What Old Testament prophecies connect to the sufferings mentioned in Luke 24:26? Connecting Luke 24:26 to the Prophets “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?” (Luke 24:26) Direct Predictions of a Suffering Messiah • Genesis 3:15 – “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” • Psalm 22:1 – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” • Psalm 22:16 – “They have pierced My hands and feet.” • Psalm 22:18 – “They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing.” • Psalm 69:21 – “They put gall in My food, and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.” • Psalm 118:22 – “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” • Isaiah 53:3 – “He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows.” • Isaiah 53:5 – “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.” • Isaiah 53:7 – “Like a lamb led to the slaughter… He did not open His mouth.” • Isaiah 53:8 – “He was cut off from the land of the living.” • Isaiah 53:12 – “He was numbered with the transgressors.” • Daniel 9:26 – “After the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.” • Zechariah 11:12-13 – Thirty pieces of silver thrown to the potter. • Zechariah 12:10 – “They will look on Me, the One they have pierced.” • Zechariah 13:7 – “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” Prophetic Details Mirrored in the Passion • Betrayal by a close friend – Psalm 41:9; fulfilled by Judas (John 13:18). • False witnesses – Psalm 35:11; fulfilled at the trial (Mark 14:55-57). • Silent before accusers – Isaiah 53:7; seen before Pilate (Matthew 27:12-14). • Scourging and wounding – Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 53:5; fulfilled in Matthew 27:26. • Hands and feet pierced – Psalm 22:16; John 20:25-27. • Lots cast for clothing – Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24. • Gall and vinegar – Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34, 48. • Bones unbroken – Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20; John 19:36. • Side pierced – Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34-37. • Buried with the rich – Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60. Suffering Foreshadowed in Israel’s Worship and History • Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) – a spotless substitute whose blood spares from judgment. • Day of Atonement scapegoat (Leviticus 16) – sin transferred to an innocent victim sent away. • Bronze serpent lifted up (Numbers 21:8-9) – deliverance by looking in faith at a cursed emblem. • Joseph sold by his brothers (Genesis 37:28) yet later saving them—betrayal leading to salvation. • David pursued and rejected before being enthroned—anticipating the rejected King. • Jonah three days in the fish (Jonah 1:17) prefiguring the three-day pattern of death and resurrection. Why the Prophets Spoke of Suffering First • To reveal the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin (Isaiah 53:5-6). • To show that redemption requires substitutionary blood (Leviticus 17:11). • To prepare Israel—and us—for a Messiah who conquers through sacrifice before reigning in glory (Psalm 110:1; Zechariah 9:9-10). Seeing Jesus Through Moses and the Prophets Every strand—law, psalm, prophecy, type—threads into Luke 24:26. The Messiah had to suffer exactly as written, so that we could recognize Him when He rose and entered His glory. |
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