Jacob knew about Jesus

Jacob is making some obvious parallels between his son Judah and Jesus. He compares Judah to a lion in Genesis 49:9, for example, which ties right in with Jesus being called the “Lion of Judah” in Revelation 5:5. 

Judah is told “your hand will be on the neck of your enemies” in Genesis 49:8, and in verse 9 that he’ll be “like a lion” devouring its prey, putting the fear up anyone daring to challenge him – another obvious parallel with Jesus “reigning until he’s put all his enemies under his feet,” 1 Corinthians 15:25.

And then in Genesis 49:10, Judah is told “The sceptre will not depart” from him – the sceptre picturing royal authority that will always be his, another obvious parallel with Jesus who declared that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Matthew 28:18, and for always too (Hebrews 1:8).

It’s amazing what Jacob knew about his son’s future and how it would lead up to “the one who comes to whom it all belongs” and the time when “the obedience of the nations is his,” Genesis 49:10 – another obvious reference to Jesus telling his disciples in Matthew 28:19-20 to go to “all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” 

Already, then, 1800 years before Jesus arrived on the scene, Jacob was predicting his coming. It’s not surprising, therefore, that the Jews expected Jesus to be the powerful “lion” of Genesis 49 who would subdue all their enemies and install his kingdom and authority over the world’s kingdoms forever. They certainly understood that part about Jesus, thanks to Jacob. 

But what they didn’t grasp was Jesus coming as a Lamb first, not a Lion. When John the Baptist “saw Jesus coming” in John 1:29, and he cried out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” that wasn’t what the Jews were looking to Jesus for. They wanted a Lion, not a Lamb. They were right in expecting “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, to triumph,” Revelation 5:5, absolutely, but in verse 6 John adds: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain…” 

Jesus would also be a Lamb – so why didn’t Jacob include that in his predictions about his son in Genesis 49? Or maybe he did: with a rather cryptic clue perhaps, but not so cryptic “When you have the key”….(next blog)