Chapter 9: The fulfilment of Scripture
How God's revelation fits together, the grace and mercy of God revisited, and the promised servant-king revealed
[ Index | (i) Background: 1 / 2 / 3 | (ii) Problem: 4 / 5 / 6 | (iii) Solution: 7 / 8 / 9 ]
In Chapter 7 we considered Jesus Christ, the man who is God. In Chapter 8 we discussed how Jesus provides a solution to the problem outlined in Part (ii). In this chapter we shall explore how that solution fits with the Old Testament.
9A. How God’s revelation fits together
The role of the Old Testament
In Chapter 6 we considered the Old Testament search for a solution to the problem of sin, and, in particular, for the “serpent-crusher” promised in Genesis 3:15. We saw how the story of people chosen by God to fulfil his purposes (a) demonstrates the problem of sin that transcends times and cultures, and (b) points forward to the solution that God will in due course provide in Jesus.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is plain that the Old Testament was never intended to provide the promised serpent-crusher. Instead, it shows how badly he is needed, and it lays the foundations for his coming so that he might be recognised when he arrives.
In some respects the Old Testament functions a little like the cryptic part of a clue in a cryptic crossword. Such a clue typically consists of two parts – one that is cryptic, and another that is more straightforward. Consider for example “Pretty girl in crimson rose (8)”, which is the title of Sandy Balfour’s memoir of love, exile and crosswords. In this case, the cryptic part of the clue is “Pretty girl in crimson” and the straightforward part is “rose”. The 8-letter answer is “rebelled”, a synonym for “rose”. It is derived from the putting the word belle (“pretty girl”) inside the word red (“crimson”).
If we have only the cryptic part of such a clue, it is difficult to solve it. And yet it is the cryptic part of the clue that gives us confidence that we have the right answer. There are several words to which “rose” could point – “ascended”, for example, or “Cornelia” (one of many kinds of rose bush). rebelled is perhaps not the most obvious. But when we take into account both parts of the clue we can be confident that the answer is correct.
By analogy, we may view the Bible as functioning in some ways like a cryptic crossword, with the Old Testament offering the cryptic parts of clues and the New Testament the more straightforward parts. If we only had the Old Testament, it would be difficult to solve any of the clues, let alone complete the whole puzzle as it were. And if we only had the New Testament, we could not be so sure that our answers were correct. It is the Old Testament that gives us confidence that Jesus Christ really is God’s solution the problem of sin.
Like any analogy, this illustration should not be pushed too far, and those who find it unhelpful should ignore it. In some respects, understanding the message of the Bible is very different to solving a cryptic crossword. In particular, understanding the message of the Bible depends not so much on aptitude as attitude. In Jesus’ words, “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15).
Analogies aside, the point here is that, when carefully considered, the Old Testament provides some of the most compelling evidence for the truth of the Christian message. The testimony of the New Testament is powerful in itself. The accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ point to him being God in human form. But the words and events of the Old Testament, revealed over many hundreds of years, arguably provide an even stronger case for the truth of God’s revelation. While such evidence is more subtle, it is no less compelling for that.
In the rest of this chapter we shall consider some of the ways in which Jesus Christ fulfils the Old Testament themes we discussed in Chapter 6.
The Old Testament fulfilled
The promise of blessing fulfilled
In Chapter 6 we considered God’s promises to Abraham. We saw that some of those promises were fulfilled in the Old Testament. Abraham became the father of a great nation with many descendants. The Israelites inherited the land of Canaan. And in the process some non-Jews were greatly blessed. But we noted too that it can hardly be said of the Old Testament nation of Israel that all peoples on earth have been blessed through them.
In Jesus Christ, God has fulfilled his promise to bless all peoples on earth. It is no coincidence that two of the four gospels trace Jesus’ ancestry back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). When Mary learns that she is to be the mother of Jesus, she speaks of God “remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever” (Luke 1:55). Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, speaks similarly of God “[remembering] his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham” (Luke 1:72-73). God has not forgotten his promise to Abraham. Incredible as it might seem, the baby born in Bethlehem is “[God’s] salvation… a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of… Israel” (Luke 2:30-32, cf. Isaiah 49:6).
