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The meat of the word, part 11

One of the most important Old Testament types and shadows is King David, who was a type of Christ in two ways. First, he was the king of the United Kingdom of Israel, and, as such, foreshadowed Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate King of the earth (1 Corinthians 15:28). Second, David was a priest of the Order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), as was Jesus (Hebrews 5:5).

The King’s Credentials

Jesus came the first time as “the King of the Jews,” as witnessed even by Pontius Pilate (John 19:19). The Hebrew inscription posted on the cross read, Yehoshua Hanatzri Vemalech Hayhoodem, having the acronym YHVH, the revealed name of God. Hence, Pilate, as Rome’s representative, perhaps inadvertently, recognized Jesus as the King. Yet the religious authorities rejected Jesus as the Messiah-King and crucified Him instead.

Nonetheless, God raised Him from the dead, and He ascended to heaven 40 days later (Acts 1:3), the same calendar day of the traditional date of Elijah’s ascension. Then, of course, ten days later was the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22), called in the Greek language, Pentecost (Acts 2:1). This was celebrated seven weeks after the wave-sheaf offering, misnamed Easter.

The New Testament gospels give us the historical account of the dispute between Jesus and the religious authorities. Jesus’ ministry itself was marked by many significant miracles, which made it clear to many that He was indeed the promised Messiah. Matthew 1:1-18 and Luke 3:23-38 give Jesus’ genealogy, proving His descent from King David.

Jesus was also born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:3-7). This had been prophesied centuries earlier in Micah 5:2. The wording in Micah 5:2 also included some hidden prophecies in the Hebrew text that are of interest to us. Starting with the first yod, every 49^th letter in the Hebrew text from left to right spells Yeshua, which is Jesus’ Hebrew name. Also, if you count every 48^th letter, it spells out Mary and Joseph.

The Suffering Servant

Beginning in Isaiah 52:13 and going through Isaiah 53 describes “The Suffering Servant,” which prophesied of Jesus’ humiliation and suffering for the sins of the people. “He was despised and forsaken of men” (Isaiah 53:3) and believed to be “smitten of God and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). The religious authorities were supposed to judge the people according to the laws and mind of God, so when Caiaphas sentenced Jesus to death, it was believed that this was the sentence of God Himself.

However, God had another purpose that was hidden from the religious authorities. Isaiah 53:6 says, “But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Further, we read that “He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due” (Isaiah 53:8). In other words, He paid with His life the price for the transgression of those who deserved it. He became the “guilt offering” on behalf of the people (Isaiah 53:10).

This is the language of sacrifice, where a lamb was killed and its blood poured out upon the ground to pay for the sin of the people. So Isaiah 53:7 tells us that He was “like a lamb that is led to slaughter.” Isaiah 53:12 KJV says, “He hath poured out His soul unto death.” The law of blood tells us in Leviticus 17:11, “the nephesh [soul] of the flesh is in the blood.” Hence, when the priest offered up a sacrifice, he poured out the blood in which was the soul. So when Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross and fell to the ground, it was His soul that was poured out, as the prophecy stated.

David Himself suffered much, even as king. At one point in particular, he wrote Psalm 22, which begins with “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” This was the title of the psalm. Jesus quoted this psalm in its entirety (Matthew 27:46), because it included many elements of prophecy that were fulfilled during His crucifixion.

Who Crucified Jesus?

All offerings (sacrifices) were to be brought to a priest (Leviticus 5:8) who had been consecrated for this purpose. When the priesthood was established under Moses, it became unlawful for anyone other than a priest to offer up sacrifices. Jesus was the final Sacrifice for sin. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be offered up (crucified) by the priests of His day. It was not the Romans who crucified Jesus, as many teach, for they were never consecrated as priests.

John makes this point clear in John 19:16-18,

¹⁶ So he [Pilate] then handed Him over to THEM [the priests who demanded His crucifixion] to be crucified. ¹⁷ THEY took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. ¹⁸ There THEY crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

The presence of soldiers does not mean that they were Roman soldiers. There were also temple guards, who were officers under the command of the high priest. The implication is that these temple guards escorted Jesus to the cross. It is not certain who actually drove the nails into His hands and feet, but John gives credit to the priests for Jesus’ crucifixion.

This means Jesus was crucified lawfully and was therefore an acceptable offering to God. Therefore, His Sacrifice brought salvation to the world. The charges against Him were false, of course, but the actual manner in which He was offered up as a sacrifice for sin was done in accordance with the law. Jesus fulfilled every law that prophesied of Him. For some, this is tough meat that chokes them, but it is vitally important to understand how the law of sacrifice provides us with types and shadows that must surely be fulfilled.