It is an almost no-brainer for those believers of the Christian faith in the inerrancy of the Old Testament Scriptures, most specifically the Prophets, in foretelling the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; but the question is how did each of the Gospel sources view this grand and blessed event and what writings of the Prophets were utilized to attest to God’s promise of the anointed Messiah and descendant of David to sit on the throne and be Ruler over Israel.
The book of MATTHEW will be used as the basis for this study since it contains the most consistently relevant record of Messianic prophecies and a numbering system from 1 to 14 will be used to keep all Biblical citations in some kind of consistent order. The other references in MARK thru JOHN are listed in the order in which the events occur using their sources, but the numerical coding is still based on MATTHEW’S chronology.
MATTHEW
3: 3
(1) Isaiah 40: 3
The voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4: 14-16
(2) Isaiah 9: 1b-2
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; By way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who walked in darkness saw a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a great light has shown.
12: 17-21
(3) Isaiah 42: 1-4
Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My Soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break; and a smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth [He will not fail or be discouraged], till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands [‘Gentiles’] shall wait for His law. In His name the Gentiles will trust.
21: 4-5
(4) Zechariah 9: 9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; [He is just and having salvation], lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
9
(5) Psalms 118: 26a
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord [Hosanna to the Son of David].
42
(6) Psalms 118: 22-23
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone
(Cp. I Peter 2: 7). This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
26: 31, 56
(7) Zechariah 13: 7b
Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
57-63a
(8) Isaiah 53: 7-8a
He was oppressed and He was afflicted; Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth; He was taken from prison to judgment.
63b-65
(9) Daniel 7: 13-14
I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came before the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom; that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
67-68; 27: 27-31
(10) Isaiah 50: 6
I gave My back to those who struck Me, and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
27: 34, 48
(11) Psalms 69: 21
They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
35
(12) Psalms 22: 18
They divide My garments among them. And My clothing they cast lots.
46
(13) Psalms 22: 1
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? [Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning].
60
(14) Isaiah 53: 9a
And they made His grave with the wicked- but with the rich at His death.
MARK
1: 3; 11: 9-10; 12: 10-11;
(1) Isaiah 40: 3; (5) Psalms 118: 26a; (6) Psalms 118: 22-23;
14: 27, 50; 60-61a; 14: 65 & 15: 17-20;
(7) Zechariah 13: 7;(9) Daniel 7: 13-14; (10) Isaiah 50: 6b;
15: 23, 36; 24; 34;
(11) Psalms 69: 21; (12) Psalms 22: 18; (13) Psalms 22: 1;
46
(14) Isaiah 53: 9a
LUKE
3: 4-6; 13: 35b & 19: 38; 20: 17;
(1) Isaiah 40: 3-5; (5) Psalms 118: 26a; (6) Psalms 118: 22;
22: 37
(14) ‘Isaiah 53: 9, 12b
22: 63-65; 66-71; 23: 24b;
(10) Isaiah 50: 6; (9) Daniel 7: 13-14; (12) Psalms 22: 18;
23: 35 (??)
Psalms 22: 17
I count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
36
(11) Psalms 69: 21
JOHN
1: 22-23
(1) Isaiah 40: 3
7: 41-42
*Micah 5: 2*
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from Everlasting.
12: 13; 14-15;
(5) Psalms 118: 25-26; (4) Zechariah 9: 9;
34
*Micah 4: 7b & Isaiah 9: 7*
So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. NOTE: This passage is a fusion of both references in Micah and Isaiah, and it is probably the only place here where such a technique is used in the New Testament Gospels in such a manner.
16: 32; 19: 3; 7-9;
(7) Zechariah 13: 7b; (10) Isaiah 50: 6b; (8) Isaiah 53: 7;
18
Isaiah 53: 12b (i)
And He was numbered with the transgressors (Cp. Luke 22: 37).
19: 24; 28-30;
(12) Psalms 22: 18; (11) Psalms 69: 2;
John 19: 36
Psalms 34: 20
He guards all His bones; not one of them is broken. NOTE: This is very similar to the quote found in ‘Psalms 22: 17a’.
37
Zechariah 12: 10b (i)??
They look and stare at me. They will look on me who they pierced.
NOTE: (Cp. ‘Luke 23: 36; Psalms 22: 17a’)
There are a few things worth noting, and that is, aside from the book of MATTHEW as the source, MARK excludes #’s 2, 3, 4, 8; LUKE doesn’t use #’s 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 13 and 14; JOHN omits #’s 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, and 14. Additionally, of the major prophesies found in Isaiah, Psalms, Zechariah, and Daniel, LUKE has no references from Zechariah and JOHN doesn’t include any citations from Daniel, but he does quote the prophet ‘Micah’.
There is remarkable consistency in all the Gospel accounts and gives more weight to the author or sources which MATTHEW used because essentially all the other Significant prophesies about Jesus by MARK, LUKE, and JOHN are found in MATTHEW. Finally, MATTHEW quotes Isaiah 9: 1b and 42: 1-4 that are not used by anybody else. LUKE and JOHN are the only ones to use Isaiah 9: 7; 53: 12b(i), and JOHN exclusively quotes not only from the book of Micah (4: 7b; 5:2), but also Psalms 34: 20 and Zechariah 12: 10b; 13: 6.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
February 21, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
