What Old Testament figures are mentioned in Luke 9:8, and why? Opening Snapshot of Luke 9:8 “others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that a prophet of old had arisen.” Crowds wrestled with Jesus’ identity. Their options drew straight from treasured Old Testament expectations. Which Old Testament Figures Are Mentioned? • Elijah • “a prophet of old” – an open-ended reference to any of the ancient prophets Israel revered (e.g., Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah) Why Elijah Was on Everyone’s Mind • Prophecy of his return – Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” – First-century Jews anticipated Elijah as the forerunner of Messiah. • Miracle worker resemblance – 1 Kings 17–19, 2 Kings 1–2 show Elijah multiplying food, raising the dead, calling down fire. – Luke 7:11-17; 8:49-56 portray Jesus performing the same caliber of miracles. • Bold call to repentance – Elijah confronted idolatry on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). – Jesus confronted sin and called Israel back to God (Luke 5:32; 13:3). • Heavenly departure and presumed availability – Elijah never died but was taken up in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). – If anyone could reappear bodily, Elijah fit the profile. Why “A Prophet of Old” Was Also Suggested • Unmistakable prophetic authority – Deuteronomy 18:18 promised a prophet like Moses. – Jesus taught with unmatched authority (Luke 4:32). • Acts of compassion and judgment echo earlier prophets – Feeding multitudes recalls Moses and manna (Exodus 16). – Announcing judgment on unrepentant towns mirrors Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos (Luke 10:13-15). • Resurrection expectation – Daniel 12:2 affirmed resurrection; many believed prophets could be raised to continue their ministries. • Parallel Gospel accounts name names – Matthew 16:14; Mark 6:15 specify Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Luke condenses this to “a prophet of old,” capturing the same idea. What This Tells Us About Jesus’ Identity • The crowds recognized divine activity but stopped short of acknowledging Him as Messiah, the Son of God (Luke 9:20). • Their guesses unknowingly affirmed His fulfillment of Scripture—He embodied the prophetic word in every dimension. • Herod’s confusion (Luke 9:7) underscores how Jesus’ ministry disrupted political and religious expectations. Takeaways For Today • Prophecies matter: God’s promises in Malachi and Deuteronomy framed how people interpreted Jesus; they still guide our understanding. • Miracles and message together point to identity: power without truth misleads, truth without power can be ignored; Jesus displayed both perfectly. • Knowing Scripture guards us from half-true conclusions; the crowds saw rightly that Jesus resembled Elijah and the prophets, but only Scripture in full reveals Him as the promised Christ. |
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