How does Matthew 16:21 connect to Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? Matthew 16:21—setting the scene “From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Key phrases that link directly to prophecy • “must go to Jerusalem” • “suffer many things” • “be killed” • “on the third day be raised” Jerusalem: the appointed place • Genesis 22:2—Isaac offered on Mount Moriah (later Jerusalem), foreshadowing the Father’s sacrifice of the Son. • Psalm 2:6—“I have installed My King on Zion.” Messiah’s decisive work is centered there. • Zechariah 9:9—The King comes to Zion, humble and bringing salvation. Jesus’ deliberate journey fulfills the pattern of redemptive acts tied to Jerusalem. Suffering at the hands of leaders • Psalm 118:22—“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The “builders” (leaders) match Matthew’s “elders, chief priests, and scribes.” • Isaiah 53:3—“He was despised and rejected by men.” • Micah 5:1—Israel’s rulers “strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.” Matthew 16:21 shows Jesus knowingly stepping into exactly what these texts predicted: rejection by His own people’s authorities. The necessity of death • Isaiah 53:5–6—“He was pierced for our transgressions… the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” • Daniel 9:26—“The Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” • Zechariah 12:10—“They will look on Me, whom they have pierced.” The word “must” in Matthew 16:21 underscores that these Scriptures left no optional path—Messiah’s death was covenantally required. “On the third day be raised”: promised resurrection • Psalm 16:10—“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” • Hosea 6:2—“After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up.” • Jonah 1:17 (typological)—three days and nights in the fish, a sign Jesus connects to His own resurrection (Matthew 12:40). Matthew 16:21 places Jesus squarely inside these prophetic timeframes, guaranteeing victory over death. Sacrificial imagery fulfilled • Exodus 12:5–7—Passover lambs slain at Jerusalem; Jesus, the ultimate Lamb (John 1:29), heads to the same city. • Leviticus 16—Day of Atonement sacrifices prefigure the substitutionary death Isaiah 53 describes and Jesus embraces. Prophecy fulfilled in four movements 1. Promise—OT passages foretell suffering, death, resurrection. 2. Preparation—centuries of sacrificial system and prophetic anticipation. 3. Proclamation—Jesus in Matthew 16:21 openly links Himself to those texts. 4. Performance—Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday bring literal fulfillment. Living in light of fulfilled prophecy • Confidence: God keeps His word down to specific details. • Clarity: Scripture’s unified storyline centers on Christ’s cross and empty tomb. • Commission: Because the prophetic plan is accomplished, we share the news of a risen Savior with assured hope. |
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