He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, Luke 24:46 WEB
To begin, prophecies preceded the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Accordingly, the crucifixion of Christ on the cross fulfilled the word of God and accomplished the will of God. It provided a path to forgiveness for sin and reconciliation to God for each of us. In the way of prophecy, the Old testament is full of indicators that predicted the events revealed in the gospel accounts of Jesus Christ.
Chapter twenty-four of Luke’s gospel is about the risen Christ and his appearance to his followers on the third day after his death. In it, Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James before later appearing to the disciples.
Enter Into His Glory
About this time, Jesus spoke with a group of men who misunderstood the purpose of his suffering and that he would rise from the dead. To them, the Lord made this statement from Luke 24:25-26, “Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory? WEB” Then, Jesus explained to them the scriptures concerning himself from Moses to the prophets.
In the bible, multiple prophecies predict the Messiah. Among them are the virgin birth predicted in Isaiah 7:14 which reads, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. KJV”
Another scripture, Isaiah 53:5, prophesies Jesus’ crucifixion and our salvation saying, “But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. WEB”
Finally, God’s promises written in his holy word are faithfully kept. Jesus predicted his own death in John 2:19 saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. WEB” In this scripture, Jesus refers to his body as a temple for the Holy Spirit. Also, he asserts that he would rise from the dead on the third day. Overwhelmingly, Jesus faithfully fulfilled hundreds of prophecies recorded in the bible.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for your faithfulness to your word. In Jesus, I too will rise from the dead and live eternally through your grace and his great sacrifice. Give me wisdom to understand your word. Help me to be faithful as you are faithful. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: The Scroll of the Lord