The long wait for God’s promised serpent-crusher is over. God’s promise to Abraham finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul writes that “those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” (Galatians 3:7-8, cf. Romans 15:9-12).The “eternal gospel” (Revelation 14:6) had been announced to Abraham in the first book of the Old Testament!
Through Jesus Christ, God has blessed his people with salvation past, present and future. As God led his people into the promised land under Joshua, so he will lead his people into heaven – the fulfilment of the promised land – under Jesus (whose name is the Greek form of “Joshua” as we noted earlier). Because of Jesus Christ, God’s people will live in God’s place under God’s rule.
We do not yet see the full effects of God’s blessing. The consummation of God’s plan will “be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment” in the age to come (Ephesians 1:10). But because of Jesus Christ, it is guaranteed to happen.
Freedom from slavery to sin
In Chapter 6 we noted how God set his people free from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites could not escape from bondage without God’s help, and so God “[came] down to rescue them” (Exodus 3:8). They were set free and spared God’s judgement ostensibly because of the sacrifice of a lamb without defect. The Israelites celebrated these events at the annual Passover feast as a vivid reminder of the Exodus.
Having rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, God provided for them in several ways. He rained down “bread from heaven” to sustain them on the journey through the desert towards the promised land. He renewed his covenant with them. And he gave them his law, intended as a source of blessing, which they were to obey as part of the covenant.
But even with these provisions, God’s people were not truly free. They remained slaves to sin, and they still faced death. The law, while in some respects a blessing, served to illustrate the extent of the problem rather than to provide a solution (cf. Romans 3:20, Galatians 3:10-25). Even in the Old Testament it was evident that God’s then-current provisions were a mere shadow of what was to come. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God declared: “The days are coming when I will make a new covenant… I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-33, cf. Isaiah 55:3). Through the prophet Ezekiel, God promised his people: “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws… you will be my people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:27-28). And this was not something reserved for a privileged few. Through the prophet Joel, God made it clear that the Spirit would be for all his people: “Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29).
In Jesus Christ, God has set his people free from slavery to sin. We cannot escape this bondage without God’s help, and so God has come down, in the person of Jesus Christ, to rescue us. We can be set free and spared God’s judgement because of the sacrifice of another “lamb without… defect” (1 Peter 1:19, cf. Isaiah 53:7), “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The timing of God’s ultimate rescue in Jesus is highly significant. It is surely no coincidence that God rescues his people from slavery to sin at the time of the festival celebrating his rescue of his people from slavery in Egypt. Not only is Jesus crucified at the time of the annual Passover feast. His death is preceded by “darkness… over all the land” (Matthew 27:45, cf. Exodus 10:21ff). We see in retrospect that the Exodus is important not so much in itself but because of what it points towards.
Having rescued his people from slavery to sin, God provides for them in various ways that fulfil the Old Testament.
In Jesus Christ, God has provided “true bread from heaven” for his people (John 6:32). In a world in which eating bread was an integral part of survival, Jesus declared himself to be “the bread of life,” and claimed that “whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35). As God’s people look forward to the new creation, it is Jesus Christ – the true bread from heaven – who sustains them on the journey to the new heaven and the new earth – the ultimate promised land.
In Jesus Christ, God has ushered in the new covenant promised by Jeremiah. On the night before Jesus knew he was to die, he ate one last Passover meal – the “Last Supper” – with his disciples. “He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This [bread] is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup [of wine], saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-20, emphasis added, cf. Exodus 24:8. Hebrews 9:16-22). As with the Exodus, God’s instructions for commemorating his rescue are given before the rescue event actually happens (cf. Exodus 12:14, 43ff, Exodus 13:3ff). The new covenant promised through Jeremiah comes into effect through Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 9:15), and the “first one [is rendered] obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). It is this new covenant that Christians remember when celebrating the Lord’s Supper (sometimes also known as “Holy Communion” or “the Eucharist”). Like the Passover, the Lord’s Supper acts as a vivid reminder of how God has rescued his people. It is striking that in both cases God gives his people not a theology lecture but a meal, albeit one freighted with significance. In celebrating the Lord’s Supper, Christians do not just look back in remembrance to Jesus’ death. They also look forward to when Jesus will return (1 Corinthians 11:26).
