Long-Expected Saviour
Four hundred years pass between the close of the Old Testament and the opening of the New Testament. Empires rise and fall, the world changes, and Rome rises to dominate the known world.
Into this historical setting, Matthew writes carefully and deliberately, tracing the family line of a man called Jesus: “and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah”. With that statement, Matthew is saying something profound: the long-awaited Messiah (Christ) has arrived.
The Old Testament is not a random collection of religious writings from the ancient Middle East. It is a cohesive, God-given revelation that points incrementally forward to a coming Deliverer – One who would undo the tragedy of sin, provide reconciliation for an estranged humanity, and establish God’s righteous rule over creation. The New Testament does not begin a new story; it announces that the promised Messiah has come. Every time we say “Jesus Christ”, we are not using a surname but making a confession: Jesus is the Messiah (the One chosen and sent by God).
The First Promise
The expectation began in the garden of Eden. After sin entered the world, God declared to the serpent:
“He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
From that moment, the biblical narrative moved forward with hope. A Deliverer was promised – One who would suffer, yet ultimately defeat Satan and provide salvation from sin.
The Promised Birth
The Old Testament prophets described with accuracy how this Messiah would enter history:
A child would be born in Israel:
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6).
He would be born in Bethlehem:
“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 of old,
From everlasting”
(Micah 5:2).
He would be born of a virgin:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”
(Isaiah 7:14).
Jesus fulfilled each detail of these prophecies, given hundreds of years before his birth. These are not incidental religious references – they are specific, God-given signposts.
The Promised Line
The Messiah was prophesied to come through a specific family line:
From Abraham
From Judah
From David
The Gospels of Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ genealogy to demonstrate that He stands exactly within this promised line with Abraham, Judah and David among His ancestors.
The Promised Servant King
The prophets foresaw a righteous Ruler from David’s line (Isaiah 11:1–4; Jeremiah 23:5). Even at His birth, Jesus is recognised as “King of the Jews”. Yet the Messiah would not only come to reign, but He would also suffer. Isaiah chapter 53 describes the sufferings of Christ:
Despised and rejected (v.3)
Pierced for transgressions (v.5)
Silent before His accusers (v.7)
Buried with the rich (v.9)
Raised to life after suffering (vv.10-12)
The New Testament repeatedly points to this prophecy as fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, Philip is recorded as encountering an Ethiopian man returning from Jerusalem where he had gone to worship. The man was a eunuch in the service of his queen and as he travelled he was reading from the Old Testament Scriptures when Philip approached him and began to converse with him.
“The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.’
So the eunuch answered Philip and said,
‘I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him”
(Acts 8:32-25).
The Promised Death and Resurrection
Psalm 22 is another prophetic Scripture in the Old Testament that describes, in vivid detail, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion. Centuries before this method of execution was known, the psalmist speaks of the Messiah’s hands and feet being pierced, His garments divided, and how He suffered mockery from onlookers.
The prophet Zechariah foretold the promised King entering Jerusalem on a donkey; betrayed for thirty pieces of silver; and pierced by His own people.
Prophecy also affirms that the Messiah would not remain in the grave:
“. . . you won’t abandon my life to the grave”
(Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:25–32 NIV).
The Promises Fulfilled
When all these threads are gathered together, the picture is clear – the Messiah was prophesied to be:
Born in Bethlehem
Born of a virgin
Descended from Abraham, Judah, and David
A King and a Servant
Pierced, crucified, buried, and raised again
Jesus of Nazareth is the only person in history that fits this portrait. He did not come merely to fulfil biblical prophecy and establish a religion which would bear His name. He came as a Deliverer and Saviour – a truth expressed in this Bible verse:
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”
(1 Timothy 1:15).
The question is personal: will you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the salvation God offers through Him?