Shadows and Types of Christ in the Old Testament Prefigure the Substance and Reality

There are many shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament. If you have ever wondered, "What is a type of Christ in the Bible?" read or listen to this chapter from A Father Offers His Son for answers. Table of ContentsJesus Said the Old Testament Is About HimJesus Is Primarily Revealed Two Ways in the Old TestamentThe New Testament identifies many shadows and types of Christ in the Old TestamentCertain people serve as shadows and types of Christ in the Old TestamentCertain practices serve as shadows and types of Christ in the Old TestamentCertain miracles serve as shadows and types of miracles Jesus would perform in a greater wayShadows and Types of Christ in the Old Testament Serve as a Treasure MapThe Law Reveals Our Need for the SaviorShadows and Types of Christ Prevent You from Missing the TreasureShadows and Types Never Live up to the Reality Many people search for Jesus. In the Bible, we have an account of someone finding Him and recognizing He is the Messiah. The person was Philip, and he wanted his friend, Nathaniel, to meet Him too. When Philip spoke to Nathaniel, he revealed why he thought Jesus was the Messiah: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the Prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). The “Law and the Prophets” was a title for the Old Testament before the New Testament was written. Philip understood the Old Testament was about Jesus, so he believed Jesus was the Messiah. He expected Nathaniel to be convinced He was the Messiah because he would also recognize Him as the One identified in the Law and the Prophets. Jesus Said the Old Testament Is About Him Luke 24:27—“Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:44—“[Jesus] said, ‘All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’” John 5:39, 46—"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me...For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me." Hebrews 10:7—“[Jesus said,] ‘Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me.’” Jesus Is Primarily Revealed Two Ways in the Old Testament First, there are prophecies of Him. For example, these verses state that He would: Be from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) Receive King David’s throne (2 Samuel 7:12-13) Be spat upon and beaten (Isaiah 50:6) Be silent in the face of accusations (Isaiah 53:7) Spend a season in Egypt (Hosea 11:1) Ride into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) The list goes on. In His first coming, Jesus fulfilled around 350 prophecies. Shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament are the second way He is revealed: Hebrews 10:1 says, “The law [was only] a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities” (ESV). Colossians 2:16-17 says a “festival or a new moon or sabbaths [are] a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” “Shadows” are a fitting way to describe the types of Christ in the Old Testament because shadows provide an idea of what something looks like without completely revealing the object. The Old Testament does this with Christ. A shadow is evidence that something is casting it, or in the case of Christ, it is Someone. Finally, nobody looks at a shadow and believes it is the real thing. Nobody sees the shadow of a tree or car and thinks it is a tree or car. Shadows have no substance. They are not the reality. In Colossians 2:17, Jesus is the substance and in Hebrews 10:1, He is the reality. The New Testament identifies many shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament Matthew 12:40 compares Jesus with Jonah: "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." John 3:14 compares Jesus with the Bronze Serpent: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." The bronze serpent looked forward to Christ redeeming us from the curse of the law. John 6:32-33 compares Jesus with the manna: “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” First Corinthians 15:45 calls Jesus "the Last Adam" and Romans 5:14 compares Jesus with Adam: “Adam is a type of Him who was to come.” First Corinthians 5:7 compares Jesus with the Passover Lamb: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” First Corinthians 10:4 compares Jesus with the rock that accompanied Israel in the wilderness: “[Israel] drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Hebrews 6:18 compares Jesus with the cities of refuge: "We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us." Hebrews 10:20 compares Jesus’ body with the veil in the temple that when “torn” on the cross revealed the access believers have to the Father: “[We have] a new and living way [to God] which [Jesus] consecrated for us, through the veil, [which] is, His flesh.” Hebrews 11:17-19 compares Isaac with Jesus. When Abraham sacrificed his son, it was a picture of God sacrificing His Son: "Abraham...offered up Isaac...He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead." Certain people serve as shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament Joseph is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ Abigail is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ Job is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ Solomon is a type and shadow of Christ Certain practices serve as shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament The law commanded sacrifices for sins, and each sacrifice looked forward to Jesus, the true and greater Sacrifice for sins. Circumcision has its fulfillment in Christ because He helps us put off our sinful flesh: “In [Christ] you were circumcised… without hands by putting off… the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). Hebrews 4:1-9 says the rest people enjoyed on the Sabbath was a picture of the true and greater rest that is found in Christ. Certain miracles serve as shadows and types of miracles Jesus would perform in a greater way Moses unleashed ten judgments on one nation (Exodus 7–12), but Jesus will unleash twenty-one judgments on the whole earth: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’” (Revelation 6:15-16). When the Man of God healed King Jeroboam's withered hand (1 Kings 13:4-6), it prefigured Jesus healing the man with the withered hand (Luke 6:10). God took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), but Jesus ascended to heaven on His own (Acts 1:9). Elisha fed one hundred men with twenty loaves (2 Kings 4:42–44), but Jesus fed 5,000 and 4,000 men with five and seven loaves (Matthew 14:13–21 and 15:32–39). Elisha cleansed one man of leprosy (2 Kings 5:1–14), but Jesus cleansed ten men (Luke 17:11–19). Elisha knew what Gehazi had done (2 Kings 5:26), but Jesus knows what all men have done (John 2:24). Elisha’s death gave one person temporary life (2 Kings 13:21), but Jesus’ death gives many people eternal life (Romans 5:18). What is the purpose of all the prophecies and shadows? To lead people to Christ! Jesus said, “All the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:13). The shadows and types of Christ in the Old Testament veiled Him, but when John the Baptist arrived as the forerunner, the veil was removed. John pointed at Him and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Shadows and Types of Christ in the Old Testament Serve as a Treasure Map Paul asked a question many people would answer incorrectly: “What purpose then does the law serve?” Galatians 3:19a Typical answers would be something like, “To show you how to be a good person,” or “To help you get to heaven.” The law serves the opposite purpose! Instead of showing us how to be good, it shows us we are not good. When we become familiar with the law and see what it requires to be “good”—or righteous—we see we “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed (Jesus) should come… Galatians 3:19b The New Testament was written in Greek, and the word for “transgression” is parabasis, which means, “going over.” People transgress when they know where God has drawn the line, but they step over it anyway. Although, people can only transgress if they know where the line is drawn. The law reveals the line, and thereby also our transgressions. Romans 3:20 says, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law helps us see our need for a Savior by revealing our sinfulness to us. When we look at the standard the law sets, we see how far short we fall from keeping it. Romans 5:20 says “the law entered that the offense might abound.” This does not mean God gave the law so we would sin more. Instead, God gave the law so our sins would become clear. They would seem to be “abounding” or springing up around us. In Romans 7:7, Paul said, “I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Paul did not know he was sinning until he learned the law said not to covet! The Law Reveals Our Need for the Savior We naturally think we are good. Proverbs 16:2 and 21:2 say, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,