Jesus the rejected

Despite his wonderful words and compassionate miracles and his evident goodness, at the end of his life on earth Christ was rejected by his own people. The rulers envied and hated him. The common people proved to be unreliable and were easily swayed by the hostility shown toward Jesus by their elders and religious rulers. This, too, was foretold long before Christ came:

“He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him.” (Isaiah 53:3)

“Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors …” (49:7)

“I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.” (50:6)

“You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonour; my adversaries are all before you. Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:19,20)

Jesus the crucified

The climax of the life of Jesus was his death by crucifixion. It is said that in times before Christ it was sometimes the practice to tie or nail certain criminals to a stake or tree after they had been put to death. Crucifixion of living persons appears to have been perfected by the Romans. It was unknown among the Jews in early times. Yet, a thousand years before Jesus was born, his living crucifixion was clearly foretold:

“Dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me.” (Psalm 22:16,17)

Even the sharing of his clothes – which the New Testament describes as having been carried out by the soldiers – is clearly described:

“They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (verse 18)

The mockery, scorn and biting derision of his enemies, and Christ’s uncomplaining submission were prophesied:

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All those who see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head …” (Psalm 22:6,7)

“He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)

There are no more poignant words in the Bible than these which were written up to a thousand years before the event they describe. Their complete fulfilment in Christ is evidence that he was Messiah and that prophecies were the word of God. They could not be the word of anyone else.

Jesus the redeemer

The suffering and shame of Christ were full of redemptive purpose. He suffered for our forgiveness and salvation. The Old Testament words could not be clearer:

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6)

These things were not amazing coincidences or chance happenings; they were part of the Great Plan of God, of which Christ is right at the centre.

Christ is risen

Of course, it might be said of some of the evidence so far outlined, that Jesus simply set about to act out the sayings of the Old Testament and thereby claim to be Messiah. In other words, it could be alleged that Jesus engineered his life to make it seem like the fulfilment of prophecy. To argue in this way is a policy of desperation. Not only has it a very hollow ring, but it does not explain the miracles Christ performed. More than that, such a theory does not account for his rejection and crucifixion which at the very least would then require the connivance of those who rejected him and the cooperation of the soldiers who crucified him.

This is a most unlikely possibility. In any case, such an argument collapses completely in the light of his resurrection from the dead. This wonderful miracle was entirely out of his hands and, moreover, was not expected by his disciples.

His resurrection – the final miracle which crowned everything that had gone before – came to them as a joyful surprise. Yet it too had been foretold in the Old Testament:

“Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:7,8)

“For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:10,11)

The words “soul” and “Sheol” are the usual Hebrew words for ‘a person’ and ‘the grave’. Not only was Messiah to be raised from the dead, his body would not be contaminated by corruption during the time he was in the grave!

This evidence from the Psalms forms the cornerstone of the preaching of the apostles. It could not apply to anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking of the words from Psalm 16, as quoted above, the apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost said:

“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:29-32)

“Hades “ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Sheol”, both of which mean ‘the grave’. Jesus was not left in the grave, for God raised His Son from the dead.

The ascension

After forty days or so, the risen Christ ascended to heaven. Yes, you may have guessed it: this too was made known long ago in the Old Testament. How could so wonderful an event be foretold? It was so unusual. Yet, this is what the scripture said:

“You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool’.” (110:1)

This was the crowning glory of the evidence. It completes the Old Testament trail that led to Jesus of Nazareth. It both sealed the certainty that Jesus is the Son of God and it proves the Old Testament scripture to be the totally reliable word of God. Jesus has ascended to heaven and is seated at God’s right hand. That is the final evidence that Christ is the Messiah.