Is Jesus the True Israel?

In episode 6 of “Israel, the Church, and God’s Promises,” Bryan Catherman and Josiah Walker ask how Jesus fits into Israel’s story. Many conversations jump from Abraham’s promises straight to modern politics or prophecy debates, but Christians cannot jump over Jesus. He is not an interruption in the story. He is the one the story was moving toward.

Matthew 2 applies Hosea 11 to Jesus: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Hosea was speaking about Israel, yet Matthew shows that Jesus retraces Israel’s story as the faithful Son. Israel was brought out of Egypt, tested in the wilderness, and failed. Jesus comes out of Egypt, is tested in the wilderness, and obeys. Where Israel grumbled, Jesus trusted.

Jesus does not replace Israel in some crude sense, as though God tossed Israel aside and started over. Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, the faithful Israelite, the Son of David, the true King, and the true temple. The Davidic kingdom and the temple do not get discarded. They reach their goal in Christ.

The new covenant promises from Jeremiah and Ezekiel also find their fulfillment in him. God promised new hearts, the law written within his people, the Spirit, forgiveness, and cleansing. At the Last Supper, Jesus says the new covenant comes through his blood. Israel needed more than return from exile. Israel needed redemption from sin. So do we.

This prepares us for the next question: if Jesus fulfills Israel’s story, how should we understand the church? Is this “replacement theology,” or is something better happening in Christ? Subscribe and listen wherever you get podcasts, watch on our YouTube channel, or listen here:

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