Jesus was the Messiah

But Not Because of the Sign of Jonah

The following were all signs that could have been recognized by the Pharisees and others of Jesus' day if they had been willing to consider them.

Time of His birth:

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (Dan 9:25)

Place of birth:

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2)

Born of a virgin:

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isa 7:14)

He was called out of Egypt after His parents fled there from Herod:

"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." (Hos 11:1)

The work of Jesus' forerunner, John the Baptist was prophesied:

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isa 40:3)

Jesus, the Messiah, was proclaimed by John the Baptist:

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" (Matt 3:11)

John's disciples were given evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.

"And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached." (Luke 7:19-22)

He would speak in parables:

"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:" (Psa 78:2)

He quoted an important Messianic prophecy (Isa 61:1-2):

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)

"And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:21)

He claimed He had been sent by His Father:

"But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." (John 5:36)

Jesus, the Messiah, was praised by young children:

"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." (Psa 8:2)

The zeal of His Father's house consumed Him as He cleansed the temple:

"For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me." (Psa 69:9)

He entered Jerusalem as described:

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Zech 9:9)

Multitudes of people praised Him as he entered Jerusalem

"And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." (Matt 21:9)

He was betrayed by a friend:

"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." (Psa 41:9)

Jesus, the Messiah, was despised and rejected:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isa 53:3)

He was silent while being abused:

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isa 53:7)

His physical attitude while being beaten:

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Isa 50:6)

Many stripes were laid on Him:

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isa 53:5)

He was numbered with (counted as one of) the transgressors (the two thieves crucified with Him):

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa 53:12)

His garments were gambled for:

"They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." (Psa 22:18)

The rulers even said the very words prophesied:

"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." (Psa 22:7-8)

Jesus, the Messiah, uttered these words on the cross:

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" (Psa 22:1)

His bones were not broken despite being crucified:

"He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken." (Psa 34:20)

Jesus, the Messiah, was pierced:

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech 12:10)

He was buried in a rich man's grave:

"And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." (Isa 53:9)

As can be seen, there were many signs given that Jesus was the Messiah. More could be given. Some people may debate some of these signs but there is no doubt that a number were given in the Old Testament. It certainly could not be said that there was only one sign that Jesus was the Messiah.

In the common understanding, if Jesus was three days and three nights in the grave then it would seem that Lazarus might have (especially if this was the one and only sign of being the Messiah) been even be more qualified to be the Messiah - He was in the grave for a longer time.

When you think about it, how is being dead in the grave a sign of being the Messiah? It was doing the deeds of the Messiah that showed Jesus as the Messiah.