I remember a time when a grandson came to me saying, “Poppy, will you help me with this jigsaw?” It reminded me that it had been a long time since I had done a jigsaw. I knew this about jigsaws: a jigsaw with a picture on the box is somewhat easier than a blank box full of pieces, with the picture to help you know what you are working toward. And the fewer the pieces the easier the jigsaw.
Imagine the prophecies of Christ as individual pieces of a jigsaw set. How many are there? Nobody really knows since some of the prophecies are in the form of types and shadows. Most lists put together by scholars suggest between 300 and 400. Whatever the exact number is they are found spread through all the prophets (Acts 3:23,24), and yet we can read the prophets and miss a lot of them. For example, reading the story of the prophet Jonah, who would have understood that Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish was a type of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ had not Jesus pointed it out in Matt. 12:39,40? They can be quite obscure. Some, which seem to be clear, find no mention in the New Testament for confirmation. For example, Ps. 24:7-10 is believed to be fulfilled in Christ entering into heaven after His life and ministry on earth, but as far as I know, it is not alluded to. Similarly, the typology of Jewish feasts are not explained in the main except they find their fulfillment in Christ (Col. 2:16,17). Perhaps because they are clear and need little explanation as some of the parables which have no given explanation, or perhaps to provide areas of study and contemplation .
With respect to Christ, even the angels desired to look into what God was up to, as did the prophets themselves (1 Pet.1:10-12). Hence He was called a mystery (Col. 1:26,27). Moulton, the Greek Lexicographer, has as an interpretation for the word ‘mystery’ – a mystery or secret that would remain so except for revelation. Remember Samson’s riddle? It wasn’t unintelligible to the hearers, but they needed some help from his wife to explain it. But why was it so that God’s plan in Christ was a mystery?
One reason was the Devil. God had to stay one jump ahead. What Commander reveals his plans to the enemy? God is not at war with an idiot but with a very powerful spirit being. You only have to look at the state of the world to know just how powerful Satan is. After Satan had been victorious in the garden of Eden, God said there would be war from then on, and though Satan had won that initial crucial battle, he would lose the war:- there would be a descendant of the woman who would bruise his head (destroy his power) Gen. 3:15. But He didn’t tell him who, when, where or how. So it was a mystery. We see the same careful strategy in Jesus’ arrangement for the upper room for the last night together with His disciples. He didn’t want Judas to know beforehand in case he arranged for soldiers to be waiting at the upper room (Matt.26:14-20).
Another reason was to put a gulf between God and man: that is, even if man didn’t know, God knew what He was doing. No man could boast that he knew what God was up to (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7-10).
Also the prophecies constitute a wonderful demonstration of the inspiration and integrity of the Bible. No man can predict the future as the Bible has done. Paul says that divine inspiration is essential to the putting of the pieces together, not just to the revealing of the pieces themselves (Eph. 3:1-5). So where could you start? You know you’re looking for a Saviour, but what is He like? What will he do? How will He save? If I approach these questions with preconceived views, then I can be in great trouble. This, in part, was the problem with the Jews of Jesus’ day:- they had a round hole formulated in their mind for the Messiah but He arrived very much like a square peg that wouldn’t fit the hole they had prepared. Even after Jesus had been identified as the long-awaited Messiah the Devil had no idea how He was going to save the world and so he laboured to have Him killed, not knowing that in that very act he would win another battle but lose the war! Jesus accused the self-righteous Jews of being of their father, the Devil (John 8:44), so no wonder they did not understand the point of His death and it became a stumbling block to them.
However, if I start with an open mind I can at least start with the corner pieces and then with the edges. Jesus expected the leaders of Israel to at least know something (cf. John 3:10 “have you not read?” also Matt. 19:4ff). Let talk about corner pieces of the puzzle. These are the easiest in a jigsaw, and the Jews got some of these pieces exactly right. They knew He would be a man (Are you HE that should come?). Everyone knew that a man was coming to save the world (Luke 3:15-Gen. 3:15). A God-man is a perfect mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) and a perfect Judge (John 5:27). He would be a descendant of Abraham (a Jew) (Gen. 12:1-3 – cf Gal. 3:8), of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 29:1ff) and of the house of David (Matt. 22:42).
There were also edge pieces they got right. They knew He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic.5:2 cf. Matt.2:4-6)), that he would be a King (John 1:49) and that He would reign forever (2 Sam. 7:11ff cf John 12:34). However, other pieces proved difficult. Jesus gave them a ‘poser’ in Matt.22:42-46, asking why David called Him Lord when he was a descendant of David. They had difficulty with the prophecy, the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner (Matt.21:42) – why would you reject Him if He was the chief corner-stone? In John 12:34 Christ abides forever (cf. 2 Sam.7:11ff). They asked “How can he be lifted up? Who is this son of man?”
When Nathaniel was told the Christ was one Jesus from Nazareth, he replied, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Others said, Out of Galilee arises no prophet (eg. Deut 18; John 7:52). How could He be a prophet? A real sticking point was Isa. 9:6: How could one born of a woman be called Mighty God, Everlasting Father? Such is blasphemy. And how could One hung on a cross and accursed of God be the Son of God?! Yet in Isa.53 the suffering one is called the Servant of the Lord, and the Ethiopian in Acts 8 asked, “Is Isaiah speaking of himself or some other man?” Zech 6:13 prophesied He would be a king and a priest, but how could this be so if he was from Judah? King, yes, but priest, no, for they came from Levi! One man was puzzled when he let a woman touch His feet, how can he let this woman touch Him if He is a prophet? Even John the Immerser was puzzled: Are you the Messiah or do we look for another? (Matt.11:1ff)
All of these and many more fall into place because of the revelation of the apostles and prophets of the New Testament. The Old Testament is the gospel in prospect, while the New Testament is the Gospel fulfilled. The unity of this great book we call the Bible is no accident:- it is from the mind of God and is the infallible record of God’s plan to redeem man in Jesus Christ.