Matthew 21 - How Can the Christian Faith Be Proven?

Matthew 21 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

Verses of the Day

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

Yesterday I wrote about how Jesus predicted his crucifixion and resurrection, which were either true or untrue. Either Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, or not, but it could not be "marginally true". 

One of the other greatest proofs of Jesus being the Messiah and Savior is his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. People who research how many prophecies about Jesus there were  in the Old Testament will cite around 350 of them. Jesus he fulfilled every prophecy made about him. 

What are the odds of that?  

"Mathematician Peter Stoner calculated that the probability of one man fulfilling 8 of these prophecies is 1 and 10 to the 17th power. This is 1 in one hundred quadrillion.  For a person to fulfill 48 prophecies, the odds increase to 1 in \(10^{157}\), a number larger than the estimated number of electrons in the known universe." (Clint Byers)

How many Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled during Jesus' last week on earth?

Scholars and theologians generally identify between 30 and 32 specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during Holy Week (the period from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday

Most of the prophecies are fulfilled on Good Friday, but today we read of one fulfilled as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, which we also call "Palm Sunday". Zechariah 9:9 specifically wrote about 550 earlier about Jesus' triumphal entry, 

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

    righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

"Jesus came to Jerusalem in humility, yet with appropriate dignity. Instead of coming on a horse as a conquering general, He came on a colt, as was customary for royalty. He came to Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace." - Guzik 

Why is this so important? Jesus' riding in on a donkey is just one prophecy, but think about how random it would be that the Messiah came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. 

Even if one said Jesus knew of this prophecy and orchestrated this event, there are many other prophecies that he could never have orchestrated. I.e. Being born in Bethlehem in a manger to a virgin. Being born in the little town of Bethlehem. He was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. 

So, these are more facts which prove that Jesus was and is the Son of God!  

While we are saved by faith in Jesus, which is a gift from God, faith has its reasons. Another word for "faith" is "confidence". We can have confidence in our faith because of fulfilled prophecy. While some other religions claimed to have fulfilled prophecies by their leader, upon further reflection they are extremely subjective. They are nowhere even close to the precise nature and fulfillment of the hundreds of prophecies by Jesus. 

You can be sure anyone out to discredit the Christian faith would love to find one prophecy that wasn't true. The bible is the most scrutinized book of all time, and no one can find an error in one prophecy about Jesus! The other major difference between Jesus and other religious leaders is Jesus claimed divinity and proved it by his resurrection. 

He is the only major religious figure believed to have died and risen bodily, a central tenet of Christianity. 

Application for Life

How does fulfilled prophecy give you more confidence who Jesus was and is? 

How does fulfilled prophesy clearly differentiate Christianity from all other religions? 

Remember Jesus made an exclusive claim as being the only way to God. He was either lying, crazy, or they only way to God the Father. Jesus said, 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me!" John 14:6


  

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