Was Jesus in the Old Testament, pt. 3
Reading the Gospels many years ago, I noticed that Jesus constantly referred to Himself as the Son of Man. This troubled me because I knew the historic teaching of Christianity was that Jesus is both God and Man. Jesus’ constant reference to Himself as the Son of Man seemed to place the emphasis on His humanity, to the exclusion of His deity. This continued to puzzle me, until I realized why Jesus preferred to use this title. Daniel 7:13-14 says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” By using the title Son of Man, Jesus was identifying himself as the one in Daniel’s vision. This allusion was not lost on the Jews (like it was lost on me), who knew this prophecy very well.
It’s even more awesome when one compares Daniel’s prophecy to Jesus’ own prophecy concerning His second coming. In Matthew 24:30 Jesus says, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Jesus says, in Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” Before His crucifixion, Jesus was taken before the high priest and asked if He was the Messiah. Jesus answered, “I am[ego eimi], and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62 (ESV) There’s no doubt that Jesus was claiming to be the one Daniel saw in his vision.
Jesus’ whole life was lived in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The writers of the Gospels understood this and made many of these prophetic connections. The Gospel of Matthew was especially written to point out the prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Many times in Matthew (and the other Gospels) one will come across a phrase like, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” (Matthew 1:22)
In Matthew 16:1-3, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven to prove He was the Messiah. Jesus answered them by saying, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” In essence, Jesus was telling them that the Scripture and its prophecies were sufficient signs from heaven to prove He was the Messiah.
Is Jesus found in the Old Testament? Without a doubt; He is its very theme.
It’s even more awesome when one compares Daniel’s prophecy to Jesus’ own prophecy concerning His second coming. In Matthew 24:30 Jesus says, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Jesus says, in Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” Before His crucifixion, Jesus was taken before the high priest and asked if He was the Messiah. Jesus answered, “I am[ego eimi], and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62 (ESV) There’s no doubt that Jesus was claiming to be the one Daniel saw in his vision.
Jesus’ whole life was lived in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The writers of the Gospels understood this and made many of these prophetic connections. The Gospel of Matthew was especially written to point out the prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Many times in Matthew (and the other Gospels) one will come across a phrase like, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” (Matthew 1:22)
In Matthew 16:1-3, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven to prove He was the Messiah. Jesus answered them by saying, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” In essence, Jesus was telling them that the Scripture and its prophecies were sufficient signs from heaven to prove He was the Messiah.
Is Jesus found in the Old Testament? Without a doubt; He is its very theme.
Labels: Old Testament, prophecies
posted on Friday, June 08, 2007 |
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