Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, God’s Justice and Mercy
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. John 1:1-4.
There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came into His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:9-14.
The above verses were written by John, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. The Apostles were men who were objectively chosen, were personally taught by Jesus Christ, who personally witnessed the resurrected Jesus Christ, and performed miraculous signs during their ministry of proclaiming the gospel. These were their credentials, which proved that they were legitimately sent by Jesus Christ. The Greek word that is translated “apostle” means “one who is sent.” After personally teaching these men for three years, Jesus sent them on the mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world. There are no men living in the world today who can legitimately claim to be Apostles of Jesus Christ; no one has the authenticating credentials to claim that title. These men were ordinary people until they experienced the teaching of Jesus Christ and witnessed everything He did. As a result of this, these men were willing to suffer hardship, persecution and even death in fulfilling the assignment given them by Jesus Christ. No one is willing to die for something they know to be false; these men, eyewitnesses to everything Jesus Christ did, can be trusted. Their testimony changed the world, and we would be wise to rely on it.
When we understand the nature of God, and also the nature of man, we see that we have a problem. If all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and if the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), we have no hope as we live in our natural condition; life is tragic and meaningless. It seems unfair that God has established a standard by which we will be judged that we can’t possibly live up to, since we are unable to resist evil in our own strength. How can a God of love do that? We are also faced with the question that since we are all guilty, how can God forgive iniquity, transgressions and sin, and yet by no means leave the guilty unpunished, as stated in Exodus 34:6-7? Men would somehow have to be renewed; the fallen nature of mankind would have to be cured, and the sins and transgressions that we all commit against a holy God would need to be paid for. This would require God’s mercy, but the mercy would have to be consistent with God’s justice. To address these issues, we must now develop an understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has fulfilled God’s justice, and only through Him can we receive God’s mercy. God does provide mercy to us, but it is on His terms. To fully understand how this was done, we must first understand who Jesus Christ is.
Who is Jesus Christ?
As noted in the passages from the gospel of John above, Jesus Christ was present at the creation of the world in eternity past. He was with God and He was God, and all things came into being through Him. And yet He also came into the world as a human being. In addition to the testimony of the Apostle John, the Apostle Paul stated that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). How can this be true? To understand who Jesus Christ is, we need to understand more about the nature of God.
The Bible as a whole teaches that there is one God, who has revealed Himself to mankind in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: Father/Creator; Son/Redeemer; and Holy Spirit/Comforter. God is a trinity of three separate and distinct persons, yet He is one in substance. It can be said that the Father wills things to happen, the Son carries those things out, and the Spirit provides the power for the Father’s will to be carried out.
These three persons are evident almost immediately in the Bible. In Genesis 1:1 the Hebrew name for God, Elohim, is a plural form of El (God). God the Father is evident in the creation account of Genesis 1 through 2. God the Holy Spirit is evident in Genesis 1:2. As noted at the end of the section about Man and the Fall of the World, Genesis 3:22 uses a plural pronoun “Us” to describe God, and this is a translation of a form of the Hebrew word Elohim, indicating a plurality in the nature of God.
God the Son is evident in Genesis 3:15, where God the Father states “And I will put enmity between you (the serpent, Satan) and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you (Satan) on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” This is an early prophecy that the seed of Satan (a plural form, indicating all unbelievers, who are called the Devil’s children in John 8:44) will struggle with the woman’s seed (one particular person, indicated by the singular pronoun He after “her seed”). The reference to the seed of the woman is a reference to a future redeemer who will bruise Satan on the head, essentially destroying him. We find out later in the Bible that this future redeemer is Jesus Christ. When He was crucified, Jesus was nailed through his feet (bruised on the heel), and the prophecy of Revelation 20:10 tells us that Jesus will eventually destroy Satan.
In Isaiah 7:14 we see additional reference to the Son, and also further explanation of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. Isaiah 7:14 states, “A virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” The Hebrew word “Immanuel” means “God with us.” This text is a clear prophecy that there would come a Son who would be the equal of God, and that God Himself would somehow enter the world. The Apostle Matthew, writing in Matthew 1:20-23, tells us that Jesus Christ is that Son of God prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.
We see additional evidence of the existence of a Son who will one day come into the world, who is equated with God, in Isaiah 9:2, 6, and 7. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them…For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” This Son who would be born is equated with Mighty God, Eternal Father. In Hebrew thought, a person’s name was equivalent to their essence or identity. This Son, who will be named Eternal Father, is one in essence with the Father. This would indicate the Son’s eternal nature before He came into the world. This also predicts that when this Son comes into the world, He will be fully human and yet fully God, and that in the future He will rule over an everlasting kingdom.
In the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2, the Messiah (Son/Redeemer), who is speaking through Isaiah, tells us “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” In this section of scripture, all three persons of the trinity are evident. The speaker is the Son, the Holy Spirit is upon the Son, and the Holy Spirit is of the LORD, God the Father.
