Messiah as a Prophet

 Some Jews in Jesus’ time did expect the Messiah to be a prophet, or to come in a prophetic role. This expectation was not universal, but it was widespread and influential. Here are the main reasons:

1. The promise of a “Prophet like Moses” (Deuteronomy 18:15–18)

Many Jews believed that God would send a great prophet “like Moses.”

This figure would speak God’s words with authority.

He would guide Israel, perform signs, and bring renewal.

By the first century, some people saw this “prophet-like-Moses” figure as a messianic figure.

This is why, in the Gospels, people ask Jesus:

“Is this the Prophet?” (John 1:21; 6:14; 7:40)

They were expecting a prophetic Messiah, not just a royal or priestly one.

2. The Essenes expected a “prophetic Messiah”

Some Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g., 1QS, 1QSa, 4QTestimonia) speak of:

A Priestly Messiah

A Royal Messiah

And sometimes a Prophetic figure

This prophetic figure would interpret Scripture, reveal God’s will, and lead the people spiritually.

So at least some Jewish groups clearly expected a prophetic agent of God.

3. Many believed that Elijah would return

Malachi 4:5 says Elijah would come before the “Day of the Lord.”

This created an expectation that a prophetic forerunner would appear — and perhaps the Messiah himself would also function as a prophet like Elijah.

This explains why people said:

“Some say you are Elijah.”

“Some say you are a prophet.” (Mark 8:28)

The Messiah could be seen as a miracle-working prophet, like Elijah or Elisha.

4. Popular piety saw prophets as deliverers

Prophets like:

Moses

Samuel

Elijah

Elisha

…were remembered as doing more than “predicting the future.”
They confronted kings, performed miracles, liberated people, and led Israel morally and spiritually.

So it was natural for some to hope for a great prophet who would deliver them again.

This expectation is visible when people say:

“A great prophet has arisen among us!” (Luke 7:16)

5. Jesus’ actions fit prophetic expectations

During his ministry, Jesus often looked like a prophet:

He proclaimed God’s kingdom

Performed miracles

Confronted corruption

Spoke with God’s authority

Raised the dead (like Elijah/Elisha)

So people spontaneously understood him as a prophetic Messiah.

Summary

In Jesus’ time, people had several different expectations about the Messiah:

A kingly Messiah (son of David)

A priestly Messiah (from Aaron’s line)

A prophetic Messiah (like Moses or Elijah)

Some groups expected more than one messianic figure

So yes, many Jews expected the Messiah to come as a prophet, and this expectation directly shaped how they interpreted Jesus’ ministry.

If you want, I can also write a short Malayalam explanation for this.

Finding the Unchanging Self in a World of Change

1. Change as the Basic Condition of Human Life

From the moment a human being becomes aware of life, the most powerful reality they encounter is change. Human existence unfolds within a continuous cycle of birth, growth, decline, and death. We grow older, and so do those around us. Some people leave this world, while new life enters it. Change, therefore, is not an exception to life; it is life’s normal and inevitable condition.

2. A World That Never Stands Still

This constant movement is not limited to individual lives. Societies also change. Ideas once accepted without question are later challenged. Knowledge that once appeared complete is shown to be partial. Values, beliefs, and cultures evolve over time. History moves forward beyond human control, and human beings move within it rather than directing it.

3. The Illusion of Control

Life often feels like sitting in a small boat carried by a strong current. At times, we can row and influence our immediate direction, but we cannot control the river itself. In the same way, human beings can make choices and take decisions, yet the larger movement of life frequently remains beyond their command.

4. The Question That Arises from Uncertainty

Living amid such uncertainty naturally gives rise to a fundamental question: Is there anything that does not change? This is not merely a philosophical question. It emerges from a deep human need for stability. In a world that is constantly shifting, people instinctively seek something firm on which they can stand.

5. Searching for Stability Outside Ourselves

At first, this stability is sought outside the self. To a child, parents appear permanent and unchanging. Later, people place their trust in teachers, spiritual leaders, respected figures, or powerful ideas. Over time, however, it becomes clear that all these too are subject to change. When this realization deepens, the search often moves beyond the visible world, leading to the idea of an eternal, unchanging creator who exists beyond time and history.

6. The Turning Point: Looking Inward

Yet the most decisive turn in this search does not lie outside but within. When a person turns inward, a remarkable truth becomes visible: while the body and mind are in constant change, there is an inner awareness that observes these changes. Emotions rise and fall. Thoughts appear and disappear. Opinions, beliefs, and knowledge evolve. Still, the awareness that says, “This is happening to me,” remains steady.

7. Self-Awareness as Direct Experience

This self-awareness is not a theory or an inherited belief. It is a directly experienced reality. It cannot be borrowed from tradition or accepted secondhand. It must be discovered personally through reflection, attentiveness, and inner examination. When this awareness is clearly recognized, one’s way of seeing life begins to change.

8. Living Freely Amid Change

Once this inner foundation is found, change no longer appears as a threat. Instead, it is experienced as a natural flow of events. Life continues to move, circumstances continue to shift, but the person is no longer shaken at the core.

9. The Unchanging Foundation Within

Thus, the human journey often begins with a search for something unchanging in the outer world, but it ultimately arrives at an unchanging foundation within. This discovery brings inner stability, calm, and clarity of direction. Even while living in a world shaped by constant change, it enables a person to remain grounded, whole, and unbroken.