by Douglas Goodin
There is a point to the Old Testament, but many Christians seem to miss it. Not because it is hidden or obscure, but because it gets in the way of their theological systems. However, if we let the Word of God itself be our guide we will see the plot as obvious as the noonday sun.
We find the Old Testament thesis mentioned by the Apostle Paul in the first chapter of 2 Corinthians. Apparently, some in the Corinthian church didn't regard Paul to be a man of his word. Regarding his return trip to visit them, they accused him of saying one thing and doing another. The apostle assured the people that he is not a wishy-washy, double-tongued, 21st-century-politician-type who will say whatever the masses want to hear. His purpose remained unchanged, even if he was unable to follow through in the time and way he had initially expressed. It would be a mistake, said he, to interpret his delay as insincerity. And to provide an analogy of his own reliability, Paul appealed to God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises.
While making his case, the apostle uttered the somewhat odd declaration that Christ “was not yes and no, but yes in Him.” What does that mean? The answer comes in v20, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes.” In other words, when God says yes, He means it; and when He makes a promise, He fulfills it. Now, in the flow of Paul's defense, this statement is almost a passing comment. But it passes like a freight train through a cemetery. The text says that God has made promises; that God has kept His promises; and, specifically, that the fulfillment of all of God’s promises is Jesus Christ. Whatsoever the Almighty has vowed to do finds its perfection and completion in His Son. The “promises” of which Paul speaks are those recorded in the Old Testament.
Christ on Every Page of the Old Testament
It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. I would add (with Paul shouting, “Amen to that!”) that both Testaments reveal the person and work of the Son of God. Christ is, we might say, the focal point (or better, focal person) of all of God’s commitments. He is the centerpiece of all history, indeed He is God’s plan for history. Therefore, as we trace the promises given to the patriarchs and the people of Israel in the Old Testament, we should look for their culmination in Jesus. He is the end, or goal, of all things granted by God.
This has a dramatic impact on how we study and interpret the Old Testament Scriptures. We must read them Christologically. Like a watermark lurking in the background, the shadow of Jesus ought to be perceived on every page of the Bible’s first thirty-nine books. This is not the same thing as reading the Bible allegorically, as if Rahab’s red rope represents the blood of Christ. Rather, the Scriptures are intended to be read historically with God as its author and Christ as its leitmotif and main character. We should view it as the historical account of God making promises and bringing them to fruition in His glorious Son. Instead of seeking a symbolic meaning in Rahab’s rope, we should ask how the events and outcome of that narrative anticipate the advent of the Messiah.
The Old Testament Fulfilled in Christ
The New Testament itself interprets the Old Testament Christologically. For example, consider the frequent repetitions of ‘fulfilled’ in Matthew's Gospel:
• Mary the virgin became pregnant with Jesus to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah regarding “Immanuel” (1:18-23).
• When Joseph absconded with Jesus to escape Herod’s violent slaughter of babies, he was fulfilling, “Out of Egypt I will call My Son” (2:13-15).
• Jesus came from Nazareth to fulfill, “He shall be called a Nazarene” (2:23).
• He performed healing and exorcisms to fulfill, “He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases” (8:16-17).
• Christ fulfilled Isaiah’s promise of a “Servant” and “Spirit-anointed preacher to the Gentiles” (12:15f.).
• He spoke in parables to fulfill that the Jews would “Keep on hearing, but will not understand” (13:34-35).
• He entered Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill, “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey” (21:3-4).
• His arrest was to fulfill previous predictions, and his friends deserted Him just as the prophecies said they would (26:47-56).
• His blood price fulfilled, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver” (27:7-10).
The Gospel of Matthew yearns to show that Jesus of Nazareth was the realization of everything written before.
Indeed, Jesus taught this of Himself in Luke 24:13f. After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to a couple of men strolling along the streets of Judea, but His true identity was not disclosed to them. When He inquired about the topic of their discussion, they essentially responded with, “What rock have you been living under that you don’t know what has taken place around here lately?” After they had recapitulated the acts of Jesus the Nazarene to Him, including His crucifixion and reports of His missing body, Jesus rebuked them for their ignorance. Specifically, He reprimanded them for not knowing it was “necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory.” But how could they have known of this necessity? By studying the Old Testament prophets! The failure of these disciples to realize the significance of the cross, and, more importantly, the certainty of His resurrection, was regarded by Jesus as a lack of trust in the promises of God. He called them “fools” and “slow of heart” because they did not “believe in all that the prophets have spoken.” Jesus claimed that the declarations of the Old Testament plainly and unambiguously foretold of His execution and resurrection. They should have found it in the Scriptures. They should have found Him in the Scriptures. Since they had not, He gave them a quick hermeneutics lesson by walking them through the writings of Moses and the prophets, showing how they all spoke of Him. (For further discussion on the importance of Luke 24 in interpreting the Bible, see Dwight's article, Interpreting the Bible Biblically.)
The Son of God and His apostle teach that the promises made in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Jesus. Therefore, when we read the declarations made to Abraham, Israel, David, and the rest, we should regard them as the beginning and Jesus as the end. Is Abraham going to have more descendants than there are stars in the sky? Yes, and Jesus is the fulfillment. Is Israel going to receive God’s eternal blessing and favor? Yes, and they do in Jesus. Will David’s family reign forever over Israel? Yes, Jesus will. Jesus is the story of the Old Testament.