Noah as a type of Jesus Christ

A little over a year ago, I did a series of posts here on Jesus in the Torah. Looking back, although I certainly mentioned Noah in my treatment of Genesis, I feel that I did not give the story of Noah and the flood the attention it deserved. This post is meant to rectify that unintended slight. Unfortunately, when we approach such characters and stories from the literalist perspective (taking for granted the historicity of the people and events), we often miss the profound spiritual significance which is hiding in plain sight. Indeed, from my present perspective, it seems overwhelmingly obvious that God intended for the story of Noah and the flood to point to the reality of Jesus Christ.

To begin, the name "Noah" suggests a rest (Genesis 5:29). And we all know that Jesus represented rest to his followers. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that he said: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Verses 28-29, NLT) Likewise, in the epistle to the Hebrews, we are informed that Christians can rest in what Christ has done for us (Hebrews 4).

Noah was a righteous man (Genesis 6:9) among a people filled with wickedness/sin (Genesis 6:5, 11-12). Like Noah, Jesus was righteous - a man without sin (I Peter 2:22, II Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15). And, just like the world of Noah's day, Paul told the saints at Rome that both Jews and Gentiles were all under the power of sin (3:9). He went on to write: "As the Scriptures say, 'No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." (Verses 10-12)

Nevertheless, in the midst of a wicked/sinful world, we read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). Likewise, when Christ was baptized, we read in Matthew's Gospel that "a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" (3:17)

In the Genesis account, we are informed that Noah did everything that God commanded him to do (6:22, 7:5). Isaiah prophesied about Christ that the Lord’s plan would "prosper in his hands." (53:10) In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John, we are informed that Christ said that he came here to do God's will. Later, in the same account, we are told that Jesus prayed to God that "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do." (17:4) 

In the sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of Genesis, we read about how God saved humankind through Noah.  In the Gospel of John, we read that "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (3:17) A little later in the same account, we read that Christ told the crowd who had gathered to hear him speak: "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it." (12:44-47)

Noah labored to save life. We are informed by Scripture that he built a great wooden ark to shelter the lives that were to be saved (Genesis 6). In similar fashion, Christ worked to save humankind, and he built a Church to shelter the lives that he was saving.

In the Genesis account, we read that it rained for forty days and nights, and that the resulting flood destroyed all life (7:12). In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus spent forty days and nights in the wilderness preparing to be tempted by Satan the Devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2).

In the Genesis account, we also read that God remembered Noah (8:1). In other words, God didn't forget about Noah and leave him to drift on the flood. Likewise, when the Apostle Peter spoke on the first Pentecost following Christ's ascension into heaven, we are informed that he said that David had predicted that God would not abandon Jesus to the grave (Acts 2:25-31)!

Noah released a bird three times and it returned to him in the ark (8:6-11). According to the narrative, on the third try, the bird returned to Noah with an olive branch in its beak (it had found dry land and plant life). Interestingly, at the end of three days, the Gospels inform us that Christ emerged from the tomb alive (Matthew 27-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 24-25, John 19-20). And, just as Noah emerged from the Ark after the flood waters receded, Christ emerged from the tomb at the time designated by God.

In that Genesis account, we are informed that Noah offered a sacrifice to God (8:20). Likewise, Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to God for our sins (Hebrews 9:14)

Because of his sacrifice, Noah was the source of a new covenant between God and humans (8:21-22). In similar fashion, Christ inaugurated a New Covenant between God and humankind (Hebrews 8, 12:24).

Hence, we can see that there are many parallels between the story of Noah and the story of Jesus. And, from the perspective of one of Christ's disciples, there is simply too much here to call these things a coincidence. No, for me at least, it is crystal clear that Noah served as a forerunner, "type," or shadow of Jesus Christ. What do you think?