In this episode, Dr. Andrew Abernethy delves into the hope of a Messiah in the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Isaiah. He explores the different figures of hope, including the hope of a divided king, the hope of a suffering servant, and the hope for an anointed messenger. He also looks at how these passages in Isaiah have been applied to Jesus in the New Testament, and how they continue to shape our understanding of Christology today.

Key Takeaways:

1. Passages in Isaiah that talk about the coming of God and the work of bringing salvation are applied to Jesus in the New Testament, as Jesus is the very person of God who has come to bring salvation.
2. The idea of a virgin conceiving and having a son, which is found in Isaiah 7, is originally a historical sign referring to a child who will be a sign of God's deliverance to King Ahaz, but it is applied to Jesus in an even more profound way in the New Testament.
3. The passages in Isaiah that talk about a coming future divided King who will come with a sword in his mouth and establish justice in this world, are something that we continue to hope for today, as we look at all the issues of injustice in our world.
4. The Church is now the body of Christ in the world today, one thing that people should say is, oh, where is this reign of justice and righteousness in the world? They should be able to point to the Church, they should be able to point to the Body of Christ, to our kind of the hands and feet of our God who very much cares for justice and righteousness.

Tweetable Moments:

• "The hope of a Messiah in the Old Testament is found in several figures, including the hope of a divided king, the hope of a suffering servant, and the hope for an anointed messenger."
• "Passages in Isaiah that talk about the coming of God and the work of bringing salvation are applied to Jesus in the New Testament, as Jesus is the very person of God who has come to bring salvation."
• "The Church is now the body of Christ in the world today, one thing that people should say is, oh, where is this reign of justice and righteousness in the world? They should be able to point to the Church, they should be able to point to the Body of Christ."

Keywords: theology, bible, Christian, faith, Gospel of Mark, Christology, Yahweh, Jesus, Second Temple Judaism, the early church

Guest: Andrew T. Abernethy is associate professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College.

His book we discussed: God's Messiah in the Old Testament: Expectations of a Coming King

His most recent book: Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible

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