In Jesus Christ, God’s Old Testament promises regarding the law have been fulfilled. On the night before Jesus died, he promised his disciples that he would send his Spirit “to help [them] and be with [them] for ever” and to “remind [them] of everything [Jesus had] said to [them]” (John 14:16,26). And in Acts 2, Luke records how the Spirit of God came at Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff). Pentecost is the Greek name for Shavuot, the Jewish “Festival of Weeks” which commemorated the wheat harvest in the land of Israel (Exodus 34:22) and the giving of the Law to Moses. It was celebrated seven weeks or so after the Passover – hence “Pentecost”, meaning fifty days. The timing of the coming of the Spirit is highly significant. It is surely no coincidence that God sends his Spirit – who will write his law on the hearts of his people – at the time of the festival celebrating the giving of the Law. As with the Exodus, we see in retrospect that the giving of the Law is important not so much in itself but because of what it points towards. As the Old Testament prophets promised, God now puts his Spirit in all his people. He puts his law in their minds, he writes it on their hearts, and he moves them to follow his decrees and laws. And he does this not so that we earn the right to be God’s people but because he has already rescued us to be his people. Under the new covenant, God’s people are no longer “under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). With these provisions, God’s people can know true freedom. As Jesus puts it, “if the son sets you free, you are free indeed” (John 8:36). Under the new covenant, God’s people are no longer slaves to sin, and they can look forward to eternal life.
We do not yet experience the total freedom that Jesus brings. Again, that must wait for the age to come and the new creation that we have discussed. But because of Jesus Christ, it is guaranteed to happen.
The atoning sacrifice
In Chapter 6 we saw something of how, in the Old Testament, God made special provision in the law for what was to happen when his people sinned. A complex system of animal sacrifices was put in place, including the annual Day of Atonement. But while animal sacrifices provided a graphic reminder of the seriousness of the problem of sin and a pointer to some sort of atoning sacrifice as the solution, they could not take away sins. The high priest could only ever be a temporary mediator between God and his people, and an imperfect one at that. As a sinner himself, he was destined to die. And the temple, like everything else built by human beings, would one day be destroyed. The Old Testament sacrificial system was never intended to be more than a mere shadow of the ultimate atoning sacrifice that was to come. As we have seen, God had a plan for a new covenant, under which he could “forgive [his people’s] wickedness and… remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).
In Jesus Christ, God has provided the ultimate atoning sacrifice. In contrast to the animals of the Old Testament, Jesus went voluntarily to his death. And whereas the earthly Old Testament sacrifices were temporary, ongoing and ultimately ineffective, the heavenly sacrifice of Jesus Christ is permanent, once-for-all and wholly effective.
In Jesus Christ, God has provided the ultimate high priest. In contrast to the Old Testament high priests, Jesus is the “one mediator between God and [human beings]” (1 Timothy 2:5 again). As a sinless human being, he has conquered death. Because he was “raised from the dead, he cannot die again” (Romans 6:9 again). Whereas the mortal priests stood day after day offering sacrifices that could never take away sins, the immortal Jesus Christ offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to take away sin once and for all (cf. Hebrews 7:26-28). And so he could “[sit] down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:13) having completed his atoning work.
In Jesus Christ, God has provided the ultimate temple. In contrast to the temporary Old Testament temple that came to ruin, the resurrected body of Jesus is a permanent temple that can never be destroyed (cf. John 2:18-22). Jesus Christ is the heavenly embodiment of the earthly temple. He is the place where we must now go to meet God and have our sins forgiven.
The earthly Old Testament imagery finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, the man from heaven. It is remarkable enough that in the Old Testament God permits a substitute. And it is even more remarkable that he provides the substitute. But in Jesus Christ, God becomes the substitute. He is the sacrifice. He is the one who offers the sacrifice. And he is the place of the sacrifice. The earthly sacrifices, priests and temple of the old covenant are thus obsolete. They have been superseded by the new covenant ushered in by Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on what we might call the first Good Friday, it was the ultimate Day of Atonement. Whereas the Old Testament sacrifices provided an “annual reminder of sins,” the sacrifice of Jesus Christ means that, as Jeremiah promised, God no longer remembers our sin, and “sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary” (Hebrews 10:17-18, cf. Jeremiah 31:34 again).
