There is a book sold in book stores around the world called, “The Bible Code” where the author claims that there are secret messages encoded in the Hebrew Torah. Unlocking the “Bible Code” requires computer software that scans for keywords found in specific mathematical skip patterns. This is a case of people going to extremes in regards to finding secret messages encoded in the Holy Scriptures. However, there is a valid method of Biblical interpretation that finds Jesus in the characters and stories of divine revelation—The Jesus Code.
Jesus taught this method of Biblical interpretation on many occasions during his ministry. The Jewish leaders had traditionally applied many prophecies of the Old Testament to the concept of a Messiah. Jesus applied these Old Testament prophecies to himself.
The Gospel of Luke tells a story of Jesus reading scripture during Sabbath worship in the Jewish synagogue. The verse he read was from the scroll of Isaiah:
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANNOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD” (Luke 4: 18-19, NASB).
Luke says that after Jesus finished reading this verse he sat down and made the following statement: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (vs. 21)
The apostle John recorded the words of Jesus to those who were plotting to kill him for claiming to be equal with God: “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about me” (John 5:46). The name of Jesus never appears in the books of Moses. But Jesus was saying that Moses wrote about him. Was Jesus claiming to be the one who spoke to Moses in the burning bush? Were the sacrifices performed in the sanctuary a prophecy of the final sacrifice of Jesus for our sins on the cross? Every part of divine revelation points us to Jesus.
After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared and gave two of the disciples a Bible study while they were on the road to Emmaus: “Then beginning with Moses and with all of the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the scriptures” (Luke 24: 27). Jesus gave them key to interpreting the Old Testament scriptures—Himself.
Next time you sit down to read a portion of the Old Testament scriptures ask yourself about how what you are reading reveals the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. This is the only proper way to interpret the full meaning of ancient scripture. Divine revelation might seem to be written in ancient code to the untrained observer, but the Jesus code is the key to unlocking its hidden secrets.
~Stephen Beagles