God’s Picture Book

God’s Picture Book

Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Luke 24:27

Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.

1 Corinthians 5:7

Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.

John 2:19-21

When we learn to read, we don’t start out with thick novels or heavy textbooks. First we’re taught letters, then words, and then sentences.

Similarly, in God’s desire for human beings to know him, he started with a “picture book”—the types and ceremonies and prophecies that are described in the Old Testament. He began giving us a picture of who he is through the Law, the Prophets, and the books of poetry—through the story of the Israelites. The sacrifices and offerings, the detailed designs on the Temple—they were all preparation for the more complete, definitive revelation of God that later came in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God has been showing himself to us from the very beginning, but at first it was in bits and pieces, forms and shadows. It wasn’t untrue; it just wasn’t complete until Jesus fulfilled it all.

Jesus is the key that unlocks the door of understanding to the picture book of the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. He’s the clothing God gave Adam and Eve, providing covering for their shame. He’s the ark that carried Noah through the flood of judgment. He’s the goat that took on all the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement. He’s the hero who killed the giant. He’s the priest who brings sinners close to God. Everywhere we look in the Old Testament, we find glimpses of Jesus, pictures that prepare us to understand and embrace Jesus himself.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Look up these verses to discover the Old Testament pictures Jesus fulfilled:

• Genesis 28:12 and John 1:51
• Numbers 21:9 and John 3:14-15
• Exodus 16:4 and John 6:32
• Leviticus 1:3 and 1 Peter 1:18-19