BOOK REVIEW of Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament

Introduction: Christopher J. H. Wright has laid out the story of Jesus Christ through the passages of the Old Testament in his book Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament. Wrights overall purpose is that readers walk away with an understanding of the richness of the Old Testament in relationship to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Christians today often fail in accurately understanding the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Old Testament. An awareness of the correlation of Jesus and how He is threaded through the Old Testament is vital for a complete understanding of Gods rescue and restoration of mankind. Wrights desire is that the reader would see and understand the Hebrew Scriptures in the same way that Jesus did. As Jesus taught, You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life (John 5:39). Wright accurately ties together and explains the story of Jesus in light of the Old Testament. Summary of Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament Every step of the way through Wrights book Jesus is explained in light of the Old Testament. He continually ties the contents and context of the Old Testament to the Jesus Christ and His purpose in the New Testament mainly in Matthew chapters 1-4. To know Jesus Christ

accurately in the New Testament, one must rewind back to the Old Testament to understand who Jesus is and the need for Him to take on flesh (John 1:14). Wright explains in the first page of his preface that, these are the words he read. These were the stories he knew. These were the songs he sang. These were the depths of wisdom and revelation and prophecy that shaped his whole view of life, the universe and everything.1 Individuals will better understand what Jesus thought about Himself and His purpose by backing up and examining the very scriptures, which Jesus read and examined. Wright orchestrates five chapters lacing Jesus through five distinct themes: Old Testament Story, Old Testament Promise, Old Testament Identity, Old Testament Mission, and Old Testament Values. In chapter one, Wright spends much of his time introducing the concept of Jesus in the Old Testament messianic story. He uses Matthews account of the Christmas story and how the reader normally begins in chapter 1 at verse 18, This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. However, Wright has drawn attention to the prior seventeen verse which link baby Jesus to the Old Testament. He states, Why cant we just get on with the story? Because, says Matthew, you wont understand that story unless you see in the light of a much longer story which goes back for many centuries but leads up to the Jesus you want to know about.2 The much longer story that Wright speaks about is found hiding in the first seventeen verses in Matthew 1. Matthews explained the genealogy of Jesus stemming all the way back to Abraham. Wright proceeds to break the genealogy down into three main sections: Jesus genealogy from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian exile and finally from the

Wright, Christopher J.H. Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992. ix. Ibid. 1.

exile to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the completion of the genealogy the same as He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Chapter 2 continues on to the next theme of the Old Testament Promise. Wright explains that Jesus has fulfilled all that was prophesied about Himself. Wright begins the chapter by focusing on five scenes of Jesus childhood, which fulfilled OT promises. The events, which are fulfilled, are very accurate and detailed about Jesus life yet, He fulfills every one of them even geographically. Matthew takes the time to explain the richness of the fulfillment as Jesus location of birth (Micah 5:2) and his traveling to Egypt and then back to Galilee. All of it is tied to the Old Testament writings. Wright goes on to teach that even though these are normally referred to as predictions they are in reality promises. Lastly, in chapter 2 he explains the details of the five covenants in the Old Testament. In chapter 3, Wright discusses the Old Testament Identity of Jesus. Who was He? is the context of this chapter. The author teaches in depth the Sonship of Jesus to the Father. He defines the understanding of Son through the eyes of the Old Testament and the statement by God the Father, This is my Son (Matthew 3:17) at the beginning of his ministry. This Old Testament picture is the model by which Jesus understood His own identity. Chapter 4 discusses the Old Testament Mission of the Messiah. The context of this chapter is concerned with the expectations of the coming Messiah, who Israel believed He would be and how the Old Testament refers to Him and explains Him. Wright details the titles given to Jesus such as the Messiah, the Son of Man, and the Servant of the Lord. He goes on to engage the unseen rescue of the Gentiles, much to Israels surprise. Finally, in chapter five Wright describes the Old Testament Values of the Messiah. What mattered most to Jesus? Overall, Wright explains that Jesus Christ had taken on the moral

responsibility of Israel. Wright explains that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law, when no one else was able. Wright explains the priority scale that Jesus taught as a scale of values. He goes through them one by one: God comes first, persons matter more than things, needs matter more than rights. Wright concludes this chapter and the book on the topic of the Kingdom of God. Critical Interaction with Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament Throughout his book, Wright refers to Matthew chapters 1-4 as his base text. As I begin with chapter one, I must say that I enjoyed this chapter the most however the entire book was highly enlightening. Within this chapter, the Old Testament Story of the Messiah is captured and drawn to the New Testament. Wright uses Matthew 1:1-17 as the premise and foundation for bringing the Old Testament story into this chapter. As he unpacks the verses in this passage, we find that the disciple Matthew truly had purpose in doing so. Wright does an excellent job explaining that Matthew did not accidently include these 17 verses; Matthew consciously and deliberately wrote the genealogy of Jesus Christ with the intention of tying Jesus Christ with the Hebrew Scriptures. The first seventeen chapters are broken down to the three categories (Jesus genealogy from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian exile and finally from the exile to Jesus Christ). This is summarized in verse 17, So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Wright makes a powerful assertion by bringing this often-overlooked passage to the forefront in his argument. He then continues on through each of these three sections and unpacks them in detail leaving no doubt that the story of the Messiah in the Old Testament is surely the larger and richer

