Foretelling the Coming of Christ

I thought I would start my Investigating Jesus series by looking at some verses written prior to Jesus's birth. Verses that foretold the coming of the Messiah. What is a good investigation without a good mystery and there are many such mysteries in the days (and years)  before and even during Jesus's life.

The book of Isaiah is perhaps the most telling for it's prophesies of the coming of the Messiah, Christ but there are many other notations and forewarnings of the birth and life of Jesus.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

Take this one from Jeremiah which told of the deaths of children killed by Kind Herod in his search for the Christ child.

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15

And the prophecy becomes real:

"When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."  Matthew 2:16

And the Easter story foretold in Isaiah 53:5

 

These are just a few examples of prophesies that mentioned Christ far before his birth.  What exactly does this tell us about the nature of Christ and his place in our lives?  I'd like to propose that this foreshadowing plays a role that is similar to foreshadowing in a good novel. I do not suggest that it is a literary tool but rather an integral part of Jesus's story.

 

Foreshadowing adds dramatic tension to a story by building anticipation about what might happen next. It conveys information that helps readers understand what comes later. When the text foreshadows something, the reader feels prepared for the events when they happen.

 

Dramatic tension about what might come next:

Why would anyone want to add dramatic tension? To get people's attention, to make them understand the critical nature of the events that would unfold. There is an urgency here. Christ is to redeem all of humankind. To remove sin and give eternal life. That my friends is pretty dramatic.

 

Conveys information that will help readers understand what comes later:

Christ does a lot of things that go against the grain of society during his time. They are, one might say, even a bit outlandish. For people to hear the message that is truly contained in Jesus's lessons there needs to be a foundation. Something that comes prior that gives him authority and holds together the fabric of his life. Perhaps even serve as a reassurance that this person, this man, is extraordinary.   

 

The reader feels prepared for the events when they happen:

While nothing could totally prepare people for Christ I think of it as similar to "activating prior knowledge" where we draw on past experiences and our knowledge to make connections to current circumstances. To make sense of the world around them, the people in Jesus's time had to rely on what they had at their disposal..... the prophesies.

 

But perhaps by far the most important thing to remember is best summed up by this.....

 

 

I'm going to be honest with you...I have no idea where I am going with this series. I'm not a biblical scholar, I can only make the connections that come to me through my musings, readings and discussions with others. Investigating Jesus is my own personal search into the life of our Lord. Sometimes I will miss the mark and ramble endlessly down ancient paths but perhaps with God's direction a few times I might actually discover a gem to hold on to.

 

Hugs and love to each of you. May you seek Christ in your own way and may your paths be easy to travel.