Foreshadowing Things to Come
Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
In the above passage, two men are walking down the road after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. They were talking about all that took place. A third man joined them for a walk and some conversation, their eyes were prevented from knowing the identity of their walking companion. Little did they know it was Jesus Himself. Jesus spent their time on the journey unpacking the Old Testament texts that foreshadowed His life, death, and resurrection. This is a conversation that I would have loved to be a part of. It’s important that we understand scripture points to Jesus. The way we read the Bible should be in a way that’s looking for The One. All of scripture points to Jesus. The Old Testament points to Jesus coming to Earth. The gospels document His time on Earth. The Epistles tell us how to live in light of Him coming to Earth. Revelation tells us about Him coming back.
Reading the Bible in a way that looks for Jesus is eye opening. My favorite example of this are the Passover instructions in Exodus 12. The instructions to put the blood of the unblemished lamb on the side doorposts and above the door are a clear foreshadowing of when the unblemished lamb (JESUS) is on the cross with blood running from his hands and his head. All the flawed men documented in the Old Testament are a foreshadowing of the Perfect One to come. Moses led the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery. There is a better Moses- Jesus. David delivered his people from the grips of the Philistines. There is a better David- Jesus.
Solomon led his people through peace and prosperity. There is a better Solomon-Jesus. The scriptures all point to Jesus. As we enter this Easter season, let's read the scriptures in a way that allows us to see Jesus and the gospel in all parts of the scripture. After all, you don’t want to be like the Pharisees who searched the scriptures only to miss the point.
John 5:39-40
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
