Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms

The resurrected Jesus taught His Apostles, “All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44). This verse specifies that three groups of Old Testament texts—the law of Moses (as recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the prophets (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc.), and the psalms (i.e., the book of Psalms)—included words that pertain to Jesus Christ.

The accompanying chart presents passages from the third group mentioned by Jesus, that of the Psalms. Column 1 provides the reference of Psalms that are cited, paraphrased, or alluded to in the New Testament. Column 2 sets forth the theme or a summary statement of the passage’s contents, and column 3 supplies the relevant New Testament passage(s). Psalm 22, for example, contains a number of passages that pertain to Jesus’s suffering and Crucifixion.

All four gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—cited one or more passages from this Psalm as they authored their gospels. Matthew and Mark cited Jesus’s cry of “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—the exact words of Psalm 22:1. Matthew cited Psalm 22:18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture,” which applies to those who cast lots for Jesus’s clothing while He was on the cross. Matthew, Mark, and Luke referenced the words “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head” (Ps. 22:7), which refers to those who mocked the crucified Jesus.

Jesus Himself cited psalms and related them to Himself. On one occasion, for instance, He taught in the temple and said, “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Mark 12:36). Jesus then applied this passage (Ps. 110:1) to Himself.