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Old Testament references
On multiple occasions, the New Testament account of Jesus' crucifixion references passages from the Old Testament, also called the Hebrew Bible, to show that the event was foretold centuries earlier.
For example, when describing how the Roman soldiers divided up Jesus' clothes, John 19:24 quoted Psalm 22:18: "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment."
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Later, John 19:36–37 quotes Exodus 12:46 and Zechariah 12:10, when it states, "These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken,' and, as another scripture says, 'They will look on the one they have pierced.'"
Additionally, it has been noted that the Isaiah 53 passage about the suffering servant is a prophecy about the crucifixion of Jesus, especially verse 5: "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."
Pastor and professor David Schrock wrote in a 2016 blog entry, "Christians must learn to understand the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection by reading the Old Testament with the New, and vice versa."
"As Jesus said on the day of his resurrection, 'everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Writings must be fulfilled' (Luke 24:44)," said Schrock.
"To understand what this means, we read the Old Testament with expectation that we will encounter promises and prophecies, types and shadows that prefigure the person and work of Jesus Christ."
