You Remind Me Of Someone I Know

You Remind Me of Someone I Know

The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:45

The law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven.”

John 6:32

Have you ever seen someone who looks so much like someone else you know it seems hard to believe? Or have you ever tapped someone on the shoulder thinking it was someone you knew, only to discover it was a complete stranger?

When Jesus came to the Jewish people to show them what God is like, he had some striking resemblances to some of their most cherished Jewish ancestors. These weren’t really physical similarities. God planned that those ancestors would give people a preview of the character and purpose of Jesus so people would recognize him when he came. Aspects of each of those ancestors’ lives pointed to who Jesus is and what he came to do.

For example, Romans 5:14 describes Adam as “a pattern of the one to come” (NIV). Adam’s sin brought death, while Jesus’ sinlessness brought life. Or look at the example of Joseph. God worked behind the scenes to use the evil done against Joseph for good. And God worked behind the scenes to use the evil done against Christ on the cross for the ultimate good of those who believe in him. As Moses was the deliverer of his people from slavery in Egypt, Jesus delivered his people from their slavery to sin. And just as Jonah was sent to people who had rejected God, so Jesus was sent to people who rejected him as God’s Son. Each of these people in the Old Testament showed the Jewish people a little bit about what Jesus would be like and what he would do.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Have you ever been told that you remind someone of another person in the way you look or act?

Think about some of the other Old Testament figures, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. What preview did they give of Jesus?

Some people think of the Bible as a collection of moral stories or instructions for living. In what ways is it more than that?