The great teacher Augustine (354-430 AD) said, “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is unveiled in the New.”
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he writes,
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4
Here Paul is quoting Psalm 69:9 in order to teach us that Christ’s aim was to please the Father. He then goes on to give an important principle: The Old Testament, far from being obsolete, instructs us and gives us hope. It allows us to see and understand the identity and mission of Jesus Christ.
In fact, we desperately need the Old Testament to teach us who Christ is, namely, the Messiah of Israel, the Servant promised in the prophet Isaiah; the New Adam and the High Priest of our redemption.
In light of what God has accomplished in Him, the whole Old Testament is bathed in a new light, and lets us see there what God has always been about in history. Will you allow the Old Testament to speak hope to you today?
This reflection by John Yocum is excerpted from the Pray by Day column featured in the Sword of the Spirit website.
See related articles:
- Christ in All the Scriptures, by John Yocum
- Part 1: On God’s Providence in Human Affairs, An Essay on Aquinas’s Literal Exposition on Job and Part 2, by John Yocum
- Reading Scripture in a Spiritual Way: New Testament Interpretation of the Old, by Steve Clark
Top image credit: Jesus transfigured in glory with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9;28-32), painting by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo (cropped), 1530, Uffizi Museum, Florence. Image in the public domain.
John Yocum is a lifelong member of the Servants of the Word. He is originally from Jackson, Michigan, USA and currently lives in Lansing, Michigan. He has served for many years as a mission leader in the Sword of the Spirit, for 15 years in the UK, and 7 years in the Philippines. He returned to the USA in 2011 to work with North American communities across the region. John has a Doctorate in Theology from The University of Oxford. He has taught Theology at Oxford, at Loyola School of Theology in Manila and at Sacred Heart Catholic Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.