The apparently strange rituals that we discussed in Chapter 6 point forward to Jesus Christ in remarkable ways. As with the Exodus and the giving of the Law, the Old Testament sacrificial system is important not so much in itself but because of what it points towards. There are indications of this in the Old Testament. In Zechariah 3:8-9 for example, long after the Exodus but more than 500 years before Christ, God speaks of the Old Testament High Priest and his associates being “symbolic of things to come.” He then makes an extraordinary promise, which is even more remarkable in hindsight: “I am going to bring my servant… and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”
The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is an integral part of the life of God’s people. They have been rescued for relationship with God, and they are dependent on the sacrifice that God has provided. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ demonstrates the seriousness of sin. In order to rectify the problem of human sin it took the death of a sinless human being: Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son. In Jesus Christ, God does what we cannot do ourselves. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has dealt with sin once and for all. The curtain of the temple, symbolising the barrier between God and his people, has been torn in two from top to bottom. Because of Jesus Christ, there will one day be a new heaven and a new earth. And in John’s vision of the new heaven and the new earth in Revelation there is no longer the earthly perfect cube of the Most Holy Place. Instead there is the heavenly perfect cube of the “Holy City” of heaven “as wide and high as it is long” (Revelation 21:10,16, cf. 1 Kings 6:20 again). And in that Holy City there are no atoning sacrifices being offered, there are no priests and there is no temple. As John explains, he “did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22).
We do not yet see a total end to sin and its effects. Again, that must wait for the age to come and the new creation that we have discussed. But because of Jesus Christ, it is guaranteed to happen.
The King of kings
In Chapter 6 we saw how God graciously granted his people a great king. After raising up various judges, and after a faltering start under King Saul, God chose David, a mere shepherd boy from Bethlehem, to be king over Israel.
But while Israel prospered under King David, it was soon evident that he was not the promised serpent-crusher. Like all other earthly kings, he was fallible, his reign ended and he died. And while God gave David’s son Solomon unprecedented wisdom and riches, it was soon similarly evident that he too was not the promised serpent-crusher. Great kings though they were, David and Solomon were merely shadows of the King of kings who was to come.
In Jesus Christ, God has graciously granted his people a king beyond greatness. Hundreds of years after David and Solomon, a baby was born in the line of David (Matthew 1:1ff) and in the town of Bethlehem (cf. Luke 2:1-7). This child was Jesus Christ, “God’s Chosen One” (John 1:34, cf. e.g. Matthew 12:18), born to be king of God’s people. Even before Jesus was born, his mother Mary was promised that “God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).
Unlike King David, who was a fallible and temporary king over Israel, Jesus is a perfectly righteous and permanent king over all God’s people. He is greater than David (cf. Matthew 22:41-46). And he is “greater [even] than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42, cf. 1 Kings 10:1-13). Solomon’s earthly wisdom was unparalleled, but it is Jesus Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke repeatedly of the kingdom of God (e.g. Mark 1:15, Luke 13:18ff). But the kingdom of which Jesus spoke was evidently rather different from that of an earthly king (cf. e.g. John 18:36). This became particularly evident as Jesus’ death approached. Contrary to what many people hoped for and expected, and as we noted in the previous chapter, Jesus’ kingship was very different to that of the likes of David and Solomon. Having been mocked by those he came to save, the risen Jesus will one day return as the “King of kings” (Revelation 17:14, cf. Deuteronomy 10:17). One day “the kingdom of the world [will] become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15, cf. Revelation 1:5).
We do not yet see Jesus reigning as the King of kings. This too must wait for the age to come and the new creation that we have discussed. But because of Jesus Christ, it is guaranteed to happen.
The story of the Bible can be summarised on a schematic diagram such as that below.
The Old Testament points forward to a day when God “has become” the salvation of his people (Isaiah 12:1-3). The New Testament reveals the Saviour to be Jesus Christ, the Son of God (cf. e.g. Luke 2:11, Acts 13:23). And the combined witness of Scripture through both words and events points beyond this world to the new creation.
