We shouldn’t suppose that Jesus just showed up on a Judean hillside one afternoon, suddenly claiming to be the Son of God, the promised messiah, the forgiver of sin, the way, the truth, and the life, the alpha and omega, the creator of all heaven and earth, and the one in whom we must trust to gain eternal life. Nor should we suppose, as some have suggested most recently in "The Da Vinci Code", that Jesus was simply invented by some his closest followers, his disciples, the apostles, or even the church, in the years following his death.
History has been sprinkled with people who have made extraordinary claims concerning their own identity, and what they have seen and heard or received from God. Entire belief systems have been based upon these claims. Should we arbitrarily believe the words of every self-avowed prophet that comes down the pike who claims to know the way to God or the truth or the secrets to life?
In a November 21, 2004 "CBS 60 Minute Special Report", comedian Jim Carrey spoke of how he draws strength from his spiritual side. He has this secret spot on his property where he climbs to shut out the rest of the world. Carrey refers to it as, "My spot. The center of my universe. The place where I hang out with Buddha and Krishna and you know, all those guys." When asked if he is a Buddhist, Carrey replied, "Jesus. I’m a Buddhist, I’m Muslim, I’m Christian, I’m whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to the same thing. You are either in a loving place or you aren’t in a loving place."
Prophet?
There are those who seem to lump Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Joseph Smith, Hare Krishna, Dalai Lama, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Alan Hale, and Thomas Bopp all together into one big melting pot and suggest they’re one and the same. But are they all really the same? Was Jesus just another self-avowed prophet or holy man offering some bizarre new twist into the mystery of the divine? Did Jesus just suddenly emerge some two thousand years ago to hijack all of Judaism for his selfish aims? Was his birth mere happenstance? Was his life anything more than a clever fiction?
Messiah?
Or was Jesus truly unique? Was he the real deal, the very Son of God, the holy one of God? Did his birth mark the apex of God’s unfolding plan in history, a plan that can be traced back to the beginning of time, before creation, into eternity? Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem on Christmas morning, we had these glimpses or revelations into Jesus’ identity, his amazing life, and his ministry as the Son of God. These glimpses and these revelations became the foundation upon which Jesus built a deep and abiding faith into his followers.
Jesus and his followers didn’t just show up one day to hijack Judaism or Jewish tradition. Rather, it is as Jesus states in Matthew 5:17 (NIV), "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." In other words, there is complete continuity between Jesus’ ministry and all of Jewish history, from the earliest time when God gave the law to Moses, all the way to the later times when God sent prophets like Isaiah, Elijah, and Elisha. All of it is bundled into one continuous, congruent, unfolding history.
In Luke 4:16 Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth, where we found him reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in a synagogue where he frequently worshiped. On that day, Jesus, who was probably in his early thirties, read Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV) which says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn." When Jesus finished, he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. As the eyes of everyone turned to him, Jesus said to the people in Luke 4:21 (NIV), "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Fulfilled Prophecy
Jesus is undeniably establishing a connection between the ancient, prophetic teachings of the Jewish prophet Isaiah and the events that are about to unfold in his life and ministry. It is also worth noting that at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, after his resurrection, he appealed to the very same scriptures to build a deep, abiding faith into his followers. In Luke 24:13 two of Jesus’ disciples are traveling on a road to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles away from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had just happened, namely, Jesus’ confrontation with the religious leaders, his unjust trial, his brutal crucifixion, his burial, and the controversy surrounding the disappearance of Jesus’ body.
Luke 24:15-27 (NIV) says, "As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing them. He asked them, 'What are you discussing together as you walk along?' They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, 'Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?' 'What things?' he asked. About Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied, 'He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.' He (Jesus) said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself."
Later that evening the two travelers invite Jesus into their home, to break bread. As Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and divided it among them, their eyes were opened up and they recognized him. In astonishment, in Luke 24:32 (NIV) they ask each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
If you take your Bible and put your finger on the first page of the New Testament, you will notice that the New Testament represents not even one third of the Bible. The New Testament did not even exist as Jesus traveled with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The scriptures Jesus relied upon, and from which he proved his identity as the Son of God, were the law and the prophets. These scriptures are our Old Testament. Luke 24:27 (NIV) says, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." All of scripture, thousands of years of Jewish history dating back to the beginning of history, including Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, and Abraham, all point to Jesus. Jesus did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.
The Old Testament Testimony
It is remarkable to see how the early Church handled questions about Christ’s identity. According to Kenneth Barker, author of the book NIV: The Making of a Contemporary Translation, there are almost three hundred direct quotations of the Old Testament found in the New Testament. But there are between four hundred and four thousand allusions to the Old Testament from the New Testament. These allusions can be cross-referenced in most every study Bible in the English translation. Barker writes, "So much of the New Testament consists of references to or quotations from the Old Testament that the so-called New Testament Christian is biblically illiterate if he knows little or nothing about the Old Testament. Reading the New Testament without knowledge of its Old Testament background is like starting to watch a two act play at the beginning of the second act. The latter experience would be supremely unsatisfying for most of us, at least. We want to know how the play began, in its entirety, not just in its second half."
He continues, "The Bible is the most dramatic literary production of all time. The preparation and promise of the Old Testament finds its completion and fulfillment in the New Testament. Each half of scripture needs the other half for its fullest understanding. As Augustine put it, 'The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed. The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.' "
As Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chronicled the life of Jesus Christ, they relied heavily upon Old Testament quotations, detailing the precise ways in which Jesus fulfilled thousands of years of Jewish history. Throughout the book of Acts the apostles preached directly from the Old Testament to demonstrate how God’s plan unfolded from the earliest times into the present.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (NIV), Paul writes, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time."
The entire book of Hebrews backs up the thesis of Hebrews 1:1-2 (NIV) which claims, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."
In 2 Peter 1:16-21 (NIV) Peter would write, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
It is worth saying again. Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem on Christmas morning, we had these glimpses and revelations into Jesus’ identity, his amazing life, his ministry as promised messiah, and his glorification as the Son of God. The Old Testament scriptures are just as much a gift to us as the New Testament scriptures. These glimpses and these revelations became the foundation upon which Jesus built a deep and abiding faith into his followers. And these glimpses are something that can build a deep abiding faith within each of us.
One of the highlights in the Christmas story comes before Jesus is even born, as the expectant mother of Jesus, Mary, begins to understand her role in God’s unfolding plan of salvation for all men. She breaks into a song that consists almost entirely of Old Testament allusions. She celebrates her rich spiritual heritage. She praises God for the favor that he has shown throughout all generations, and celebrates the blessings God will soon bestow on the whole world through her son, God’s Son, Jesus.
In Luke 1:46-55 (NIV) she sings, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
I sometimes wonder if Christmas is ever a time when like Mary, we celebrate the rich salvation history we have in Jesus Christ. In the short weeks leading up to Christmas, it is important that we be mindful of what the Christmas season truly represents. It is a time when like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts should burn within us as we more fully discover that Jesus Christ is the focal point of all scripture. More than anything else, he deserves to be the focal point of this Christmas season as well.