Christ's Letter

Pink scrapes the morning clouds, scrubbing the dark away. A heaven-sent mandate from Christ, who sustains all things—he has commanded the pink to illuminate the dark this morning. And I open up my Bible, a heaven-sent word of God, revealing the Word himself, illuminated by himself this morning. I look at both works of God, and am reminded of his presence. As I flip the pages of my Bible, I wonder, “How would Christ have read the Old Testament?”  

I am reading Nehemiah right now—a grand historical piece. Both Christopher Wright and Nicholas Batzig posit that Christ would have read the Old Testament as a letter for him from his Father and about him, detailing his mission and life (1). How might he have heard his Father’s voice and seen himself in Nehemiah?

Nehemiah begins with a beautiful prayer for the restoration of Israel. Nehemiah the interceder for the people—Christ, the one who goes to his Father on our behalf. Who has such love and concern for his people that he cries out in prayer and intercession to see them restored.

Nehemiah then returns to Judah, leaving his comfort to begin his mission of exile. Nehemiah the sent one—Christ, the one who left his throne of glory to go to the broken world, in hostile territory, to begin his work of restoration. This might be stretching the typology, but both were sent on a mission from God.

Then, in the pink of a dawn of a new day, after a night excursion in the dark, Nehemiah and the exiles begin rebuilding. Christ, the rebuilder—who, as Isaiah prophesied, was to rebuild the ancient ruins.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12

Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. Isaiah 60:18

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor…

They shall build up the ancient ruins;

    they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

    the devastations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:1, 4

Yet by night and day, Sanballat and trouble plagued Nehemiah and the rebuilders. Yet, by prayer and the hand of the Lord, they persevered. Nehemiah, the overcomer of attacks—and so, too, the enemies of God threw all they had against Christ, but he overcame! Even death, the last enemy, was conquered and will be conquered. The prince of this world has now been thrown out.

As Christ fingered the scrolls of Nehemiah, he would have seen himself in Nehemiah, a foreshadow of his greater mission. But he would also have read of the faithfulness of God, his Father. The hand of the Lord was with Nehemiah, but also with this Greater Rebuilder and Restorer. Christ knew that the Lord would be faithful to him, sustaining him by his Spirit during his earthly stay. He heard his Father’s love through the ancient scroll as well. The Father’s love for both him, and for those for whom he would give his own life.

And so, because of our Savior, the True Interceder, the Sent One, the Rebuilder, the Overcomer, we can sing:

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.

Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:1-2

NOTES

(1) Christopher J. H. Wright, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. 1995); Nicholas T. Batzig, “How Did Jesus Read the Old Testament?” post on Feeding on Christ, March 18, 2014 http://feedingonchrist.com/how-did-jesus-read-the-old-testament/