WARRIOR KING VERSUS SUFFERING SERVANT

WARRIOR KING:

The Jews were expecting the Messiah to be a “conquering, warrior King,” someone who would deliver Israel from foreign oppression, restore the kingdom, and rule with power and justice.

  Here are some of the scriptures that made them expect a warrior King:

1. Psalm 2:6–9 ESV  ⁶ “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.⁷ I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. ⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹ You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

• Key idea: God installs His King on Zion, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron and crush opposition.

• Messianic theme: Royal power, divine authority, and conquest.

• 2 Samuel 7:12–16 ESV 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

• Key idea: God promises David that his offspring will establish an eternal kingdom.

• Messianic theme: A future Davidic king, ruling forever.

• Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV ⁶  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

• Key idea: A child is born who will reign on David’s throne with justice and righteousness forever.

• Messianic theme: A divine, righteous ruler, ushering in peace through strength.

• Isaiah 11:1–10 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. ² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ³ And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, ⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. ⁶  The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. ⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

• Key idea: A shoot from Jesse (David’s father) will judge the earth, strike the wicked, and bring peace.

• Messianic theme: A righteous warrior-king filled with the Spirit, destroying the wicked and restoring justice.

• Jeremiah 23:5–6 ESV 5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

• Key idea: A “righteous Branch” from David’s line will reign as king and save Judah.

• Messianic theme: Royal leadership, justice, and deliverance from enemies.

• Daniel 7:13–14 ¹³ “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

• Key idea: “One like a Son of Man” comes with the clouds and is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom.

• Messianic theme: A cosmic ruler with eternal power over all nations.

• Micah 5:2–4 ²            But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

• Key idea: A ruler will come from Bethlehem to shepherd and rule Israel, bringing security and peace.

• Messianic theme: A strong shepherd-king with divine origins.

• Zechariah 9:9–10 ⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. ¹⁰ I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

• Key idea: The king comes humbly, riding a donkey—but he will speak peace to the nations and rule to the ends of the earth.

• Messianic theme: A peaceful conqueror who nonetheless establishes dominion over the whole world.

• Zechariah 12:8–10  ⁸ On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. ⁹ And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. ¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
• Zechariah 14:3–9 ³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵ And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. ⁶ On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. ⁷ And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. ⁸ On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. ⁹ And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

• Key idea: God will defend Jerusalem, destroy her enemies, and the Lord will be king over all the earth.

• Messianic theme: Apocalyptic imagery of God (and by extension, His Messiah) fighting Israel’s enemies.

Summary of Themes of WARRIOR KING:

• Line of David – a future king in David’s royal line

• Divine power and justice – Messiah executes justice, defeats enemies, rules over nations

• National deliverance – restoring Israel’s security and glory (Mic 5, Zech 9, 14)

• Global rule – not just a local king, but a universal ruler (Dan 7, Isa 11, Ps 2)

These passages built a very clear picture in many Jewish minds: the Messiah would be a powerful political and military leader, sent by God to overthrow oppressors (like the Romans) and restore Israel’s kingdom and independence.

SUFFERING SERVANT

Suffering Servant passages are important, though they were often overlooked or misunderstood by many in Jesus’ time because they didn’t fit the mold of a conquering king. Yet, Jesus and the early Church drew heavily on them to explain His mission, especially His suffering, death, and resurrection.

Here’s a list of the major Old Testament scriptures that describe the suffering, rejection, and ultimate vindication of God’s servant:

1. Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 ¹³ Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. ¹⁴ As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— ¹⁵ so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. 53 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? ⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors

Key ideas:

• The servant is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

• He bears our griefs and sins, is pierced for our transgressions.

• He suffers silently and willingly, like a lamb led to slaughter.

• He dies, is buried, but ultimately is vindicated and exalted.

• Fulfillment in Jesus: This is the clearest and most detailed prophetic picture of the suffering Messiah. The New Testament quotes or alludes to this passage more than any other when referring to Jesus’ death.

2. Psalm 22

22 To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? ² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. ³ Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. ⁴ In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. ⁵ To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. ⁷ All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ⁸ “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” ⁹ Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. ¹⁰ On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. ¹¹ Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. ¹² Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; ¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; ¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— ¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; ¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. ¹⁹ But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! ²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! ²² I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: ²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴ For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. ²⁵ From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. ²⁶ The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! ²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. ²⁸ For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. ³⁰ Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; ³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

• Key ideas:

• Begins: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

• Describes mocking, piercing of hands and feet, casting lots for clothing.

• Ends with a note of deliverance and future praise.

• Fulfillment in Jesus: Jesus quotes this from the cross (Matthew 27:46), and the details align remarkably with crucifixion—a method of execution unknown in David’s time.

3. Isaiah 49:1–7  49 Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. ² He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. ³ And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” ⁴ But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.” ⁵ And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— ⁶ he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” ⁷ Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

• Key ideas:

• The servant is called from the womb to be a light to the nations.