Another interesting reference is in Job 19:25-27. This is the oldest book of the Bible. It describes how the man Job endured suffering, and yet remained faithful to God. The passage states “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God, whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another.” This is noteworthy, because the Redeemer is described as living at the time of Job, and yet at the end of days (“at the last”) He will take His stand on the earth. When we combine this with what we learn from the prophecies of Revelation 19:11 through 21:27, we understand that the Redeemer (who is also referred to as the Lamb of God) will reign with God the Father in eternity future. The Son/Redeemer is eternal and co-equal with God the Father. Job also gives us a clue about a future physical resurrection of the dead, when he states that even after his skin is destroyed, yet from his flesh he shall see God.
Although the Old Testament gives these and several other passages indicating one God, revealed in three co-equal and co-eternal persons, the New Testament gives us more conclusive evidence of this fact, and of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, co-equal and co-eternal with God.
Jesus Christ Himself claimed to be the anointed Son spoken of in Isaiah 61:1-2, quoted above. In Luke 4:18-21, Jesus, in the synagogue, read this passage up to the phrase “to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD” and stopped. He then stated, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus was obviously telling His listeners that the Holy Spirit was upon Him, that God the Father had anointed Jesus to proclaim good news to the afflicted, and that God the Father had sent Him to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; and to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD (God the Father). This statement by Jesus, applying to Himself the prophecy of Isaiah, contains several assertions made directly by Jesus about Himself. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, empowered by the Holy Spirit and anointed by God the Father. He claimed that He would bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom to captives. Jesus would heal those who were broken by their sins, and He would free those who were enslaved by their sins. It is significant that Jesus stopped after stating that He would “proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.” In His first appearance on the scene of history, Jesus would provide the means of forgiveness, to bring forth an age of grace in which people can be reconciled to God. In His second appearance, Jesus will bring forth God’s judgment and vengeance on those who have continued in rebellion against God; those who have rejected the gospel.
One of the most direct statements made by Jesus that He was eternal, and essentially God, was in John 8:56-58. In this passage, Jesus states “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So, the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” This statement by Jesus was made in the temple in Jerusalem. Those with whom He was speaking knew that the term “I am” was used by God the Father in Exodus 3:14 to refer to Himself. The fact that they picked up stones to throw at Him, as stated in verse 59, proves that they knew this. Jesus claimed to be God.
Another statement of Jesus that indicates His stature as co-equal with God is in Matthew 11:25-30. “At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” In the previous verses of Matthew, Jesus had just pronounced judgment on the people of the cities that had just rejected Him, despite the miracles He had done. Here, Jesus is praising God the Father for those who have become His followers. Jesus describes His relationship as Son to God the Father, states that all things have been handed over to Him by the Father, and importantly states that no one can know the Father unless Jesus (the Son) wills to reveal Him to them. The section beginning with the words “Come to Me” is known as the universal call. Jesus is stating that He has the power to offer salvation to all who would come to Him. This is proven by Jesus’ reference to Jeremiah 6:16, where the prophet states “Thus says the LORD, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.’” We see that Jesus is saying that when we come to Him, we will be walking on the ancient paths, where the good way is; the way commanded by God the Father. And the only way we can walk on the good way commanded by God is by following Jesus Christ.
The Bible answers the question, “who is Jesus Christ” by unequivocally proving that He is the Son of God, who existed from eternity past, and who came into the world as both God and sinless man. We now must learn how Jesus satisfied God’s justice and yet also provided God’s mercy, and how He proved this fact.
What did Jesus do?
A full exposition of all that Jesus did while He was on earth can only be done by reading the New Testament of the Bible, which we recommend that everyone do. And even with that, one should be aware that the Apostle John, at the conclusion of his gospel, stated “there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). It is important, however, that earlier in his gospel, John stated “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). The Bible tells us all we need to know about Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the most consequential person in human history. Here are some of the things He did.
Jesus lived a sinless life, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. As we have repeatedly pointed out, God identified Himself in Exodus 34:6-7 as one who is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgressions and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” God’s statement about Himself, and the fact that He is perfectly just and perfectly loving, meant that something outside our human control would need to happen to reconcile sinful, imperfect human beings to God, who is perfectly holy. In our natural condition, each of us is destined to physically die and to experience everlasting torment and separation from God as payment for our own sins. In God’s creation, since this is the penalty for sin, and since all men sin, the only way to allow for a sinful man to be reconciled to a holy God is for a sinless person to fully pay the penalty in that man’s place. This is what Jesus did, by living a sinless life, physically dying on the cross, and suffering, for a time, complete relational abandonment by God the Father. We are told by the Apostle John that as Jesus was dying on the cross, “He said, ‘It is finished!’ and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). The Greek word translated “it is finished” carries the meaning of finality, completion, or conclusion; or the discharge of a debt. Jesus was not referring to the fact that He was physically dying; He was referring to the fact that He had completely fulfilled His mission; He had fully paid for the sins of the world, once and for all. Jesus fulfilled God’s requirement for justice, and provided the means for God’s mercy on sinful mankind. The Apostle Paul tells us “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The purpose of this is made clear by the Apostle Peter, who tells us “He Himself (Jesus) bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Because of this act of Jesus Christ, all who will come to believe in Him as Savior and Lord can have His righteousness attributed to them; we can exchange our sins for His righteousness. Jesus was able to take our sins upon Himself, because He had committed no sins of His own. This was the will of God the Father, carried out by God the Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul explains this by saying “He (God the Father) made Him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
A thoughtful person may ask, why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God have found another way to provide forgiveness for the sins of mankind? One comment is necessary here: God, as creator, manages His creation according to His purposes and is not answerable to man. Having said that, God gives us the answer to this question in the Bible. There are two components to this answer.
