The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "Living the Dream."
His violent death comes as no surprise to Jesus. On his final journey to Jerusalem (Lk 17:11-19:28; Mt 19:1-20:34; Mk 10:1-52), Jesus tells his disciples “that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mk 9:31). He does this two more times (9:31; 10:33-34). The title Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite appellation, is used in Daniel 7:13-14 to refer to a celestial figure who comes in the clouds of heaven, approaches the Ancient of Days, is given “authority, glory, and sovereign power,” is worshipped by all nations and peoples, and exercises dominion over a kingdom will never be destroyed. According to 9:26, this celestial figure, called the “Anointed One,” “will be put to death and will have nothing.” The title Son of Man clearly has messianic implications, namely, that the Messiah will put to death and three days later resurrected. Surely these are two Old Testament prophecies that the prophets puzzled over in an effort to identify the person and understand the circumstances surrounding their fulfillment (1 Pe 1:10-11; cf. Lk 24:25-27).
But there are clearly other predictive passages that similarly puzzled the prophets of the Old Testament. Here are some prime examples. As the complier implies, these prophecies are easily understood following their fulfillment.
“Of the best-known prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the death of Messiah, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 certainly stand out. Psalm 22 is especially amazing since it predicted numerous separate elements about Jesus’ crucifixion a thousand years before Jesus was crucified. Here are some examples. Messiah will have His hands and His feet ‘pierced’ through (Psalm 22:16; John 20:25). The Messiah’s bones will not be broken (a person’s legs were usually broken after being crucified to speed up their death) (Psalm 22:17; John 19:33). Men will cast lots for Messiah’s clothing (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35).
“Isaiah 53, the classic messianic prophecy known as the ‘Suffering Servant’ prophecy, also details the death of Messiah for the sins of His people. More than 700 years before Jesus was even born, Isaiah provides details of His life and death. The Messiah will be rejected (Isaiah 53:3; Luke 13:34). The Messiah will be killed as a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of His people (Isaiah 53:5–9; 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Messiah will be silent in front of His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; 1 Peter 2:23). The Messiah will be buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60). The Messiah will be with criminals in His death (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27).
“In addition to the death of the Jewish Messiah, His resurrection from the dead is also foretold. The clearest and best known of the resurrection prophecies is the one penned by Israel’s King David in Psalm 16:10, also written a millennium before the birth of Jesus: ‘For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.’
“On the Jewish feast day of Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, he boldly asserted that God had raised Jesus the Jewish Messiah from the dead (Acts 2:24). He then explained that God had performed this miraculous deed in fulfillment of David’s prophecy in Psalm 16. In fact, Peter quoted the words of David in detail as contained in Psalm 16:8–11. Some years later, Paul did the same thing when he spoke to the Jewish community in Antioch. Like Peter, Paul declared that God had raised Messiah Jesus from the dead in fulfillment of Psalm 16:10 (Acts 13:33–35)” (for more examples see the question, “Where do the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy the death and resurrection of the Messiah? www.gotquestions. org/death-resurrection-Messiah.html
Central Message of the Text:
Praise God for the salvation prophesied in the Old Testament—which occasioned curiosity on the part of prophets and of angels—has been preached to and received by you.
Family Talk:
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, we all have 24 hours in a day. You might be a stay-at-home mom or an executive of a Fortune 500 company, but the playing field is the same. What do you do with these 24 hours? Be honest with yourself—how much of this time is wasted? You’re one blink away from this short season ending. My kids are all young adults or teenagers and I think they’re pretty amazing. But they didn’t just magically turn out to be great people. There was a tremendous amount of exhausting work that my husband and I put in to shaping their hearts and minds. There was daily sacrifice, diligence, consistency and so, so much prayer. My mantra when they were little was “no wasted minutes,” because let’s face it—time is short. Kids are only young once and the moments we have with them slip quickly through our fingers. We aren’t promised tomorrow, so today has to really count. The opportunities to disciple your kids are right there in front of you, so take advantage of every open or slightly cracked door. This month, Central Kids is launching Conversations With Kids, a program that will offer quick and simple discipleship tools to start conversations and create meaningful moments with your family. You opt in and we’ll send a short and sweet weekly text to help you disciple your kids. Time is precious and we don’t know the moment of Jesus’ return. So, let’s make every moment count as we seek to bring Him glory as we parent our children according to His Word.