Can Jesus Be Found in the Old Testament?

The simple answer to this is, yes.  Because Jesus is on every page of the Old and the New Testaments.  Jesus told us so.  After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to the Father and was glorified.  Luke records that on the same day Jesus walked with two men on the road to Emmaus.  Luke 24:27  tells us, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”  Jesus was speaking of the Hebrew Scriptures.  He’s there in ALL the Old Testament Scriptures.

The entirety of the Bible — from Genesis through Revelation — points to, and reveals, one man…the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus was there in the beginning, from the creation of the earth.  He is Elohim, the triune God of Genesis 1:1.  And even before the foundation of the world He existed (John 17:24), for He is the Great I Am of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-14), the eternal God (Deuteronomy 33:27, Psalm 41:13, 90:2, 93:2, Isaiah 63:16b, Micah 5:2, John 1:1-2), both Alpha and Omega, beginning and end  (Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) and He is the Word of God.

John 1:1-2  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.

Where’s Jesus?

We all remember the books, “Where’s Waldo?”  The colorful character was hidden on each page, but it took diligent study of the page to spot him.   The same is true of Jesus.  He’s there, on every page of the Bible, but only with consistent reading and study will you find him.

It’s not difficult to find Jesus on every page of the New Testament Scriptures.  Historical information about His life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection are recorded in all the books.   But finding Him in the Old Testament isn’t always as easy.  However, if an 11-year-old boy can find Him, so can we.  [Scroll down and watch a short video clip of an 11-year-old boy who points us to Jesus.  He tells of Jesus in every book of the Bible.  Also included are two print pages of Jesus “sightings.”]

Jesus in the Old Testament

There are many recorded revelations of Jesus in the Old Testament.  These are called Christophanies (some call them Theophanies).   A Christophany is an appearance or non-physical manifestation of pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.  Some of the Christophanies found in the Bible include:

Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 18:1-3, 10, 13, 17, 22, Genesis 31:11-13, Genesis 32:24-28, Hosea 12:3-4, Genesis 48:16, Exodus 3:2, Exodus 13:21, Exodus 14:19, Exodus 23:20-23, Exodus 32:34, Numbers 22:22-27, Numbers 22:31-35, Joshua 5:23, Joshua 5:13-15, Judges 6:12-22 , Judges 13:3-22, I Kings 9:2, II Kings 1:3, II Kings 1:15, II Kings 19:35, I Chronicles 21:12, 15-16, 18, 30, Psalms 34:7, Psalms 35:5-6, Isaiah 37:36, Daniel 3:25, 28, Daniel 7:13, Daniel 8:25, Daniel 10:5-6, Zechariah 1:11-12, Zechariah 3:1, Zechariah 3:5.

Each of these Christophanies is a study in and of itself.  It’s awe inspiring to see the revelation that God gave to His people and to understand that it was to point them to the incarnation of Jesus.  It was to prepare them for the time when God would come down and dwell among His people as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23, John 1:14).

How Do You Read the Bible?

Let’s consider how we read the Bible.  There are two ways.  One is to read the Bible looking for Jesus.  The other is to read the Bible looking for oneself.

We live in a time that has become very self-centered.  Modern communication has built a generation that is moving faster and faster in man-made innovations, and farther and farther away from God’s original design.  Never has man been more narcissistic and individualistic.  It’s an “i-everything,” me-focused culture rather than Christ-focused living.  And as a result, more and more Christians are reading the Bible looking for themselves, rather than looking to find Jesus.

It’s Not About Us

The Bible isn’t about us.  It’s all about Jesus!  We should read every page with a desire to find Jesus.  He’s there in every historical account, every song, every prayer and every teaching!  When we read the Bible looking for Jesus we will come to know Him better and love Him more.

We won’t find rest, when we read the Bible looking for ourselves. We will find rules.  We won’t find comfort. We will find conditions.  We won’t find identity in Christ.  We will find identity in what we can do and what the world says we can be.  Only in Jesus will we find the rest, for He has promised:

Matthew 11:29  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

And for this purpose Jesus came into the world…

Luke 4:18-19  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament

To get you started, watch this 11-year-old boy tell of Jesus on every page.

Download PDF:  Seeing Jesus in the Bible