Have you ever searched for something you knew was there - a set of keys, a favorite shirt, a tool you just had in your hand? You look right where it should be, maybe two or three times… but for some reason, you just can’t see it. Then later, maybe hours later, you find it right where you thought it was all along. It hadn’t moved, but maybe it was flipped over or faded or folded differently than you remembered - and the truth is you weren’t looking for the thing itself; you were looking for what you expected it to look like. We all do this- and not just with lost items. We do it with people, with opportunities, with ideas, even with G-d. We get attached to our mental image of how something should appear and we miss it completely when it doesn’t match.

In the Jewish tradition we’ve been given a vision of a future Messiah- not a metaphor, not a spiritual concept, but a real person… a leader, a descendent of King David someone who brings peace to the world, rebuilds the Temple, gathers the Jewish people, and restores justice and knowledge of G-d for all humankind. That’s the picture that we’ve been given. Now in Christianity, there is a different picture. Jesus is presented as the Messiah. But from a Jewish perspective, he didn’t fulfill those promises- not in his lifetime and not afterward. There was no peace, no ingathering, no Temple, no global awareness of G-d. The world, in many ways, became more divided.

And so I want to ask, with care and sincerity, what happens if the real Messiah does come, but he doesn’t match the image many have grown up with? Will people be able to recognize him? Will they be open? Or will they say - that’s not him, he doesn’t look like the one I was expecting. It’s not a judgment. It’s a question, a human one. Because we all do this. We all cling to the familiar. We all filter the world through the lens of what we’ve been told. And sometimes that lens can blind us to what’s right in front of us.

Now- I know this can be sensitive. For many, Jesus is not just a name, he’s a lifeline, a source of comfort, a guide, even a savior. So I want to be clear. This isn’t about tearing that down, this is about making space for another lens - a Jewish lens, the same one Jesus himself would’ve used. He was after all born and died a Jew. He studied Torah. He prayed in Hebrew. He lived within a Jewish framework, not outside of it.

So if we want to understand what the Messiah is, we have to go back to the source - to the texts, to the language, to the context. Because sometimes we’ve been handed a picture that doesn’t match the original description and when that happens, even if something true appears right in front of us, we might not be able to see it.

If you’re open to it, I’d like to gently walk through a few passages that are often cited as evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah and take a closer look at what they actually say in Hebrew, in context. Not to argue, not to offend, but to invite curiosity. Because, if we’re truly waiting for the Messiah, don’t we owe it to ourselves to know what the signs really are? And maybe, just maybe, we’ll find that what we’ve been looking for has been in the text all along, but we’ve been expecting it to look a little different.

1. Isaiah 7:14 – The “Virgin” Birth

You may have heard: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son…” (Matthew 1:23, quoting Isaiah)

But in the Hebrew, Isaiah 7:14 actually says: “Behold, the young woman [ha’almah] shall conceive and bear a son…”

The Hebrew word *almah* doesn’t mean “virgin.” It means a young woman of marriageable age.  If Isaiah had meant “virgin,” he would’ve used the word *betulah*, which he does in other places. Also—this verse wasn’t predicting something far off in the future.
It was a reassurance to King Ahaz in his own time, during a political crisis. So the idea of a miraculous virgin birth…  is not actually in the text at all.

2. Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant

This is one of the most frequently quoted passages in connection to Jesus.

But it’s important to note: Isaiah speaks often of  “Israel” as G-d’s “servant” (see Isaiah 41:8, 44:1).  It’s not unusual to describe Israel’s suffering in metaphorical, poetic ways—especially in exile.

Isaiah 53:3 says: “He was despised and rejected… a man of suffering, familiar with pain…”

But the chapter flows from Isaiah 52, where the “servant” is introduced in the context of national redemption.   The servant suffers *on behalf* of others—because the world misunderstands Israel’s role and destiny. This isn’t a forecast of a future individual human sacrifice.  It’s a lament—and a declaration of purpose—for the Jewish people.  Sometimes poetry is misread as prediction.  And when we expect a man, we might miss the message.

3. Micah 5:2 – A Ruler from Bethlehem

Another well-known verse says the Messiah must come from Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2 (or 5:1 in Hebrew Bibles) reads:  “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah… from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel…”

This doesn’t say anything about divinity or virgin birth.  It’s pointing to a future leader from David’s line—because David was from Bethlehem.  It’s about ancestry, not geography. Also, the Gospels themselves don’t agree on where Jesus was born—some say Bethlehem, others say Nazareth.  So even this connection is debated. Prophecy isn’t a puzzle to be retrofitted.  It’s a promise to be fulfilled.

4. Psalm 22 – “They Pierced My Hands and Feet”

You may have heard this: “They pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16 in many English translations)

But in Hebrew, it says: “Like a lion [ka’ari] at my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:17 in Hebrew texts)

The word *ka’ari* means “like a lion.”  There is no word for “pierced” in this verse in the Hebrew manuscripts. This psalm is a cry of anguish, written by King David.  It’s a personal lament, not a messianic forecast. Sometimes pain is interpreted as prophecy.  But when we slow down, we can hear the original voice.

5. Deuteronomy 13 – Guardrails for Spiritual Leadership

This one might surprise people, because it’s not about what the Messiah will do, but how we recognize when someone is not sent by G-d.

Deuteronomy 13 says: “Even if a prophet performs signs and wonders… if he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’… do not listen.”

Now, what does this mean in a Jewish context? It means: even if someone performs miracles, if they lead you toward worshiping a person, or praying to anyone other than G-d,  they are not a prophet from G-d. And we know Jesus is worshiped as G-d by many Christians.  He is prayed to, not just followed. But in Judaism, no person—no matter how righteous—is worshiped.  Worship is for G-d alone. The Torah gives us a very grounded, very clear boundary.

This is not about disproving anyone’s faith.  It’s about inviting honesty. If the Messiah is still to come—  wouldn’t we want to be sure we know what we’re actually looking for? Not just the picture we’ve been shown…  but the description G-d gave us.

Because maybe what we’ve been searching for isn’t missing.  Maybe it’s just folded differently.  Worn a little by time.  Upside down from what we expected.  But still here.  Still true.  Still waiting to be seen.

The question isn’t whether the Messiah has come.  The real question is: Will we have the eyes to recognize him when he does?