A Word Study

Did you know that Jesus is actually a part of the Old Testament? Even though the New Testament is comprised of His life and ministry, mentionings of the Messiah are certainly not limited to this latter half of the Bible. In fact…

Way back in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sin, God curses the Satanic serpent. He declares, “I will put enmity [between] you and the woman, [and] between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, [and] you shall bruise His heel” (Gen 3:15). This references Jesus—the Seed of Adam and Eve—and how He’s not only vanquished the Enemy’s power through His death and resurrection, but will partner with us to “crush Satan under [our] feet” (Luke 3:38, Rom 16:20).

Furthermore, the Good Father covers up Adam and Eve’s nakedness by sacrificing an animal to clothe them (Gen 3:21).

If the animal in Eden is the first sacrifice offered to rectify sin, then Jesus is the last: He’s our Sacrificial Lamb and the shedding of His innocent blood eternally atones for our sins (John 1:29). And like Adam and Eve, we are also clothed, since we wear His royal robes of righteousness (Is 61:10).

(This is just the beginning of all the mentionings of Him…)

Cain and Abel both offer sacrifices to God, but only Abel’s prized, firstborn animal is approved (Gen 4:4). This points to Christ, the first and only Son of the Father, Who is quite a prized offering indeed.

After the flood, God promises to never “destroy all living creatures” by flood, to use rainbows as a reminder of this covenant, and declares that murder will be avenged by death—thus showcasing the value of human life (Gen 9:4-16).

In a way, Jesus’ death is a testament to the value He places on human life; God Himself would rather die for something He didn’t do… than have His creations die because of what they have done. Plus, for Christ to be killed, He’s acting to avenge the murder of all; and not just literal, bodily murder, but the deaths that Satan’s wrought against each and every one of our sin-ensnared souls.

Then we have Abraham’s covenant with God. In this era, covenants are established by cutting apart an animal, splitting it in half, having both parties walk between the two pieces, and agreeing that the one who breaks the treaty will be treated “like the calf they cut in two”  (Jer 34:18). But when Abraham goes about this ceremony, he doesn’t walk through the halves; only God does, in the form of a “smoking fire pot with a blazing torch” that floats between the carcass (Gen 15:17).

This shows that our Loving Lord’s taking on the full brunt of the deal, committing to bear the full punishment of mankind’s disobedience—through His broken, cut-up Son—because His desire to have an intimate relationship with us is so great.

The 10 Commandments and Levitical Laws also reference Him because—besides the fact that all of the sacrificial offerings point to the Ultimate Sacrifice found in Christ—the priests who present them must be consecrated (aka, made holy) through anointing oil, offerings of unleavened bread, and the shedding of innocent blood (Ex 29:1-9). Isn’t it ironic, then, that all of these specifications highlight how Christ purifies us (check out 2 Cor 1:21-22, 1 John 20-27, John 6:35, & 1 Pet 1:18-19)?

Even the tabernacle itself highlights Jesus: the outer courtyard must be surrounded by fine, hanging linens—representing righteousness—and this is fitting, since Christ is the most righteous One of all (Ex 27:9, Rev 16:8). People will enter the courtyard through a single gate, just like He’s the One and Only Gate to the Father (Ex 27:16, John 14:6). And every God-seeking individual can enter, similar to how His salvation is available to all people (John 3:16).

And finally, we have God’s covenant with David...

The Lord promises him many things, but the most notable is that David’s “house [and] kingdom shall endure before [Him] forever” (2 Sam 7:9-16). Thus, we must begin with the most obvious reference to Christ: He’s David’s divine descendant Who rules forever! Although, David’s non-divine descendants point to Him as well…

When King David’s being attacked by his own son, said son is defeated in a rather striking way: his hair gets caught in a tree branch, so he hangs upon the tree until a solider kills him by piercing his chest with a spear (2 Sam 18:9-17). Oddly enough, this wicked son of David foreshadows the Son of David, Who also hangs upon a scornful tree and gets a soldier’s spear thrust into His side (John 19:34).

Similarly, Solomon’s reign of God-given peace and prosperity highlights Christ’s Kingdom, and even the temple that Solomon builds highlights our Messiah (1 Chron 22:9). The interior of God’s temple is “overlaid with gold,” and despite Jesus’ ordinary earthly appearance, His glory is also inward—hidden within the majesty and beauty and golden reality of His Kingdom and His people (1 Kings 6:21, Is 53:2, Ps 45:13, 1 Peter 3:4).

Furthermore, the temple veil that guards the Holy of Holies represents the separation between God and man—due to our sin—and this veil is only crossed once a year, by one priest’s offering of sacrificial blood (Heb 9:25). And yet, when Jesus breathes His last, the temple veil is—quite literally—torn apart from top to bottom (Matt 27:51).

By His sacrificial death, He splits the barrier between God and man right down the middle, just like His original covenant with Abraham split a sacrificial animal right down the middle. Acting as both the High Priest and the Offering, Jesus doesn’t “enter the Most Holy Place by means of the blood of goats and calves; but… once [and] for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” instead of the temporary redemption that animal sacrifices provide (Heb 9:12). This means that we are forgiven and saved forever, thanks to our Loving Lamb.

The tearing of the temple veil is also a type-and-shadow of the tearing of His flesh, and this communicates a bold feat: because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can confidently enter into His Presence, for the One in the Holy of Holies is no longer out of reach (Heb 10:19-20). He’s among us and with us, has made us new and holy by His humble blood (Heb 10:19-20). 

And you wanna know another cool thing about God’s temple? The Lord declares that it should be built on Mount Moriah (2 Chron 3:1). This is significant, given that it’s the place where Abraham (almost) sacrificed Isaac—thus connecting it to His covenant with the Israelites —but even more so since it foreshadows the crucifixion—which connects it to the New Covenant He establishes with all peoples, not just Jews (Gen 22:2).

Guys, Jesus is crucified directly in this mount’s shadow. This affirms the Levitical Law’s stance on sin offerings: although the animals’ blood is “brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement,” their bodies are taken outside of the camp to be burned, so for Christ to be killed and disposed of outside of the holy city, He's acting as the Ultimate Sin Offering (Lev 16:27).

Also, He’s not only fulfilling the Old Testament’s covenants by being the Sacrificial Lamb, but also furthering them by establishing a New Covenant based off of faith in Him (Matt 5:17). If the temple represents the Israelites and the Old Covenant, then Christ’s death outside of that space—at a well-traveled junction where diverse peoples pass through—symbolizes how His New Covenant promise is offered to diverse peoples. All peoples.

This New Covenant (which is what we’re under) states that, through belief in the Resurrected Savior, we will be made new and complete and blameless before God.

And soon, His desire—"I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people”—will become a reality (2 Cor 6:16).

So, what’s the point of this rather long (sorry not sorry) blog post?

If Jesus is not confined to only a small part of the Bible, then why do we confine Him to parts of our lives? Why do we trust Him with our families, but not our finances? Our careers, but not our health? Our struggles, but not our dreams?

Christ isn’t a part of the Word; He is the Word (John 1:1). He doesn’t just want to be a part of your life, but all of it. So what are you holding back from Him, keeping in a tight grip because it’s too painful or scary to let Him take over?

Give it to Him, friends. Let the Word work wonders in you life. In all areas of your life.