• He feels like his work is in vain, yet God honors him.

• He is despised by the nation but ultimately exalted.

• Fulfillment in Jesus: A blend of discouragement and divine assurance, this passage reflects Jesus’ rejection and ultimate mission to all nations.

4. Isaiah 50:4–9  ⁴  The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. ⁵ The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. ⁶ I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. ⁷ But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. ⁸ He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. ⁹ Behold, the Lord God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

• Key ideas:

• The servant suffers beatings, insults, and spit, but remains faithful.

• He sets his face “like flint” and trusts in God’s vindication.

• Fulfillment in Jesus: This parallels Jesus’ resolve to go to the cross, despite knowing the suffering it would bring.

5. Zechariah 12:10 ¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

• Key idea:

• “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him…”

• Fulfillment in Jesus: Quoted in John 19:37 at the crucifixion. This verse links piercing, mourning, and eventual recognition.

6. Daniel 9:26 ²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

• Key idea:

• The “Anointed One” will be cut off and will have nothing.

• Fulfillment in Jesus: Seen as a reference to the Messiah being killed, unexpectedly, rather than reigning immediately.

Summary of Themes:

• Rejection and mockery

• Suffering in innocence

• Bearing the sins of others

• Piercing, wounding, death

• Ultimate vindication and exaltation

• Mission to the nations

Why These Were Overlooked:

Many Jews in the Second Temple period focused on the victorious, kingly Messiah (like from Psalm 2 or Isaiah 11) and didn’t expect the Messiah to suffer and die. The two pictures seemed contradictory—how could the conqueror also be the victim?

Jesus and His followers showed that both sets of prophecies had to be fulfilled—first the suffering, then the glory (Luke 24:26).

01. Born of a woman

Genesis 3:15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. 

Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 

02. Born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,  who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. 

Luke 2:4-6  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

03. Born of a virgin

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.

Luke 1:26-31 ²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

04. Descendant of Abraham

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 

05. Descendant of Isaac

Genesis 17:19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.

Luke 3:34 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,

06. Descendant of Jacob

Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites. 

Matthew 1:2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, 

07. Tribe of Judah

Genesis 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes^, and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him. 

Luke 3:33 son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 

08. Heir to King David’s throne

2 Samuel 7:12-13 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Luke 1:32-33 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” 

09. Anointed and eternal throne

Psalm 45:6-7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions. 

Luke 1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” 

10. Called Immanuel

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” 

11. Fled to Egypt

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 

Matthew 2:14-15 ¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. ¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.

12. Escaped a massacre

Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the Lord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more. 

Matthew 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ¹⁸ A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.^, 

13. Followed a messenger

Isaiah 40:3-5  A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. ⁴ Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. ⁵ And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 

Luke 3:3-6  He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, ⁶ and everyone will see the salvation of God.

14. Rejected by Jews

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

John 1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

15. Was a prophet

Deuteronomy 18:15  “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.

Acts 3:20-22  that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. ²¹ Heaven must receive him until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke about through his holy prophets from the beginning. ²² Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to everything he tells you. 

16. Elijah came before

Malachi 4:5-6  Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” 

Matthew 11:13-14  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵ Let anyone who has ears listen. 

17. Called the son of God

Psalm 2:7  I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 

Matthew 3:16-17  When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” 

18. Ministry in Galilee

Isaiah 9:1-2  Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. ² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 

Matthew 4:13-16  He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁵ Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. ¹⁶ The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

19. Taught in parables

Isaiah 6:9-10  And he replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. ¹⁰ Make the minds of these people dull; deafen their ears and blind their eyes;  otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed. 

Matthew 13:10-15  Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” ¹¹ He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. ¹² For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. ¹⁴ Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them.

20. Healed the broken-hearted

Isaiah 61:1-2  The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; ² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, 

Luke 4:18-19 ¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

21. Priest of Melchizedek’s order

Psalm 110:4  The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: “You are a priest forever according to the pattern of Melchizedek.” 

Hebrew 5:5-6     In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him, You are my Son; today I have become your Father,^{,, 6} also says in another place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

22. Called King

Psalm 2:6  I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 

Mark 11:7-11 They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!^{, 10} Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! ¹¹ He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 

23. Praised by children

Psalm 8:2  From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold   on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the avenger. 

Matthew 21:16  and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?”

24. Betrayed

Psalm 41:9  Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me. 

Luke 22:47-48  While he was still speaking, suddenly a mob came, and one of the Twelve named Judas was leading them. He came near Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 

25. Bought a potter’s field

Zechariah 11:12-13  Then I said to them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wages, thirty pieces of silver. ¹³ “Throw it to the potter,” the Lord said to me—this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter

Matthew 27:9-10Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him whose price was set by the Israelites, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.^, 

26. Falsely accused

Psalm 35:11  Malicious witnesses come forward; they question me about things I do not know. 

