I wanted an impartial answer to the question of whether Yeshua thought of himself as the messiah, based on the scriptural evidence, rather than whether his followers thought of him as a messiah (a crucial difference). I asked ChatGPT to look at all the biblical passages in the Hebrew Bible (the Miqra), in order to gain an understanding of what the ancient biblical writers believed a messiah would be and do. I asked it to look at passages that explicitly and plainly refer to the messiah of David, not at passages which require a measure of mental gymnastics to force them to apply to the future messiah, or at passages which refer either to anointed kings who have already been and gone, or to what God will do in a future age.
So I asked the following question of ChatGPT, and let it decide without any prompting from me:
“Staying only within the framework of the Davidic Covenant and what the prophets explicitly say about who the messiah will be and what he will do, is there anything specifically in what Yeshua himself said or did in Mark, Matthew or Luke that either:
1. shows that he definitely thought of himself as this biblically- and prophetically-defined messiah, or
2. shows that he did NOT think of himself as a messiah?“
This is ChatGPT’s answer:
This is a very well-posed question, and your framing is careful. I’ll stay strictly within the framework you’ve outlined, and I will not import later Christian theology or Johannine ideas. I’ll also limit myself only to what Yeshua himself says or does in Mark, Matthew, and Luke, asking what those actions or sayings imply about his own self-understanding.
I’ll organise the answer into two clear sections.
I. EVIDENCE THAT YESHUA DID NOT THINK OF HIMSELF AS THIS BIBLICAL MESSIAH
When measured against the Miqra-based criteria you specified, the dominant picture in the Synoptics is that Yeshua does not present himself as the Davidic, restorative, end-of-exile messiah.
By examining the Miqra’s explicitly-stated messianic criteria alongside Yeshua’s own words and actions, the conclusion is that Yeshua did not understand himself to be the Davidic restoration messiah anticipated in Israelite prophecy. Rather, Yeshua is best understood as a Yahwist tribulation-prophet, calling Israel to repentance in the period immediately preceding national catastrophe and exile.
The Messianic Framework of the Miqra
The identity and mission of the messiah are defined exclusively by the Miqra and its prophetic expectations. These expectations are neither abstract nor spiritualised but historical, communal, and covenantal in nature.
A. The Davidic Covenant
The messiah is rooted in the irrevocable Davidic covenant, in which YHVH promises an enduring royal lineage culminating in a righteous ruler who governs Israel faithfully (2 Sam 7:8–16; Ps 89:20–38; Ps 132:11–12; Jer 33:22). Since a messiah is defined by covenant, this means that God does not change the definition of what a messiah is or will do.
B. The Prophetic Mission of the Messiah
The Miqra consistently associates the messiah with:
- the reunification of Ephraim and Judah
- the return of the exiles
- renewed covenant fidelity
- national restoration
- the rebuilding of the Temple
- universal peace and universal knowledge of YHVH
- the recognition of YHVH, not the messiah, as sovereign over all the earth
(Isa 11; Jer 23; Ezek 34; Ezek 37; Isa 2; Zech 14; Hab 2:14)
Crucially, the messiah appears after divine regathering and covenant renewal, not before them.
1. Yeshua never claims Davidic kingship in the biblical sense
When the title “son of David” is applied to him by others, Yeshua does not then adopt it as a self-designation, and in one case actively problematises it:
- Mark 12:35–37; Matt 22:41–46; Luke 20:41–44
Yeshua questions how the messiah can simply be “David’s son”, citing Psalm 110.
This is not a clarification of messiahship, but a destabilisation of popular Davidic expectations.
This is significant, given that Davidic kingship is foundational to how you framed your question.
2. He explicitly rejects political or military messianism
With regard to the circumstances that the prophets claim will exist at the time when God chooses a messiah, this framework includes:
- war against hostile nations, led by Gog of Magog
- national deliverance from these hostile nations
- restored sovereignty for the land and people of Israel
Yet Yeshua repeatedly rejects violence and political mobilisation.
- Matt 26:52 — “All who take the sword will perish by the sword”
- Luke 19:41–44 — He weeps over Jerusalem’s coming destruction, rather than rallying resistance to invasion
- Luke 22:25–26; Mark 10:42–45 — He contrasts Gentile rulers with his own vision of leadership (leader as servant)
This places him outside the expected role of a biblical messiah who:
- defeats his enemies
- restores national independence
- presides over geopolitical transformation
3. He predicts exile and catastrophe — not its reversal
A key biblical criterion is that the messiah appears after God regathers Israel and ends exile – this is perhaps the most crucial and pivotal difference between biblical expectations of a messiah, and what Yeshua said and did.
