Which Old Testament prophecies affirm the truths Jesus mentions in Luke 24:25? Listening to the Prophets: Luke 24:25 in Context “Then Jesus said to them, ‘O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!’ ” (Luke 24:25). In the very next breath He adds, “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?” (v. 26). So the “truths” He expects them to know are twofold: • the Messiah must suffer • the Messiah will subsequently be glorified Echoes from Moses (the Torah) • Genesis 3:15 — “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” Suffering (heel struck) and ultimate victory (head crushed) foretold from the start. • Genesis 22:8, 13 — “God Himself will provide the lamb.” Isaac spared; a substitute offered—foreshadowing the sacrificial suffering of the promised Son. • Exodus 12:5-13 — The Passover lamb “without blemish.” Blood protects from judgment, pointing to Christ’s atoning death. • Leviticus 16:21-22 — The scapegoat bears the people’s sins “into the wilderness.” Messiah carries sin away through suffering. • Numbers 21:8-9 — The bronze serpent “lifted up” brings healing; Jesus applies this picture directly to His crucifixion (John 3:14-15). • Deuteronomy 18:15-19 — A “Prophet like unto Moses” whom the people must heed; rejection brings judgment, but obedience yields life. Portraits in the Psalms • Psalm 22:1, 7-8, 16-18 — “They pierce my hands and feet… They divide my garments among them.” Detailed preview of the crucifixion. • Psalm 69:21 — “They gave me gall for food and vinegar to drink.” Fulfilled at the cross (Matthew 27:34). • Psalm 16:10 — “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” Resurrection promised. • Psalm 110:1 — “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool.” The glorified, enthroned Messiah. Isaiah’s Servant Songs and Royal Promises • Isaiah 7:14 — “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” • Isaiah 9:6-7 — “Unto us a child is born… and the government will be on His shoulders.” Birth and eternal rule. • Isaiah 50:6 — “I offered My back to those who struck Me… and did not hide My face from spitting.” Voluntary suffering. • Isaiah 52:13-53:12 — The Servant is “pierced for our transgressions… yet He will divide the spoils with the strong.” Suffering and glory in one sweeping vision. • Isaiah 61:1-2 — “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me… to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.” Jesus reads this of Himself in Luke 4:16-21. Visions from the Other Prophets • Daniel 9:26 — “After the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” A precise prophetic marker of His death. • Daniel 7:13-14 — “One like a Son of Man… was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.” Post-suffering exaltation. • Zechariah 9:9 — “See, your King comes to you… riding on a donkey.” Palm Sunday fulfilled. • 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.” Quoted by Jesus in Matthew 26:31. • Micah 5:2 — “From you, Bethlehem… will come forth for Me one who will be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old.” • Hosea 6:2 — “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up.” Resonance with resurrection timing. • Jonah 1:17; 2:10 — Three days in the fish; Jesus cites Jonah as the sign of His own resurrection (Matthew 12:40). Bringing It All Together From the earliest promise in Eden to the closing visions of the prophets, Scripture consistently proclaims a Messiah who suffers as a substitute, conquers death, and reigns forever. When Jesus says, “how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken,” He is inviting every reader to trace these golden threads, see their fulfillment in His cross and empty tomb, and rejoice that God’s Word stands proven and sure. |
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