picture of Jesus Christ. He states, What it meant for Israel does not just evaporate in a haze of spiritualization when we reach the New Testament His coming in no way alters or removes the truth of the Old Testament story in itself and in its meaning for Israel On the contrary, it underlines and endorses it.3 Wright leaves the reader with the undeniable fact that they story of the Old Testament Messiah is that He is the end of the preparation and also a new beginning. Jesus Christ is the completion of the story, which had begun in the Old Testament. Then in chapter two, he begins to focus on the Old Testament Promise of the Messiah. All that was looking forward to the Messiah was completed and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. After covering many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus Christs childhood and declared Messianic foretellings, Wright makes a powerful distinction that what are normally referred to as predictions they are, in reality, promises. This is an accurate distinction and not that promises do not foresee as predictions do, but because these Messianic foretellings were much more personal. Wright states, A promise is made to someone, whereas a prediction is made about someone.4 The coming Messiah was a promise. The covenant with Abraham was a universal blessing to all nations and Christ Jesus was the fulfillment of that promised covenant. The promise was personal and involved a relationship; something a general prediction does not require, Even in everyday life, promise is a much deeper and more significant thing than prediction A prediction, on the other hand, may be quite impersonal5 Wright uses Galatians 3 as an example of Christ the Messiah described as a promise, If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (vs. 29).

3 4

Ibid., 28-29. Ibid., 65. 5 Ibid., 64.

In Chapter 3, the reader is shifted to the subject of the Old Testament Identity of the Messiah. Wright uses phrases identifying Jesus by the questions others asked about Him in the account of the Gospel of Mark. For example, The religious leaders took offence: Why does this fellow talk like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? (2:7) Truer than they realized.6 Jesus Christ was not the average teacher that the Jewish leaders were used to; He was God in the flesh. Wright then presents a focus on the Sonship of Jesus Christ and laces it back to the Old Testament understanding of the relationship between fatherhood and sonship. This argument is laid out well by Wright and is significant as well as inspiring. In Matthew 3:17 the Father declared about Jesus, This is my Son, whom I love, the one in whom I delight. The Father declared that the identity of Jesus Christ is my Son. Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Father. Wright explains that these words were ordinary and used often in the context of family and culture; there were many fathers and sons. Even the Old Testament used the term son often. What is the importance in the Messiah being labeled with this typical term? Wright explains that what was new about Jesus being identified as my Son by the father directly at the beginning of His ministry is that it drew together three distinct Old Testament passages. In Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 42:1, and Genesis 22:2 we see the same identify being ascribed to the Messiah. This is how Jesus saw His identity and rejoiced in it therefore this is why we should do the same. Chapter four deals with the subject of the Old Testament Mission of the Messiah. This could be summarized in the verse Wright used to underline the chapter four heading, God sent his Son (Galatians 3:26). Wright accurately states that the New Testament Jews did not see Jesus as the Messiah and that the idea that they had for the Messiah was not one that accurately

Ibid., 103

is taught from the Old Testament. They thought Jesus would restore the nation of Israel. Wright pauses at this point and explains further, we need to be very careful to understand what is not being said here. It is not being said that Jesus disassociated himself from Jewish hopes of restoration the difference between Jesus and his contemporaries was not that Israel must be restored, but how it would happen and what it would mean.7 It is very wise and important that Wright clarify this thought because many make this error. Nevertheless, Jesus saw His mission in light of the Hebrew Scriptures. He knew that God the Father had sent Him. Wright explains, One thing that is very clear about Jesus is that he knew he had been sent. He was no self-appointed savior, no popularly elected leader. He had not just arrived. He was sent.8 In this chapter, Wright makes clear the role of John the Baptist and his purpose in preparing the mission of the Messiah as predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. The reader would miss this New Testament passage if they do not understand the ties with the Old Testament. Wright also expounds about the role of the Messiah in the Old Testament as a servant of the Lord, a servant to the Gentiles and also the role of believers in light of Jesus Christs servanthood. He explains that the unity and continuity of servanthood is the responsibility of Christians even today. The spirit of servanthood as lived out by Jesus Christ should be the model and method for all Christian missions. A full understanding of this too requires an understanding of the bigger Old Testament picture. In chapter 5, Wright delves into the subject of the Old Testament Values of the Messiah. He begins this chapter by explaining that when Jesus Christ was proclaimed by the Father my

7 8

Ibid., 146. Ibid., 136.

Son he then went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Satan then used the very words with the implication of doubt, If you are the Son of God! By Jesus accepting the mission of the Messiah he had taken on enormous responsibility. This is a powerful insight by Wright, He had in a sense, taken on the identity of Israel He had taken on the Mission of Israel therefore he had also taken on the moral responsibility of Israel the obligations and commitment of covenant loyalty to God himself. He must live as God had wanted Israel to live.9 Jesus had taken on all that Israel failed to do in the covenant with God. They could not uphold the Law however, Messiah, God in the flesh could and did. This makes grace huge. Not only was the moral responsibility on the shoulders of Jesus, He not only lived out His responsibility but He taught it effectively. He taught it and modeled it for mankind to see firsthand. Live out the Kingdom of God is the message of Christ. Wright explains Jesus priority scale: God comes first, persons matter more than things, needs matter more than rights. As simple as it might sound it is odd for God. He states that Jesus summed up the entire Old Testament with two commandments, to love God with all ones heart and to love ones neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:34-40). Conclusion Wright accurately showed that Jesus was living out what He knew the Old Testament taught, what it taught about Him, and that He was the fulfillment of it. The story of Jesus Christ is tied and threaded throughout the Old Testament. Jesus story begins there and He completes it as He points forward to new hope and restoration. Wrights overall purpose is that readers walk away with an understanding of the richness of the Old Testament in relationship to the Messiah

Ibid., 182.

Jesus Christ. The major points that I have drawn out of Wrights book should thrust one to understand Jesus through a larger lens, the lens of the Old Testament.

Bibliography

Wright, Christopher J.H. Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992.