The Serpent Crusher

Sit down with a person of the Jewish faith, say to them, "Jesus is all over the Old Testament," and strap yourself in for a long talk.

Christian and Jewish theologians have somewhat drawn a line in the sand. For Jewish theologians, I think, they firmly believe and are able to articulate well that the Old Testament does not directly reference Jesus. Some Jewish theologians and people of the faith would say that Christians look at the Old Testament through the lens of Christianity and naturally see Jesus. It is not a charge that Christians are making things up, but rather, an argument that Christians misinterpret the Scriptures. One of the biggest examples is the virgin reference in Isaiah. Isaiah states that the Messiah will be born of a virgin. Christians point to that as an example of the Old Testament foretelling of Jesus' birth by the virgin Mary. Jewish theologians will and do say that the Hebrew word used for virgin actually means young woman.

The issue of the Old Testament pointing to Jesus is not a cut-and-dry issue. People of other faiths offer legitimate ways of looking at the Old Testament that would support it is not pointing to Jesus.

What do we do? Who is right?

Perhaps that is the wrong question. Christians can argue all day with people of other faiths that Jesus is in the Old Testament and that he is God, but that is not how people will begin to treasure Christ.

Rather, this should be a personal issue for Christians. The New Testament makes it clear (1 Corinthians 1:16-27) that people are not won over to Christ by arguments. People are chosen and elected and the Christian life marked by the Calvary road is to stand as a light to everyone else that Jesus Christ must be a treasure if He is worth so much suffering.

So, the question, "Is Jesus in the New Testament?" should not be an academic one where Christians think they can settle it and therefore convince everyone with their great arguments and logic. The question should be for a Christian, "What are the promises Christ fulfilled that I can set my eyes on in order to run the race well?"

A great example is with John the Baptist.

John the Baptist grew up believing that his cousin, Jesus, is the Messiah and that he would be the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). John baptizes Jesus, 40 days later Jesus begins his ministry, John continues to preach repentance, calls out Herod for his adultery, and Herod arrests him. John is now in a jail cell most likely believing that Herod will execute him at any point and John's disciples are telling him about Jesus: He's talking in parables and healing everyone. It is easy to imagine the questions running through John's head, "Isn't he suppose to be redeeming mankind? Why is he just healing anyone that comes in front of him?" This line of thinking going through John's mind could be completely wrong on our part, but for whatever the reason John the Baptist doubted Jesus.

LUKE 7:18-23

'The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" In that hour, he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blinded he bestowed sight. And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.'

Why did Jesus respond this way? Why did He heal people and then tell John the Baptist's disciples to go back to John and report what they saw Jesus do? Matthew helps us here.

MATTHEW 5:17-20

'[Jesus said,] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'

"I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus responded the way he did to the question posed by John the Baptist so that John would see Isaiah 35:4-6 come alive and thus know Jesus is the promised Messiah and be able to suffer well with this knowledge.

ISAIAH 35:4-6

'Say to those who have an anxious heart,
"Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance
with the promise of recompense of God.
He will come to save you."

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.'

Each element in this passage is fulfilled by Jesus in Luke 7:18-23 alone, not to mention in all of the gospels. The Old Testament states the Messiah would come to redeem His people from sin and when He arrives He will heal the blind and cure the deaf and heal the lame man to show that Life has come and the effects of sin will crumble in its presence as a forecast to the time when all of creation will be restored.

What happens to John? He is executed by Herod and he goes to grave never denying Jesus by grabbing hold of the promise that not only did Jesus fulfill part of Isaiah 35, but that he would fulfill all of it and that John would be raised in the later days that have yet to come as a son of glory through the cross of Jesus.

Let the assurance that the Old Testament points to Jesus be an anchor for you to attach between yourself and Jesus. We all slip away so easily from Jesus by our own choosing that we desperately need to do what we can just to stay close to Him. Knowing that Jesus fulfilled everything in the Old Testament and calls us to embody His life is one way that we can attach ourselves to Him.

Remember, Scripture is our only weapon against Satan and our flesh (Ephesians 5). If we want any chance to stand against either of them without betraying Jesus with our deeds and actions, we need to take hold of this promise of Jesus that He truly did fulfill all the requirements to bring us to God.

Where else is Jesus in the Old Testament? Here are a couple examples:

GENESIS 3:15
PSALM 22
DANIEL 7
ISAIAH 52

Renew your mind with these passages. Ask yourself, "Who is this man God promises to crush the Serpent's offspring?" So what? Since Jesus fulfilled all of these passages, it means we are not helpless and have a defender on our sides against Satan, sin, and death.

It is my prayer that the youth of NMCC would be egomaniacs for heaven; that they desire to be the greatest in heaven knowing in order for that to happen they must be the least in this world by wielding the sword of Scripture against Satan and flesh well.