"The Road to Emmaus"
(Luke 24:13-27)Study #1 – Overview of Jesus in
The Old Testament
Read Luke 24:13-27
1). Have you wondered before what exactly Jesus said during this walk? What do you imagine Him saying and talking about?
2). Why do you suppose He didn’t allow His identity to be revealed at first?
The goal of this study series will be to look at ways in which every book of the Old Testament, through a variety of methods, points to Jesus. How exactly can a book written over thousands of years speak about the life of a man who lived 400 years after it’s final word was penned? One researcher (probably a pastor, judging by the alliteration) says that "it is about Prophecies, Promises, Pictures, Parallels, aPpearances and oPposites of Jesus in the Old Testament". We are going to break it up slightly differently and look at four main ways in which the O.T. points to Jesus Christ.
I. Prophecy & Promises
Matthew used the following phrase (or a similar one) 16 times in relation to the events surrounding Jesus’ life: "This was done that it might be fulfilled what was spoken of the prophet….".
3). Why did God include prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament?
4). What Old Testament prophecies about Jesus speak to you the most?
Many prophecies were "multi-leveled". That is, they referred to a literal historical event, but also had a second meaning, often related to the coming of the Messiah (Jesus) or the end times.
The promises (and covenants) of God are not quite the same as prophecy, but we will group them together since both spoke of events which would one day occur.
5). Why is it reassuring for us to see the promises of the Old Testament fulfilled through Jesus?
6). What are some of the promises that Jesus, in turn, made to us?
II. Symbolism
Often events in the Old Testament paralleled those of Jesus life, or one part of Jesus life. These events are sometimes described as pictures of Christ. Abraham and Isaac (God’s sacrifice of Jesus) and Jonah (Jesus’ three days in the grave) are a few such pictures. New Testament authors recognized such events as a foreshadowing of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection. (Read Colossions 2:17)
7). Why would God include events that parallel or foreshadow Jesus’ life in the Old Testament?
8). What does that fact that the Old Testament was used to draw "pictures" of Jesus tell you about God’s character?
III. Lineage
10). Two of the authors of the Gospels included an in depth recounting of Jesus line of descent. In some ways, the Old Testament is largely just a fleshing out of the history of Jesus’ family. Why do you suppose this might be? Why was this particularly significant for those who heard the gospel in the early Jewish church?
IV. Presence (Appearances)
There are many instances where scholars believe a character in the Old Testament was actually Jesus in what is called a pre-incarnation appearance. Some of these are fairly obvious, and endorsed by the New Testament authors. Others could easily fall in to the category of speculation.
11). Why is it important that Jesus was present before His incarnation? (see John 8:58)