References to Jesus in the Old Testament Scriptures - Jews for Jesus (2023)

From beginning to end, the New Testament contains quotations, references, allusions, and paraphrases from the Old Testament. Sometimes the New Testament is consistent with the Hebrew text, other times it is more consistent with the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint. During my traditional Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, our family freely referred to the "Old Testament," though many other Jews prefer to call it the "Hebrew Bible" or "Tanakh."Yeshua (Jesus) demonstrated a deep knowledge of the Tanakh as he spoke, taught and ministered—often drawing surprising insights from Scripture.

Below are the many references in the Hebrew Bible that Yeshua spoke of in the gospels. They were organized into three sections.Old Testament: Torah(The five books of Moses), the Prophets (orNevi'im) and Lyrics (Luvin four).

References to Jesus in the Torah

The temptation of Jesus in the desert

The Torah is the foundation of Judaism and Yeshua referred to it frequently. After Yeshua was baptized, he was taken into the desert where he was tempted by Satan.He responded to each temptation with passages from the Torah, displaying the highest value he placed on life, thought, and conduct.When Satan tempted him with food, he replied, "It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God," quoting directly from Deuteronomy 8:3 (Matthew 4:4). When Satan told him to jump from the top of the temple, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:16: "It is also written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:7). Finally, when Satan told Yeshua to worship him, Yeshua quoted Deuteronomy 6:13: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and Him alone you shall worship" (Matthew 4:10).

The Sermon on the Mount is mentioned in the Tanakh

The Sermon on the Mount contains a collectionethical guidestaken directly from the Hebrew Scriptures. Each time Yeshua began by saying, "You have heard that it was said..." and then contrasting it with "...but I say". He did not contradict the Torah of which he said: "It is written." The phrase "you have heard it said" refers to the popular understanding of Torah:the way it was understood and applied, the way people learned it from their parents and teachers, and the way it was repeated in everyday conversation.Sometimes it was synonymous with the Torah, but the basis of these agreements was always the text of the Torah.

Yeshua supported Exodus 20:13 when he said: “You have heard that it was said to the forefathers: You shall not kill. and whoever commits murder shall be liable to judgment” (Matthew 5:21). This pattern is repeated when Yeshua lists the commandments for adultery (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18, Matthew 5:27), divorce (Matthew 5:31, Deuteronomy 24:1), and false oaths (Matthew 5:33, Numbers 30:2, Deuteronomy 23:21).

However, Yeshua urged those who listened to his teachings to a deeper obedience.. For example, he recalled Exodus 21:23-25: “But if something bad happens, you will pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, lashes. to flog". Then Yeshua said:

“You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And I tell you: do not resist the evil one. But if someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, give him your cloak too. And if someone forces you to walk one mile, go with him two miles. He gives to those who ask and do not withhold from those who want to borrow from you (Matthew 5: 38-42).

Jesus' teaching on respect for parents

Yeshua quoted a passage from the Torah to emphasize that many often neglect the commandment to honor their parents out of self-interest. Rather than deny the Torah, Yeshua boldly pointed out the ways in which those who condemned him had failed:

Then the Pharisees and the scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples follow the tradition of the ancients? Why don't they wash their hands when they eat? He answered them: “Why do you break the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded: Honor your father and mother, and: Whoever curses father or mother will surely die. And you say: If a man says to his father or his mother: "All that you receive from me, you receive from God", he does not need to honor his father. Thus, because of your tradition, you have rendered the word of God null and void." (Matthew 15:1-6)

This echoed the command in Exodus: "Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12, Exodus 21:17)

Jesus and the Ten Commandments

To Eve. Matthew 19:16–20 Yeshua was talking to a young man who asked him about the path to eternal life. Jesus replied that he should keep the commandments: "Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, love your neighbor as yourself." I keep it. What else am I missing? Yeshua told him to sell everything he had, give it to the poor and follow him."

Yeshua clearly refers to Exodus 20:12-16: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will not kill. Don't commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal Do not bear false witness against your neighbor."

Torah and Resurrection

Yeshua challenged the Sadducees' lack of faith in the resurrection of the dead with a passage from the Torah:

“As for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:31–32, Mark 12:26–27, Luke 20:37–38)

This is taken directly from Exodus 3:6 when God told Moses who he was:

And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face from him because he was afraid to look at God.

