Warm-up: What distinguishes prophecy from an educated guess? Must prophecies come true even against all odds to qualify as genuine? cf Jn 20:8-9
1) Read Lk 24:25-27; who was speaking here to whom, and why?
- In what sense and why was it ‘necessary’ that the things spoken of had to happen?
2) Like Peter in his sermon on Pentecost, Paul speaking about the resurrection of Jesus quoted Ps 16:10 (Acts 13:33-35). What did his Jewish hearers in the synagogue of Pisidia expect Ps 16 to be about?
- How did Paul deduce that this psalm instead must be a prophecy about a bodily resurrection of Messiah?
- Read vv36-37: Why can this not refer to David (nor to the entire nation of Israel)?
- Given his reasoning, is it possible that Paul only believed in a ‘spiritual’ but not a bodily resurrection of Jesus? If Paul preached ‘resurrection’ only as a metaphor, would his argument about David’s grave have made any sense? Why not? Hint: If resurrection were only symbolic, would anyone more qualify than David as being ‘immortal’ and alive in that sense? After all, who in the OT is still read and cited more frequently than David even to this day?
- Acts 13:35 starts with “Therefore…”: Why? What in v34 caused the subsequent statement in v35?
- v34 is a quote from the Septuagint translation of Isa 50:3 into Greek, which differs from OT translations of Masoretic Hebrew manuscripts (7th-10th century). What do these two versions – pre-christian (Septuagint, 3rd century B.C.) versus post-christian (Masoretes) – say differently about David?
- What difference does it make that the much older Septuagint text speaks of a blessing BY David, and not FOR David?
- Paul argued that the recipient of the blessing must be Messiah because the blessing (according to the prophet) is not for but rather by David. If the version of Isa 50:3 by the Masoretic Jews would have already existed in Paul’s time, would Paul (trained in the Hebrew original version) have used this argument? Why not? [Paul would have shot himself in the foot, proving the opposite of what he sought to demonstrate!]
3) Read Mt 12:40. What was this ‘sign of Jonah’? How does this kind of prophecy differ from specific predictions such as the one of Jesus himself that he will be raised from the dead on the third day?
- Can you think of other similar ‘types’ in the Old Testament foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus? [e.g. Gen 3:15; 22:9-10 (cf Heb 11:19); Gen 41:14+40; Jos 4:3-7…)
4) Jesus frequently called himself the Son of Man (e.g. Jn 6:62; Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62): Why?
- cf Dan 7:13 How did that prophecy predict the resurrection of Jesus?
- Did Daniel also predict that Messiah first will die before ascending? cf Dan 9:27
- Who is the “he” who is mentioned in v27? cf v25
- Some say that the ‘he’ is the ‘prince’ of v26, but v26 speaks not of the prince (antichrist), but of his people: How can we be sure? Hint: Which anointed one was ‘cut off’ to establish a new covenant, Lk 22:20?
5) How was the resurrection and ascension of this ‘Son of man’ predicted by Ps 110:1?
- Why did Jesus quote this psalm? Mt 22:41-46
- What point was proven beyond dispute by this prophecy?
- Why did Jesus not just tell his opponents: “Buzz off, I have better things to do than to waste my time with you!”? What different attitude of heart would that have shown?
6) Personal and application
- What does (or does not) convince you that Jesus was indeed resurrected from the dead, and that the testimony of his disciples about him is true?
- Does it matter to you whether or not the Old Testament predicted the bodily resurrection of Messiah from the dead? Why or why not?
- In view of the Scriptures quoted above, what do you think hindered the majority of Jews to believe what these and the disciples were saying about Jesus and his resurrection? How does that compare to your own doubts, present or past?
- How does faith (or its lack) in the resurrection of Jesus influence how you live?
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