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The Bible is God’s story. Often to understand something in this Book, we need to look earlier in the story. Cross references are a great help with this. The Jews knew their Old Testament inside and out (putting most of us to shame!), and often things they said were direct references to their Scripture. Jesus makes reference to passages earlier in the story all the time, as did any good rabbi. There are often nuances from Jesus’ teachings that we miss because we don’t know our Old Testament like the Jews did. The Beatitudes are an interesting example of a place where Jesus referenced the Old Testament:
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(Matthew 5:4-8 KJV)
Verses 4 through 8 all have parallel verses in the Old Testament, which you can check by using the cross references in your Bible. To me, the most interesting cross reference in this passage links to verse 4:
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
My Bible lists Isaiah 61:2 as a cross reference to this verse, but we need to take it in context, as the Jews would’ve done (here’s the whole chapter):
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
To me, it’s always amazing how Jesus finds subtle ways to say, “I am God; I am the Messiah you have been waiting for.” He does it again here by quoting from Isaiah 61 during his Sermon on the Mount. Do you see all the parallels between this Old Testament chapter and Jesus’ ministry? Isn’t it AWESOME? I love how details just fit together like that!
I wonder if Jesus wasn’t stepping on some toes with verses 5 and 8. “Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks”…”I hate robbery for burnt offering”…knowing Jesus’ altercations with the religious leaders of the day, specifically the Saducees with their corrupt temple system, I wonder if by His referencing this chapter He was jabbing yet another subtle barb home. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, do some research about the intricacies of some of the things Jesus said. There was far more going on there than I ever knew. Once we start seeing things from the viewpoint of the people who were there (and not just our Western minds), a whole new world opens up! Go check out some of Ray VanderLaan’s material (That the World May Know ministries) if you haven’t already; Ray studied in the Jewish rabbinical schools and does a great job of pointing out details in Scripture that an untrained Western mind usually misses.
By referencing this Old Testament chapter, Jesus tells His audience what kind of ministry He is going to be setting up. I love how God’s story is woven together across time. Our God is a God of infinite care and detail. How do I know the Bible is true? Because it is woven intricately from beginning to end. Only an all-knowing God could do that.
Gail says
This is a wonderful post, Briana. I found your blog through THM, too, and want to thank you for all the great recipes.
Yes, the Bible is one book, and G-d is the same yesterday, today and forever. As a Messianic Jewish believer, I believe Christians have been robbed of the beauty and blessings of the Old Testament. Jesus was a Torah observant Jew and He was angry with the Jews who had added so many laws and regulations to His perfect ways. In my view, the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) should be considered Bible 101. A study of these brings great understanding to the words and actions of Jesus, our Messiah.
I recommend the book Our Father Abraham by Marvin R. Wilson to understand the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. I write about this subject on my blog too, and hope you’ll stop by some time. http://www.gailgolden.org
Briana Thomas says
Thanks for sharing, and for the book recommendation! I’m definitely going to go check out your blog!
Wilma says
Hi Briana You are so right about the connections between the Old and New Testaments. I recently read a book that I think you would enjoy and learn more along this line. THE BIBLE FEASTS by Donna Baer. God wants us to know that He didn’t just institute the Feast to remind His people of what He did; He wanted to let his children know what He was going to do. All the Feast and Festivals relate to Jesus and are prophecy. Thank you for your desire to learn and teach many things. I am way older than you, but am still learning. WB
Briana Thomas says
Thanks for the tip on the book…I’ll have to check that out. I’ve heard a good bit about the connections with the feasts and festivals…the 4 cups of Passover, etc. It’s amazing how Jesus’ last 2 weeks before His crucifixion go hand in hand with Passover.
Cheryl Smith says
I really, really enjoyed reading this. YES, I LOVE how God connects the Old Testament with the New. It is blatant proof that His Word is true, because every, single thing the OT prophets prophesied about Jesus came true with 100% accuracy. I love how God does that!!! Praise His name. So, since His track record is impeccable, can we not safely put our total trust in Him? My family and I are in some very hard trials, and one thing God keeps telling me over and over is that HE wants to be our all in all. I never got a hold of it before like this, but He is a jealous God, and when we choose to lean to our own understanding and use our own self-made safety nets, we are not fully trusting HIM. I believe this displeases Him, because HE wants to be the One we go to in times of distress, need, discouragement, and heartache. This post reinforced to me that His Word is always true, and it will not fail. He has fulfilled so much of it already…we can put our trust in Him and believe His promises ad KNOW that they will be fulfilled. Thank you for encouraging me so much each time I come here. God bless you, Briana. 🙂
Briana Thomas says
Good thoughts, Cheryl. 🙂 God is doing beautiful things with your family, and it’s a blessing to see you growing in His grace.
Suzanne Russell says
I became familiar with your site because of Trim Healthy Mama, but I truly enjoy your insightful posts on Scripture. Its always encouraging to me to hear such depth of conviction but particularly from someone so young.
Is. 61 has been a daily part of my life for many years now as I understood that Jesus’ mission on this earth is also my mission-to set the captives free. There is not enough space here to elaborate, but I wanted to thank you for accurately tying together Old and New Testament passages that point to the overall story of God’s redeeming love for His people.
Well done! I look forward to hearing more of what God puts on your heart to share!
Briana Thomas says
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Suzanne. 🙂 It’s always wonderful to meet other people who understand the connection (so often lost, unfortunately) between the Old and New Testaments.