Old Made New (eBook)

Introduction

Pop quiz. Name that Bible verse:

1. “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.”

2. “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

3. “You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan.”

Scratching your head? That is understandable. These would not make anyone’s Top 10 Bible Verses list. If you had to choose, you would probably wager that they are from the Old Testament (OT). And you would be correct: Exodus 13:2, Job 5:13, and Amos 5:25–27, respectively.

But they also appear in the New Testament (NT). While these verses are somewhat unfamiliar to us, they were not unfamiliar to the NT authors. The first is quoted in Luke 2:23, the second in 1 Corinthians 3:19, and the third in Acts 7:43. What made these verses stand out to the writers? What are they trying to achieve by quoting them? What are we to do with these quotations? Such questions are the stimulus of this book, which aims to equip you with the tools needed to grapple with the NT use of the OT.

Why Does This Topic Matter?

The topic of the use of the OT in the NT matters for two main reasons.

1. The OT was written for us. In recent decades, the OT seems to have fallen on hard times. Many churches and theologians argue that the Scriptures of the “old covenant” are practically irrelevant to “new covenant” Christians. That was then, this is now! Others suggest that we should distance ourselves from the OT because its many hard passages offend people and keep the church from growing. But such ideas are actually nothing new. Skepticism toward the OT goes back to the earliest decades of the church and has simply changed shape over time.1

One odd thing about all this is that the NT itself tells us not to ignore or downplay the OT. Paul writes, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (Rom. 15:4). And again, “These things happened to [Israel] as an example, but they were written down for our instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11). And once more, “All Scripture”—referring mainly to the OT—“is breathed out by God and profitable . . . that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Paul is clear, and other NT authors could be added, that the OT is not outdated. It was given by God to Israel, but it is also for us today. The NT gives a hearty yes to what the OT promised (2 Cor. 1:20). If that is true, then the OT is essential to understanding God’s purposes today.

2. The NT authors use the OT a staggering number of times. The other odd thing about modern aversion to the OT is that it is difficult to make your way through most NT books without stumbling into the OT at nearly every turn.

The first words of the NT—“The book of the genealogy” (Matt. 1:1)—are clear references to the genealogies of Genesis and 1–2 Chronicles. The last words of Jesus in the NT are allusions to Isaiah (Rev. 22:16). The NT is quite literally bookended by the OT.

Each of the other Gospels leads off with loud references to the OT: Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 (Mark 1:2–3); Luke peppers his first two chapters with numerous images from the OT; and John’s “in the beginning” (1:1) points back to Genesis 1:1. Jesus regularly engages Scripture, perhaps most vividly in wielding three citations of Deuteronomy against Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–12). And some of the most important arguments in the NT—such as the middle part of Galatians, the bulk of Romans from 1:17 to 15:21, and the covenant discussions in Hebrews—are built on an OT foundation.

Indeed, there are roughly three hundred to four hundred (or more) quotations and allusions to the OT in the NT, depending on how you count.2 Roughly thirty OT books are quoted at least once, and the most-cited passages are the Ten Commandments, Leviticus 19, a handful of key psalms (especially Pss. 2; 22; 110; 118), important chapters of Isaiah (chaps. 6; 40; 52–53), and Daniel 7. Though some NT writings do not directly quote the OT, such as 1–3 John, it is safe to say that without the OT, it would be hard to make full sense of much of the NT. The OT provides the colors the NT authors use to paint.

One of the last things Jesus did before his ascension was to open the minds of the apostles “to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Following his cue, the NT authors tell us that the OT matters, and they also show us by their own frequent engagement with it. For these two reasons, the topic of this book is essential for today’s Christian.

What Are this Book’s Aim and Audience?

Given these motivating factors, this book will provide a thorough but accessible introduction to how the NT engages the OT, aimed at a broad array of Bible readers.

If one wants to retrace the footsteps of Jesus and the apostolic circle in how they read and apply the OT, the landscape can be daunting. Studies often lament the fall of biblical literacy in the modern church3—and the OT is the weakest link. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Daniel may still be familiar from children’s church, but a thorough grasp of the first Testament is an endangered species.

On top of this, readers who try to brush up on the NT use of the OT often find themselves overwhelmed with jargon and theoretical frameworks. Some of the best books on the subject quickly drown the reader with technical terminology like “rabbinic midrashic exegesis,” “Qumran scrolls,” and “Jewish apocalyptic literature.”4 Others clothe excellent ideas with flowery garb—“catalytic fusion,” “figural fusions,” “figural web”5—that may puzzle the average layperson. Commentators regularly declare that an NT author has ripped an OT passage out of context,6 raising questions about the trustworthiness of the Bible. Other scholars draw fine distinctions between Luke’s “prophetic-fulfillment” versus Matthew’s “messianic” use of the OT, without explaining why or how those differ.7 In short, the step from knowing that the NT uses the OT to understanding how is often a perilous one.

The point of this book, then, is simple: to hold the reader’s hand in making that crucial step. Or, put differently: to map the terrain of the landscape to prepare you for a lifetime of exciting study.

For NT scholars, the chapters that follow are not new news per se. The field of so-called biblical intertextuality—the use of the OT in the NT—has been one of the most active areas of study in the past few decades.8 Unfortunately, many of the insights remain locked up in cumbersome monographs and journal articles, thus having limited impact on people in the pew.

This book aims to fill the gap by giving readers the basic tools they need for effective study—and none of the chaff of buzzwords and theoretical side trails they do not need. What follows would serve well as training for lay-level Bible study or Sunday school leaders, a stepping-stone to more advanced study for Bible college and seminary students, or a quick refresher for vocational ministers.

How Will This Book Proceed?

To accomplish this aim for the intended audience, I will proceed as follows:

The bulk of the book consists in tracing the NT authors’ engagement with the OT along three major themes:

Chapter 2—articulating the gospel in terms of the saving work of God in history and the gift of salvation to individual believers

Chapter 3—articulating the fullness of Jesus in his person and work, both as divine Son and human Savior

Chapter 4—articulating the identity of the church as eschatological Israel, as well as its mission and conduct for today

Each chapter has a mix of shorter examples that help prove out these themes, as well as longer case studies (six per chapter) that model for the reader how to do the work. This approach is different from those in other books but will serve the reader well long-term. There are three main options out there: (1) The leading textbook focuses heavily on theoretical concerns (including a nine-step process and twelve “primary ways” the NT uses...