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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45

Read: Mark 10:45
Listen: Mark 10

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Jesus doesn’t appear in the Book of Esther. She lives hundreds of years before he came to earth. Yet, Esther’s actions foreshadow the life of Christ in profound ways. In Mark 10:45, we read that Jesus came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Esther uses her role as the queen of Persia to serve the Jewish people and even puts her life on the line for them (Esther 4:16).

This year in Beyond the Weekend we are looking for Jesus in the Old Testament. Esther is an example of what’s called typology, or a type of Christ in the Old Testament. A type of Christ simply refers to a person whose life and actions point to Jesus. Throughout the year, we will see more and more of these in the Old Testament, and each time we will notice that Jesus escalates and fulfills the foreshadowing we see. For instance, Esther saved her people from physical death. Jesus offers rescue from spiritual death and eternal life to all who trust in him. Esther rose from humble beginnings to be the queen of Persia. Jesus was born in a stable and is now seated at the right hand of God.

TODAY: Commit to the 2024 Challenge of Finding Jesus in the Old Testament. Commit to the daily readings and the practice of seeing Jesus in the first two-thirds of the Bible. Read or revisit Beyond the Weekend from January 1st for more information about the challenge.

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Read Luke 8. Highlight anything that refers to the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfills it. Note who and what Jesus has authority over and how his authority points back to the Old Testament and his identity.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.