Torah Fulfilled: New Testament Manifestations

How Much More Jesus

by Clifford Denton, D. Phil.

One of the most important aspects of the restoration of our biblical heritage is the correct interpretation of Scripture. The first step is to re-establish the continuity of the whole of Scripture. We are so accustomed to partitioning Scripture between New and Old Testaments that we have unwittingly classed one (usually the "Old" Testament) as inferior to the other. For some there has been a sort of fear ingrained into us, that to emphasise the Old Testament is tantamount to legalism or failing to be free to worship Jesus (Yeshua). The opposite, of course, is true. We will know our Saviour better when we see Him emerge from the whole of salvation history. The foundations for understanding who He is and why He came are set in the early books of the Bible. Nowhere else can we find this totally reliable information.

An example of this principle can be seen in a phrase that occurs more than twenty times in the Bible: "How much more." This phrase illustrates a principle of Bible teaching, in which an idea is first given in a simple form and then developed into a deeper, more important form. Some of the best examples of the principle, "how much more", come in Jesus’ own teaching: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11) "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13) "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" (Luke 12:28)

A use of this phrase in the Epistle to the Hebrews leads to a significant application of the point. Having considered the sacrifices of the Old Covenant the writer speaks of Jesus’ more excellent sacrifice: "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14)

What began in the Old Covenant had "much more" meaning in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah. Thus we can read the whole of Scripture (particularly the Old Testament [Tanach]) with the "how much more" principle in mind. When we do this we somehow ease the burden of interpretation. We can read the whole of Scripture asking what this teaches us about Jesus. This helps us to establish the continuity of Scripture and also saves us from trying to force too much out of a given next. Let us look at one example of this, where there can be a danger of taking the text too literally as speaking about Jesus, while there is also a profound pointer to Jesus.

The Song of Songs is a deeply evocative love story with much human sensuality, so much so that it might even seem out of place to be in Scripture at all. Many people see this as an exact parable to the relationship between Jesus and His bride. Others see it as no more than a love story between human beings, particularly because of the emotive sensuality. First, we must say that God made mankind in His own image, so that we must be free to express the sexuality that he intended between husband and wife. Secondly, however, in interpreting a love story at the human level into a heavenly picture, we might be perceiving God too much in the image of fallen mankind. Here is the tension in interpreting Song of Songs as pointing to Jesus. However, if we consider this as the most beautiful of love stories that we will ever encounter at the human level, we can then consider whatever pure ideas come from it, and say that if this could be true for human beings then "how much more" will God’s intimate love for us through Jesus be shown. This is subtly different from saying that the lover in the Song of Songs is Jesus.

Now consider all the types and shadows in the same way. Just as the writer to the Hebrews sees Jesus as "how much more" than the Temple sacrifices, so we can look at every type and shadow and express the "how much more". This frees us from the bondage of trying to be too literal over every aspect of an image pointing to Jesus. While there are some exact parallels, such as in the model of the Tabernacle and the Feasts of the Lord, we need not strain for ideas that were not intended. For example, we see Joseph as a "type of" Jesus, but don’t expect Jesus to go step by step through everything that Joseph did. There are many parallels, of course, but we can begin with some straightforward and safe ones before probing more deeply, and we need not be concerned if we can’t make some ideas fit. We might say, for example, "If Joseph went down to Egypt and was led by God to save the children of Israel from famine, how much more will Jesus feed us spiritually." Or, "If Joseph wept over his brothers and forgave them when he revealed himself to them, how much more will Jesus forgive and save His brothers when He finally reveals Himself to Israel in the last days." With this approach, we can gently dig into the truths that Scripture gives about Jesus without running the risk of distortion, particularly regarding eschatology.

Dr. Clifford Denton is director of Cambrian Christian College, an affiliate of the Timothy Programme International, which specialises in studies from a Torah foundation. His teaching ministry helps Christians understand the Hebraic heritage of their Christian faith by placing the teachings of Jesus in the context of the Hebrew Scriptures. Clifford, his wife Christine, and their children live in Gillingham, Suffolk, England.

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