Jesus in the Shadows: Seeing Jesus in the Bible’s most well-known Old Testament stories
“Jesus in the Shadows” is asking one big question: When Luke tells us in Luke 24:27 that Jesus showed His disciples “the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures,” just how are we meant to take the word “all”? Was it intended to be figurative—just Jesus’ way of saying, “Hey, no worries, there are a few verses about Me in that book we all like so much, and when you figure them out, you can use them to write your own book and really get the word out”? Or did He mean something immeasurably more?
What if some of the most well-known Bible stories (like David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, and Jonah and the Whale) are really just Jesus-stories? What if when Luke used the word “all” he really meant ALL? What if the disciples have learned a new way to approach Scripture from the Master, Himself—having their minds opened to the true understanding that God’s plan has been right in front of His people the entire time (Luke 24:45)?
In “Jesus in the Shadows,” Eric Robinson looks very closely at seven of the most well-known Bible stories in all of Scripture, showing how they are actually just thinly-veiled descriptions of Jesus’ ultimate work of salvation. Written on a level for any Bible-believer (or any searching heart), Jesus in the Shadows will give a foundation of faith that God’s plan was written down in complete detail over centuries before Jesus’ body was laid in a manger in Bethlehem. You will never be able to read your Old Testament the same again.
Over Our Heads: Meeting Jesus in the Layers of Scripture
How does your view of inspiration inform how you think of the Bible? How clearly is Jesus seen in characters like Benjamin, Mordecai, and Jephthah? Why do relationships between older and younger brothers come up almost constantly in the Old Testament? Why are there so many stories of two ladies being connected through a strange set of God-inspired circumstances? Why does it matter if David’s name means “Beloved”? What about Moses’ name? Methuselah’s? What’s the big deal about the number 26? 17? 153? How does the way Mark writes explain his strange ending? Answers to these questions (and countless more like them) are available through every student’s Bible study. By learning from the biblical authors how to approach Scripture with Jesus at the center, all Jesus-followers can find the answers that the Bible is written to illuminate.
LOOK: There He Is!
What do David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, and The Ten Plagues have in common? Why is it so important for us to learn about them? Believe it or not, these stories teach us the gospel. The good news about Jesus can be seen in all the classic stories you’ve heard countless times. As you learn to LOOK at the Scriptures in a new way, you will begin to see them come alive as they never have before. (Written for and illustrated by kids ages 8-12.)
