and he is the prophet whom I believe Moses told Israel to listen to.
Yeshua is also my Tzaddik because I believe he lived faithfully before God, and I believe his suffering and death became part of God's wonderful plan of redemption.
I do not worship Yeshua as God, but I love him as my Messiah, respect him as my Rabbi, and try to follow the path he taught. When I pray, I pray to the Father in Yeshua's name, and when I read the Torah, I remember that Yeshua taught his disciples to love God and love their neighbors.
Following Yeshua is not just about knowing his name or remembering his story. It is about learning to become more loving, forgiving, honest, humble, faithful, and obedient to God.
And that is what I want my life to show.
Let's Think About It!
What does the word Rabbi mean, and why do we call Yeshua our Rabbi?
What is the Shema, and why did Yeshua teach it?
What does Messiah mean?
Why is immersion in Yeshua's name important to his disciples?
What is a tzaddik, and how can you practice righteousness this week?
Why do I believe Yeshua's death was important?
What is one teaching of Yeshua that you can practice at home today?
Hebrew Words to Remember
Hebrew | How to say it | Meaning |
רַבִּי | Rabbi | My teacher |
מָשִׁיחַ | Mashiach | Anointed one, Messiah |
צַדִּיק | Tzaddik | Righteous person |
מִקְוֶה | Mikveh | Ritual immersion pool |
תּוֹרָה | Torah | Teaching or instruction |
תְּפִלָּה | Tefillah | Prayer |
תְּשׁוּבָה | Teshuvah | Repentance, returning to God |
גְּאֻלָּה | Geulah | Redemption |
A Prayer to Our Father
Father in Heaven, thank You for Your Torah and for the teachers who help us understand Your ways. Thank You for Yeshua, whom I believe You sent as the promised Messiah of Israel. Help me listen to his teachings, love You with all my heart, treat others with kindness, forgive when I am hurt, and choose what is right even when it is difficult. Teach me to become a faithful disciple who brings honor to Your Name.
In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah. Amen.
Sources for Parents and Teachers
For additional family study, read Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Deuteronomy 18:15–19; Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Matthew 4:18–22; Matthew 6:9–13; Mark 12:28–34; John 7:16; John 20:17; Acts 2:22–36; and Acts 3:13–23.
Beit Ely | Learning Torah, Following Messiah, Honoring the One God of Israel
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