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This type of argument was also known in Rabbinic Judaism. In the Talmud (Sanhedrin90b), as scholar Joseph Klausner notes:

“It is written: 'And I made a covenant with them (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) to give them the land of Canaan.' Doesn't it say "to you" but "to them"? Therefore, we must infer the resurrection of the dead from the Law, that is, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be resurrected, and the land of Canaan will be given to the world to come. (Joseph Klausner,Jesus of Nazareth[New York, Macmillan, 1926] page 319.)

the two great commandments

Shortly after Yeshua's meeting with the Sadducees regarding the resurrection, the lawyer put him to the test by asking him which was the greatest commandment of the Law. Yeshua replied:

And he said to her: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37–40)

Yeshua repeated Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. While the Torah says "all your might" in Matthew, Yeshua said "all your mind." Such variations were common, especially in verbal conversations. The fact of the matter is that Yeshua kept the commandments of the Torah and challenged his listeners to a deeper kind of love, something that he was going to show through his sacrifice.

testimony two

In John 8, Yeshua's discussion with some of the Pharisees is portrayed as a court case that requires two or three witnesses. Yeshua appears to be using rabbinicalVa-Homer said("how much more") argument: if the testimony of two men is true, how much more true is the testimony of Yeshua and his heavenly Father. The chapter is really about the identity of Yeshua (as claimed bythe light of the world) and used Deuteronomy to emphasize that his statement was true.

Jesus spoke to them again, saying: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, he will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life ”.

Then the Pharisees said to him: You are your own witness. your testimony is not true". . . .

“It is written in your law that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me." (John 8:12–13, 17–18)

By the testimony of two or three witnesses, the one who is going to die will be put to death. No one can be sentenced to death based on the testimony of a single witness. (Deut 17:6, Deut 19:15)

References of Jesus to the prophets

While the Torah instructed people what to do, their obedience to the Law continually failed. Then the prophets reminded Israel of the Torah and called them to repentance. They gave visions of what would happen to the nation in the future: judgment for sins, but hope for the future if the people returned to God.

Jesus and the prophecy of Isaiah

As Yeshua taught in his family synagogue, he applied the prophet Isaiah's message of hope to himself:

And he was given the role of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord rests on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. . . Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears. (Luke 4:17-19, 21)

Taken directly from Isaiah's message:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release from prison to the imprisoned. to proclaim the year of favor of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. to comfort all who cry. (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Yeshua Himself came and boldly claimed to be the fulfillment of this message.

Isaiah's message of hope was not canceled - Yeshua himself came and boldly claimed to be the fulfillment of that message. And not only did he say it, he acted in a way that reflected his character.

Jesus and the message of Hosea 6:6

When Yeshua was confronted by some who questioned why he ate with the lowly and despised of society, his response in Mat. Matthew 9:13 was taken by the prophet Hosea and applied to himself. "Go and learn" was common rabbinical terminology used in studying the Scriptures, and Jesus used it here to send his hearers to the prophet Hosea. Later, in Matthew 12:7, he quoted the same passage in response to criticism that his disciples gathered grain on the Sabbath.

“Go and learn what it means: Mercy I desire, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Jesus and the messianic age

In Matthew 10, some may falsely consider Yeshua to befoster family unrest—unless you think you are quoting the prophet Micah 7:6. Micah's words provide the background for the rabbinic understanding that the messianic era will be a time of great social upheaval:

For I have come to set the son against his father, the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And the enemies of man will be his house (Matthew 10: 35-36).

How John the Baptist Fulfills the Scriptures

John the Baptisthe was the forerunner of Jesus.Yeshua quoted the words of the prophet Malachi to show that John was the messenger who prepared the way for the Lord. There is an implication that Yeshua is more than meets the eye, for if Malachi's messenger was preparing the way for God, and John fulfilled this promise withpreparing the way for JesusWhat does this say about Jesus? But here is only one breast. we focus on exactly who John is, considering the fact that crowds turned out to hear his sermons:

He is the one of whom it is written: "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way." (Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:27)

Repeating strictly:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant comes, in whom you are pleased, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

Parables of Jesus

The essence of the parable, though often unspoken, is understood by the rabbi's students. Yeshua quoted from Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10) in which God said that people would hear Isaiah's words but not understand their spiritual meaning. Yeshua applied the same message to the people of his day. Many of them heard the words of Jesus, but did not understand their meaning, which was to lead them to repentance:

