The Transition From the Prophets to the Gospels
The Old and New Testaments form one unified revelation, with the New Testament building directly on Old Testament history, prophecy and promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
These two parts of God’s Word join seamlessly to provide God’s complete revelation to mankind. Even though the period between these parts was more than 400 years, the writings of the Hebrew prophets precede the apostolic writings in a manner that emphasizes the basic unity of the two.
Consider how the closing words of the Old Testament prophets flow smoothly into those that open the New Testament. Malachi, generally considered to be the last of the Hebrew prophets, foretells one who would come in the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah as a forerunner of the promised Messiah—a role initially fulfilled by John the Baptist (Malachi 4:5-6; Matthew 11:13-14; 17:12-13; Luke 1:13-17).
Mark, considered by many to have been the first of the Gospel writers, begins right where Malachi left off—citing prophecies from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 of a messenger who would precede the Lord’s coming. Then John the Baptist (as the prophesied Elijah figure) is introduced as the appointed forerunner of Jesus Christ, establishing the way for His first coming. John the Baptist also appears in this role in the first chapter of Luke and of John. (It is interesting to note that the context of the final chapter of Malachi also implies the appearance of still another Elijah figure who would precede Christ’s second coming—compare Matthew 17:11.)
Matthew similarly begins his Gospel as a continuation of the Old Testament. He moves to the account of John the Baptist early, but first presents a genealogy of the Hebrew patriarchal and kingly lines leading to the birth of Jesus Christ. The specific purpose in Matthew 1 is summed up in verse 18: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows . . .”
Yet 17 vital verses precede this statement. Why? These boldly declare Jesus Christ’s Israelite ancestry back to King David and, even earlier, to Abraham. These words of Matthew validate the importance of the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible and demonstrate how he was building on their foundation.
Why does the New Testament begin with a genealogy?
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers . . . David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah . . . Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they [the peoples of Judah] were carried away to Babylon . . .
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:1-2, 6, 11, 17).
These 17 verses may be viewed as a brief summary of the sacred history of Israel and Judah. They send a powerful message at the beginning of the New Testament that we must continue to respect the authority of the Old Testament.
Matthew’s historical introduction is designed to show Christ’s legal genealogy—that He is the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham (for example, Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) and to King David (compare 2 Samuel 7:16; Acts 13:22-23; Luke 1:32). Matthew’s Gospel is built on the foundation of the Hebrew Scriptures and contains many quotations from them. Thus the Gospel accounts link the two testaments as a complete and whole revelation.
