“All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” Luke 24:44 NKJV
Search for the word “Christ” in the Old Testament, and you will be disappointed. Even the word “Messiah” (Hebrew for “Christ”) is found only twice in many Bible translations (Dan. 9:25-26). The English word “anointed,” which is the essential meaning of “Messiah,” is used more frequently, generally referring to a priest or king who had been marked out by God for service.
Yet Jesus Himself directed eleven wonder-struck disciples to the Old Testament for their encouragement and instruction: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Lk. 24:44 NKJV). Thirty years later, an imprisoned apostle Paul had the same conversation, spending an entire day discussing the Old Testament with religious skeptics (Acts 28:23).
These examples make it plain that the Old Testament overflows with references and details regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. It is true that some aspects of His person and certain results of His work remained mysteries until God revealed them to New Testament believers. Yet, under various descriptions, the Old Testament presents the awaited Messiah with clarity.
Waiting For Christ
Since Christians today are generally accustomed to calling their Savior “Jesus Christ,” it is easy to forget that the title “Christ” first had significance primarily for a Jewish audience. It signified the hope and consolation of Israel (Acts 28:20; Lk. 2:25), a promise gladly received from the time of the patriarchs onward. God’s “Anointed One” would deliver Israel from her enemies and rule in justice, although His suffering was also foretold. However, the theology of the Old Testament often attracted Gentile seekers, who were otherwise accustomed to religious arrangements featuring many gods that often behaved badly themselves. These seekers would gather with the Jews in their synagogues.
Thus, there were two prongs to early Christian preaching in those synagogues. On the one hand, Christians emphasized that the promised Messiah was in fact the Son of God – not one of a pantheon of deities. This would aim to convince Gentile listeners of the truth of the Holy Scriptures. On the other hand, faithful Jewish listeners already knew that the coming Messiah would be divine. The prophetic scriptures made that clear to anyone whose reading was mixed with faith. For example, Micah 5 speaks of the glory and power of Israel’s future Ruler, declaring that His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2). Therefore, a Jewish audience didn’t need to be convinced that the Messiah was God; they needed to be convinced that Jesus was that Messiah. Paul’s preaching immediately after his conversion seems to include this two-pronged evangelistic emphasis (Acts 9:20-22).
Declaring Christ
The early Christians provide us with some of the most vivid expositions of Christ’s presence in the Old Testament. Six chapters in the book of Acts present specific Old Testament quotes used by Christians in evangelism. Let’s consider these references in their Old Testament order.
Abraham: Already in Genesis 22:18, God had promised Abraham that, through his offspring, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Peter and John used that word while preaching in the temple, announcing that God had raised up* His servant, Jesus, for the blessing of the hearers (Acts 3:25-26). This early promise shows that God’s entire platform for blessing both Jews and Gentiles was founded on Christ.
Moses: Near the end of his life, Moses told the nation of Israel that God would raise up* another Prophet whom all would hear (Dt. 18:15-18). Peter and John included this reference in their temple message (Acts 3:22-23), adding that all the prophets from Samuel onward had foretold the arrival of this singular messenger of God. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, also used Moses as an illustration. Intending to reach the consciences of his hearers, Stephen depicted Moses as a rejected leader, appointed by God but despised by the very ones he had been sent to deliver (Acts 7:25,35,51-53). This portrays the exact experiences Jesus had among His own, who would not receive Him (Jn. 1:11). Instead of receiving these words, Stephen’s persecutors rejected him as well, stoning him in uncontrolled fury.
David: Paul began preaching the gospel from the moment of his conversion, but his actual words are not recorded until his first missionary journey in Acts 13. Speaking to a mixed synagogue audience in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul made several references to the life and writings of David. First, he alluded to God’s promise that David’s family and kingdom would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16). Paul applied that promise to the Savior, Jesus (7:22-23). Then, he amplified this point by comparing the Lord’s resurrection to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the “sure mercies of David” (7:34; Isa. 55:3-4). God intended to keep His everlasting covenant with David; yet Israel had now been without its own king for centuries. As if in response to this vacancy, God had raised Jesus from the dead: One from the lineage of David had been raised in the power of an endless life.
The Psalms: Further references to David come from the Psalms. Paul mentioned two of them in Acts 13. First, he used Psalm 2 to highlight God’s promise that it would be His own Son who would arrive on the scene (Acts 13:32-33; Ps. 2:7). This psalm had also been appreciated by the very first disciples. Quoting David’s words – “The rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ” – they recognized an application to the total rejection of their Savior by officials and citizens alike. This encouraged them when facing opposition themselves (Acts 4:26-29; Ps. 2:1-2).
Paul’s preaching in Acts 13 included another reference to the messianic psalms, this one in Psalm 16. Discussing the statement, “You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 13:35; Ps. 16:10), Paul observed that David’s own body had indisputably decayed after his death. Therefore, this psalm must be speaking of someone else – the Lord Himself, who was raised by the power of God and saw no corruption. This precise point was also made in Acts 2:24-32 by Peter, who declared that David’s words were knowingly prophetic of the coming Christ.
Peter’s message built on the psalms further by recalling Psalm 110. Not only did Jesus rise again, but He also ascended into the heavens, where David had never gone. The Messiah’s appointed place at God’s right hand was another convincing proof that God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:34-36; Ps. 110:1).
Finally, Psalm 118 was also used by the early Christians, emphasizing Christ’s exaltation after His initial rejection: “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’” (Acts 4:11; Ps. 118:22). In this instance, Peter boldly rebuked the Jewish leaders for despising the very one whom God had appointed as the only means of salvation.
It’s interesting to notice that Peter had good authority for applying Psalms 110 and 118 to the Lord, for Jesus Himself had done exactly the same (Mt. 21:42-46; 22:41-46). Perhaps Peter’s listeners had even been among those rebuked by the Lord only weeks earlier. Peter displays a good example of first learning the Scriptures from the Lord and then fearlessly announcing their truth to others.
Isaiah: One more specific Old Testament link to Christ is found in Acts 8. The Lord directed Philip, the evangelist, to a desert road, where he met an influential Ethiopian who was reading the matchless words of Isaiah 53. This chapter, along with other portions in Isaiah, presents the Messiah as God’s Servant. The meekness and humiliation prophetically described there presented an effective opening for Philip to preach Jesus to a seeking heart.
This well-known account demonstrates the need for Christians of every generation to know the Old Testament. Philip was able to use the exact scripture at hand to develop the truths of Christ. Jesus had told His disciples that the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms all contained certainties about Him (Lk. 24). As seen in Acts, the first Christians used all three of these Old Testament portions to substantiate their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
These references are important for another reason. Not only do they encourage Christians today by glorifying the Lord, but also they equip us to declare His deity to both Gentile and Jewish friends and acquaintances. They are some of the specific tools used effectively by the Holy Spirit to convince hearers of Jesus’ true character as God’s Anointed One.
Finding Christ
These examples are hardly the only details about Christ in the Old Testament, but they do provide solid instances of the various ways to find Him there. There are the prophetic scriptures, like Isaiah 53; and there are pictures, such as Stephen’s illustration of the Lord’s rejection, drawn in type from the rejection of Moses. Paul added that the many feasts and observances of ancient Israel were themselves “a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Col. 2:17). The Jewish tabernacle and sacrifices are described in similar terms (Heb. 8:5; 10:1).
There are even instances of what might be called “unexpected connections,” when a seemingly unrelated Old Testament point touches on the person or work of Jesus. While many prophecies refer with absolute clarity to Christ, other verses give hardly a hint of that expectation when first viewed in their contexts. For example, Matthew 2:15 explains that the flight into and subsequent return from Egypt by Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child had fulfilled the prediction, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” However, the reference in Hosea 11:1 seems instead to touch explicitly on God’s historical deliverance of Israel: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.” Nevertheless, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the gospel writer lifts the appropriate phrase and applies it to Christ’s own journey.
When searching a crowd for a friend, we look for familiar features – the same height, same profile, same hair color, or same style of clothing, for example. In the same way, we can read the Old Testament with an eye that ever searches for Christ. We should exercise caution to avoid applying verses or phrases improperly, but within the bounds of scriptural accuracy it is profitable to look for Him on every page of the Old Testament.
END NOTE
* The phrase “raised up” is not referring to resurrection but to arrival. God had brought His Man on the scene. Compare also Acts 7:37 and 13:22.
By Stephen Campbell
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