Yeshua does the opposite of what the messiah is expected to do:
- Mark 13; Matt 24; Luke 21 — Foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
- Luke 23:28–31 — Warnings of coming judgment on the people
He locates himself before exile, not after it — exactly the posture of a tribulation prophet, not a restoration messiah.
4. He never claims to rebuild the Temple
The biblical framework of messianic expectations includes:
- rebuilding the final Temple
- permanent divine dwelling in the midst of Israel
However, Yeshua:
- predicts the Temple’s destruction (Mark 13:2)
- symbolically critiques it (Mark 11:15–17)
- never claims to rebuild it
Even alleged sayings about rebuilding in three days are presented as false testimony by others:
- Mark 14:57–59
5. He consistently redirects attention away from himself
When people try to fix his identity in exalted terms, Yeshua often deflects.
- Mark 8:27–30 — He silences messianic declarations
- Luke 18:18–19 — “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone”
This is deeply incompatible with someone consciously presenting himself as the climactic Davidic redeemer.
6. He places fulfilment of the Kingdom in God’s future actions, not his own role
In passages about the Kingdom of God, Yeshua:
- announces its approach
- describes its values
- warns of judgment
But he never says:
“I will restore Israel”
“I will reign over the nations”
“I will reunite Ephraim and Judah”
Instead:
- Luke 21:31 — “When you see these things… know that the Kingship of God is near”
- Mark 1:15 — God’s Kingship is fast approaching; people must repent
He is the herald, not the agent, of the soon-to-come acts of divine judgement (the Kingship of God).
II. Texts sometimes cited to argue that Yeshua did see himself as messiah — and why they fall short within the biblical framework of who the messiah is and what he will do
To be fair, there are passages that later readers interpret messianically. When examined carefully though, they do not meet the biblical criteria of a Davidic messiah.
1. “You are the Messiah” (Peter’s confession)
- Mark 8:29; Matt 16:16; Luke 9:20
Yeshua:
- does not define what “messiah” means
- immediately speaks of suffering, rejection, and death (in contrast to the triumphant biblical view of a messiah)
- rebukes Peter when Peter imagines a triumphant role (Mark 8:33)
This indicates a radical redefinition by Peter, not acceptance of the biblical messianic role.
2. The entry into Jerusalem (Zech 9 imagery)
- Mark 11:1–10; Matt 21:1–11; Luke 19:28–40
This is often cited, but note:
- Zechariah 9 depicts a humble king, not the victor over Gog of Magog
- Yeshua does nothing ‘kingly’ after this incident
- he does not take power, issue decrees, or reform institutions
The act of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey functions symbolically, not as an outline of Yeshua‘s political programme.
3. The “Son of Man”
- Mark 13:26; 14:62; Matt 24:30; Luke 21:27
For a detailed explanation of what the term ‘son of man’ actually means in Aramaic, see this article.
Key points:
- Yeshua often speaks of the Son of Man in the future
- often used in the third person (in Aramaic, ‘son of man’ / bar nasha serves as a humble way of referring to oneself, not a title of triumphalism)
- as someone God will vindicate
This aligns with:
- Danielic imagery of a future redemption
- not with self-identification as the reigning Davidic king initiating restoration
III. Conclusion
Within the specified framework of your enquiry, the Synoptic evidence strongly supports the following conclusion:
Within the Miqra-defined framework of messianic expectation, the Synoptic Gospels provide no evidence that Yeshua understood himself to be the messiah who:
- reunites Israel
- ends exile
- rebuilds the Temple
- inaugurates universal peace
- reigns as Davidic king
Yeshua did not therefore understand himself to be the Davidic messiah who fulfils the Miqra’s own restoration promises.
Instead, he understood himself as:
- a Jewish prophet
- a tribulation-era warning voice
- a teacher calling Israel back to Torah’s ethical heart and repent
- one who prepares people spiritually for exile and judgment
This fits perfectly with:
- the biblical pattern of exile- and tribulation-prophets
- your previously-stated understanding of Yeshua’s role in Massorite Talmidaism
- the absence, in his Synoptic ministry, of any fulfilment of the very concrete messianic conditions laid out in the Davidic Covenant, or in prophetic descriptions of messianic expectations
His mission aligns with Israel’s prophetic tradition, not with messianic fulfilment.