The first reason is that God has ordained that mankind’s redemption will be wholly accomplished by God Himself. God will provide the atonement required to redeem mankind, and there will be no co-operating work from mankind. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God states “I am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me” (Isaiah 43:11), and “My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:11). The prophet Jonah acknowledged this when he stated, “salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).
The second reason is that God ordained in His creation that death is required to pay for sin. This was partially addressed in the section about “Man and the Fall of the World”. In addition, long before the time of Jesus, God provided a foreshadowing of the sacrifice to be made by Jesus. This was contained in the Mosaic Covenant that God made with the Jewish people. In that covenant, God established the need for a blood sacrifice and death as the temporary atonement for sin. There was a complex system of sacrifice that the Hebrew people were to offer to provide temporary atonement for their sins. This involved the shedding of blood, and the death of an unblemished animal. An example of this concept is given in Leviticus 17:11, where God told Moses “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews states “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). The Law referred to in the previous quotation refers to the Mosaic covenant. It is important to note that the Mosaic sacrificial system only provided temporary atonement, so the sacrifices had to be continually made; also, the Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant which would be replaced by the New Covenant initiated by Jesus Christ with His sacrifice. The sacrifice made by Jesus accomplished atonement for sins with sufficiency and finality. Nothing more was needed, and the sacrifice needed to be made only once. The entire book of Hebrews makes this apparent. Two examples are as follows: “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:26-27). Also, “nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:25-26).
By living a sinless life and dying on the cross, Jesus provided the atonement for our sins with sufficiency and finality. There is no requirement to repeat, re-enact, or add to the atonement accomplished by Jesus, and indeed it is an affront to God to do so.
Jesus rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is alive today. Besides the testimony of the Apostles about the crucifixion of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, Jesus Himself had predicted His crucifixion and also His resurrection. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus had warned His disciples on three separate occasions during His earthly ministry that He would be killed, but also that He would be resurrected. In Matthew 16:21, we are told “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.” In Matthew 17:22, Jesus again told them “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” In Matthew 20:18-19, Jesus told His disciples, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.” Jesus made similar statements in Mark 8:31 and Luke 9:22. In these statements, Jesus predicted his own death by crucifixion, but also that He would conquer death itself.
The burial of Jesus, His bodily resurrection, and His teaching of the disciples after His resurrection are recorded in Matthew 27:57 through 28:20, Mark 15:42 through 16:19, Luke 23:50 through 24:49, and John 19:31 through 21:35. In addition, Luke 24:50-53 reports that after teaching the disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven. This is further elaborated in Acts 1:1-11, in which Luke reports that after His resurrection and before His ascension, Jesus taught the disciples for 40 days. (Both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were written by Luke, a companion of the Apostle Paul). The bodily resurrection of Jesus and His ascension to heaven were attested to by eyewitnesses, as the Apostle Paul further elaborates: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas (the Apostle Peter), then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; and then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Why does Paul state in the above quotation that these facts are of first importance? It is because the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven proved all the claims that Jesus had made about Himself, and proved the sufficiency of His sacrifice for the sins of man. The Apostle Paul states Jesus “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4), and that “He was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25). Also, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep, for since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all men die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15: 20-22).
The writer of Hebrews tells us “when He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). Because of this, Jesus is able “to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The Apostle Paul tells us that God “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come. And He (God) put all things in subjection under His (Jesus’) feet” (Ephesians 1:20-22).
Because Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of God, with all things in subjection to Him, we can say along with the many other witnesses, that “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). No person in all of human history has done these things that Jesus did, so we can say with the Apostle Peter “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Jesus performed authenticating signs and wonders. During His earthly ministry, Jesus proved His deity and His role as Messiah by performing many miracles. We define a miracle as a supernatural event that occurs outside of the realm of nature, in contradiction to natural law, that can be explained only by God’s power. The prophets and apostles were granted the ability to perform miracles, but only through the power of God which they acknowledged. For example, in Exodus 14:13, Moses attributed the parting of the sea to “the salvation of the LORD which you will see today.” In Joshua 3:5, before he led the people across the parted waters of the Jordan river, Joshua told the people “tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” When Peter and John healed the lame beggar in Acts 3, Peter stated in verse 6, “in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!” After the man began to walk, Peter told the crowd in verse 12 and 13, “why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.” During the beginning of the apostolic age (the period after Jesus’ resurrection until the death of the last apostle), the apostles were able to perform miracles, but always in the name of Jesus Christ. They were granted agency but not authority. This was solely for the purpose of authenticating the apostles as representatives of Jesus Christ.
The miracles wrought by Jesus, however, came about through His own inherent power, His own authority. Matthew 4:23-25 tells us “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering from various diseases and pains; demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” There are thirty-seven specific miracles performed by Jesus that are recorded in the gospels. One can read about twenty-one of them in Matthew 8:2, 5, 14, 16, 20, 23, 28; 9:2, 18, 20, 23, 27, 32; 12:9, 22; 14:13, 25; 15:21, 32; 17:14, 24; 20:30, and 21:18. Most of these accounts are corroborated in Mark, Luke and John. There are three additional miracles reported in Mark 1:23, 7:31, and 8:22. The miracle of Mark 1:23 is also reported in Luke 4:33, and Luke reports other miracles in Luke 4:30, 5:1, 7:11, 13:11, 14:1, 17:11, and 22:51. The Apostle John reports additional miracles in John 2:1, 4:46, 5:1, 9:1, 11:43, and 12:1. There is no doubt that the actual number was much greater. Some characteristics of these miracles are as follows: Jesus healed instantaneously. He healed directly, sometimes without a word or a touch, without a prayer and sometimes without being near the afflicted person. He healed everyone that was brought to Him, and everyone for whom healing was asked by another. He healed without discrimination as to person, even healing the servant of a Roman centurion; many that Jesus healed did not believe in Him and never came to believe in Him. He healed organic and congenital problems, no matter how severe or longstanding. He brought people back to life; even after a disease had run its course and killed the victim. Jesus performed these miracles as acts of mercy, but also as proof that He was, and is, the long-awaited Messiah. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus “Are you the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:2-5). It is important to understand that the answer Jesus gave includes the prophecies of Isaiah 29:18-19, and 35:5. The Jewish people expected that the Messiah would do these things; this had been prophesied. No other person had ever done these things. One example of this fact is the testimony of the man born blind, to whom Jesus gave sight. Upon being questioned by the Jewish leaders, the man replied “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man (Jesus) were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:32-33).
As a result of the miracles Jesus performed, His notoriety spread throughout all of Israel. The people hoped that He was the long-awaited Messiah, the conquering king who would fulfill the prophecies, restore the Davidic kingdom, and drive out the Romans who occupied the land. They were correct in identifying Jesus as the Messiah, but they didn’t know that in His first coming, He would be the Suffering Servant foretold by the prophet Isaiah, which we will describe later.
Jesus taught with His own authority, and claimed the power to forgive sins. By the time Jesus came onto the scene of history, the religious leaders of the Jewish people consisted primarily of scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. The ten northern tribes had been conquered by the Assyrians long ago, with the tribes scattered and lost to history. The two southern tribes had experienced a 70-year captivity at the hands of the Babylonians, but had been allowed to return to the land of Israel at the end of that time. When the Jews returned to Israel, the scriptures regained their prominence in Israel’s life for a while, largely due to the revival that took place under the godly leaders Nehemiah and Ezra (see Nehemiah 8:1-8). Ezra was a priestly descendant of Aaron (Ezra 7:1-5), and his role as a scribe of the law is spelled out in Ezra 7:10, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Over the years, the scribes became responsible not only for copying and preserving the scriptures, but also teaching and interpreting God’s law. There were no more prophets after Malachi, who wrote in about 433 to 424 B.C. During the period of prophetic silence, the scribes inherited the primary role of spiritual leadership in Israel. In Jesus’ day, the scribes were among both the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Sadducees were primarily concerned with regulation of the temple, and with political power and money. The Pharisees were authorities in both the scriptures and traditional Jewish law. To ensure the preservation and teaching of the scriptures, a system was developed to train succeeding generations of scribes. This, the Jewish rabbinical system, involved an apprenticeship under a leading rabbi, followed by ordination. As time passed, the teachings of the various rabbis varied significantly. For this reason, a group called the Sanhedrin was formed to take over the responsibilities of ordination. At his ordination, a man was declared to be a rabbi, elder, and judge, and was given authority to render verdicts in religious as well as civil matters. After the ceremony of ordination was performed, the man had official recognition as a credentialed teacher of Israel.
Jesus had never gone through any such ordination process, so He was not recognized by the credentialed religious leadership of Israel. But His authority and superior knowledge of God was recognized by the people, not only because of the miracles He wrought, but because of the power of His teaching. His authority was self-evident. For example, Matthew 5 through 7, known as the Sermon on the Mount, includes some of the most profound teaching done by Jesus, and concludes with the statement “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). Mark 1:14-28 describes the fact that as Jesus was preaching the gospel, teaching, and driving out an unclean spirit from a man, the crowds “were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (v22), and that “they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying ‘what is this? a new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him’” (v 27).
