Theology for Everybody: Romansنموونە

Nobody is bigger than Jesus. Nobody is better than Jesus. In Romans 1:1–5, Paul says that the prophets told us Jesus was coming so we would be ready. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). This virgin was the young, unmarried teenager named Mary. She would not merely get pregnant but also have a son named Immanuel, which means "God with us." Jesus is God who came from heaven to earth for us.

Where will he be born? In 700 BC, Micah wrote: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (5:2). In Hebrew, “ancient days” means “eternity.” The eternal God will come as a king, born in the small town of Bethlehem.

Malachi wrote four hundred years before Jesus’ birth: "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts" (3:1).

God sent John the Baptist as the messenger to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus. “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” connects us to history’s timeline. The Temple stood until AD 70, and then it was torn down and destroyed. Why is this event significant? The Temple was the meeting place between people and God’s presence. Priests made sacrifices for the sins of the people there. Once Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected, we no longer needed an earthly temple. We no longer go to a place because we now go to a Person named Jesus. We don’t have a priest; we have a great High Priest. We don’t offer sacrifices; we trust in His sacrifice once for all. The Temple was destroyed because we don’t need it anymore. We have all we need in Jesus.

In 1000 BC, King David wrote Psalm 22:16: "A company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet." This verse predicted Jesus’ crucifixion, which exploited the most sensitive nerve centers in the human body—the hands and the feet. Amazingly, this verse also predicted the invention of crucifixion, which would come about several hundred years later by way of the Persians. Not only does this psalm predict how Jesus would die, but it also foretells the invention of this mode of execution. Jesus was nailed through His hands and feet, as was predicted.

Psalm 22 begins, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus quoted these words on the cross. He wanted to let us know that He was fulfilling the prophecy. Jesus trusted the Word of God, preached the Word of God, prayed the Word of God, and fulfilled the Word of God. He died in our place for our sins. Jesus knew He would endure God's wrath, be forsaken, and die. But here’s the good news: one thousand years earlier, David wrote, "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave" (Psalm 16:10). Jesus knew He was going to die and be buried, but He also knew His Father would not allow His body to experience decay.

People waited for a male son to be born to a virgin mother. Jesus would come down from eternity in heaven to Bethlehem, prepared for in advance by a messenger. This event would occur before AD 70 at the Temple. Jesus would be crucified through His hands and feet, forsaken by God, suffer in our place for our sins, endure the wrath of God, be placed in a tomb, and then exit alive, defeating death. Every single person needs Jesus. Life’s big questions are ultimately answered in His death, burial, and Resurrection. Everything the Bible promised came true. You can trust the Word of God.

Today’s Reflection

How does it make you feel to know that the Bible is trustworthy?