Lesson #7

Lesson #7

Linking the Old and New Testaments

Jesus’ Temptation

During Jesus’ time of temptation in the desert, he countered the Devil three times with quotations from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Jesus Quotes the Two Greatest Commandments in the Old Testament

In Matthew 22:37 –40, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 :

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

In Matthew 22:39 , Jesus quotes from Leviticus 19:18 :

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Quotes from the Old Testament to Explain His Ministry

Jesus was in the synagogue of his home town, Nazareth, when he read from part of the Isaiah scroll (Isaiah 61:1–2).

“Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim

freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the

blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the

Lord’s favor.’

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
and he began by saying to them,

‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ ”
Luke 4:16–21

Jesus Predicts that His Disciples Will Fall Away

Jesus dramatically quotes Zechariah 13:7 in Matthew 26:31 , to say that his followers will desert him:

“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

Jesus’ Words on the Cross

As Jesus is dying, he quotes two highly significant passages from the Old Testament.

• Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1 after the three hours of darkness:

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46

• As Jesus prepares to say his final words, he calls out:

“I am thirsty.” John 19:28 .

Commenting on this, John writes:

“So that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’”

Jesus was fulfilling the scriptures as he said these words. This is clear from Psalm 69:21 :

“They … gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

To Ponder

• The risen Lord Jesus continued to use the Old Testament scriptures to explain his death and resurrection to his disciples. Read Luke 24:25 –27. Also read Luke 24:45 .        

Source: Water, M. (1998). Bible Study made easy . The Made Easy Series (18–19). Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd.