What did Jesus mean when He said to the Jewish leaders of His day, “Examine the scriptures, since you think that in them you have eternal life. They also testify about me.” (John 5:39) As Christmas gets closer, let’s think about what His coming meant for us…and how true these words are.

What Moses says

When the first couple sinned, God’s judgment on their tempter was the first hint of Jesus’ coming: “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.” (Genesis 3:15)

God gave Abraham a ram instead of allowing him to kill his son. Afterward, Abraham named the place “Yahweh-Yireh.” (Genesis 22:14) It showed he somehow knew God would see to it that a fitting sacrifice would be provided. He believed God when He promised, “All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring, because you have listened to my voice.” (Genesis 22:18)

What the Prophets say

Isaiah tells more: “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’) (Isaiah 7:14). And Micah even predicts where He would be born: “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!” (Micah 5:2) Zechariah even announces Palm Sunday in advance: “your King is coming; He is righteous and able to save. He comes seated humbly on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9)

What the Psalms say

King David welcomes us to the very foot of the cross in Psalm 22. For our sake, Jesus is forsaken by His Father, surrounded by mockers, hanging with His hands and feet pierced and His bones out of joint while people gamble for His clothing. The next Psalm (23) shows us the sheep’s proper attitude toward the Good Shepherd.

Throughout the Old Testament, the law required a person’s redeemer to be related by family. When Isaiah 44:6 calls God the “Redeemer” who says, “besides me, there is no God,” it literally meant God Himself would become part of the family of mankind. He was the offspring of (only) a woman. So in the same way Adam’s sin had brought us all into judgment, (Romans 5:12), Jesus became the one who could humbly suffer the shame, rejection, and weight of sin for us all to offer us redemption.