I wanted to go through what is said about Jesus before His actual birth and what that means. Now, I won't spend this time going through every old testament prophets depiction of Jesus, in fact, one of the stories isn't even a prophet, but the tale is prophetic. Here I will be going in order, starting with the tale of Abrahams "sacrifice" of Isaac on the mountain, what the prophet Isaiah says about Jesus in Isaiah 53, then John the Baptist.
As you probably know, the story of Abraham and Isaac isn't exactly one of prophecy, but it does allude in nearly all of its elements to the loving Jesus we know. The story of Gods telling Abraham to sacrifice His only son with Rachel on the mountain starts in Genesis 22 when God tells Abraham to prove his loyalty to Him by taking his son to the land of Moriah and sacrificing Isaac as a burnt offering on a mountain. Abraham, being a loyal servant of God, took his soon, a couple men, and a donkey to the location God had told him. Upon arriving, his son says, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham replied, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son."
When they arrived at the exact location, Abraham and Isaac built the wood alter, then Abraham bound Isaac and laid him upon the alter. He then reached out and took the knife to sacrifice his son. The angel of the Lord called out just then, "Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." When Abraham lifted his eyes and turned, there was a Ram caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the Ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering to the Lord.
God will always provide if we are loyal to Him. God calls us to follow Him no matter what. This thought horrifies us though because the world we live in tells us that we need to carve our own future, be a leader not a follower. The things is though that God has a path laid out for His world, He, in His infinite glory simply allows us to choose our own way within it, knowing exactly what we'll do. Our life is for naught though if we don't become followers of God, our life on that path ends in fire.
If we become followers of God though, He will provide the lamb for slaughter. We will go through difficult times of doubt and tribulation just as Abraham must have after being told to sacrifice his son, but ultimately if we just believe in Gods unending grace and love for us, he will provide what we cannot.
Tying it back to Christ, the Ram for sacrifice is the provision that we cannot bring: Jesus. Unless we lived perfect lives, we would die in agony, however God provided His one and only begotten son so that we may live for eternity in His kingdom. Look at the relationship between Abraham, Isaac, and the Sacrifice. Abraham was willing to sacrifice (for the purposes of this) his only son for God. But God would need Isaac, so He provided another.
Isaiah 53.
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested;
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53 details the life and purpose of Christ. He grew up just like us, he bore no resemblance of majesty that we should pay attention to Him for He had nothing physically to desire from Him. Jesus would be despised and rejected, we as men would not like Him. He would bare our sins and grief, however we would despise His very name. He would bare our sins and grief, His hands pierced for our transgressions, "crushed for our iniquities; ...with His woulds we are healed." We, Gods sheep, gone astray, Jesus had our iniquity laid upon His shoulders.
Christ would not complain about His uncalled for punishment, He would not raise a hand. He would remain silent. He would do nothing to harm any living being, however He would be punished for the transgressions of all of mankind past, present, and future. This was Gods will done.
John the Baptist, though born only shortly before Jesus, was the final prophet to foretell His coming. In the Gospel of Matthew we see the testament of how John the Baptist would prepare the way for Christ. John the Baptist would proclaim the coming of one to save mankind whilst baptizing those who came to be dipped into the water of Gods forgiving love. He told the audiences, "'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" John the Baptist was the one called by the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'"
One day Jesus would arrive at the river to be baptized by John the Baptist. He asked John to baptize Him also. John hesitated saying, "'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus simply answered, "'Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'" John the Baptist baptized Jesus and upon Jesus resurfacing the heavens were opened to Him, the spirit of God descending on Him. A voice from Heaven spoke, "'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
John the Baptist was the final piece to the puzzle that was the birth of Christ, our savior. Abraham and Isaac alluded to it, Isaiah prophesied it to the world, and John the Baptist proclaimed it to any and all that would hear it. The world would despise the truth, and some still do, but the truth would save us all.
A Prayer:
Father,
You sent your one and only son to save us. No beauty upon Him drew us to Him, only the words that commanded joyful loyalty to Your glory. Lord, You saw fit to save us by sacrificing Your wonderful lamb and for that we are thankful. Everyday our transgressions are just nails in His hands, but He doesn't complain, but takes it with loving pain, knowing that His deed would save us. We love you, Lord. We give ourselves to You.
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