Post details: Moses knew Jesus
Moses knew Jesus
Philip says to Nathanael, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45 ).
GSJr says, "Don't read Jesus back into the OT, but watch him coming out of it."
I guess only one of us is correct?
I would rather say we both are.
Like many, I can read; but then unlike many, I am a simple reader: what do the words say?, what do the words mean? The word "Jesus" does not occur in Moses, nor does any implied reference to the same. As for the prophets, messiah, yes, son of God, likewise, but both of these titles were given to any king sitting on the throne. Suffering servant? Never even closely identified. A mystery to Isaiah as much as to his audience.
But then what of Genesis 3:15, surely Moses "wrote" of the coming Messiah who would bruise Satan's head. That's my problem, I thought we were talking about reading Moses not the Gospels. Anyone who "sees" Jesus in Genesis doesn't read the words as written.
I would ask those who see Jesus, to what was Jesus himself referring when using the phrase the "mysteries of the kingdom of God"? If Moses and the prophets knew Jesus, what's so mysterious about him? Paul concurs with Jesus, "the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past." To use a baseball metaphor, God threw his people a slider: it looked like a fastball but at the end it swerved. Now I know that many Pharisees and other leaders were spiritually blinded so that they could not recognize their own messiah, but then when he returns everyone will know him. So what's the difference, much of course, but part of the answer has to be that the 1st century Jewish community was not expecting their messiah, the son of God, to show up how he did. I wonder why? Most likely because the messiah described in their sacred texts, was not the one standing in front of them. At least according to their interpretation.
So to end this, what was Philip saying? Not that Moses and the prophets wrote about Jesus, but that the story presented had an ending, and Jesus fit exactly. Now not having all the puzzle pieces, this perfect fit could only be seen clearly from hindsight not foresight.
Makes sense to me, but then I am only a simple reader of words not a theologian.