We saw in Chapter 6 that the Old Testament serves to emphasise rather than to solve the problem of sin. It is not until many hundreds of years later that the solution is revealed. God always keeps his promises, but he does so on his timescale. And meanwhile, he is completely in control of events. It is, in the words of Paul, “at just the right time… [that] Christ [dies] for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). As with Joseph, we can say of Jesus that although many people intended to harm him, God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. It is the recurrent testimony of Scripture that God works out his purposes in the lives of individuals, and that he sometimes does so in the face of terrible suffering.
9B. The grace and mercy of God revisited
We noted in Chapter 6 that the grace and mercy of God is a recurrent theme of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we see God’s grace and mercy revealed supremely in Jesus Christ. It is because of God’s grace in Jesus Christ that he grants his people salvation that they do not deserve. And it is because of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ that he spares his people the judgement that they do deserve.
It is because of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that his unconditional promise of blessing to Abraham is fulfilled. Through Jesus Christ, people all over the world have been blessed. Because of his death and resurrection, God’s people look forward to the new heaven and the new earth where there will be “a great multitude… from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9).
It is because of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that his people are set free from slavery to sin. They are spared judgement not because they have behaved particularly well but because of God’s provision of the blood of the unblemished sacrificial Lamb. God establishes the promised new covenant through his blood (cf. e.g. 1 Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 13:20). And having rescued his people, he sends the Holy Spirit to put his law in their minds and to write it on their hearts.
It is because of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that we have a permanent provision for dealing with sin. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, commemorated in the Lord’s Supper, is an ongoing reminder of God’s grace and mercy to his people.
It is because of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ that he will bring his people into the new creation despite their rebellion. In Jesus Christ, God has granted his people the greatest of kings. He is establishing – and will one day fully establish – his perfect kingdom.
As we saw in the previous chapter, Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God’s grace and mercy. As Paul writes to Christians, “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, cf. 2 Timothy 1:9); “[God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5). Other New Testament authors write similarly: Jesus Christ “suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9); “in his great mercy God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)
9C. The promised servant-king revealed
God’s promised servant revealed
In Chapter 6 we considered four servant songs of the prophet Isaiah as pointers to the identity of the serpent-crusher. In Jesus Christ we find the fulfilment of those passages.
According to Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 12:15-21), Jesus Christ fulfils the opening words of Isaiah’s first servant song (Isaiah 42:1ff). Jesus is God’s promised servant. He speaks of himself as having come not “to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). He is chosen by God (e.g. Luke 9:35) and God’s Spirit is on him (e.g. Matthew 3:16-17). As we have seen, even as a baby he is described by Simeon as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32 again, cf. e.g. Luke 4:23-27). More generally, Jesus speaks of himself as “the light of the world” (e.g. John 8:12). And he claims to have been sent by God “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18 again, cf. Isaiah 61:1).
Isaiah’s second servant song (Isaiah 49:1ff) also fits with Simeon’s testimony concerning Jesus Christ as a light for revelation to the Gentiles. At the other end of Jesus’ time on earth, we find him commissioning his disciples to “be [his] witnesses” not only in Jerusalem but “in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, cf. e.g. Acts 13:47). And in due course God “set [Paul] apart… that [he] might preach [Jesus] among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16, cf. Galatians 2:8). According to God’s “apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13), Jesus Christ has brought the “day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:1ff) to which Isaiah looked forward.
As Isaiah had foretold in the third servant song (Isaiah 50:1ff), Jesus Christ was willing to suffer even though he himself was innocent. We saw in Chapter 7 that Jesus was without sin. No one could condemn him. There was “no basis for a charge against him” (e.g. John 19:4). And yet “when [insults were hurled at Jesus], he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats” (1 Peter 2:23). The servant of God allowed himself to be beaten, mocked and spat at (e.g. Matthew 26:67-68, Matthew 27:24-31).
