These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Summary: God’s Word is full of surprises. Paul’s use of the word “shadow” offers a unique insight into the relationship between the Old Testament and the New.
“A shadow of things to come” is an evocative phrase. Oddly, it is also evasive. The “shadow” is a real thing, but it does not have any real value.
When Paul says we are not to let anyone judge us by what we eat or drink or whether or not we follow the old customs of Jewish festivals and Sabbath days (verse 16), he is pointing to the “shadow.”
When an architect designs a building, they often create an architectural model to help their customer imagine what the real building will be like. The model looks like a real building, but in a sense, it is only a “shadow” of things to come.
The radical claim of Christianity is that everything in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is about Jesus.
Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14).
Jesus is the fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17).
Jesus is the only path to salvation (John 14:6).
The entire world’s history revolves around Jesus. Jesus was the means by which the world was made (Colossians 1:16-17), and he is the means by which the world is saved (John 3:16).
For the Jewish people in Jesus’ day, this is a tough pill to swallow. Their pride was wrapped up in being the chosen people of God (John 8:33-34). Their great-great-great ancestor, Abraham, was a personal friend of God (James 2:23). The teachings that Moses gave the people of Israel were considered to be the very words of God.
Who is Jesus?!
A carpenter? An illegitimate child? A Galilean from Nazareth?
How can this person who was crucified for being a blasphemer be the Son of God, the expected Messiah?
This is where we discover why a “shadow” is a perfect metaphor for what existed before the “things that were to come.”
A shadow rarely looks like the reality that casts it. The shape of the shadow depends on the kind of light and the surface on which it falls. A shadow of a child climbing the steps to the public library may be a grotesque image, hardly recognizable. If all you knew was the shadow, you might be afraid of what made it.
Jesus is God’s child.
The shadow of God is puzzling unless you know what you are looking at.
Application: Keep your eyes, heart, and mind open to the full story of God.
Food for Thought: How do you see Christ in the Old Testament?
*A “model home” is a different thing. When you visit a new subdivision, the developer often has a house built to demonstrate the quality of construction and styles offered by the builder. This type of home is not a “model,” but it does “model” the designs of the developer in the same way a mannequin in a store shows off or “models” the clothes that are for sale.
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Wow, quite the question. There are many OT prophecies fulfilled by Christ. Hundreds. So a list might be a bit long. Four or my favorite:
As Daniel’s Son of man: Daniel 7: 13 – 14 (see also Matthew 26: 6: – 65)
As Isaiah’s Prince of peace – a messiah who is also God in the flesh: Isaiah 9: 6 – 7 (also Isaiah 7: 14).
As Isaiah’s suffering servant: Isaiah 53
As Jeremiah’s righteous branch who is Yahweh, our righteous Savior: Jeremiah 23: 5 – 6; 33: 15 – 16.
“Wow, quite the question. ”
Thanks Rich!
Yes, we are having a special today on Large Economy Sized questions!! 🙂
Great passages! Thank you!
How do you see Christ in the Old Testament?
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-20
Thanks Ron!
Truth and fulfillment of past statements about truth.
What an amazing God! 🙂
When I was a kid, and probably up to a few years ago, I used to think that Christ came on Christmas day. Now I recognize that that day was His coming in the flesh, but that He has always been present.
In that perspective I see Him all throughout the OT. In prophesy, in the shadow of His glory, and in ways that no one has necessarily told me that is Him, but I believe that He is there.
So here are three of many examples:
1. Prophesy (Rich already commented this one):
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
2. Shadow:
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
3. “I personally believe that’s Him” (both that He was with God and is God, and that He is the Tree of Life):
Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—
Nice, Chris!
I like the way you broke your answer down into prophesy, “shadow” and personal belief. Well said!
How do you see Christ in the Old Testament?
You could talk about “the angel of the Lord”, Melchizedek, the many “types” of people that give us glimpse of what type of work Messiah will do when he comes, you could talk about prophecy.
But, I’d like to recall:
all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (yes, I know, you said old testament)
The more scripture I read, the more I see this…. my mom’s church growing up had a Pastor, Dr Congdon, who also taught at a seminary. He told his students that they could find Christ in any two verses of the Bible and would actually pop quiz style have them practice this….. I’m not sure I’d want the pressure of explaining some of those, but he definitely practiced what he preached.
This story and this verse together tell me where I should find him, whether I’m intentional enough to actually do so or not.
Thank you, A!
I think I like your Dr. Congdon! 🙂
Finding Christ in the Bible is partly a state of mind. If we see the Bible as being written by God, and the Father and Jesus are one, then yes, every word points us to God and Jesus.