Was Jesus in the Old Testament, pt. 2
The Apostle John gives an account of a conversation Jesus had with the Jews. Jesus said, “’Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:56-59) Why were the Jews angry enough to kill Jesus? It was because He had claimed to be God.
When God sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Ex 3:14) The Hebrew word translated “I Am” is Yahweh. Yahweh is the Hebrew name of God given in the Old Testament. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am [Greek, ego eimi], ” Jesus was claiming to be Yahweh, and for this they wanted to stone Him.
Another important piece of evidence for Jesus’ identity as God is the use of the title “LORD.” In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament from around 100 BC), The Hebrew word Yahweh (God) is translated Kurios in Greek, and Kurios is translated Lord in English. In many of our English translations, when LORD is used with all capital letters in the Old Testament, the underlying Hebrew word is Yahweh. When Lord is not in all capital letters in the Old Testament, it should be translated something like master or sir. The New Testament does not maintain this distinction. How, then, should we translate this passage: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved….For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9-10, 13) When we confess ‘Jesus as Lord,’ are we confessing Him as master or are we confessing him as God? We are actually confessing both. The Old Testament passage Paul quotes is Joel 2:32: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] shall be saved….” Clearly, with Paul’s thoughts sufficiently anchored to this Old Testament passage, we are to confess that Jesus is God (Yahweh).
An example of Jesus being confessed as both Lord (master) and God is when Thomas realized that Jesus really had risen from the dead. John 20:28-29 says, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
The witness of Scripture is that God (Yahweh of the Old Testament) became a man and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
When God sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Ex 3:14) The Hebrew word translated “I Am” is Yahweh. Yahweh is the Hebrew name of God given in the Old Testament. When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am [Greek, ego eimi], ” Jesus was claiming to be Yahweh, and for this they wanted to stone Him.
Another important piece of evidence for Jesus’ identity as God is the use of the title “LORD.” In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament from around 100 BC), The Hebrew word Yahweh (God) is translated Kurios in Greek, and Kurios is translated Lord in English. In many of our English translations, when LORD is used with all capital letters in the Old Testament, the underlying Hebrew word is Yahweh. When Lord is not in all capital letters in the Old Testament, it should be translated something like master or sir. The New Testament does not maintain this distinction. How, then, should we translate this passage: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved….For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9-10, 13) When we confess ‘Jesus as Lord,’ are we confessing Him as master or are we confessing him as God? We are actually confessing both. The Old Testament passage Paul quotes is Joel 2:32: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] shall be saved….” Clearly, with Paul’s thoughts sufficiently anchored to this Old Testament passage, we are to confess that Jesus is God (Yahweh).
An example of Jesus being confessed as both Lord (master) and God is when Thomas realized that Jesus really had risen from the dead. John 20:28-29 says, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
The witness of Scripture is that God (Yahweh of the Old Testament) became a man and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
Labels: Old Testament, prophecies
posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 |
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