Hi friends,
Every day, my Bible reading plan includes a selection from the Old Testament. Sometimes, the verses are encouraging; other times, I struggle to see their relevance.
If you’ve ever wondered why we should read the Old Testament, you’re not alone!
So, why does the Old Testament matter for Christians today?
As I reflected on this, I came across a helpful quote from Gospel & Kingdom by theologian Graeme Goldsworthy:
The Christian cannot be committed to Christ without being committed to his teaching. It follows that Christ’s attitude to the Old Testament will begin to convey itself to the Christian who is carefully studying the New Testament (19).
We want to imitate Christ, so we must know how he viewed the Old Testament.
1. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
First and foremost, I wanted to investigate how Jesus acted.
What attitude did his life demonstrate towards the Old Testament?
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The Gospels tell us that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, as required by Genesis 18:12. Jesus didn’t choose this, of course, but the Gospels, written by his disciples, record it as a positive detail that confirms that Jesus was included in God’s covenant (Luke 2:21-24).
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Jesus treated the Sabbath as holy—his customary practice was to visit a synagogue (see Luke 4:16, Exodus 20:8-11).
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Jesus honored the teachings of Moses and told others to do the same (see Matthew 8:1-4, Leviticus 14:1-32).
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Jesus participated in key Jewish festivals, even at risk to his life (see John 7:1-13, Leviticus 23:33-43).
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Jesus gave his final words to his disciples while celebrating Passover (see Luke 22:7-8, Exodus 12:1-28).
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Jesus’ death on the Cross is understood by Jesus and the disciples who wrote the New Testament as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The Old Testament explanation of the Passover Lamb and the New Testament description of Jesus as the true Passover Lamb explains his death on the cross: he died in our place that we might be with God. (See John 1:29, John 19:14, Luke 22:20, Matthew 26:28, and 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 11:23-26).
In other words, from birth to death, from his public ministry to his greatest sacrifice, Jesus acted to honor and fulfill the Old Testament.
Jesus didn’t discard the Old Testament as meaningless rituals. We never see him treat it as outdated, irrelevant, or useless.
Instead, it is an invaluable guide to understanding his life.
2. Jesus Explained His Attitude To The Old Testament
In his teachings, Jesus made it clear that the Old Testament was the authoritative Word of God.
For instance:
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Jesus specifically taught his disciples he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them (see Matthew 5:17-20). He took it for granted that “The Scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35).
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Jesus used the Old Testament to explain his identity and ministry (for instance, Luke 4:16-21). Luke records that “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted for [two disciples] the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27).
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Jesus favorably quoted the Old Testament in his teaching. For instance, most of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus explaining the true meaning of significant Old Testament commandments (e.g., What did God mean by saying “Do not murder”?). His parables regularly include quotes from or allusions to Old Testament passages.
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Jesus referred to prominent Old Testament persons and events in historical terms. For instance, he mentioned Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jonah, David, and Solomon (Matthew 24:36-39, John 8:54-58, Matthew 8:11, John 4:12-14, John 5:45-47, Matthew 12:39-42, Matthew 22:43-46).
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Jesus relied upon the Old Testament to remain faithful to God when tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11, quoting from Deuteronomy) and when dying on the cross (Matthew 27:45-46, quoting from Psalm 22).
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Jesus presented himself as the official and final teacher of the Old Testament. One of his frequent phrases was, “It is written, but I say to you…” In doing so, he demonstrated familiarity with the Old Testament, and then explained God’s intent behind the command. He authoritatively contrasted the true meaning of the Scriptures against what tradition and culture had distorted them to mean.
Conclusion
Jesus loved, respected, and fulfilled the Old Testament.
If we want to follow Him, we should approach the Old Testament with the same reverence.
As we study it, we grow in understanding God’s story of redemption and deepen our relationship with Him. We can imitate Jesus and rely upon it to resist temptation!
Ultimately, the more we read the Old Testament, the more we appreciate the significance of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that all of our questions are answered. If anything, I hope it sparks new questions.
What makes it hard for you to appreciate the Old Testament?
What passages would you like to discuss?
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P.S. For a deep-dive interview on this topic with Dr. Richard Averbeck, check out this video:
