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Reason #13: Jesus Rose From The Dead To Fulfill Old Testament Longings [Part 1]

We do have stories of people coming back to life in the Old Testasment. One such story is found in 2 Kings 3:

Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet (2 Kings 3:21).

Although we have a few stories like this but we don't really have a story of full resurrection in the Old Testament.

But we have lots of longing for resurrection to happen.

One such person who is longing for resurrection is Job. And this makes some sense.

Job's life was going along quite well--he had lots of family, flocks, herbs, health, etc. And then it was all taken away from him. And it is in this place of desolation that Job's longing for life beyond this life starts to form.

For people who, like Job, have something or someone taken away, this same longing starts to form. It is longing for life, reunion or resurrection.

This is how Job articulates his longing:

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.  How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27).

This is just one Old Testament character putting into words what he wants and hope for so desparately.

And knowing about these kinds of longings and pointers to resurrection, Jesus could say to those disciples on the road ot Emmaus in Luke chapter 24:

“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27).    

We are not totally sure all that Jesus said to these disciplces but maybe Jesus talked about Job's longing in Job 19.

The longing of the Old Testament is the longing of the human heart--it is a longing for resurection life.

And the Christian faith can point to Jesus and say: "There is resurrection life! He is resurrection life!"