The scribes typically based their teaching on rabbinic tradition. Jesus’ teaching was much deeper than that; His teaching was rooted in the true meaning and purpose of the law and the scriptures. For example, in Mark 7:1-13, some Pharisees and scribes confronted Jesus about the fact that His disciples didn’t follow the rituals of washing hands established by their traditions. In response, Jesus confronted them about the fact that “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother; and he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, ‘given to God’), you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that” (vs 9-13). In this situation, Jesus was criticizing the fact that the religious leaders had established a system in which people could avoid helping their needy parents. People could simply make a pledge that their resources were to be given to God in the future, and keep their resources. Whatever was not given to the temple or synagogue remained in the person’s possession, to be used for their own purposes, to the neglect of the parents. Tradition permitted them to do this simply by saying ‘Corban’ over them again. The tradition was not designed to serve God or the parents, but to serve the selfish interests of the person making the hypocritical vow.
The religious leaders hated the fact that Jesus taught with His own authority. We see in Matthew 21 that during the final week before His crucifixion, Jesus entered the temple, overturned the tables of the money changers and drove them out, as well as those who were selling doves. He said to those people “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” (Matthew 21:13). After doing this, Jesus remained in the temple, teaching and healing people. Jesus essentially took over the temple on that day, claiming it as His own. The next day, Jesus returned to the temple, and continued to teach. The narrative continues, “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching and said, ‘by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’” (Matthew 21:23). Rather than answering them, Jesus asked them a question which they couldn’t answer, and continued to teach in the temple for the rest of the day. By this time, Jesus was freely asserting His own authority and openly criticizing the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and corruption. This criticism reached its climax in Matthew 23. Among other things, Jesus confronted them with the fact that they had “neglected the weightier provisions of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
The religious leaders hated Jesus for His popularity with the people, and for the fact that He claimed authority that they didn’t recognize, and that He challenged their authority. But their hatred was made even more intense by the fact that Jesus claimed the power to forgive sins. Matthew 9:2-8 tells us “And they brought Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘take courage son; your sins are forgiven.’ And some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘this fellow blasphemes.’ And Jesus, knowing their thoughts said, ‘why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ ‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ – then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, pick up your bed and go home.’ And he got up and went home. But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” Another example of Jesus claiming the power to forgive sins is described in Luke 7:36-50, in which Jesus is the dinner guest of a Pharisee. A woman, described as a “sinner,” approaches Jesus during the dinner and anoints Jesus’ feet. The Pharisee is thinking that if Jesus knew that this woman was a sinner, He would not allow her to touch Him. Jesus, demonstrating His omniscience, knew what the Pharisee was thinking, and knew that the woman was a sinner. Jesus gives a teaching lesson to the Pharisee, in which he points out that the more one is forgiven, the more one appreciates and loves the person who forgave them. Then, “Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ‘who is this man who even forgives sins’” (v 48-49).
From these and other examples we see that Jesus taught with authority, claimed authority in His own right, and claimed the ability to forgive sins. Jesus did many other things to assert and validate His claim as the Messiah. In the process, Jesus achieved the acclaim of the people, and the condemnation of the religious authorities. These were His goals, because as He proclaimed in many ways, He came “to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus came into the world do die for the sins of the world, and everything He did was for that purpose. He pursued this goal with determination and achieved it. Those who are ignorant of Biblical truth often portray Jesus as a good man who accidentally ran afoul of the authorities of His day, resulting in His execution. This ignores the clear teaching of the New Testament of the Bible. Also, we will see from examples of prophecies in the Old Testament that the death of Jesus to atone for the sins of the world was ordained from the beginning.
Jesus fulfilled all Old Testament prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah. No other person in human history has done this. By the time Jesus Christ came into the world, the Jewish people had been expecting a long-awaited Messiah. The Hebrew word “mashiach”, translated “messiah,” means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” The Hebrew Bible contains over 300 prophecies concerning the first coming of the Messiah into the world, and Jesus Christ fulfilled them all. It is important to note, however, that the Old Testament contains Messianic prophecies of a suffering servant, and also prophecies of a conquering king that would rule the world with an everlasting kingdom. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the suffering servant; the prophecies of the conquering king are yet to be fulfilled. The Jewish people at the time Jesus was in the world did not realize that there would be two comings of Messiah; they expected that Jesus would be the conquering king that would free them from Roman rule and establish the everlasting kingdom. Even His disciples expected this; Luke 19:11 tells us “they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.” When Jesus did not do that, the Jewish leaders and most of the people concluded that Jesus was an imposter, and approved his execution at the hands of the Roman authorities.
Space does not permit the review of all of the prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ. Also, we have outlined several of these prophecies under the topic “Who is Jesus Christ?” In understanding Biblical prophecy, it is important to note that often, the prophecy would be written either as if it had already happened, or as if it was happening in the present time. This is because the prophet is seeing the event as if it is happening in front of the prophet’s eyes. Here are a few of the most important additional prophecies which were fulfilled by Jesus. This material can be a bit complex, but you will be blessed if you take time to understand these prophecies. They are helpful to both new believers and skeptics alike.