Mark 14:57-58  Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, ⁵⁸ “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’ ”

27. Silent before accusers

Isaiah 53:7  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 

Mark 15:4-5  Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of!” ⁵ But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed. 

28. Spat upon and struck

Isaiah 50:6  I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard. I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting. 

Matthew 26:67  Then they spat in his face and beat him; others slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who was it that hit you?” 

29. Hated without cause

Psalm 35:19  Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause wink at me maliciously. 

John 15:24-25  If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.^, 

30. Crucified with criminals

Isaiah 53:12  Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels. 

Matthew 27:38  Then two criminals were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 

31. Given vinegar to drink

Psalm 69:21  Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 

Matthew 27:34  they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 

33. Hands and feet pierced

Psalm 22:16  For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. 

John 20:25-27  So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” ²⁶ A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 

34. Mocked and ridiculed

Psalm 22:7-8  Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: ⁸ “He relies on the Lord; let him save him; let the Lord rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.”

Luke 23:35  The people stood watching, and even the leaders were scoffing: “He saved others; let him save himself if this is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One!”

35. Soldiers gambled for garments

Psalm 22:18  They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. 

Luke 23:34  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided his clothes and cast lots. 

36. No broken bones

Exodus 12:46  It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones.

John 19:33-36  When they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs since they saw that he was already dead. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. ³⁵ He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth. ³⁶ For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken. 

37. Forsaken by God

Psalm 22:1  My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? 

Matthew 27:46  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”^,

38. Prayed for enemies

Psalm 109:4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I continue to pray.

Luke 23:34  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”^, And they divided his clothes and cast lots. 

39. Side Pierced

Zechariah 12:10   Then I will pour out a spirit^, of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for him as one weeps for a firstborn.

John 19:34  But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

40. Buried with the rich

Isaiah 53:9  He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death,  because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully.

Matthew 27:57-60 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’s body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. ⁵⁹ So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.

41. Rose from the dead

Psalm 16:10  For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. 

Acts 2:22-32  Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. ²³ Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. ²⁴ God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. ²⁵ For David says of him: 

I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, ²⁷ because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your holy one to see decay. ²⁸ You have revealed the paths of life to me; you will fill me with gladness in your presence.^, 29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.^{, 32} “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 

42. Ascended to heaven

Psalm 24:7-10  Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. ⁸ Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. ¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory. Selah 

Mark 16:19  So the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Luke 12:48  But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected 

Ephesians 1:3-5  ³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.^{, 5} He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

John 15:16  ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you

1 Peter 2:4-5, 9  ⁴ As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—⁵ you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁹ But you are a chosen race,^,, a royal priesthood,^, a holy nation,^, a people for his possession,^, so that you may proclaim the praises^,, of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Amos 4:1  Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who are on the hill of Samaria, women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to their husbands, “Bring us something to drink.

Amos 5:11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. 

Amos 8:6 We can buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and even sell the chaff!”

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ⁷ “If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your city gates in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ⁸ Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has. ⁹ Be careful that there isn’t this wicked thought in your heart, ‘The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,’ and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty. ¹⁰ Give to him, and don’t have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. ¹¹ For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘Open your hand willingly to your poor and needy brother in your land.’ 

Exodus 23:6-9 ⁶ “You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit. ⁷ Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty. ⁸ You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and corrupts the words of the righteous. ⁹ You must not oppress a resident alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt. 

Proverbs 14:31 ³¹ The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but one who is kind to the needy honors him. 

Exodus 22:25-27  ²⁵ “If you lend silver to my people, to the poor person among you, you must not be like a creditor to him; you must not charge him interest. ²⁶ “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him before sunset. ²⁷ For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body. What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to me, I will listen because I am gracious. 

Exodus 23:11  ¹¹ But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat from it and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. 

Leviticus 19:9-15     ⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God. ¹¹ “Do not steal. Do not act deceptively or lie to one another. ¹² Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord. ¹³ “Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages due a hired worker must not remain with you until morning. ¹⁴ Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the Lord. ¹⁵ “Do not act unjustly when deciding a case. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly. 

Leviticus 25:6   ⁶ Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired worker or alien who resides with you. 

Deuteronomy 14:28-29  ²⁸ “At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. ²⁹ Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. 

Deuteronomy 15:12-13  ¹² “If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. ¹³ When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed.

Deuteronomy 16:11-14   ¹¹ Rejoice before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your city gates, as well as the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow among you. ¹² Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes. ¹³ “You are to celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days when you have gathered in everything from your threshing floor and winepress. ¹⁴ Rejoice during your festival—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates.

God hears the cries of the poor and eventually judges the guilty.

Psalm 10:14  But you yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into your hands. The helpless one entrusts himself to you; you are a helper of the fatherless

Psalm 69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy and does not despise his own who are prisoners. 

Psalms 82:3 ³ Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.