You’ve probably heard the claim that the Bible is one giant, interconnected story. It’s a bold thing to say about a collection of sixty-six books written by dozens of authors over thousands of years. But if you're asking what does the Old Testament say about Jesus, you aren't just looking for a few lucky guesses or vague coincidences. You’re looking for the "scarlet thread."
It’s everywhere.
Honestly, the Old Testament doesn't just mention a future Savior in passing. It obsesses over him. From the very first pages of Genesis to the final warnings in Malachi, there's this palpable sense of "someone is coming." It’s not always a name—it’s a shadow, a whisper, or a very specific, weirdly detailed job description.
The First Clue in a Garden
Right after things go sideways in Eden, God drops a cryptic line. He's talking to the serpent in Genesis 3:15. He says the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent's head, while the serpent will strike his heel.
Wait.
Think about that for a second.
This is the first "proto-evangelium" or the first gospel. It’s basically a spoiler alert for the rest of human history. Scholars like Dr. Michael Heiser have pointed out that this isn't just about people hating snakes. It’s about a specific descendant who would take a wound to the heel (non-fatal, usually) while delivering a death blow to the head of evil. Christian tradition has always seen this as the first reference to the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus wins, but he gets hurt doing it.
The Suffering Servant and the "Aha" Moment
If you want to get into the weeds of what does the Old Testament say about Jesus, you have to stop at Isaiah 53. It is, frankly, unsettling. Written about 700 years before Jesus was born, it describes a "Man of Sorrows."
The text says he was pierced for our transgressions. It says he was led like a lamb to the slaughter. It even mentions he would be buried with the rich. Now, skeptics sometimes argue that Isaiah was talking about the nation of Israel as a whole. But there's a problem with that. The text describes this figure as an innocent person dying for the sins of the guilty. Israel, in the Old Testament narrative, is rarely described as "innocent."
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It’s too specific.
He was "cut off from the land of the living." That’s death language. Then, a few verses later, it says he will "see his offspring" and "prolong his days." How do you die and then prolong your days? That’s the resurrection hiding in plain sight.
Messianic Math: The Daniel 9 Timeline
Daniel is a strange book. It’s full of beasts, gold statues, and math. In Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel gives Daniel a timeline of "seventy weeks" until the "Anointed One" (the Messiah) is "cut off."
Sir Robert Anderson, an investigator with Scotland Yard in the 19th century, famously tried to crunch these numbers in his book The Coming Prince. He calculated the timeline from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the day Jesus rode into the city on a donkey. Whether his specific math is perfect or not, the point is that the Old Testament gave a window.
The Jewish people of the first century weren't just guessing. They were waiting because the clock was ticking. They knew the timeframe.
The Weird Stuff: Melchizedek and Typology
Sometimes the Old Testament speaks through people who act as "types." A "type" is basically a living foreshadowing.
Take Melchizedek.
He pops up in Genesis 14 for about three verses. He’s a King of Salem (Peace) and a Priest of God Most High. He has no recorded genealogy. He just... exists. Later, in Psalm 110, King David writes that the coming Messiah will be a priest forever in the "order of Melchizedek."
This is huge because, in Israel, you couldn't be a King and a Priest at the same time. Kings came from Judah; Priests came from Levi. They were separate lanes. But Melchizedek represents a different, older rule where the two roles meet. When the New Testament book of Hebrews looks back at this, it argues that Jesus is the ultimate Melchizedek—the King-Priest who doesn't need a Levite pedigree.
Micah’s Map and the Bethlehem Problem
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel." (Micah 5:2).
Simple. Direct.
This verse is why the Magi knew where to go. It’s also why the religious leaders in Jerusalem could answer Herod’s question immediately. They knew the birthplace. But Micah adds a twist: this ruler's "origins are from of old, from ancient times."
That’s a hint at divinity. A baby born in a tiny village who has actually existed forever? It’s a paradox that only makes sense through the lens of the Incarnation.
Why the "Shadows" Matter
If you’re wondering what does the Old Testament say about Jesus, don't just look for predictions. Look for patterns.
- The Bronze Serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21). People look at it and live. Jesus references this in John 3, saying he must be "lifted up" in the same way.
- The Passover Lamb. An innocent life spared the family from judgment.
- The Temple itself. A place where God and man meet.
The Old Testament builds a house that only Jesus fits into. If you take him out of the equation, the Old Testament is a story without an ending. It’s a series of promises that were never kept.
The Scapegoat and the Day of Atonement
In Leviticus 16, there's this ritual involving two goats. One is sacrificed. The other, the "scapegoat," has the sins of the people symbolically confessed over it and is then driven into the wilderness.
It’s a dual picture.
One goat represents the payment for sin (death). The other represents the removal of sin (separation). When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he didn't say, "Look, there's the great teacher." He said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." He was connecting the dots back to these rituals.
The Complexity of the Two Messiahs
Actually, ancient Jewish scholars were sometimes confused by the Old Testament's description of the Messiah. They saw two different versions.
- Messiah ben Joseph: The suffering servant who is rejected by his brothers (like Joseph in Genesis).
- Messiah ben David: The conquering King who crushes his enemies.
Some thought there might be two different people. They couldn't wrap their heads around one person fulfilling both roles. But the New Testament's answer is simple: Two advents. First, he came to deal with the problem of sin as the suffering servant. Next, he comes as the King.
The Old Testament is like a 3D movie where you need both lenses to see the depth.
What to Do With This Information
If you're digging into this, don't just take a list of 300 prophecies at face value. Some are "direct hits," while others are more about "thematic resonance." It's better to look at the big ones first.
Read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 side-by-side with the account of the crucifixion. Psalm 22 starts with "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"—the exact words Jesus cried out. It describes bones being out of joint and clothes being gambled for.
Honestly, the statistical probability of one person fulfilling even eight of the major Messianic prophecies is astronomical. Mathematician Peter Stoner once calculated those odds as 1 in $10^{17}$. That’s like covering the state of Texas in silver dollars two feet deep, marking one, and asking a blindfolded person to pick it up on the first try.
Next Steps for Deeper Study
- Read the book of Hebrews: It is essentially a bridge. It explains how the Old Testament rituals and figures were actually "shadows" of Jesus.
- Study the "Theophanies": Look for "the Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament. Many theologians believe these were pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus.
- Compare the Covenants: Look at the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 and see how it culminates in a blessing for "all nations"—a promise fulfilled through the global reach of the gospel.
- Investigate the "Sign of Jonah": Jesus himself pointed to the story of Jonah as a "type" of his three days in the earth.
The Old Testament is a massive, complex puzzle. Jesus is the image on the front of the box that tells you where all the pieces go. Without him, it’s just a pile of beautiful but frustratingly disconnected history. With him, it’s a masterpiece.