Psalm 22 was written by David, probably between 1025 and 975 B.C. The Psalm applies immediately to David, but ultimately to Jesus Christ. Psalm 22:1 is a lament: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 27:46 as He was dying on the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus began at about 9:00 a.m. on that day, and from noon until 3:00 p.m. darkness fell on all the land. At the end of that time, Jesus spoke the words of Psalm 22:1, and died soon afterward. This is important for two reasons. First, it shows that Jesus experienced the full abandonment and despair that God had inflicted upon Him as the sin-bearer. Second, Jesus had repeatedly told His disciples that He must suffer many things, be killed, mocked, scourged and crucified, but that He would be raised from the dead on the third day. (See Matthew 16:21, 17:22,23, and 20:19). These things grieved the disciples, because they couldn’t see the ultimate triumph that would occur with the resurrection of Jesus. It is important to note that the disciples were all Jewish men who had been trained by Jesus. In the Hebrew culture, religious men would memorize large sections of scripture. When a rabbi quoted the first verse of a Psalm, he was directing his disciples to ponder the entire Psalm. So, as Jesus was dying on the cross, He was comforting His followers by referring them to the entirety of Psalm 22. He was telling them that His suffering was foretold and pre-ordained, and that He was fulfilling this prophecy. Psalm 22:14-18 says, “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” These things never happened to David; they are clearly prophecies of future events, and these things happened to Jesus. It is noteworthy that the Romans invented crucifixion long after this Psalm was written, and yet it refers to the evildoers who have “pierced my hands and feet.” Besides comforting the disciples by pointing out that He was fulfilling prophecy, Jesus pointed out the ultimate triumph that His sacrifice would bring. Psalm 22:19-31 describes the faithfulness of God. In particular, verse 24 states “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.” Jesus assured His disciples that God heard His cry for help; even though Jesus was suffering, He knew that because of His sacrifice, “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and that the families of the nations will worship before Him” (v 27). At the time of the crucifixion, the disciples didn’t know the full meaning of what was happening, but they would learn.
Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-13, 50:4-11, and 52:13 through 53:12. These prophecies were written 700 years before the birth of Christ. They are referred to as the Servant Songs of Isaiah. God is speaking through Isaiah in each of these sections of scripture. Each of these prophecies should be read and studied in their entirety. Here are a few portions that will serve our purpose.
In Isaiah 42:1-9, God introduces His servant when He declares “Behold, My Servant whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations” (v 1). Regarding His servant, God states “I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes” (vs 6,7). It was foretold that Jesus, in His first coming, would have God’s Spirit upon Him, would be a light to the nations, would open blind eyes, and would initiate a covenant to the people. We know from other prophecies that Jesus will bring forth justice to the nations at His second coming, when He establishes His kingdom. This section also includes all three persons of the trinity; God the Father (speaking), God the Son (the Servant) and God the Holy Spirit (who will be with/upon the Servant).
In Isaiah 49:1-13, the Servant Himself says “Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb, from the body of My mother He named Me. He has made My mouth like a sharp sword” (vs 1,2). Later, the Servant quotes the LORD, saying “And now says the LORD, who called Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him…He says, ‘it is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth’” (vs 5,6). It is clear from verse 1 that the Servant spoken of here (Jesus) would be an individual as distinct from a personified group such as the nation of Israel, which has also been called the LORD’s servant at other points in the Old Testament. Verses 5 and 6 indicate that this Servant (Jesus) would make salvation available to individuals from all nations, not just the people of Israel.
In Isaiah 50:4-11, the Servant says “I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting, for the LORD GOD helps Me. Therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed. He who vindicates Me is near; who will contend with Me?” (vs 6-8). The Servant (Jesus) would not resist those who humiliate Him. Jesus, the suffering servant, would be determined to be obedient to the LORD, who would help Him and vindicate Him. The prophecy of His vindication was fulfilled when Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven.
Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12 is probably the most direct prophecy describing what Jesus did and would do, and identifying Jesus Christ as the Suffering Servant, in the entire Bible. In 53:5, Isaiah states “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” In 53:10-11, Isaiah states “The LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, and He will bear their iniquities.” These verses point out that this Servant would be the guilt offering for the sins of others, that we would be healed because of the Servant’s suffering, and that although He (the Servant, Jesus) would suffer anguish in bearing their iniquities, the people would be justified by the Servant’s sacrifice. The Servant would ultimately be satisfied. The Servant’s days would be prolonged, and the LORD would prosper Him. These prophecies were all fulfilled by Jesus, who was pierced (crucified), who suffered and died to atone for the sins of the many, and whose days have been prolonged (He was resurrected and ascended to heaven). Note that this prophecy is written in past tense, as if it had already happened. Isaiah, the prophet, was seeing this as if it had already happened, as frequently occurs with prophecy. No person before or since Jesus Christ can be said to have fit the description of the Suffering Servant given by the prophet Isaiah.
