The Persistent Image of Christ

Christ’s “Beginning”

Christ the Creator

Where does Christ begin? Does His story start at the opening of the New Testament? What about at the prophecies for a Messiah? Maybe during the lives of Abraham or even further back? It’s a question that we would call “improperly formed” because it presumes Christ has a beginning. John 1:1-5

John 1:1–5 CSB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Christ-Imaging, taken for granted

‘Word’ —> Logos which had deeper philosophical meanings of an entity’s essence… essence of God.

Verse 1 —> Establishes the direct relationship between ‘Word’ and creation

Picture of intimacy between Christ and God… NOT JUST A PROPHET!

Reinforced in John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.” … Only Christ “knows” (intimate knowing) God.

REVEALS: Christ the eternal… Our connection to the Creator

SEGUE: If Christ is God and God is the Creator, and if Christ possesses the pure essence of the Creator, we should expect to see images of Christ throughout God working within Creation.

Christ the Atonement

The first glimpse we get into Christ is actually immediate after the fall of Eden. Gen 3:6-7, Gen 3:21

Genesis 3:6–7 CSB

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:21 CSB

The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

Significance of skins vs ‘fig leaves’…

Adam and Eve made clothes of vegetation

God judged their clothing as insufficient;… replaced with something which came from the death of another (atonement)

Christ is our atonments; our clothing from our shame. In the same way Adam and Eve tried fashioning inferior clothing from fig leaves, we often attempt to create our own sin atonement. Maybe we can act good enough or maintain some ‘comparatively righteous life’ in relation to society. These ideas that we can purify ourselves are just as doomed as the fig leaves to hide Adam and Eve’s shame. This is where Christ clothes us; but in righteousness rather than skins. Galatians 3:27

Galatians 3:27 CSB

For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.

Read John 1:1-5. The Gospel of John (opens with a discussion of the Word, connects the Word to Creation, then reveals the Word as Christ. It makes sense that God would paint Christ’s image all across the Bible. Before getting further into the lesson, what is some imagery of Christ you see in places other than the 4 Gospels? How is Christ’s nature revealed in the events which preceded his worldly ministry? Genesis 3:21 gives a great picture of God taking the skin of an animal (read: sacrifice of a life) and using it to cover over our shame of sin. Similarly, Chris covers our shame through His sacrifice on the Cross. Adam and Eve had tried (unsuccessfully) to cover their own shame with fig leaves. How do we attempt to cover our shame (unsuccessfully) with metaphorical “fig leaves” in our society, today?

Christ Imitators

The Bible is full of many imitations of Christ, both in actions and in persona. Let’s look at two examples...

God Provided the Goat

The Abrahamic Covenant is stated in Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 CSB

The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Emphasize: Verse 3 calls for ALL to be blessed; God’s redemption isn’t only for the Jews.

Abraham was to be the vessel of MERCY

The proofing of Abraham’s purpose is found in his call to sacrifice his son Genesis 22:1-8

Genesis 22:1–8 CSB

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together. Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

CONNECTION 1: Verse 2 says “your only son Isaac, whom you love...”.

This sounds horrendous. Who could ask a father to do such a thing?! … WE DO.

Flipped sides: God’s call plays the role of sin’s consequences… Abraham’s faithfulness plays the role of God’s faithfulness to His creation.

CONNECTION 2: Abraham’s faithfulness image perfected in verse 8 —> “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnet offering, my son.”

GOOD GRIEF; HEART WRENCHING! Abraham experiences an image of the Father’s love!

This test was necessary because it showed that the ‘father’ of the Abrahamic covenant was the perfect human archetype of the Heavenly Father

God’s MERCY and REDEMPTION in Abraham...

Genesis 22:9–13 CSB

When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

By faith, Abraham demonstrated a reverence and obedience to God

God intervenes in His command; provides an alternative.

NOTE: God’s command wasn’t invalid or a lie… it served a purpose; He simply provided a replacement

CONNECTION: The wages of our sin are death… the wages are not a lie just because of Christ; He is simply providing a replacement in Christ

Sometimes we read the Bible and see these skin-tingling relationships. I think it is fascinating that God calls Abraham to a specific place, Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah is located under the area we know today as the Temple Mount. This random individual from modern-day Iraq was called across the Levant to the exact spot where 2,000 years later God the Father would lead His only, beloved son up the mountain to die for our Sins.

So, you see, God didn’t deceive Abraham and Abraham’s faith wasn’t ill-founded. God did, indeed, provide the sacrifice and through that sacrifice ALL nations have been blessed.

David Isn’t You

Similar connections exist related to David. Many see the story of David and Goliath as an allegory of ourselves and our own struggles, but this is criminally cheapening the story!

1 Samuel 17:12–15 CSB

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.

We see David is

(1) of the house of Bethlehem,

(2) a shepherd by trade, and

(3) someone who’s job it was to care for sheep and others, not be a warrior/conquerer

1 Samuel 17:34–51 CSB

David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome. He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.” When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.

Reasons why David isn’t you:

(1) David isn’t an underdog. In Verse 38-40, he declines additional armor and protection, favoring instead the ‘right tools for the job’. He knows what he’s doing.

(2) David isn’t doing this for self-empowerment. In Verse 45-47, he clearly articulates he is doing this in honor of God’s glory.

The Bible isn’t a story of YOUR victory; it’s about GOD’S victory

David is a son of Abraham, once again offered as sacrifice who defeated the indefeatable...

…He’s a Christ image

…David’s faithfulness in the hands of assured defeat is an analog to Christ’s faithfulness to the redemption of Creation

Abraham’s test with Isaac is a beautiful foreshadowing of God’s own willingness to offer up His son on the cross. We can see a different side of Christ’s glory on the cross by considering Abraham as the emotional stand-in for God the Father. Similarly, David is a foreshadowing of Christ. Read 1 Samuel 17:12-15. What do you see in this early introduction that looks a lot like Jesus Christ? Read 1 Samuel 17:34-51. Note how (1) David appears confident like he knows what he’s doing (verses 38-40), and (2) he does NOT do it for self-empowerment or glory to himself (verses 45-47). David is a personification of Christ being in mortal danger, but understanding His role and objective in glorifying God. Do these allegories or “foreshadowings” of Christ help you see what Jesus lived for in a different light? How does it help you relate differently to God’s plan and passion for redeeming creation? How does considering the sacrifice of Christ through different perspectives beneficial to suring up your faith?

By Faith!

Paul talks about these two examples when he writes to the Romans on the criticality of faith. Romans 4:1-6

Romans 4:1–6 CSB

What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness. Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

God gives multiple images of Christ throughout creation because Christ IS all throughout creation.

These images strengthen our faith by providing testimony… Creation IS Christ’s testimony.

God knows our hearts and He knows our weaknesses. He has been compassionately and mercifully covering for those weaknesses since Genesis 3. When our faith is challenged or we begin to misunderstand God’s mercy and grace, we have ample examples of our fingertips. The call for us, today, is to continue being examples of God’s mercy; cloth ourselves in the image of Christ.

In clothing ourselves with the image of Christ, perhaps we will benefit the faith of another and help them to see the mercy that God so willingly displays yesterday, today, and forever.