Gospel of John
We are now in the last week of Jesus’ life. The climax of his life pointed to his death and resurrection, and while the Roman and Jewish enemies and actors and authorities thought they were in control, they were not, for two reasons: (1) first, these events ordered and controlled by God: Jesus answered: You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. John 19;11; and (2) secondly, from the hundreds of ancient prophies predicted centuries earlier, and fulfilled to the letter, further confirming the authority and Person of Jesus as the Son of God, sent for the work of redemption to all who believed.
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors.
Some of these include:
1. 700 BC. The Prophet Micah predicting the birthplace of the Messiah as Bethlehem. Micah 5:2. 2. 400 BC. Zechariah predicting that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave. Zech 11;12-13.
3. 400 BC. King David predicting the dividing of clothing of Jesus. Psalm 22.
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among themand cast lots for my garment.”[a] So this is what the soldiers did. John 19:23-24.
4. 400 BC. King David and Zechariah predicted that the Messiah would be put to death but no bones would be broken. Psalm 22, Zech 12:10.
5. And the capstone of prophecy related to Jesus – at least six times during his lifetime he predicted his own death, burial and resurrection:
From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Matthew 16:21.
Notable Christian writers – J. R. R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel – started out as athiests or agnostics, rejecting the Christian message, and only after the reading of the biblical accounts of Christ, and studying in part the absolute impossible odds of these prophies coming true without error and in the details historically recorded, did they also come to faith in Christ and apologists for the faith.
In the seeming chaos of the sham trial, the denial and desertion of the disciples, the horrific suffering and death of Jesus, followed by His resurrection – even so, God was in control in detail of these historical events – confirmed by the biblical account and multiple fulfilled prophecies. I hope this encourages you when you think life is out of control. God has ordered events in or lives to bring us to spiritual maturity. Blessing this week.
