Seeing Jesus in the Torah

There are a great many folks who do NOT see Jesus in the Torah. Atheists claim that Christians are torturing the Hebrew Scriptures to make them mean things that the original authors never intended for them to mean. Likewise, most adherents of the Jewish faith do NOT believe that Jesus of Nazareth represents the fulfillment of THEIR Law and Prophets - they share the atheist's perspective that Christians are injecting Jesus into THEIR Scriptures. Indeed, many Christians do not see Jesus in the Old Testament! Outside of a few favorite stories for children's Sunday school and the occasional Psalm or proverb, they stick to the New Testament. Some Christians believe that Jesus abolished the Law, while others believe that he incorporated most of its provisions into the terms of the New Covenant. So, why is it that some folks see Jesus in the Torah and other folks just don't see it?

For those of us who DO see Jesus in the Torah, the answer to that question is relatively straightforward and simple. We believe that the Holy Spirit enables us to see what others cannot see. In other words, without the guidance of God's Spirit, you will NOT see Jesus in the Torah! From the Christian's perspective, this is all about faith. You either have it, or you don't! You are either a believer, or you aren't! As the old saying goes, a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still! A person simply will not see, what they are unwilling to see! Moreover, the argument that the Christian is reading into those Scriptures something that the original authors never intended is NOT persuasive to him/her, because the founders of their religion saw them there first.

Jesus told the Jewish religious leaders of his own day that "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!" (John 5:39) Indeed, throughout his earthly ministry, the gospels record that Jesus fulfilled this or that scripture! At the end of his ministry, just before he ascended into heaven, the Gospel of Luke informs us that Christ told his disciples that "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled." (24:44) This is immediately followed by the statement: "Then he <Jesus> opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." (Verse 45) In other words, Jesus imparted to them this ability to see him in those writings! And, near the conclusion of the book of Acts, we read: "So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: 'The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’" (Acts 28:23-27)

In his second epistle to the saints at Corinth, Paul explained this phenomenon of only some folks being able to see Jesus in the Torah. He wrote: "The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." (II Corinthians 3:7-16)

Finally, the old argument between those who say that Christ abolished the Law of Moses and those who say that most of its provisions are still binding on New Covenant Christians is misguided and confusing. The truth is that Christ FULFILLED the Law of Moses for us and transformed its provisions into two great spiritual principles for Christians (Love for God and neighbor). Paul told the saints at Rome that "Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit." (Romans 7:6) He went on to say that "The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4)

Likewise, Paul wrote to the saints of Galatia on this wise: "But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.' So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life. This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, 'It is through obeying the law that a person has life." (Galatians 3:10-12) Later, in the same epistle, Paul reiterated the point he was trying to make. He wrote: "I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace." (Galatians 5:3-4) He continued: "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Verses 13-14) Paul concluded his explanation to the Galatians of the Christian's obligation to the Law in this way: "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses." (Verses 16-18) And this was followed by Paul contrasting those who follow their sinful nature with those who produce the fruits of having God's Holy Spirit (verses 19-24). In other words, under the terms of the New Covenant, Christians will exhibit the fruits of the Law of Love - the Law of Moses as fulfilled/magnified/transformed by Jesus Christ!