Food for thought, presented by your friendly neighborhood AI.
You said:
What Old Testament verses hint at the coming of Jesus?
ChatGPT said:
There are quite a few Old Testament verses traditionally understood by Jews and Christians as foreshadowing or prophesying the coming of Jesus. Christians see them as fulfilled in Christ, while Jews often interpret them differently. Here are some of the most prominent examples, grouped by theme:
1. The First Promise (Protoevangelium):
Genesis 3:15 — “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Seen as the first hint of a Redeemer who will crush evil (Satan), even though He Himself will suffer (the Cross).
2. The Promise to Abraham:
Genesis 12:3 — “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Christians interpret this as pointing to Christ, a descendant of Abraham, through whom salvation reaches all nations.
3. The Promise to Judah (the Royal Line):
Genesis 49:10 — “The scepter shall not depart from Judah… until Shiloh comes.”
“Shiloh” is often seen as a title for the Messiah — the one to whom the kingdom truly belongs.
4. The Prophecy of the Virgin Birth:
Isaiah 7:14 — “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Matthew 1:23 explicitly quotes this as fulfilled in Jesus’ birth.
5. The Divine Child and Eternal King:
Isaiah 9:6–7 — “For unto us a child is born… and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The language points to a divine ruler establishing an everlasting kingdom.
6. The Suffering Servant:
Isaiah 53 — Describes one who “was pierced for our transgressions… and with his wounds we are healed.”
This is the most detailed Old Testament portrait of the suffering and redemptive work of the Messiah.
7. The New Covenant:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 — “I will make a new covenant… I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Quoted in Hebrews 8, this anticipates the covenant Christ establishes through His blood.
8. The Righteous Branch (Messianic King):
Jeremiah 23:5–6 — “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch… and this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”
9. The Bethlehem Prophecy:
Micah 5:2 — “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”
Quoted in Matthew 2:6 as referring to Jesus’ birthplace.
10. The Suffering yet Triumphant King:
Psalm 22 — “They pierced my hands and my feet… they divide my garments among them.”
This psalm mirrors the crucifixion with striking detail.
11. The Cornerstone:
Psalm 118:22 — “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
Quoted by Jesus and later by Peter as a symbol of the rejected yet exalted Messiah.
12. The Spirit-Anointed One:
Isaiah 61:1–2 — “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…”
Jesus reads this aloud in Luke 4:18–21 and declares, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Would you like me to list the less obvious ones too — verses that only later Christian writers connected to Jesus (for example, from the Psalms or Zechariah)?
You said:
Sure
ChatGPT said:
Here are some of the subtler or less obvious Old Testament passages that Christians later connected to Jesus — verses that take on deeper meaning when viewed through the lens of the New Testament.
1. The Bronze Serpent as a Type of the Cross
Numbers 21:8–9 — Moses lifts up a bronze serpent so that whoever looks on it is healed.
In John 3:14–15, Jesus compares this to Himself being lifted up on the cross, so that whoever believes may have eternal life.
2. The Rejected but Exalted Servant
Isaiah 52:13–15 — “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”
Though just before Isaiah 53, it sets up the paradox of a servant who suffers yet is glorified — a foreshadowing of the crucifixion and resurrection.
3. The Pierced One
Zechariah 12:10 — “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only son.”
John 19:37 directly cites this at the crucifixion.
4. The Cleansing Fountain
Zechariah 13:1 — “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David… to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”
Christians associate this with the cleansing power of Christ’s blood.
5. The Humble King
Zechariah 9:9 — “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey.”
Fulfilled in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5).
6. The Betrayal for Thirty Pieces of Silver
Zechariah 11:12–13 — “So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver… and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.”
Matthew 27:9–10 applies this to Judas’s betrayal.
7. The Stricken Shepherd
Zechariah 13:7 — “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.”
Jesus quotes this in Matthew 26:31 regarding His arrest and the disciples’ flight.
8. The Risen One’s Corruption Prevented
Psalm 16:10 — “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your Holy One see corruption.”
Peter and Paul both cite this in Acts 2 and 13 as referring to the resurrection.
9. The Triumphant King over Death
Psalm 2:7–8 — “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
Early Christians saw this as referring to Jesus’ divine sonship and resurrection (Acts 13:33).
10. The Forsaken One
Psalm 22:1 — “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Quoted by Jesus on the cross. The rest of the psalm mirrors the Passion narrative with uncanny detail.
11. The Betrayed Friend
Psalm 41:9 — “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”
Quoted in John 13:18 as fulfilled in Judas.
12. The Ruler like Moses
Deuteronomy 18:15 — “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you.”
Christians regard this as pointing to Jesus as the ultimate prophet and mediator.
13. The Stone of Stumbling
Isaiah 8:14 — “He will be a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel.”
Cited in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:8 as referring to Jesus.
14. The Light to the Gentiles
Isaiah 42:6 — “I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.”
Quoted in Luke 2:32 and Acts 13:47 to show that the Messiah’s mission includes the Gentiles.
15. The Ancient of Days Vision
Daniel 7:13–14 — “One like a son of man came with the clouds of heaven… and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.”
Jesus adopts “Son of Man” as His favorite self-title, echoing this prophecy.
Much food for thought, indeed.