Daniel 9:24-27 contains many prophecies, including a prophecy of when Jesus would enter Jerusalem during His final week on earth, as well as prophecies concerning the crucifixion of Jesus in 30 A.D., the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and events related to the future second coming of Jesus. It has been proven with a high degree of certainty that the prophet Daniel wrote during the period 536-530 B.C. There were critics who argued that the date of writing was possibly during the period 175-164 B.C., based solely on the assumption that some of the highly detailed prophecies in the book of Daniel could not have been made in advance. These criticisms have been proven false by advances in archaeology and in the interpretation of Imperial Aramaic language that have been discovered subsequent to the contentions of the critics. Even if we accept the later date of writing, the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 concerning when Jesus would enter Jerusalem and be crucified would have been made long before it was fulfilled in 30 A.D.
Prior to being granted this prophetic message, Daniel had been praying on behalf of his people, the Hebrew people who had been exiled in Babylon. He wanted to know when they would return and rebuild Jerusalem. In answer to his prayer, the angel Gabriel came to Daniel. The angel Gabriel stated in Daniel 9:24-27, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
The Hebrew word translated “weeks” refers to “sevens”, and can refer to days or years. In this context, the meaning is “years.” So, the seven weeks (sevens of years) equals 49 years, and the sixty-two weeks equals 434 years, for a total of 483 years. The key to understanding this prophecy is to understand when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given. There were four different decrees given by various rulers of Babylon, but the only one that allowed the rebuilding of both the city, and the wall is reported in Nehemiah 2:8. This decree was made by Artaxerxes Longimanus, given in the month of Nisan (see Nehemiah 2:1) in 445 B.C. From the time of the decree, there were 49 years until the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its fortifications. By the end of that time, the fortifications would have certainly been rebuilt, as well as most of the city if not all of it. After 434 more years, for a total of 483 years, “the Messiah will be cut off.” The Hebrew term used here refers only to death directly inflicted by God, or violent death at the hands of man. The Hebrews used a 360-day calendar, so 483 years times 360 days equals 173,880 days. It is exactly 173,880 days from the first day of Nisan, 445 B.C. to the tenth day of Nisan in the eighteenth year of Tiberius (the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion). That is the day in history when Jesus made His public triumphal entry into Jerusalem and presented Himself to the nation as “Messiah the Prince.” The time of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem was predicted with uncanny accuracy. This was carefully analyzed by Sir Robert Anderson, and a detailed narrative is contained in the book “Exploring the Book of Daniel” by John Phillips. The events after the crucifixion of Jesus, predicted in this passage, include the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 A.D. These prophecies were fulfilled during a period of 69 weeks of years, or 483 years. There remains a 70th week, and the events of that time are predicted beginning with the phrase “and he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” (“He” refers to the one who will make a future covenant that he will break. This refers to a future, evil person that Bible scholars refer to as the Antichrist). Those events clearly have not occurred yet. There is a historical gap between the 69th week and the 70th week of Daniel. This gap is the period of history that we are living in at the present time, the church age, or the age of grace. This is the period that began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and will end with His return. The reason Gabriel did not tell Daniel the details of this gap in prophecy is that Daniel was only to be informed about his own people, the Jewish people, and his holy city, Jerusalem. God has a plan of redemption for both Jews and non-Jewish people, and both must come to faith in Jesus Christ. But the details of those plans are revealed elsewhere in the Bible, and are beyond the subject we are covering here.
All of the prophecies mentioned here are important and reveal compelling third-party evidence that Jesus is the Suffering Servant who came to redeem sinners. There are many more prophecies which a dedicated student of the Bible can look at, but we have included only these because of their importance.
Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant. The Bible contains several covenants which God initiated between Himself and man. The Mosaic Covenant was one of these; we have briefly described some of the features of this covenant previously, in the discussion of why Jesus had to die. The most important feature of this covenant for our discussion is that this was a conditional covenant; that is, the people had obligations to fulfill in order for God to keep His covenant promises. Those obligations are referred to as “the Law” or “the Mosaic Law.” When He gave the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, Jesus stated, “Do not think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The Law Jesus was referring to was the Mosaic Law, and the Prophets were those who reiterated and reinforced the Law. In claiming that He fulfilled the Law, Jesus was saying that He is the fulfillment of the Law in all respects. He fulfilled all prophecy, and He fulfilled all the demands of the Mosaic Law. In addition, Jesus fulfilled the Law by being its fulfillment; He satisfied the Mosaic Law by dying on the cross to atone for the sins of all mankind.
