Within the Midrash traditions of the Rabbis lies borth truth and error. It is essential to determine the difference. In our discussion we have seen that in truth there was to be a Messiah son of Joseph and that he was and is identical with Messiah ben David. The error was made in the traditions of the Jews when it was 'imaged' that the Messiah could be divided into two. We have exposed that error to view within this work. The two comings of the Messiah and the roles he would play in his mortal duration and then his later glorious Second Coming were never intended to be so divided into two to be accomplished by two separate individuals. This is but one true Messiah and redeemer of the world and only one means by which men may return to God.

As already discussed, the role of the 'Suffering Servant' was separated out from the works of the Messiah and solely assigned to that anticipated Messiah ben Joseph by the Rabbis of the second century after the birth of Jesus Christ. Just all the motivation and intend of so dividing the Messiah into two, we can only today image. But the truth which should and must be retained from these traditional Midrash gone astray, is that there was known to be and looked forward to the coming of Messiah ben Joseph/Ephraim. But Messiah ben Joseph/Ephraim was not separte and apart from Messiah ben David. They were and are one and the same single Messiah. Messiah ben Joseph, the suffering Messiah is identical and the same as Messiah ben David the returning and conquering Messiah of the Second Coming.

The Suffering Servant ~ Messiah ben Joseph

In the days of Jesus Christ, he was both seen as Messiah ben David and as Messiah ben Joseph. He was recognized a that promised son of Joseph of Egypt who was prophesied to come out of Nazareth. The Pharisees understood his mixed ancestry in Ruth the Moabitess, first wife of Mahlon that Ephrathite, and of the bloodline of Boaz's surrogate performace to raise up seed to the dead house of Elimelech; and even further, that promised descentant of Bathsheba the former wife of that Hittite, Uriah. It is only with such understanding of the Messiah's mixed linage that they could in 'truth' state that Jesus was, as were the 'Samaritans', of such mixed linages of Ephraim and others. The Pharisees did not make false charges, only ones of bigotry and misunderstanding which would give rise to controversy, contention and conflict against Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53

Today, we understand this 'suffering servant' of Isaiah 53 to be Jesus Christ. But some have taken the 'suffering servant' concept and in error applied it to Joseph Smith making him the awaited 'Messiah ben Joseph.' Others have even in error associated the 'David' of the latter-day promise of Ezekiel, sought to make of him some one other than Jesus Christ. This is in some measure similar to the making of 'false Christs'. The suffering servant is Jesus Christ. The 'David' spoken of by Ezekiel is Jesus Christ.

Christ as the Suffering Servant

Perhaps the most direct application which can be drawn upon which unmistakenly sets forth Jesus as the suffering servant is to consider the events surrounding the last day of Christ's life. Yes the suffering servant was to die. It was requisite that he had to die. For how else could he raise again to bring about the resurrection of the dead? Of course, even the concept of the resurrection was much debated and a matter of controversy amoung the learned Jews of Jesus own days. But to this end was Christ born of woman, Mary, that he might have those mortal aspects which would allow him to suffer death as had been forshadowed by the sacrefices of the bullock calf without blemish, the bullock being the symbol of the tribe of Ephraim, and as the 'lamb' representing his being the very Lamb of God, the Son of God. (Note: The fact that the symbol of the descendants of Joseph was that of the sacrifical bullock could be further discussed as another seperate item for it does associate the sacrifical Christ with the tribe of Joseph/Ephraim, Christ being the sacrificial bulluck of the Covenant of the Law of Moses. It was the bullock sacrifice which was the most reverent sacrifice of entering into the solemn temple covenant of living by the Law of Moses as so portrayed by Jeremiah's reference to it in condeming Judah to having broken that covenant (Jeremaih 34:17-20). And it was the gross corruption which the Israelites had fallen into in the day of moses in turning the worship of Jehovah into the worship of the symbol of Jehovah, the golden calf. Even Jeroboam did lead the tribes of Israel into the false worship of the symbol over the worship of the Lord. Such corruption of the true worship was most often the basis for all false religions and paganism. But in every sense the bullock did represent the sacrifice of the Savior of Israel and did associate him as being the descendant of Joseph though his son Ephraim of the covenant of the firstborn, whom the bullock represented.)

Thus again we see that the sacrafical ordiances did foreshadow Jesus Christ, even down to the very detail of his mixed legal linage of being the son of Joseph/Ephraim, the bullock, through Mary and the fact that he was the 'lamb of God' that very Son of God, literally as being his father's traits which would give Jesus that power of immortality by which he could effect the resurrection from the dead.

