A Couple of Jesus Parallels
Posted By Joe on January 15, 2009
The Bible is filled with foreshadowing and parallels all pointing to Christ. Several years ago, I ran across a small one in Luke that is a foreshadowing of His death and resurrection.
In Luke 2, Joseph and Mary are going to Jerusalem for the annual Passover. When Jesus was 12 years old, they took the customary trip but this would have a very different outcome.
And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. Luke 2:42-47
Jesus disappears for three days, away from Joseph and Mary. He stays in Jerusalem in the temple, ministering and teaching. It's a foreshadowing of what will take place later when Jesus is three days in grave. Jesus asked Joseph and Mary later why they were looking for Him. He tells them that He must be about His Father's business. Later, at the garden tomb, the angel tells Mary Magdalene the he knows she is looking for Jesus but this time, He's not there: He's risen!
In Genesis, we read about Isaac and Abraham. God finally gives Abraham the son he was promised, Isaac. Remember that God promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation even before he had any children of his own. In Genesis 22:2, God commands Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him.
..."Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
And so, Abraham rose early the next day and took Isaac and two of his young men with him. Abraham also split and took the wood for burnt offering. On the third day of the journey, Abraham saw Mount Moriah in the distance. He tells the two young men to stay behind and he would go up the mountain with Isaac alone.
At this point, it's worth noting a few things. First, Genesis 22:2 is the first verse in the Bible where the word "love" is mentioned. This is significant because the first mention of anything in the Bible is always important. So in this case, the word love is symbolic of sacrifice. God knows Abraham loves Isaac, his son of promise. But God wants to know that He is first in Abraham's life, that Abraham loves God first and foremost. This is a lesson for us even today.
Secondly, we see the interval of three days repeatedly throughout the Bible and it appears here again in verse 4.
Third, it must also be pointed out that Mount Moriah in Genesis in the same mount where Solomon would build his temple and the future location of the crucifixion. Where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son, God would eventually sacrifice His own son for the redemption of all mankind.
A couple of key verses follow:
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is teh lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." Genesis 22:6-8
These three verses are simply astonishing. Firstly, Abraham puts on Isaac's back, the wood for the sacrifice. Jesus Himself had wood placed on his back: the cross he carried to calvary! Then Abraham says something incredible: "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering." We can only imagine what Abraham was thinking. Was he simply trying to protect Isaac from the truth of what he was going to have to do? Or did he know that he was acting out prophetically what was going to occur sometime in the future?
God spares Isaac by telling Abraham to not harm his son. Instead, God provides a ram for the sacrifice instead. As a result of everything that happens, Abraham calls this place, "Jehovah yireh," or "The LORD will provide/see to it." Based on this, it does seem as though Abraham knows he's acting out prophesy.
Then something interesting happens that you might miss if you're not reading carefully. In verse 19:
"So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba."
Question: where is Isaac?
Continuing the model of the crucifixion, Issac is completely dropped out of the narrative until his marriage to Rebekah. It's symbolic of Jesus and His bride, the church. After the events of Genesis, we read of Abraham's servant, Eliezer--symbolic of the Holy Spirit-- searching for a bride for Isaac. It's symbolic of the work of the Holy Spirit preparing the church for Christ's second coming, when He returns for His bride.
May He Increase!
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[...] a little deeper. The first mention of any term in the Bible is always significant as we saw with the word "love" in the story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. The first mention of a fig tree is also in Genesis. It occurs just after Adam and Eve ate from the [...]