Trinity United Methodist Church Daily Scripture Email Devotion for Friday, 3 October 2014 "Why We Need the Old Testament"

Trinity United Methodist Church Daily Scripture Email Devotion for Friday, 3 October 2014 "Why We Need the Old Testament"
And  beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them (his  fellow travelers on the Road to Emmaus) what was said in all the  Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). 
In our class on Wed night, we noted some of the challenging passages in the Old Testament:   What appears to be God's call for destruction of innocent people in  Joshua and Judges, war conducted in the name of God, Suffering  attributed to God, women as property, slavery condoned, etc.  To be sure  these are very challenging parts of the OT.  They most likely are a  reflection of the time and culture in which they were written than they  are a true representation of God's will.  If, as Christians, we take  Jesus' life and teachings as our guide, indeed, as the truest reflection of God, then we must view such passages in the light Jesus sheds on them. 
Now, along with the challenging passages,  let's hasten to say that about 90% of the OT is filled with inspiring,  glorious, uplifting, justice oriented passages, and passages that, in  light of the Resurrection of Jesus, the early Church (and the church  still today) saw as windows into understanding who this Jesus was/is.   Titles like these:  Prophet, Priest, King, Messiah, Son of God, Son of  Man, Suffering Servant, Lamb of God, Rose of Sharon, Bright and Morning  Star, Savior, God (Divine), Good Shepherd, and more. 
That's  what Jesus was likely sharing with the two travelers on the Road to  Emmaus after He rose from the dead, and those OT passages provided both  the framework and content of much of how the Church (Matt, Mark, Luke,  John, Paul) began to describe and understand who this Divine/Human Man  was who lived among them, and who now was saving them from their sins,  and empowering them to live as His followers.  So, always, thank God for  the OT, the Hebrew Bible!  We would all be lost without it!  
Dan 
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