Years ago I had the privilege of teaching the Bible to Junior High students at a Christian School. The sixth-grade curriculum took the students from Genesis through Judges and the seventh grader’s dove into the Gospels. I loved watching these young inquisitive minds read through Scripture, process the reality of sin and its impact, begin to recognize the longing hearts of humanity and identify their desperate need for a Savior. As each year progressed, a significant phrase continued to emerge: “It all points to Jesus!”
Throughout the Old Testament, we see the Israelites continue to fall into a cycle of sin and slavery. Sadly this was not a pattern that ended after they were rescued from Egypt; in fact, by the time we reach Judges, a common phrase was heard throughout the land, as is stated in Judges 21:25, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. Over and over again, God’s people rebelled, sought their own selfish ways, thought they knew best, and ended up in sin. As the consequences of sin started to take their toll, they became captives, slaves to their own lustful desires. Eventually, this state of bondage would reach a point where they could no longer bear it, so God’s people would call out to Him in repentance, begging the Almighty to come to their rescue. They longed for a Savior.
It is with this longing that the promise of a coming Messiah began to imprint deeper on the hearts of the captives. Bible scholars have discovered over 300 prophecies declaring that this Savior would come, to forever set the captives free; and his name would be Jesus! Prophets throughout the Old Testament such as Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Micah, amongst others, all spoke of this coming king. Story after story and prophecy after prophecy point to the need for a Savior, Jesus.
Eventually, we arrive at the New Testament, and with this, the prophecies are fulfilled! Jesus does come to earth, he is born in a lowly state, he performs miracles, and he is rejected by his own people. Then with one final excruciating, selfless act of total love and devotion, he sacrifices his life for generations of people who have and will turn their backs on him. In this demonstration of grace and forgiveness, he forever conquers sin such that today, we who follow him can call out Isaiah’s words spoken by Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Jesus is our freedom from captivity. Jesus is the message of the Bible. Jesus is our victory!
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling