He lit it up

I was teaching a class last night and we were chatting about the Pauline letters. (Letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the early churches.) I was reminded that Walter Kaiser, the great OT professor, once said, the New Testament is a commentary on the Old Testament.

Lets explore the word picture a bit. The OT saints had the OT. Well some of them had some of it anyway. It points to Christ, it points to our sin and, it points to redemption. Reading it before Christ came was a bit mysterious. Lots of shadows and types.

Then Jesus came. Boom! That was an event. In light of that event, the writers of the New Testament could look back on the old and explain it much better. The doctrine, the covenant, and the way could be seen light of Jesus coming. It was all of a sudden more understandable. The Holy Spirit illuminated it in light of Jesus coming. Jesus had lit it up.

The disciples could see He was the light. It was dark before and He made it light. We have the benefit of Jesus having come and the Holy Spirit illuminating, not just the OT but the NT. Blessed men and women we are.