When Jesus walked for several hours with two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the day of His resurrection, He “expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Later, meeting with a larger group of disciples, He said:
These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luke 24:45
This is consistent with the Book of Mormon teaching that all prophets have spoken of Christ. For example, Abinadi asked the priests of King Noah:
Did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?
Have they not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?
Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?
Mosiah 13:33-35
The gospel writers identify some of these prophecies, including Zechariah’s prophecy that Israel’s king would arrive humbly riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:4-5; Zechariah 9:9) and a passage in psalms indicating that the Savior’s enemies would cast lots for His clothing (John 19:23-24; Psalm 22:18). The Savior quoted from psalms multiple times on the cross, indicating that He saw those passages as precursors to His experience (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1; John 19:28; Psalm 69:21; Luke 23:46; Psalm 31:5).
The Last Supper itself was a passover feast, in which Jesus prepared His disciples for His death and resurrection while commemorating an important event recorded in the Book of Exodus. The death of an unblemished lamb, the use of its blood to turn away the destroying angel, and Israel’s subsequent liberation all prefigured the Savior’s atoning mission — His death, His redeeming blood, and our liberation from sin and death.
This week, as we celebrate Holy Week and remember the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, let’s pay particular attention to the ways in which Old Testament writings not only anticipated His Atonement but also help us better understand it.
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