(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see how)
Focus Question:
Is typology lost on the spiritually blind?
Intro:
“Typology is the perception of recurring patterns of action in salvation-history that are too “coincidental” to be attributed to any cause but God,”(1) and they can involve people, events, or even institutions. One of the most famous examples is that Moses led the people of Israel out of bondage to Egypt, and that’s a “type” or pattern of action that we see in Jesus, the Messiah, leading people out of bondage to sin.
But today isn’t just about typology, per se, but rather the question of, “Is typology lost on the spiritually blind?” And we’ll talk a little more about that after we read Matthew 2, which is like the second half of Matthew’s narrative of the infancy of Jesus.
New covenant:
Passage: Matthew 2
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 23
Words: ~486
So this part of Matthew’s infancy narrative has five different places where Matthew is showing that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Interestingly, some are more obvious and straightforward, like the prophecy in Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. But some were Matthew recognizing the pattern from the OT that was not originally a prophecy, but pointing out the type anyway — that “out of Egypt I called my son” bit was from Hosea 11:1.
But remember my question…Is typology lost on the spiritually blind? Before I give you my answer, I give you my caveat: this is NOT something where I’ve had time to go study. So I’m not giving you the answer so much as asking the question out of my own curiosity, albeit with you. Got that? Take this one with a grain of salt.
In Matthew 1:23 that we read a couple days ago, Matthew cites Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” Now here’s the deal.
Christians accept that as prophetic. Indeed, Matthew takes it so. However, Jews do not. The argument is that the word for virgin in the Hebrew can mean “young maiden,” not necessarily “virgin” as in “has never had sexual intercourse.” Now people a lot smarter than me talk about why the Christians got it right, but here’s my not-such-a-scholar argument:
Remember how Jesus “enhanced” the meaning of some things adultery? It was just actually sleeping with someone not your spouse, but Jesus made it an issue of the heart, right? This didn’t negate or invalidate the original meaning, just gives it a fuller perspective.
To me, this is part of what is happening with how NT authors treat some types, like the one I just mentioned from Hosea.
So…some Jewish adherents become Christian (like those in the Jews for Jesus organization) and see that Isaiah passage as, indeed, speaking of a virgin birth, whereas some do not.
We know two things to be true. The two sides have opposite views, so they can’t both be correct. And we also know that some people are spiritually blind. Hence my question of curiosity: Is typology lost on the spiritually blind. Now you can go talk to your pastor about it.
So let’s transition…if today’s NT segment is the part two of the birth narrative, today’s OT segment is like part two of the story about Assyria finally conquering the northern kingdom of Israel.
Old covenant:
Passage: 2 Kings 17
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 41
Words: ~1298
Wisdom:
Passage: Psalm 129
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 8
Words: ~131
Passage: Proverbs 11:23-28
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 5
Words: ~79
The bottom line:
Here’s the final word: given that typology is recognizing OT themes in the NT do you see how important it is to read the whole Bible? Thanks for being with me…together we’ll unfold this rich tapestry which is the Lord’s story to us that happens to include us.
Love you!
Roger
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 543.