Theologians estimate that Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. That’s a lot! We are currently covering a series on a handful of interesting messianic prophecies. Last week, we discovered 3 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as a baby. Today, let’s go over 3 specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during His early ministry.
1.) A Forerunner would preceed Jesus
Old Testament Prophecy:
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain’” (Isaiah 40:3–4).
The Messiah was prophesied to have a forerunner. This person would prepare the people’s hearts and minds for the new covenant. Isaiah chapter 40 is the very beginning of what some call Second, or Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55). Theologians believe that this section dates earlier than the preceding (and following) chapters. The theme also notably changes from judgment and despair to redemption and hope. This is one of my favorite sections of the Bible. It reads like a love letter from God to Israel and the rest of humanity. If you haven’t read it in it’s entirely, please do so.
As this section begins to beautifully tell the story of the Messiah to come, it first speaks of His forerunner, the one who would make straight the path for the people’s salvation. As the people of Israel gained this clue, those educated in the scriptures knew that they would be watching for not one, but two people.
New Testament Fulfillment:
“John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord”‘” (John 1:23).
John the Baptist was seemingly aware of his assignment from the beginning. Mary the mother of Jesus visited John’s mother Elizabeth, as they were pregnant at the same time. Luke records that baby John leaped for joy in his mother’s womb when in proximity to the still-forming Messiah in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:44). When John as born, his father Zechariah sang, “And you my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 1:76-77).
And John succeeded in his job. He “went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). For any who wondered if John himself was the Messiah, John answered that “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16).
2.) Jesus’ ministry would begin in Galilee
Old Testament Prophecy:
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1–2).
Another location-based prophecy! As a recap, the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem and spend time in Egypt as a young child. His ministry was also to begin in Galilee. This is an interesting detail, as one might expect for a religious or political leader to begin his ministry in Jerusalem. To give you context on a map—Galilee is located Northern Israel. Of interesting note, Galilee was actually uninhabited (nearly) for 500 years following the Assyrian invasion. Jewish immigrants only re-populated Galilee approximately 100 years before Jesus’ earthly ministry.
New Testament Fulfillment:
“When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.’ “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’” (Matthew 4:12–17).
And Jesus fulfilled this prophecy—His ministry began in Galilee. Nazareth was one of the two major towns in Galilee, so Jesus grew up in this region of Israel. A large number of Jesus’ miracles and teachings occurred in this region. All of the disciples were also Galileans at the time that they began to follow Jesus. Not the most wealthy, or most educated, Galileans even had a distinct accent. This was obvious when the servant girl recognized Peter the night of Jesus’ betrayal (Matthew 26:73). Why did God choose Galilee over Jerusalem? Perhaps for similar reasons that He chose the Messiah to grow up as a carpenter, as opposed to a worldly king or conqueror.
3.) Jesus would teach in parables
Old Testament Prophecy:
“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old” (Psalm 78:1–2).
How interesting is this? This Psalm foretold even the nature of the Messiah’s teaching! A parable is a simple story. This story will always illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. In Biblical Greek, parable is παραβολή (parabolē), meaning “throwing alongside.” One can interpret this as “comparison, illustration, or analogy.”
New Testament Fulfillment:
“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world’” (Matthew 13:34–35).
And He did fulfill just this. We all have our favorite parables: the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, Parable of the Sower, and more. After telling the Parable of the Sower, the disciples asked why Jesus spoke in parables. He answered, alluding to yet another prophecy from Isaiah 6:
“When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “’they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” (Mark 4:10-12, Isaiah 6:9-10).
I hope you enjoyed learning about 3 Old Testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled during his early ministry. Keep reading over the next 3 weeks as I continue the series researching Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Next up, I will be covering the 3 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus the last week of his ministry.
