What Old Testament prophecies might people have connected to Jesus in Mark 6:15? Zooming in on Mark 6:15 “Others said, ‘He is Elijah.’ And still others said, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ ” Why Elijah Came to Mind • Malachi 4:5-6—“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.” • Malachi 3:1—“Behold, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” • Elijah’s hallmark signs—confronting rulers (1 Kings 18), multiplying food (1 Kings 17), and raising the dead (1 Kings 17:22)—parallel Jesus’ miracles in Mark 5–6. • Elijah never died (2 Kings 2:11), so many expected his literal return; Jesus’ powerful works fit that expectation in the popular imagination. The Long-Awaited “Prophet Like Moses” • Deuteronomy 18:15-19—“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.” • Moses brought God’s Word on a mountain (Exodus 19); Jesus delivers teaching from mountainsides (Matthew 5, Mark 3:13). • Moses fed Israel with manna; Jesus feeds the five thousand in the very next scene (Mark 6:30-44). • The promise in Deuteronomy stirred hope for a final, authoritative Prophet—Jesus’ words and wonders caused many to wonder if He was that One. Echoes of Other “Prophets of Old” • Isaiah 61:1—“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me… to preach good news to the poor.” Jesus reads this text about Himself (Luke 4:17-21). • Jeremiah 1:9-10—God puts His words in the prophet’s mouth; Jesus speaks with divine authority (Mark 1:22). • 2 Kings 4:42-44—Elisha multiplies bread for a crowd; Jesus multiplies bread on a far grander scale. • Psalm 110:4 & Zechariah 6:12-13—The promised Branch and Priest-King combine prophetic, priestly, and kingly roles, all reflected in Christ’s ministry. How Jesus Fulfills and Surpasses These Prophecies • He identifies John the Baptist as the promised Elijah (Matthew 11:14), yet He Himself embodies Elijah-like power in an even fuller sense. • Peter later declares, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29), showing that Jesus is more than one prophet among many—He is the promised Messiah. • Acts 3:22-24 connects Jesus directly to Deuteronomy 18’s “Prophet like Moses,” confirming that early believers saw that prophecy fulfilled in Him. • Hebrews 1:1-2 affirms that God, after speaking through the prophets, “has spoken to us by His Son,” revealing that Jesus is the climax of all prophetic expectation. Key Takeaways • Mark 6:15 captures the crowd’s instinct that Jesus matched—and exceeded—the prophetic portraits painted in the Old Testament. • Malachi’s Elijah promise and Moses’ prophetic promise framed much of the first-century anticipation. • Every sign and sermon of Jesus nudged observers closer to recognizing that the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King they waited for had arrived in their midst. |
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