"Truly you will hear, but you will never understand, and you will certainly see, but you will never see." For the heart of this people is dulled, and they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes, so that they may not see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert, so that I can heal them. . (Matthew 13:14–15, Mark 4:11–13, Luke 8:10)

Jesus and Jewish traditions

Yeshua did not oppose the traditions. When he celebrated the Passover, he followed many traditions that had developed since the time of Moses. Yeshua loved the people and their traditions, but he challenged certain traditions that may have been well-intentioned at first, but ended up violating the very Torah they were supposed to follow:

"Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied well of you, saying: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They honor me in vain, teaching the commandments of men as doctrines'" (Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:6-7).

To quote Isaiah:

And the Lord said: “For this people draw near to me with their lips and honor me with their lips, while their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men. . ". (Isaiah 29:13)

Jesus in the temple

When Yeshua entered the Temple, he was very unhappy with the way the converters worked. When many came to Jerusalem to buy sacrificial animals, they had to exchange foreign currency for local currency. Jesus' problem was not in the system itself, but in his position. There is also the possibility that the prices were inflated or restricted access to the Temple.

Yeshua quoted from Isaiah and Jeremiah to summarize his assessment of the situation. The "den of thieves" in Jeremiah is a metaphor for the various sins mentioned there. Perhaps the thought is that people are robbing God of the worship and obedience he deserves by their behavior:

He answered them: "It is written: My house will be called a house of prayer, and you make it a den of thieves." (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46)

Echoing the words of the prophets:

I will take them to my holy mountain and I will make them happy in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7)

Has this house that bears my name become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 7:11)

jesus as shepherd

Yeshua predicted that at his arrest, trial, and crucifixion, his disciples would scatter as if they had never been his followers. Subsequent events show that when he was crucified, many of them returned to their former activities, as it were, disappointed that he did not turn out to be the Redeemer, untilResurrectionthey changed their minds forever. Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7 to describe a messianic figure mistaken for a false prophet:

Then Jesus said to them: “You will all doubt me tonight. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27).

Jesus the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53

Here Yeshua quoted from Isaiah 52:13-53:12, a famous passage from Isaiah's Suffering Servant. A major stream of Jewish traditionsee Israel in this passagewhile other Jewish writers and the New Testament point to the Messiah as the fulfillment. Yeshua quoted a verse that speaks to how he will be perceived by others: as a criminal, transgressor and sinner in Israel:

For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me: "And he was numbered with the transgressors." Because what is written about me has its fulfillment. (Luke 22:37)

Yeshua's recognition as a transgressor was foretold centuries before:

Therefore I will divide him among many, and he will divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered among the transgressors. yet he bore the sin of many and intercedes for transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)

References of Jesus in Ketuvim

scriptures, thein four, include the Psalms (which are an integral part of the Jewish liturgy), Proverbs (which contain God-centered and practical life advice), and many other books such as Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes), Job, Song of Songs, and others.

Jesus as the Son of David

To Eve. Matthew 21:15–16 The crowds hailed Yeshua as "the Son of David." Even the children shouted: "Hosanna to the son of David!" The praise was seen as a threat to the status quo of the Temple and its relationship with Rome. Yeshua began by quoting Psalm 8:2, where babies can be a metaphor for the weak and powerless who "speak the truth to the mighty" like the children in Matthew. (Praiseinstead of Psalm 8elasticitycomes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament widely used among Greek-speaking Jews).

In addition, Yeshua participated in a discussion on the widely held idea thatThe Messiah would be the son or descendant of King David. Yeshua quoted Psalm 110:1 to show that the Messiah is more than just a descendant of David. The words of Jesus are a challenge to discover how the different parts of Scripture agree with each other. the messiah isBothDavid's descendantit is includedsomeone older than:

He said to them: How then does David by inspiration call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet? (Matthew 22:43–44)

Yeshua's words, "How are these things?" are not meant to contradict the common view, but rather are a formal challenge to discover how the various parts of Scripture agree with each other. The Messiah is both a descendant of David and someone older.

