The Prophecies of Jesus in Scripture

Introduction

    Recently, I've noticed two problems related to the same thing in Christianity.  One of these is that some Christians are using inflated lists of 400+ prophecies about Jesus, which sounds a bit exaggerated.  Another is that some people are arguing against any prophecy about Jesus, calling all of them bogus, etc.

    So as usual, this results in a desire to write about what I believe and why.  I believe that most such "400 prophecies!" lists are exaggerations.  But I also can see how some atheists want to see direct statements about Jesus in prophecy.  Honestly, I don't blame atheists for this, as I also like to see direct prophecies and I tend to want to see direct statements.

    So, with this in mind, I wrote an article about it.  I hope this is helpful.  I will list the prophecy, the source, and the reason it is significant.  All quotations will be from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

Prophecies Cited in the Gospels

    The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

  1. Matthew 1:1 and following, that Jesus would be the son of David and Abraham in geneology.  We see this in lists of geneologies like Ruth 4:18-22, 2 Samuel 7:12-16 "your house and kingdom will endure ... forever" and 1 Chronicles 2:1-15.  Significance: Jesus had to be not only a Jew but specifically with a line traced through these two individuals, so it couldn't be just anyone.  The geneologies are also found in Mark 12:26, Luke 3:4, Acts 1:20, Philippians 4:3, and Revelation 3:5.
  2. Matthew 2:5-6, that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.  The scribes cited Micah 5:2.  Micah 5:2 points out "His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times," hinting at Jesus' eternal nature.  Significance: The Jews knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but seemed to not note that the Messiah would be God.
  3. Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:10-11, Satan's statement about Jesus.  Satan is quoting Psalm 91:11-12.  There is nothing in this passage that seems to indicate that Psalm 91 is speaking about Jesus, so this could be Satan twisting Scripture.  Significance: Satan twists Scripture.
  4. Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Mark 9:12, Luke 3:4, Luke 7:27, reference to John the Baptist coming first.  This is citing Malachi 3:1, “See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies.  Note that this also references the deity of the Messiah (Jesus), when it says "He will clear the way before me ... says the Lord of Armies."  Significance: John the Baptist identified himself as the one who goes before the Messiah in John 1:20, which cites Isaiah 40:3.
  5. Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46, reference to Jesus cleaning the temple.  This is a double quote, as Jesus is quoting first Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  This is not a specific reference to the Messiah by itself, but Jesus is definitely citing OT Scripture.  Significance: an indirect clue.
  6. Matthew 26:24, reference to Jesus being betrayed.  No direct Scripture is given, but indirectly it references Psalm 41:9 (betrayal of a close friend), Zechariah 11:12-13 (30 pieces of silver), and Psalm 55:12-14 (betrayed while eating bread), which get cited often.  Significance: yet another example of the NT tying this in to the OT.
  7. Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:27, reference to Jesus' disciples scattering, i.e. Zechariah 13:7.  Note Zechariah 13:7 says "against my shepherd," at the beginning.  This "my shepherd" is Jesus.  Significance: an indirect reference to Jesus.
  8. Mark 14:21, "the Son of Man will go, just as it is written," etc.  Isaiah 53, as well as the references in number 6, support this.  Significance: Jesus was indeed betrayed but the Jews didn't see the references.
  9. Luke 4:17, Jesus saying that Isaiah is fulfilled.  This is Isaiah 61:1-2.  Jesus brought good news to the poor, healed, set people free, etc.  It was a spiritual Jubilee.  Significance: Jesus directly told those listening that He is the fulfillment of that chapter.  Note that there's the "year" of the Lord's favor and the "day" of God's vengeance.  Armageddon is a day event, the Lord's favor is Jesus's approximately 3.5 year ministry.
  10. Luke 22:37, statement about Jesus being "counted among the lawless."  This is a reference to Isaiah 53:12.  Note that it says, "because he willingly submitted to death and was counted among the rebels, yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels."  Significance: this is a very specific section of references to who Jesus was.  He was crucified between two thieves, being treated like a criminal.  He died for the sins of many.  He interceded in His famous statement, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing" in Luke 22:34.
  11. Luke 24:46, Jesus teaching after His resurrection, "The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day," this time citing Himself, because He had previously told the disciples.  Significance: indirect.
  12. John 2:17, referring to Jesus cleansing the temple, "Zeal for your house will consume me."  This references Psalm 69:9.  Significance: this Psalm, 69, also references "they gave me vinegar to drink" (verse 21) which links to Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, and John 19:29-30.  Wine vinegar is used in salads such as Greek and Mediteranian salads.
  13. John 12:14-15, referencing Him riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey.  This references Zechariah 9:9, "your King is coming to you ... humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."  Significance: I like how God put a prophecy in place that must've sounded so random and off-the-wall at the time.  Jesus did exactly what He was predicted to do.
  14. John 15:25, "they hated me for no reason."  This is a reference to Psalm 69, which also contains the "zeal eating me up" and "vinegar to drink" references, see number 12.

Prophecies Cited in the Rest of the New Testament

  1. Acts 13:33 about Jesus being the Son of God, cites Psalm 2:7-9.  Significance: the Messiah was predicted to be the Son of God.  Indeed, "I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession," which Jesus instructed in Matthew 28 for the apostles to disciple all nations.  Also, Psalm 2:12 is in this chapter, "pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion," I mention it only because Father Alexander Anderson cites it.
  2. Acts 15:15-17, about Jesus bringing salvation eventually to the Gentiles, cites Amos 9:11-12 and Isaiah 45:21 together.  Significance: in Amos, "all the nations that bear my name."  The salvation of the Gentiles was hinted.
  3. Romans 4:17 cites when God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.  Significance: points to the eventual fulfillment in the spiritual Kingdom of God.
  4. Romans 15:3, "the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me" is a reference back to Psalm 69 again.
  5. Romans 15:12, "the root of Jesus will appear ... the Gentiles will hope in him" is a reference to Isaiah 11:10.  Significance: another place where God points to the ancestor in the line of Jesus.
  6. Hebrews 10:7, "I have come to do your will."  This references Psalm 40:6-8.  This is an important section.  Significance: For David to write in Psalm 40, "you do not delight in sacrifice and offering; you open my ears to listen" is a huge statement at this time because at this time, Jewish traditional sacrifices were taking place.  That would've made the majority of people in King David's day say, "what?!"

Conclusion

    While not very many, these roughly 20 prophecies contained in the New Testament, I believe, show how God foretold of the Messiah coming.  I think this is perhaps the best starting place for someone interested in the prophecies about Jesus.