Christ Removes the Sins of the World and Crushes the Serpent's Head

During the Savior's last Passover Feast, which feast and passover personified Christ and his mission, Christ set forth before his disciples clearly that he was the 'suffering servant'. He taught his 12, that they were to serve as servants before all men as even he, Jesus Christ, had and would do. In this instruction sequence, the Lord himself introduced the ordinance of the 'Suffering Servant' which we better know as the 'Washing of the Feet' of the Apostles.

It was the societal norm among the customes of the Jews and other societies even unto this day, that the servants of the house were called upon to wash the feet of the visitors and guests of the house. While it is not known where this custom origignated, it has it roots in the very beginnings of time with Adam and Eve as portrayed and carried out by Jesus Christ both in symbolic action and by actual performance.

"And I well put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, and he [the Christ] shall bruise [crush] thy head, and thou [through causing sin] shalt bruise his heel [foot]." ~ JST Genesis 3:21 (KJV Genesis 3:15)

It has long been understood and also previously set out in this work, that the 'seed of the woman' in Genesis chapter 3, was to be Jesus Christ. And it was also set out that Satan would be given the power to 'bruise' the heel or foot of man, the seed of the woman. But is was also set out and understood that 'the' seed of the woman would have power to 'bruise' of 'crush' the head and thus destroy the serpent, that is Satan and his power over man. The buising of the foot of man is that of soiling or dirting the figure of man as he had fallen to earth and would sojourn here upon the earth treading accross the seecond estate of this world by foot, thus soiling himself with the sins of the world. That is the power that Satan has over man, the power of sin which is the power to separate God and Man, as no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God.

Christ Washes the Serpents Effect From Off Our Feet (Heel)

And thus it is the symbol of such washing of feet, that 'no' such soiled or unclean 'foot' will enter into the house of God. And who is it that customarially washes the feet of the sojournor prior to their entering into the presence of the propietor of the house? It is the servant. The servant did so cleanse and wash the feet of the quest of the house of the proprietor. This performance Christ did unto his apostles, showing forth that he was that servant who would cleanse the sins of the world from off of the feet of those who would enter into the presence of God.

It was not until after the supper and after Judas had decided to betray the Lord that the Lord did perform the ordinance of the Suffering Servant upon the Apostles. And Christ was that night going to perform his atoning suffering in behalf of those who believe upon his name.

The washig of feet occured prior to the entering into the house and was performed by the servant. It was not the house of man which the Lord was preparing his Apostles to enter, but the house of the presence of God. And it was not the servant but the Master as the servant of his father, that would perform the ordinance to the benefit of the Apostles. The Appostles had just finish the partaking of the Lord's supper, the sacrement which was designed to aid man on their journey to God's Kingdom. And now the Lord would perform the next ordinance of the Washing of Feet for the spiritual entry into God's kingdom. The rest of the depths of meaning of this ordinance I will leave to what other sources have spoken of it. Of interest here is that it does clearly establish Christ as the 'servant' being spoken of in all the Old Testamant Messianic utterances.

Now consider Christ as the 'Suffering Servant' of the scriptures which the 'traditions' of the Jews associated with the anticipated Messiah ben Joseph, let us view John's accout of the ordiance and see how such applications does so apply.

"He [Christ] riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to awash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily,verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." ~ John 13:4-17

Herein it should be made clear that 'his lord' is the LORD, God the Father who had sent our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is the LORD's servant, the Messiah. And it is the Messiah who is performing performing the washing of feet. He cleanses from the power of Satan as proclaimed in Genesis. The ordinance of the washing of feet does represent that and also that Christ is the suffering servant, the servant of God being spoken of in the Old Testament scriptures. When Jehovah so speaks of the servant through his prophets of the Old Testament record, he often speaks of the servant in the second person, as he speaks as though he is the Father. But it is himself as the servant of who he does speak. Christ is the servant, the suffering servant, the suffering servant of all, who is considered by Jewish tradition as Messiah ben Joseph.

Peter had mistaken the significance of the ordinance to be of a temporal physical nature in asking to be cleansed completely and failed to associate it with the statement made by God the Father in the Garden of Eden. The ordinance was directly associated with that proclamation made that the Messiah's power as the servant seed of woman, would have power through the atonement of the cleansing of man from the sins of the world and sealing them his if they would not henceforth betray and deny him as Judas was just about to do. The level from which Judas fell was this elevated level of having recieved the ordiance of the Suffering Servant, the Washing of the Feet.