What Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled according to Luke 18:31? Listening in on Jesus’ words “Then Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, ‘Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.’” (Luke 18:31) What did those prophets write? Key strands Jesus had in mind • Going up to Jerusalem – Zechariah 9:9 “Behold, your King is coming to you… humble and mounted on a donkey.” – Psalm 118:26 “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.” • Betrayal and being handed over – Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend… has lifted up his heel against me.” – Zechariah 11:12-13 (Thirty pieces of silver, thrown to the potter) • Delivered to the Gentiles – Psalm 22:16 “For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me.” – Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men.” • Mocked, insulted, spit upon – Psalm 22:7-8 “All who see me mock me… ‘He trusts in the LORD.’” – Isaiah 50:6 “I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting.” • Scourged and pierced – Isaiah 53:5 “By His stripes we are healed.” – Psalm 22:16-17 “They have pierced my hands and feet… They stare and gloat over me.” – Zechariah 12:10 “They will look on Me, the One they have pierced.” • Killed / “cut off” – Isaiah 53:8 “…He was cut off from the land of the living.” – Daniel 9:26 “After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off.” – Zechariah 13:7 “Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” • Raised on the third day – Psalm 16:10 “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” – Hosea 6:2 “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up.” – Jonah 1:17 (Jonah in the fish three days and three nights—Jesus’ own “sign of Jonah,” Matthew 12:40) Putting it together When Jesus spoke in Luke 18:31, He gathered up the entire tapestry of these promises. From the donkey’s hooves on Jerusalem’s stones to the empty tomb at dawn, each detail had already been sketched by the prophets. In the next verses (Luke 18:32-33) He names them in order—handed over, mocked, spat on, flogged, killed, and raised—and every step matches an Old Testament line. The Scripture record is cohesive and literal, and Jesus walked it out to the letter. |
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