The Cornerstone of Jesus

Yeshua told a parable in which he blamed the leaders of the time and warned that they would be replaced by leaders faithful to their calling. On the occasion, Yeshua quoted Psalm 118:22-23, this time one of the Hallel Psalms recited at Easter and on other occasions. The verse that Yeshua quotes speaks of a "rejected" stone that becomes a "cornerstone", that is, a stone of great importance for the entire building. Perhaps in the original Psalm this referred to a reversal of positions: a nation that had once been a slave became the key to the redemption of the world. Yeshua applied this to himself: although he was rejected by the Jewish leaders of the day, he would nevertheless hold a key place in the redemption of the world:

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has made it, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? (Matthew 21:42)

Jesus weeps for Jerusalem

Yeshua wept a lament for Jerusalem according to the tradition of the prophets and books like Lamentations. The nation did not accept God's invitation to return, so Yeshua spoke of the impending destruction of the Temple some forty years later. He again quoted Psalm 118, declaring that redemption would not come to Israel until he was accepted as the Messiah:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How many times have I wanted to bring your children together like a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you didn't! You see, your house has been abandoned by you. For I tell you that you will not see me again until you say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:37-39).

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jesus and daniel

The book of Daniel mentions the "abomination of desolation" several times.Chronological setting in the Book of DanielIt covers from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BC) to the 1st century AD. and then. This "abomination" is not a one-time event, but rather a pattern that occurs at various points in Jewish history:

And he will make a strong covenant with many for a week, and in the middle of the week he will endure sacrifices and sacrifices. And the deserter will come on the wing of abomination, until the decreed end is spilled over the desert. (Daniel 9:27)

His forces will come and desecrate the temple and fortress and take the permanent burnt offerings. And they will raise up an abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31; cf. 12:11)

The abomination is believed to refer to the Roman banners in the Temple or to Josephus's reference to the desecration of the Temple by the Zealots.

The passage from the Book of Daniel is intended to warn Yeshua's hearers and subsequent readers of the Book of Matthew against destruction:

“Therefore, when you see in the holy place the abomination of desolation that Daniel the prophet spoke of (the reader understands), those who are in Judea, flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15–16)

Jesus as the Son of God

Yeshua quoted Psalm 82, a psalm about "gods", referring to the kings of the world who considered themselves gods, or those of Israel, as judges. Either way, the psalm says that those who do not do justice will die like all men.

Rabbinical is used in the Gospel of John YeshuaVa-Homer saidThe argument from less to greater. If the term "gods" could be applied to those who do not do justice, then Jesus certainly could be the "Son of God", as a perfectly just and upright person:

Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law that I said that you are gods? If God has called those to whom the word of God is addressed - and Scripture cannot be violated - you say of him whom the Father separated and sent into the world, "blasphemed" because I said: "I am the Son of God"? (John 10:34–36)

Those who betrayed Jesus

Psalm 41 tells of a righteous man suffering from sickness and persecution from his enemies. Even the psalmist's close friend who dined with him turned against him or, as the psalm says, "lifted up his heel" (v. 9).

Yeshua chose Judas to be part of his inner circle of friends, but in the end he betrayed Yeshua, just like the friend of the psalmist:

“I'm not talking about all of you. I know who I chose. But the scripture will be fulfilled: "He who ate my bread lifted up his heel against me" (John 13:18).

Yeshua further quoted psalms that speak of unfounded hatred towards a righteous person, applying these verses to himself to show how those who called him reacted to him:

"But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: They hated me without reason." (John 15:25).

Let not those who are unjustly my enemies rejoice over me, and let not those who hate me without cause wink over me. (Psalm 35:19, Psalm 69:4)

Psalm pronounced by Jesus during the crucifixion

With his dying breath, Yeshua uttered the first verse of Psalm 22. He did not lose hope at this point, but rather took the full context of the psalm: rescue and cleansing after suffering. Yeshua felt all the pain of separation from God, so he cried out:

And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: "Eli, Eli, lama savachtani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)

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Yeshua's life and death were inspired by the Hebrew Scriptures. He knew these verses well, and instead of abandoning them, he showed his listeners that they were the fulfillment of so many years of hope.

Additional Resources:

Gregory K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds. New Testament Commentary Old Testament Use. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. Accurate and up-to-date reference work.

Commentaries to the Gospel. The two suggested series are:

• Expositor's Bible Commentary, published by Zondervan (good for pastors and all students of the Bible; there is a valuable earlier edition edited by Frank Gaebelein and an updated edition edited by Tremper Longman and David Garland).
• New International Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Eerdmans (for serious study; longer and fuller Expositor's commentaries).