In The Old Testament, Jesus’ Firm Foundations,” we talked about how Jesus trusted the Old Testament completely; how He did not reject any of it, and how like Jesus we should also embrace the Old Testament. You see, not only was the Old Testament the foundation of Jesus’ ministry and teachings, but the Old Testament points directly to Jesus – another reason why we should study the Old Testament. Just like Jesus opened His disciples’ eyes on the road to Emmaus to how the Old Testament pointed to Him, He will open our eyes too, (if we let Him).

Scriptures Point Directly to Jesus

On more than one occasion, Jesus clearly states that the Scriptures (Old Testament) point to Him. Let’s look at some examples.

Jesus was catching heat from the Jewish religious leaders because He healed an invalid on the Sabbath.  Jesus defended himself, telling them God was His Father. When He said this, the religious leaders took offense saying Jesus was “making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Jesus then told them that the Word was not in them because, if it were, they would have recognized Him since the Scriptures point directly to Him (John 5:39). The religious leaders failed to realize that the purpose of the Scripture is not to give life but to point us to the One who gives us eternal life, Jesus.

Jesus continues to argue with the religious leaders, telling them that He doesn’t accuse them before the Father, but instead, Moses accuses them. He says, “If you really believed Moses, you would believe me because he wrote about me” (John 5:45-46). Jesus’ statement is big because He is saying that the books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, are enough to hold the reader accountable to know who He is. Yet, these religious leaders, the “experts” of their day on the Scriptures were not able to see this truth through their preconception of what they thought the Christ would look like.

Road to Emmaus

Jesus not only told His enemies that the Scripture pointed to Him, but He told His followers the same thing. On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, two disciples were walking along a road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), a village 7 miles from Jerusalem. The resurrected Jesus began to walk with them, “but they were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Notice that it is not that Jesus is unrecognizable; it is that their eyes were kept from seeing Him.

Jesus asked the two what they were talking about, and they told Him that they had put their faith in this Jesus of Nazareth but that He was crucified (Luke 24:20-21). His death confused them. They did not understand. They had believed, but now they were beginning to doubt. The Jewish people had a tough time believing that a Messiah who was to rule and reign would also be humiliated, suffer, and die. In their minds, it didn’t make sense. It did not fit their theology.

So how was Jesus going to get them from this place of doubt to a place of faith?  With the Old Testament, that is how. He was going to give them an accurate understanding of the Old Testament and how it pointed to Him.

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Luke 24:27

When they approached Emmaus, the two followers invited Jesus to stay with them. As they were sitting at the table together, Jesus “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight” (Luke 24:30-31). “They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us” (Luke 24:32)?

Only after they came to an accurate understanding of the Old Testament, did they see Jesus for who He really was; they had clear vision.  A fire was being lit inside of them, and they could not contain it; they immediately got up from the table and returned the 7 miles to Jerusalem. Just like the woman at the well who saw Jesus for who He was, they could not wait to tell the other disciples what they had just heard (John 4:28-29).

Open Eyes, and Open Minds

While the two were still talking about what they had seen and heard to the other disciples, Jesus appeared to them all (Luke 24:36). The disciples were frightened and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Seeing was not enough. They were so tied to their understanding of the Scripture that until it changed, they weren’t going to comprehend the resurrection of the Christ who stood right there in front of them, whose hands and feet they could see and touch. Kethoser (Aniu) Kevichusa in his article The Road From Emmaus explains, ” The revelation of Scripture requires the illumination of the mind. What is given in revelation cannot be grasped without illumination. “

So, Jesus went further, “He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45).  He opened their minds so that they could understand everything written about Him in the Old Testament.

We don’t have to be intimidated by the Old Testament or afraid we can’t understand it. As Christ-followers and disciples of Jesus, we also can have our minds opened to understanding everything written about Jesus in the Old Testament through the power of the Spirit of Christ who lives inside of us!

I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places. 

Ephesians 1:18-19 ERV,