In this sermon, Jesus also described the full meaning of the Law, showing that it is humanly impossible to keep. For example, He states “you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). By saying this, as well as by other things Jesus said, He was pointing out that no one can be redeemed from their sinful condition by keeping the Law; it was impossible, and not the means ordained by God. Even under the Mosaic Law, salvation was only granted through faith in God. Before the Mosaic Covenant was established, we are told that Abraham “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). The Apostle Paul said, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13). The Mosaic Law did have a purpose, however. The Mosaic Law was “our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). All of this means that it is through faith that we are saved, not through keeping the Law, which we can’t do perfectly. This does not mean, as some assert, that there is now no Law that we need to observe. It only means that obedience to that Law is not the cause of our salvation. Jesus Christ affirmed God’s moral law, and the Apostle Paul stated in a subsequent letter, “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Romans 3:31). The law that has been established is referred to as “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). This law is articulated by Jesus Christ and His apostles in the New Testament. We will not review the entirety of the Law of Christ here, but it is most important to note that besides the fact that keeping any law is not the cause of our salvation, God promises to give those who “repent and believe the gospel” a new heart, and we will know and be able to keep this law because God’s spirit will be within us.
We will see that the conditional Mosaic Covenant was ended once Jesus Christ fulfilled it perfectly and completely. In its place, Jesus would initiate the New Covenant, foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.
Jesus initiated the New Covenant. Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus stated “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Greek word translated “time” refers not to chronological time, but to the critical moment, the time for decisive action. Jesus was saying that His arrival was the critical moment in history, when He would initiate the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom in the present age; it is not visible or tangible, and it will not manifest itself in any government or principality in this age. Jesus indicated this; when He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, “He answered them and said, ‘the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21). From the context, we know that when Jesus stated, “in your midst” He was saying that the kingdom existed within the hearts of those who believed in Him. The kingdom certainly did not exist among the Pharisees, who did not believe in Him.
We see further evidence of the nature of this kingdom, and the promise of a new covenant in the words of Jesus Christ. In the night before He was crucified, Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples. “He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’ And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood’” (Luke 22:15-20). It is important to note that since we know the crucifixion of Jesus provided the once and for all atonement for sins, we know that Jesus was speaking metaphorically when He referred to the wine and bread as His blood and body. Also, we know that Jewish law forbade the eating of human flesh, or the drinking of blood of any kind. This was to be done as a remembrance, or memorial, of the sacrifice He would make. The main two points Jesus was making here are that the physical, tangible kingdom of God would not come until the return of Jesus, and also He explicitly stated that His sacrifice would initiate the New Covenant between God and man. It is critical that we understand this covenant.
Jesus was here referring to the clear prophecy of this New Covenant given by the prophet Jeremiah, speaking for God, in Jeremiah 31:31-34: “Behold, the days are coming”, declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them”, declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days”, declares the LORD. “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying ‘Know the LORD’, for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them”, declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
This prophecy mentions only the Jewish people (the house of Israel and the house of Judah), but the New Covenant is in effect during the church age for all who have repented and believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (i.e. Christians). We see this when we review the prophecies of Isaiah 42:1-9 and Isaiah 49:1-3, which we previously discussed. In those prophecies, Jesus is described as “a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations” and that “it is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations, so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” This new covenant would be available to the Jewish people as well as all people. Also, in the Luke 22:15-20 passage quoted above, Jesus applies the New Covenant to all who follow Him. This is also stated by Jesus in Matthew 26:28. Also, speaking to non-Jewish Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul stated that “God has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The writer of Hebrews, describing Jesus, states, “He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). The writer then repeats the entire prophecy of Jeremiah in Hebrews 8:7-13 and applies it to followers of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews further elaborates on the New Covenant in Christ, emphasizing that it is an eternal covenant, as follows: “He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15). A careful reading of Jeremiah 31:31-34 reveals that the New Covenant is an eternal covenant; it consists only of God promising to keep the covenant, there are no conditions by which the beneficiaries of the covenant will forfeit the promises made by God. As further evidence of this, the writer of Hebrews ends his letter by saying, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you with every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Although Jesus initiated the New Covenant, and this covenant is available to both Jews and non-Jewish people, the prophecies concerning this covenant have only been partially fulfilled. During the church age, many Jewish people will not come to faith in the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul addressed this in Romans 11:28-27, “I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, ‘The deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’” God will eventually cause the complete fulfillment of the Jeremiah 31: 31-34 prophecy, as well as several other prophecies concerning the regathering of Jews to Israel and their ultimate belief in Jesus Christ. Some of those prophecies are recorded in Deuteronomy 30:1-6, Isaiah 59:20-21, Ezekiel 36:22-27, and Ezekiel 37:26. God, who is sovereign in all things, has caused salvation to be available to all people of the world. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to be rejected by His own people, the Jewish people, who caused Him to be the ultimate sacrifice to atone for all of our sins. It is well recognized that in Biblical prophecy there is both near-term, partial fulfillment, and long-term, complete fulfillment. The complete fulfillment is yet to come. In the meantime, it is important for us to realize that the New Covenant applies to all people; all people, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, must come to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
We must now address two questions: How does one benefit from the fact that Jesus died to atone for our sins? And how does one enter into the New Covenant?