Connect Matthew 26:32 with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah's resurrection. hearing jesus speak in Matthew 26:32 “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” (Matthew 26:32) why that promise matters • It is the only statement in the Upper Room discourse where Jesus explicitly mentions His physical resurrection before the arrest. • He frames His rising as a certainty—“after I have risen,” not “if.” • The words “go ahead of you” echo the shepherd leading his flock (cf. Zechariah 13:7; John 10:4), tying the resurrection to His continuing care for the disciples. old testament voices already announcing a risen messiah 1. Psalm 16:10 • “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” • David speaks prophetically beyond himself; Peter and Paul both quote this psalm to prove the resurrection (Acts 2:25-32; 13:35-37). • Jesus’ assurance in Matthew 26 echoes this promise that God’s “Holy One” would not stay in the grave. • After the anguish of crucifixion imagery (vv. 1-21), the psalmist suddenly worships “in the great assembly.” • Resurrection is the only way the sufferer can move from death-like torment to public praise—precisely what Christ anticipates by meeting His disciples in Galilee. • “When His soul is presented as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days… After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light and be satisfied.” • The Servant dies as a sin-bearer, yet lives on to enjoy the fruit of His work. Jesus’ brief statement in Matthew compresses this whole prophecy into “after I have risen.” 4. Hosea 6:2 • “He will revive us after two days; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.” • Israel’s pattern foreshadows Messiah: a third-day raising leading to restored fellowship—fulfilled when the risen Christ meets His followers. 5. Jonah 1:17; 2:6 • Three days in the fish, then deliverance. Jesus Himself labels Jonah “the sign” of His own resurrection (Matthew 12:40). • Galilee becomes the “dry land” where the disciples first experience that sign fulfilled. threads that tie Matthew 26:32 to these prophecies • Certainty: each passage foresees resurrection as God’s settled plan, mirrored in Jesus’ confident “after.” • Timing: Hosea and Jonah highlight a “third-day” pattern; the Gospels affirm Christ rose “on the third day.” • Purpose: Isaiah 53 links resurrection to the success of redemption; Psalm 22 and 16 link it to restored worship—exactly what happens when the disciples later see Him (Matthew 28:16-17). • Shepherding: the promise to “go ahead” lines up with Psalm 22’s move from suffering to leading praise, and with Zechariah 13:7’s smitten Shepherd who nonetheless gathers the sheep. living in the light of an ancient promise kept • Jesus’ single sentence in Matthew 26:32 stands on layers of prophecy, demonstrating that the resurrection was scripted by God from the beginning. • Because those prophecies were fulfilled literally, His promise to “go ahead” remains reliable today—He still shepherds His people on the far side of an empty tomb. |
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