Typology, and It’s Value to Israel…to Christianity!

Typology is a great way of explaining the way of conversion that is available for people that still follow the Jewish faith.  A question that is asked often, and it was asked yesterday by my dad, is that if Jesus was Jewish and he brought about the fulfillment of the Jewish faith in the Messiah that they were waiting for, why do they not follow him and his teachings today?  The Old Testament is replete with examples of how the prophets foretold of a Messiah that would act exactly like Jesus did.  Professor Larsen gives us a great example in Isaiah 53, of a prophet who told of a Messiah that would be crushed for our sins.  I have heard the testimony of conversions, from people of Jewish faith, through their reading of the Old Testament which to them foretold of this man, who was the Messiah, named Jesus.  Jewish people were converted because they knew the history behind who Jesus was and what he represented, and the Old Testament gives them a blueprint of that same man.

As the Professor said in the video on typology, it is the story of Joseph and his being sold into slavery as well as the Exodus story, especially the Passover, that gives us a clear idea of what Jesus was going to do to save the world.  In the Old Testament, it was about the chosen race of Jewish people, but in the New Testament, Jesus is bringing his salvation to the whole world.  In one other story, there is a typology that really helps me when I struggle with going to church.  In Genesis, we hear the story of Noah, who is told by God to build a big boat, which saves his family and all the animals of the world.  To me, this is a typology of the church that was told by God that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.  (Matthew 16:18)  If we are listening to the spirit that leads us to get into the boat, God will save us through it.

Finally, the question was posed to us to consider the value to Israel, and that is what led to me at the beginning to discussing the conversion of Jewish people to Christianity.  However, there may be another typology within the New Testament that could be a clearer symbol of this conversion.  Saul, who was such a loyal and faithful Jew, he was persecuting Christians who were in opposition to his faith.  However, after being blinded by God on his way to Damascus and being asked by Jesus why he was persecuting him, and eventually having his sight restored by a Christian man, he became the apostle of Jesus, known to the world as Paul, who wrote many of the letters in the New Testament.  I don’t know if this fits the classic version of typology, but it is a great symbol of what is possible through the conversion of faith-filled Jewish people to Christianity.  In answer to the question posed at the beginning, I would say the conversion of the Jewish people goes against the domination of the world by Satan, because they would make such amazing evangelists, and that is why we do not see more of these conversions.  This is probably a massive over-simplification of the issue behind the conversion of Jews to Christianity, but I hope it is at least part of the answer.