Old Testament and New Testament - Essay Example

of Lecturer 24 August, Compare passages from Old Testament and New Testament Passages from the Old and the New Testament bear certain similarities as the New Testament is like an interpreter of the Old Testament. This fact is well established, if one considers the fact that the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. The several ways that the passages of the New Testament and the Old Testament bear similarities shall be elaborated in this paper. Events like the Passover and the Last Supper justify the similarities between the New Testament and the Old Testament. The lives of great people in the Bible like Moses, David, Elijah, John and Jesus can also be used as a basis for comparison between the Old and the New Testament. The Last Supper in the New Testament is a reflection of the Passover in the book of Exodus. The Last Supper was actually marked on the Jewish day of Passover and Jesus Christ told his disciples to do it in his remembrance. The Last Supper was also a feast of unleavened bread just like the Passover in the book of Exodus. This is a clear sign that the Last Supper of Jesus with his twelve disciples evolved from the Passover in the book of Exodus. This time around it was not the blood of some sacrificial lamb that was sprinkled in order to protect the Israelites from the destruction that was to come upon the firstborn of the Egyptians, but Jesus Christ gave wine to his disciples and said that, it was his blood. This was a reminder that the blood of Jesus was the only thing that could wash away the sins of man and protect Christians from the destruction that was to come at the end of time. The Last Supper was also a reminder that the blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. By giving his blood to his disciples on the Last Supper, Jesus Christ showed the whole world that he was the Lamb of God and this reminds us of the lamb that was sacrificed at the Passover in the book of Exodus. Jesus Christ also gave bread to his disciples and told them that, it was his body. In doing this, Jesus clearly showed that, he was the bread of life. This act also reminds Christians of the fact that the Last Supper actually took place on day of the Passover, which was on the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. Jesus Christ was often described as the second Adam, in whom there was no sin or blemish in him. When tracing the genealogy of Jesus to Adam, Adam was described as the son of God (Luke 3:38). This bears a parallelism with Jesus Christ who is the son of God and through him; humans were redeemed of sin and death that was brought into the world by the first Adam (1 Corinthian 15:22). Jesus Christ was a fulfillment of the salvation that was promised to the prophets of the Old Testament and this can be seen from this passage, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14) This bible passage clearly shows that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament. Another way that the New Testament fulfilled the prophecy or interpreted the message of the Old Testament was in the life of Moses. Moses told the children of Israel that the Lord told him that, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” (Deut. 18:18). This passage was also written in the book of Acts 7:37 and Jesus Christ was actually the prophet that God promised to send to the Israelites. This shows that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament as seen through the life of Moses and the prophecy that was fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was referring to the numerous laws of the Old Testament when he said that, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17). This is a clear sign that the New Testament was a fulfillment of the Old Testament as Jesus Christ said that, no word would pass from the law till all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). The sufferings of Jesus in the hands of the Jews was also prophesied by Prophet Isaiah when he said that, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). The accuracy of this prophecy was also seen when Jesus Christ was eventually wounded and bruised by the Jews on the way to Calvary in the New Testament. These events definitely show that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament. Another line of parallelism that can be drawn from the Old Testament and the New Testament and how the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament is in the characters of Elijah (Elias) and John the Baptist. The coming of John the Baptist as a prophet that was to come before the savior was revealed to Isaiah by God and this can be seen if one looks at this passage, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3). This passage was further corroborated in the New Testament when John the Baptist told the priests and the Levites that he was, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:23). The fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah through the coming of John the Baptist shows that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament. At the end of the Old Testament, God also promised to send Elijah the prophet before the end of time and the prophecy was that he would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:5). John the Baptist was seen as the second Elijah and the fact that he preached the message of repentance which reconciled men to God showed the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 4 vs. 5. John the Baptist was described as Elias that was to come by Jesus in Matthew 11 vs. 14 and some other passages in the New Testament and this shows the extent at which the New Testament evolved from the Old Testament. David was a man after God’s heart and for this reason; the savior of the world had to come through his lineage. David was the King of Israel in the Old Testament and in the New Testament; God established his offspring as the King of Kings. In the book of Psalms, David saw the revelation of what was to come in the New Testament when he said that, “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” (Psalm 110:1). Reference was made to this passage in different passages of the New Testament and the fulfillment of this prophecy was seen when Jesus ascended to heaven and was seated at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). He would come back as promised to judge the living and the dead and at this point, God would have made his enemies his footstool and he would be crowned the King of Kings. From the events that took place in the Bible and the characters of notable people in the Bible, it has been clearly shown that the New Testament is an interpreter of the Old Testament. The Old Testament and the New Testament were written by different authors that lived through different timelines, but the fact that the Bible as a whole was inspired by God shows that there must be a link between the Old Testament and the New Testament and it is this link that has been proven and established in this paper. Work Cited Life application Bible for students: the New King James Version. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994. Print. Read More