Sermon Tone Analysis

! MESSIANIC PROPHECIES

!! Introduction

One of the authenticating proofs for the inspiration of the Bible, which at the same time authenticate the claims of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only Savior of the world, are the many fulfilled prophecies which find their fulfillment in the person and life of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.

We have in the Holy Scripture, an array of prophecies which extend over hundreds of years and yet find their complete fulfillment in the short thirty-year life span of one person, Jesus of Nazareth, many being fulfilled in one day.

These prophecies truly accomplish the purposes of the Gospel writers as they carefully pointed to the person, words, and works of Christ.

"But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" ( John 20:31) 

"But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled" (Matt.

26:56).

And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?"

And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

(Luke 24:25-27).

Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44).

The following twenty-five Old Testament prophecies deal with events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ including His betrayal, trial, death and burial.

They were uttered by many different voices and over a period of 500 years, yet they were all fulfilled within twenty-four hours on the day that He died for the sins of the world.

!! Prophecies Relating to Christ's Crucifixion

!!! 1. Sold for Thirty Pieces of Silver

*Prophecy:  *Zechariah 11:12 And I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give /me /my wages; but if not, never mind!"

So they weighed out thirty /shekels /of silver as my wages.

*Fulfillment:*  Matthew 26:14-15  Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, 15 and said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?"

And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver.

!!! 2. Betrayed By a Friend

*Prophecy: *Psalm 55:12-14  For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear /it/; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him.

13 But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend.

14 We who had sweet fellowship together, Walked in the house of God in the throng.

(See also Psalm 41:9; Zech 13:6).

*Fulfillment:* Matthew 26:49-50 And immediately he went to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

50 And Jesus said to him, "Friend, /do /what you have come for."

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.

!!! 3. The Money Cast to the Potter

*Prophecy: *Zechariah 11:13 Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, /that /magnificent price at which I was valued by them."

So I took the thirty /shekels /of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:5-7 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood."

7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field as a burial place for strangers.

NOTE:  Notice that in both prophecy and fulfillment we find stated that (1) it was silver; (2) there were 30 pieces (Matt.

27:3); (3) they were thrown down; (4) they were cast down in the House of the Lord; and (5) the money was used to purchase the potter's field.

!!! 4. The Disciples Forsook Him

*Prophecy: *Zechariah 14:11   And people will live in it, and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.

*Fulfillment:  *Matthew 26:56  "But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled."

Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

(See also Mark 14:27)

!!! 5. Accused by False Witnesses

*Prophecy: *Psalm 35:11  Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 26:59-60  Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death;  and they did not find /any, /even though many false witnesses came forward.

But later on two came forward, . . .

!!! 6. Smitten and Spit Upon

*Prophecy: *Isaiah 50:6  I gave My back to those who strike /Me, /And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:30 And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.

NOTE:  Note here the details that correspond in both prophecy and fulfillment (1) He was to be smitten, (2) He was to be smitten on the face (as well as the other parts of the body).

See Luke 22:64.

(3) He was to be spit upon, and (4) He was to be spitten upon in the face.

!!! 7. Dumb Before His Accusers

*Prophecy: *Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:12-14  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer.

Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"

And He did not answer him with regard to even a /single /charge, so that the governor was quite amazed.

!!! 8. Wounded and Bruised

*Prophecy: *Isaiah 53:5  But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being /fell /upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:26, 29 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified. . . .

And after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

!!! 9. Fell Under the Cross

*Prophecy: *Psalm 109:24   My knees are weak from fasting; And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.

*Fulfillment:  *John 19:17 They took Jesus therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

Luke 23:26 And when they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

NOTE:  Evidently the Lord was so weak that His knees gave way under the weight of the heavy cross.

So they had to put it on another.

!!! 10.

Hands and Feet Pierced

*Prophecy:  *Psalm 22:16   For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.

*Fulfillment: *Luke 23:33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

NOTE: Christ was crucified in the customary Roman manner, the hands and feet being pierced by huge spikes which fastened the body to the wooden cross.

See John 20:25-27 " . . .

except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails . . .

Then said He (Jesus) to Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold My hands," etc.

!!! 11.

Crucified with Thieves

*Prophecy: *Isaiah 53:12   Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

*Fulfillment: *Mark 15:17-18   And they dressed Him up in purple, and after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 

!!! 12. Prayed For His Persecutors

*Prophecy:  *Isaiah 53:12  Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, *And interceded for the transgressors*.

(emphasis mine)

*Fulfillment:  *Luke 23:34   But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

Here Jesus, as foreseen by Isaiah, "interceded for the transgressors" who nailed him to the cross.

!!! 13.

People Shook Their Heads

*Prophecy: *Psalm 109:25   I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head.

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:39  And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads.

!!! 14.

People Ridiculed Him

*Prophecy:   *Psalm 22:8  "Commit /yourself /to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him."

*Fulfillment: *Matthew 27:41-43   In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking /Him, /and saying, 42 "He saved others; He cannot save Himself.

He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we shall believe in Him.

43 "He trusts in God; let Him deliver /Him /now, if He takes pleasure in Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 

!!! 15.

People Astonished

*Prophecy: *Psalm 22:17  I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me; 

*Fulfillment: *Luke 23:35  And the people stood by, looking on.

And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." 

!!! 16.

Garments Parted and Lots Cast

*Prophecy: *Psalm 22:18   They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.

*Fulfillment: *John 19:23-24   The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and /also /the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.

24 They said therefore to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, /to decide /whose it shall be"; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

NOTE:  How exact the inspired prophecy!