Good Example Of Jesus And The Old Testament Story Essay

The bible remains to be the most read literature in the world; people who seek spiritual uplifting as well as those who look for avenues to criticize its credibility love it. Wright in his analysis of the bible uses history and bible scriptures to prove that indeed, what is written in the bible is a true account of history. Even though the bible is divided into two parts, the old and the New Testament, there is no much difference in the two accounts. It is in fact considered that the New Testament is just a revelation of the events that took place in the Old Testament. Most Christians tend to disconnect themselves from the events of the Old Testament with the assumption that it is not applicable to their lives as the New Testament is. This is motivated by the fact that they are living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, which was not there during the accounts of the Old Testament.
Despite the many scriptures that the author has used which can be confusing to an average reader, Wright proves to us that the old and the New Testament is the same thing. This implies that a person cannot accept and believe the events of the New Testament and not acknowledge the Old Testament. This is done used by a specific scripture in Mathew, which summarizes all the historical events of the old testament that were revealed in the New Testament. God has been described as the alpha and the omega, meaning that He knows everything from the beginning to the end. This therefore implies that when he created Adam and eve, he was aware that they would rebel against him but still bring deliverance through them. Since the fall of man, God has been using different avenues to not only punish him of the wrong doings but also show deliverance. The purpose of all this is to prove to man that he is the God, the creator of the universe and that he has power over everything.
God has been in the habit of choosing a person just to fulfil his mission. Wright starts it all from one person, Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and ultimately Jesus. He also mentions other individuals such as the prophets that God used to caution people against their wicked ways. There is also a uniqueness that has been mentioned by Wright on the kind of people that God chose to show his greatness. These were people who had numerous weaknesses and shortcomings that would disqualify them in the standards of the world to bring change. The very first person that God categorically used to ultimately bring change and salvation was Abraham. It is from Abraham that the seed of Jesus was birthed who redeemed man from the fallen nature. Abraham had a disturbing weakness yet God used it to prove his sovereignty. He not only blessed him with a son but also ensured that through the same seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
Through Jacob, who was named Israel, God revealed his power by making him a nation that transformed the spiritual life of the world. There has always been a contradiction of whom God has chosen and destined for his blessings. The fact that God choose a specific nation makes most people feel that salvation was not for everyone but only for the Jews. This has been a point of contention especially in many Christian doctrines claiming that Jesus did not come for any other person apart from the Jews. I like the various biblical quotations that Wright uses to prove that even though God used Israel, his salvation spread to all, including those who were not directly from the seed. For instance, he mentions about the story of Naomi in the book of Ruth. Ruth was a foreign wife, who would have died without any trace. However, God used his seemingly desperate situation to save him and even became part of the lineage of Jesus.
There is a lot of significant about the historic battles that Israel was made to endure in amidst of hostile communities. Israel was considered a small and therefore weak community, which was in fact homeless. However, through such weaknesses, God proved to their seemingly strong neighbours, it is not all about their physical strength but the connection they has with the creator. It is amazing how God used different strategies to fight for the Israelites. The greatest confusion that the enemies of Israel had lied in the fact that there was no specific way he would fight and hence paralysing all their strategies. In the book of Samuel, we are told of how God used a small shepherd boy, David, to overthrow the philistines. He also caused confusion in the Assyrian camp in 2kings using three lepers who were considered out scats in the society. This was to prove to the world that God is not necessarily interested in the high and mighty in the society but prefers working with the lowly because of their humility.
The same nature of God using the weak things to shame the wise has been revealed in the New Testament. Starting with the birth of Jesus, God choose Mary, an unmarried woman to bring forth a saviour. This was done in a strict cultural society where such a woman was considered a sinner and a disgrace to the society. The birth of Jesus also took place in the one of dirtiest places. It was therefore easy for people to dismiss the fact that Jesus was in fact not the promised messiah. It is unfortunate that up to now in Nazareth where Jesus spent most of his early life, he is not recognized as the promised messiah. This implies that there will always be challenges in the ,life of any Christian, yet such challenges will never hinder the salvation plan of God. God has always disapproved nature by turning it all around to reveal that he is in charge
There is a similarity in the messages that were preached by the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the testament. Jesus stated in his preaching that he did not come to destroy the prophets or to invalidate the teachings of the old testament, he was however the fulfilment of the promises made to all the generations of the earth as well as crowning it all in God’s pursuit to save all mankind. Through the salvation that we profess, we can always run to the mercy seat and find forgiveness and grace needed for our spiritual walk. The tough rules and measures that were required for man to obtain salvation were taken over by Jesus. This implies that the walk of Christianity is made easy by simply accepting Christ guide every movement.