Christ Revealed in the Old Testament: The Apostolic Pattern of Interpretation

Jesus expected believers to see Him in God's redemptive plan in the all of the Old Testament, before the New Testament was even given.

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27, ESV)

Several reasons support the conclusion that believers were always expected to see Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, even before the New Testament was complete.

Kevin D. Zuber points out that Jesus Himself, after His resurrection, explained to the disciples on the road to Emmaus how all the Scriptures, including Moses and the Prophets, spoke about Him.¹ This Christ-centered approach to interpreting the Old Testament was then adopted by the apostles in their preaching, as they had learned it directly from Jesus. James Montgomery Boice explains that the apostles' method of reading the Old Testament with Christ at the center was not a later invention, but something modeled and taught by Jesus Himself.²

The Old Testament contains prophecies about Christ’s suffering and glorification, and presents Jesus as the fulfillment of various Old Testament figures and concepts, such as the promised seed of the woman, the true sacrifice for sin, the Passover Lamb, and David’s greater Son. John MacArthur emphasizes that Jesus is not just present in isolated prophecies, but that the whole structure of the Old Testament points forward to Him in shadow and promise.³

Adrian Rogers stresses that the entire Bible, including the Old Testament, is about Jesus, not just the New Testament.⁴ He further notes that a proper understanding of Christ in the Old Testament requires spiritual illumination. Those without faith may have a "veil" preventing them from seeing Christ in these texts, but believers, whose eyes have been opened by the Spirit, should expect to find Him throughout Scripture.⁴

Finally, Boice argues that seeing Christ in the Old Testament is essential to understanding not only the Bible but all of history. The entire biblical record, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals God's unfolding plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.²

The apostles did not invent a new way of reading Scripture. They followed the method Jesus Himself taught. Believers, illuminated by the Spirit, are called to see Christ in all of Scripture, just as God intended from the beginning.

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¹ Kevin D. Zuber, “Luke,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1602.

² James Montgomery Boice, Romans: Justification by Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991–), 33.

³ John MacArthur, Luke 6–10 (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2011), 85.

⁴ Adrian Rogers, “To Be like Jesus,” Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Rogers Family Trust, 2017), p. 2 Co 3:18.