25. A Sacrifice Foretold
It is often said that the New Testament is concealed in the Old, and that the Old Testament is revealed in the New. That is nowhere truer than in the prophecies regarding the promised Messiah found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The writers of the four gospels all point out some of these prophecies, and if we put them all together we find there are dozens of Old Testament predictions that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus.
We have looked at some of those prophecies in the course of this book. When we come to the climactic sacrifice of Christ in his betrayal and execution, we find that more – and more detailed – predictions were fulfilled in the last days of his earthly ministry than in any other part of his life.
Looking at the final week of Jesus' life, beginning with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we find amazingly detailed prophecies being fulfilled regarding the Messiah's sacrifice. Here are just some of those prophecies and some of the fulfillments recorded in the gospels:
Zechariah 9:9 He would ride on a donkey in a triumphal
John 12:12-16
entry into Jerusalem.