“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).
I’m sure many of us, having read those words, wished Luke had spelled out those Scriptures Jesus used. Many of us who study the word and already know about the prophecies of Christ will be able to point out several, such as His birthplace, His manner of death, His resurrection, and His ancestor King David. Yet Luke actually recorded many places where the Lord had revealed verses about Himself to His apostles—in Luke’s other account, Acts! They are given in prayers, visions, gospel proclamations, and speeches. Let’s look at a sampling of each.
Prayers. In Acts 4, their prayer reflect their understanding of God’s work as revealed in the OT regarding Jesus. In the prayer for boldness in Acts 4:23-31, they quote from Psa. 2:1-2, applying the quote about the nations raging and plotting vain things to the Sanhedrin’s anger directed at them just before the prayer.
In their own words, they understood that the words in both verses applied to “Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together” (Acts 4:27). Furthermore, they understood that their opposition was not unexpected, but was “Your purpose determined before to be done” (Acts 4:28). As a result, they prayed for more boldness to keep preaching the word, and because of the man who was healed, prayed for more signs and wonders to accompany their gospel message (Acts 4:29-30).
Visions. Peter in Acts 10 received a vision where he was prompted to eat various unclean animals. Peter balked at eating them, as they were not in keeping with the kosher laws of Leviticus 11, and the Lord responded with, “What God has cleansed you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). Then Peter was brought to the family of the Gentile centurion, and the Spirit came upon the gathering there. This vision confirmed the many passages in the prophets regarding Gentiles coming into the fold of God and honoring the God of the OT. Specifically, they will honor Jesus (Zech. 12:10-11, Rev. 1:7).
Gospel Proclamations. When the Good News was shared throughout Acts, of course they would use the OT to corroborate it. In Acts 2, Luke records a long presentation of the gospel by Peter. In Acts 2:41, Peter quotes from Joel 2:32, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Then finishing his speech, Peter in Acts 2:38 links the Lord in the OT with the Christ of the NT.
Acts 2:27 is where we learn of Christ’s resurrection in the OT. For that, Peter quotes from Psalm 16:10, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” In other words, His body will not decay in the grave, but will resurrect on the third day, which is just before decomposition sets in. Jesus rose from the dead and sat down at the right hand of the Father, as Peter preached in Acts 4:32-35, and that comes from Psalm 110:1, “The Lord [God the Father] said to my Lord [God the Son], “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Peter indirectly mentioned Psalm 68:18, which says, “You [the Lord] have ascended on high.”
Speeches. In the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, James quotes the prophets to concur with Peter’s and Paul’s witness of the Gentile converts through the preaching of Jesus. Acts 15:17 states, “So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,says the Lord who does all these things” (quoting from Amos 9:12, translating “Edom” as “mankind” there). The verse ties the name of Yahweh (“LORD”) to Jesus, and plainly states that God calls the Gentiles, not only the Jews to Himself. The book of Acts is all about how the Lord “does all these things.”
I hope this study whets your appetite to go revisit the passages in Acts to see what other OT verses were used to proclaim the salvation story of Christ.
