The Old Testament is the context of the New Testament

Even among Christians, the Old Testament is often feared and avoided. After all, in the gospels we can read what Jesus said and did himself, and in the New Testament letters we get great advice aimed at Christians. The Old Testament is full of laws, ancient history, and strange poetry. It might be best to leave that to the serious Bible scholars.

In my work as a pastor and occasional theology lecturer I have seen this thinking all too often. Most Bible study groups tend to choose Ephesians or Philippians as their Bible book of choice. The part of the Bible most Christians admit never reading are the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as well as the minor prophets like Joel.

We must not dismiss the Old Testament. In fact, as you come to grips with the Old Testament, you will find that it enlightens you. It will build your understanding of God and the great salvation we have in Jesus.

One reason for this is that the Old Testament is the context for Jesus. We need context to understand anything. Have you ever come halfway into a conversation between two other people? You need to listen for a while to work out the topic and the opinions being expressed before you can usefully contribute yourself. You need to know what is being talked about and what has already been said. The Old Testament is like that when it comes to Jesus. If you know the family line and national history Jesus was born into, as well as the prophecy and expectation contained in the Old Testament, the truth about Jesus will be richer and fuller.

Let’s just think about one example.

Jesus is often referred to as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (as in John 1:29).” How might we understand that? If we don’t have the Old Testament, we might end up with all kinds of interpretations. We might think of the cuteness and innocence of lambs or the fact that we eat lamb. If we go to the Old Testament, however, we will know that this is speaking of the Passover Lamb. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were told to sacrifice a lamb and paint the blood on the doorframes of the houses they were eating in. Then God would pass over their house and they would not face God’s judgement that would befall the Egyptians. The lamb died so they could live, turning away God’s anger and judgement. It was a way of being rescued that was provided by God and was not based on their goodness or deserving. That sounds like Jesus, because he is the true Lamb of God this pointed to. Knowing the Passover story makes sure we get the interpretation of John 1:29 right and gives us a richness we wouldn’t otherwise know.

There is so much more to the context given in the Old Testament. Without it, we wouldn’t understand God, grace, sin, sacrifice, temple, forgiveness, identity and so much more. It might be strange and ancient, but it is well worth the effort to understand.

The Old Testament is essential context for Jesus. Without some understanding of what came before, your view of Jesus will not be big enough or deep enough.