700 hundred years before Jesus was born

Reflection

The observation that certain prophecies were written roughly seven hundred years before Jesus was born points towards the Old Testament book of Isaiah, widely dated by scholars to around the eighth century BC, which contains passages Christians have long understood as remarkably anticipating details of Christ's life and death, including the suffering servant passage in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 describes one who was "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5), language Christians have read since the New Testament era as pointing directly to the crucifixion of Jesus centuries before it occurred. Scholars continue to debate dating and interpretation, and not every reader accepts the Christian reading of these texts as predictive prophecy, but for believers this long span of time between text and fulfilment has always been considered significant evidence of divine authorship behind Scripture, since human authors cannot reliably predict such specific future events centuries in advance. Encountering this kind of prophecy can deepen appreciation for the coherence of the biblical story across many centuries and many different human writers.

Questions to sit with

• How does it affect your view of Scripture to consider prophecy written centuries before its fulfilment?
• Have you read Isaiah 53 and considered its connection to Jesus's crucifixion?
• What do you make of the debate over how to interpret Old Testament prophecy about Christ?

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