I was on my way home from a trip to Texas once when I had an interesting thing happen. I was driving around 5:00 in the morning. I was nearly 2 hours from home and pulled into a gas station in Lufkin, Texas. As I began to exit the store I saw a coworker entering the store. It was 5:00 in the morning, 2 hours away from where we lived, yet here we were standing there looking at each other. It’s crazy to think of everything that had to line up for this to happen.
With the odds of an event like this happening in mind, I would like to look into something that the odds of it happening are astounding. That is how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. We will start by looking at a few.
His birthplace being in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 (KJV) But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
The virgin birth: Isaiah 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
He would be a suffering servant, killed for the sins of others, and pierced in his hands and feet: Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Psalm 22:16 (KJV) For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
He would be betrayed by a friend: Psalm 41:9 (KJV) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
He would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, with the money later thrown to a potter: Zechariah 11:12-13 (KJV) 12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
He would be silent before his accusers: Isaiah 53:7 (KJV) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
He would be buried with the rich: Isaiah 53:9 (KJV) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
He would be raised from the dead: Psalm 16:10 (KJV) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
He would heal the blind, the lame, and the mute: Isaiah 35:5-6 (KJV) 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
He would enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey: Zechariah 9:9 (WEB) Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
These are only just a handful of Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. He fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. To put this into perspective, the odds are compared to covering the state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, with only one marked coin, and having a blindfolded person finding it on the first try.
Based on the work of mathematicians, the odds of one man fulfilling just eight specific prophecies are estimated to be 1 in 10 to the 17th (1 in 100 quadrillion). The probability becomes astronomically higher when considering a larger number of prophecies. For example, the chance of fulfilling 48 prophecies is calculated 1 in 10 to the 157th. Based on these probability calculations it is mathematically impossible for one person to fulfill so many prophecies by chance.
So now that we’ve established that Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies, let’s look briefly into the historical evidence of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
Tacitus (Roman historian, who disliked Christians 115 AD) wrote “Christus, from whom the name [Christian] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate…”
Josephus (Jewish historian 93 AD) Mentions Jesus as “a wise man” who was “crucified under Pilate.”
Lucian of Samosata (Greek satirist, 2nd century AD) Mocked Christians for worshiping “a man who was crucified in Palestine.”
Mara Bar-Serapion (Syrian philosopher, 1st–2nd century AD) In a letter, he refers to the Jews executing their “wise king,” whose teachings lived on.
The Babylonian Talmud (Jewish text, compiled later but referencing earlier traditions) mentions Jesus being “hanged on the eve of Passover,” using “hanged” as a synonym for crucifixion.
This shows that even outside the Bible, several independent ancient sources confirm that Jesus was a real person who was executed by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.
What about the resurrection? Many have sought to disprove the resurrection. Because if there is no resurrection then Jesus is not who He said He was. One particular skeptic was Sir Lionel Luckhoo who was a politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for his unprecedented success, winning 245 consecutive murder trials. Luckhoo was challenged to apply his legal expertise to the historical evidence for Jesus’s resurrection. Luckhoo spent years analyzing the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. After his investigation, Luckhoo stated that the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ was so compelling that it was “overwhelming” and left “absolutely no room for doubt”. He concluded that the resurrection was a historical fact that compelled acceptance.
One of the most convincing arguments for the resurrection is the Disciples’ conviction to stand in persecution. They ran away and were afraid when Jesus was arrested, but after the resurrection they all suffered persecution and nearly all of them martyred. You cannot get that many people to follow a fabricated story to martyrdom. Add to this that Paul who was a persecutor of Christians converts and suffers persecution and martyrdom himself.
Why is all of this important to you? Because you need to understand that Jesus is who He said He was. Despite what anybody else would say. Jesus was God in the flesh, He really came and walked this earth, He really performed miracles, He really was crucified, He really died, He really was resurrected and He really is coming back again.
So if you’ve been struggling with what you should believe. If you just weren’t sure if there was enough evidence. If you wondered what are the odds of this being true. There is just too much evidence for it not to be true.
1 Timothy 3:16 KJV And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 14:6 KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Hebrews 13:8-9 NET 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! 9 Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them.