What does Luke 24:20 reveal about the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies? Text and Immediate Context Luke 24:20 : “The chief priests and our rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him.” Spoken by the two disciples on the Emmaus road, the verse summarizes three distinct actions: (1) “delivered Him up,” (2) “sentence of death,” and (3) “crucified Him.” Jesus will respond in vv. 25-27 by declaring these very events to be “all that the prophets have spoken.” Thus Luke 24:20 is itself framed as prophetic fulfillment. Foretold Handing-Over by Religious Leaders • Psalm 118:22 — “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Israel’s leaders (the “builders”) reject the Messiah, exactly as the chief priests do here. • Isaiah 8:14-15 — Messiah becomes “a stone of stumbling… for both houses of Israel,” anticipating official rejection. • Genesis 37:28 (type) — Joseph, a foreshadowing of Christ, is “sold” by his brothers; so Jesus is “delivered up” by His own nation’s leaders. Condemnation by Judges and Rulers Predicted • Isaiah 53:8 — “By oppression and judgment He was taken away… cut off from the land of the living.” The legal sentencing in Luke 24:20 aligns precisely. • Micah 5:1 — “They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod.” Mock trial and judicial abuse are implied. • Psalm 2:2 — “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed.” Luke highlights collaboration between Jewish rulers and Gentile Pilate. Crucifixion Itself Prophesied • Psalm 22:16-18 — “They pierce my hands and my feet… They divide my garments among them.” A millennium before Rome invented crucifixion, David’s psalm describes it. • Zechariah 12:10 — “They will look on Me, whom they have pierced.” John 19:37 cites the verse explicitly; Luke 24:20 alludes to the same piercing. • Deuteronomy 21:23 — “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.” Galatians 3:13 explains that Christ fulfilled this curse-bearing prophecy. Suffering Servant Motif and Substitution Isaiah 53 saturates Luke’s wording. “Delivered up” (paradidōmi) echoes the LXX of Isaiah 53:6,10 where Yahweh “delivers” the Servant to suffering. The judicial language underscores substitution: the innocent One bears the sentence sinners deserved (Isaiah 53:5-6; cf. Luke 23:41). Typology: Passover and Day of Atonement Luke dates the Passion at Passover (Luke 22:1,7). The Passover lamb had to be slain by the priests (Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5). Luke 24:20’s mention of priestly involvement matches the type: priests present the sacrificial Lamb. Likewise, on the Day of Atonement the high priest sacrifices for the nation (Leviticus 16). Jesus, condemned by the priesthood, embodies both sacrificial victim and ultimate High Priest (Hebrews 9:11-12). Chronological Precision: Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Daniel 9:26 predicts, “After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” Calculated from Artaxerxes’ decree (Nehemiah 2, 444 BC) to AD 33 yields the terminus predicted by a conservative Ussher-style chronology. Luke 24:20 is the narrative moment fulfilling Daniel’s timetable. Validation from Manuscripts and Archaeology • Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ, ca. 125 BC) contains unbroken text of Isaiah 52-53, proving the prophecy predates Christ. • Dead Sea Psalms Scroll (11QPsᵃ) preserves Psalm 22 centuries before Golgotha. • First-century ossuary inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” corroborates the historical family of the crucified One, anchoring Luke’s account in verifiable history. • Tacitus (Ann. 15.44) states, “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, was executed under Pontius Pilate.” A hostile source matches Luke’s timeframe. Resurrection Assures the Prophecy’s Completion Luke 24:20 cannot be isolated from vv. 21-24, where the empty tomb is already reported. Isaiah 53:10-12 promised that the Servant, though slain, would “prolong His days.” The resurrection (vv. 30-31, 39-43) seals the prophetic “must” (dei) that Jesus expounds in v. 26. Summary Luke 24:20 encapsulates the prophetic portrait drawn across Torah, Prophets, and Writings: Messiah will be rejected by Israel’s leaders, judicially condemned, pierced on a cross, yet subsequently vindicated. Each clause in the verse is a hyperlink to specific Old Testament predictions, demonstrating a seamless, Spirit-authored unity of Scripture and inviting the reader to the same conclusion the Emmaus disciples reached: “Were not our hearts burning within us… while He opened the Scriptures to us?” |
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