Why did Jesus constantly refer to events and people of the Old Testament if they never happened or existed?...

Question

And, if these events and people were "make-believe", why did the people of Jesus' day feel convicted when He spoke of them?

Here are a few references:
"And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" (Luke 9:54).

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." (Luke 12:27).

"And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Mark 12:26).

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:14).

"Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" (John 7:42).

"The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here." (Luke 11:32).

"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." (Luke 17:29).

"But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;" (Matthew 12:3).

"Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." (John 4:25).

"But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:" (Mark 13:14).

"But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land." (Luke 4:25).

K for Him-Many people in this forum state that Jesus is a mythological figure. We see in the Bible that Jesus referred to people and events which are recorded in history and archeological digs. The fact is that the Bible is God's word and it is not only historically accurate but archeologists have utilized it to "find" sites that are referred to in the Bible.

eeSUe-The "generation" in the verses you have mentioned refer to the generation of evil.....which shall continue until Judgement Day. We should NEVER think about correcting God's word! It corrects us!

Gracie-ALL of the historical events mentioned in the Bible did occur or will occur! What do you mean there is no archeological evidence? There is plenty of archeological evidence....check out Biblical Archeology. The Pharisees and Saducees were the theologians of Jesus' day. They claimed to be Mose's disciples but could not recognize God in the flesh before them.. ie., Jesus!

Gracie-God used men who were farmers, shepherds, fisher men, herdsmen, tax collectors, etc...God is not a respector of persons....those religious studies will profit you nothing--read God's word!

Tuberoot-Perhaps you misunderstood my question.... If the OT is mythological as alot of people in this forum claim, then why did Jesus consistently refer to those events and people of the OT? The people of Jesus day recognized the Scriptures He was quoting and asked, where did this man get all this knowledge? The fact is, and I know you know it, is that Christ is eternal God and was the "deutamos" (power) in all these historical events!

subway-Christ is teaching exactly what the Old Testament stated and as the sword of the spirit does, it cuts some people to salvation and others to damnation. The point is...that these events and people of the O.T. are real.

Wordman-Jesus did not just believe these verses, He was the One that was directing everyhting as the Sovereign of the Universe.

EverMom-why do you go to a source other than the Bible? The authority is the Bible...not some theologian! Theologians have made numerous errors in the their Bible exposituon and teaching! People still believe the earth is 6000 years old....which it is not. The earth was created in 11,013 BC. So today the earth is about 13,019 years old to date. The dlood of Noah's day occurred in 4990 BC. David was annointed King in 1007 BC.

David B-every historical event is 100% accurate! The numbers in the Bible are just as much a part of the word of God as the words are. God has hidden truth in the Bible and unless you follow His directions in Bible study and come humbly to the Bible, you will not receive truth.

Kourtnie-If you read my question...I was quoting the verses where Jesus named events and people of the O.T. The people He preached to knew these "things" to be true! The point being...they were witnesses to the truth. The Pharisees and Sadducees and others attempted to trick Jesus in their questions but could not. He is God!

Maranatha-I was going to give you the 10 points until you threw in the point that God loves us all...! Where did you get that from? Did God love the people who were destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah? Did God love all the people who died in the flood of Noah's day? Read Psalms 5:5 and 11:5. Read Romans 9:13-15.

Fat shark-You gave a great answer...Thanks!

Answer 1

He did believe in them. You are correct. It's an excellent question.

Answer 2

Jesus was making reference of the past. He spoke with convictions because it was a real history..

Humans were on this earth for years before Jesus walked the earth.

Another thing to note. It is very dangerous to single out a verse and take a literal interpretation. When you Read a verse it is wise to consider the ones above it and below it as you need to see the context of the verses. The chapter in which it is written.

Some people believe in the new and old testament.
Others believe that Jesus death wiped out the old.

Kourtnie
Prosperity Financial

Answer 3

The fact that the New Testament refers to the Old Testament should be expected shouldn't it?

Whether it is all myth or not, it just makes sense that the Messiah prophesied in the OT would make mention of the prophesies about him in the New Testament.

That only proves that the writers of the New Testament understood the need to connect the dots for the readers.

What they forgot was to update Jesus' prophesies as time moved on.

Like:

Mark 13:30 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Someone forgot to update that prediction unless Jesus is hiding somewhere on earth, or there are disciples still alive somewhere.

or:

Luke 9:27 "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

oops
---
Edit

I wonder why Jesus forgot to mention that 'generation' refers to the generation of evil and left it open to question such that John the disciple died predicting Jesus would return before his death? Very interesting that.

Answer 4

Are you saying that these OT references must be true because Jesus quoted them? Or are you asserting your belief that the OT is just a bunch of myths and if Jesus were truly the Son of God he wouldn't have bothered with them.

In either case, Jesus quoted from the OT because it was the Hebrew Scriptures. He often spoke of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, chided the scribes and pharisees for their perversion of the Law, and referred to the moral code that God had laid down in previous generations. Jesus was quite explicit that he had not come to change the Law but to fulfill it. He also said that not one stroke of the Law would be striken.

What reason would Jesus have had to doubt the existence of Elijah, Solomon, the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, the Prophet Moses, or King David. Just because history cannot prove the existence of these men does not mean they are fables either.

Christianity began on the foundation of Judaism. It was to the Jews that Christ came to preach. When they would not accept him, he extended his invitation to the gentiles. Christians honour many of the figures in the Hebrew Bible and certainly we continue to read and learn from the Hebrew scriptures. We no longer observe ritual laws, but moral laws are observed.

VB8

Answer 5

The Old Testament is a collection of differing types of books including history, theology, legend, poetry - all of which forms of prose are able to inform and educate. Not all of what is written in the OT is historically correct, nor is all of it complete mythology or make believe.

Jesus was a teacher who used many differing forms of communication to make his point. The greatest of these was the way that he lived and died, that is what 'convicted' people who listened to him - he practised what he preached and that is more powerful than many stories.

Could I also suggest you find a translation of the Bible that is written in the English we use today, either that or thou wilt not have the comprehension of this answer.

Answer 6

Why do you think the events in the OT didn't happen or exist? Is this your personal belief?

Certainly we know that some of them did not happen as there is no archeological evidence..but to the people who wrote the gospels in the NT they believed in the stories in some form or another...
They refer back to things that happened in the OT to allow the new followers, who were generally Jews, to see where the beliefs of Jesus come from. Since Jesus was a Jew, his followers almost all were Jews as well (in the beginning at least)...so refering back to the original tradition from which his beliefs about God came makes sense. Its a way to claim the old tradition about God, his laws, etc..

Answer 7

They DID happen, and as Jesus Christ IS GOD, then He could testify to those things being TRUE, because He SAW the events when they were taking place.
Jesus Christ IS the Word! It is written so that mankind can come to KNOW who God is, what He is like, what His thoughts are concerning mankind, How we came into being, What He is searching for in regard to humanity, What He is intending to accomplish in regard to the "entire plan" and how VERY much He loves us!

Answer 8

Jesus always believed the events in the OT as facts.

Answer 9

He was referring to the events and mistakes that the past leaders did. He referred because he's explaining an example even though the nonbelievers didn't know about it.

Answer 10

I refer to the gods and goddesses of several civilizations and they never existed. People often refer to Paul Revere making the midnight ride by himself and shouting "The British are coming" as if it were fact - but that was not the way it happened. Thousands of people refer to what Jesus said, but we only have, at best, second hand accounts of that so it is extremely doubtful that he actually said those words.

Answer 11

The most likely answer is He was and is God in human form and being that He IS God then why wouldn't He refer to it to teach us ignorant people something?