And as Isaiah had prophesied in the fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13ff), Jesus Christ came into this world to suffer and die. He was despised and rejected by those he came to serve. He was a man of sorrows who was familiar with suffering. And in due course he was literally pierced for our transgressions (John 19:34, cf. Acts 2:23). As Peter puts it in a letter to early Christians, Jesus “bore our sins in his body on the cross… by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). As we have seen, Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He was cut off from the land of the living even though “he committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22) And yet, remarkably, those who plotted against “[God’s] holy servant Jesus” were doing “what [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:27-28 again). It was, as Isaiah had foretold, God’s will to crush his servant and to cause him to suffer, not only in his body but in his soul. And yet after he had suffered and died, Jesus was raised from the dead. The servant of God saw the light of life, just as Isaiah had foretold. And because of his righteousness, the risen Jesus can justify others, declaring them righteous before God, and bearing their sin. As Isaiah had foretold, God gave Jesus Christ a portion among the great, “[exalting] him to the highest place and [giving] him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). For God’s righteous servant was “numbered with the transgressors” (Luke 22:37). As Paul puts it, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The servant songs of the prophet Isaiah, written around 700 BC, thus provide an extraordinary foreshadowing of God’s solution to the problem of sin.
God’s promised king revealed
In Chapter 6 we also considered some Old Testament prophecies that point forward to a particularly special king. And in Jesus Christ we find the fulfilment of those passages too.
In accordance with the Old Testament prophets, God raised up a descendant of David to be the king of his people. As Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) put it, “[God] has raised up a horn of salvation [where “horn” symbolises a strong king] for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)” (Luke 1:69-70). And in contrast to the kings of the Old Testament, God’s promised king Jesus Christ “lives forever” (Hebrews 7:24).
As Jeremiah had foretold, God’s promised king is perfectly righteous. As Isaiah had promised, Jesus Christ reigns as king over God’s people. And as Daniel had prophesied, the kingdom that God has established will never be destroyed (cf. e.g. 1 John 2:1, Luke 1:32-33).
As we noted earlier, God’s kingdom is unlike any other – and so is its king. As Zechariah (the Old Testament prophet) had foretold, Jesus Christ is righteous and ultimately victorious. But as the servant of God, he is also lowly, and enters Jerusalem riding “on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matthew 21:1ff). As Micah had prophesied, Jesus is, like David before him, a shepherd-king from Bethlehem. God’s promised king is also the shepherd of his people (cf. John 10:11, cf. Ezekiel 34:23-24, 1 Peter 5:4). And his origins are indeed from old. As Jesus put it, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58).
Through God’s ultimate king, Jesus Christ, people all over the earth have been blessed, just as God had promised Abraham. Jesus Christ has rescued people not just from slavery on earth but from slavery to sin. He provides a permanent and effective remedy for sin. And he is the perfect king, the King of kings, who lives forever.
The Old Testament prophecies concerning this particularly special king, written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, thus provide an extraordinary foreshadowing of God’s solution to the problem of sin.
God’s promised servant-king revealed
God’s people now live in hope because of Jesus Christ the serpent-crusher. He is the promised sinless, suffering servant who died in his mission and yet was raised to life. And he is the eternal King of kings. Through Jesus Christ, the promised servant-king, God has brought salvation to his people.
In God’s sight, greatness is intrinsically linked with the service of others. As Jesus put it, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44, cf. John 13:1-17). As the Son of Man, Jesus knew he had “not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 again). As the Son of God, he “made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant… becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). The man who is God gave up everything for his people. He is God’s ultimate servant.
And yet God raised Jesus Christ to life. He is not only God’s ultimate servant. He is God’s ultimate king. He is the servant-king. And having conquered death, he lives and reigns as the King of kings.
The revelation of God culminates not in a theological treatise or a philosophical discourse but in a person: Jesus Christ, the man who is God. We do not necessarily appreciate it, but we are in fact wonderfully privileged to be able to look back at the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. As Jesus told his disciples, “blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (Matthew 13:16-17, cf. 1 Peter 1:10-12).
It is no wonder that Jesus says that the Scriptures “testify about [him]” (e.g. John 5:39-40). It is no coincidence that the writers of the New Testament quote the Old Testament so extensively. For Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of Scripture. As Paul puts it, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… he was buried… [and] he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, emphasis added). The story of the Old Testament is made complete in Jesus Christ. God’s revelation finds its fulfilment in the person of his Son. “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Outline of whole book for reference
Part (i): Background
Part (ii): Problem
Part (iii): Solution
Main index with additional outline structure
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