In our last conversation we talked about whether it is helpful to compare and contrast what the Bible says about Samson and Jesus.
I raised the issue because I’ve been thinking about the way New Testament authors see Jesus in the Old Testament; whether we should see parallels only when the New Testament tells us they are there; or whether the Living Word of God brings fullness of meaning to far more than what students of the Bible call “types” of Christ.
An example of a formal “type” for instance is the first human. Paul says that Adam is a “type” of the One who is to come (Rom 5:14).
Paul’s point is that Adam was a “type” of Jesus in that, as by Adam’s disobedience sin comes to all , so by Jesus’ obedience salvation comes to all. The point is not that Adam was a kind of Jesus but rather that in Adam we can find a foreshadowing pattern of the Son of God.
That raises another question. Is Adam, or any other person or thing, deserving of comparison or contrast to Jesus only when–and to the extent that– the Bible directly and unambiguously calls a pattern to our attention? Or is there a mysterious relationship beyond the written and living Word of God that is far more expansive?
Consider, for instance, the ways in which the formal and limited type that Paul talks about in his letter to the Romans might be part of a bigger picture:
Similarities between Jesus and Adam—
1. Both were called the son of God (Luke 3:38; Matt 4:1-6)
2. Both came into the world without a human father
3. Both were born of the Spirit of God
4. Both were called to rule over creation
5. Both were described as being husbands to a wife.
6. Both were objects of Satan’s attempts to corrupt
7. Both made choices that affected all
8. Both died because of sin
Differences between Adam and Jesus–
1. Adam was made in the likeness of God. Jesus was a Son equal to his Father.
2. Adam was born when the spirit of God breathed life and soul into him. Jesus was born supernaturally when the Spirit of God came upon the virgin Mary.
3. Adam and his wife Eve were to told to oversee the earth and all of its creatures. Jesus is a King of kings and Lord of lords, whose kingdom is much greater than our present world.
4. Adam was made to be one flesh with Eve. Jesus is described as the God/husband who is made one with his people Israel (Jer 31:31-32) and the Church (Eph 5:25-32) (Rev 19:9).
5. Satan tempted Adam and his wife in a garden paradise. Satan tempted/tested Jesus in a barren wilderness.
6. Adam made a choice that brought sin and death to all his descendants. Jesus made a choice that brings rightness and life to all who are born of him. (Rom 5:15-19)
7. Adam died for his own sin. Jesus died for our sin (2 Cor 5:22).
8. Adam gave us temporary physical life marked by sin that breaks faith with God. Jesus offers us eternal life in a way that reconciles us to the One our parents distrusted.
One reason this kind of study makes some of us uncomfortable is that the study of typology has been misused to teach “the deep things of Scripture” that often seem to say more about the imagination of the teacher than the real nature of the Scripture.
Even worse, some have used parallels like this to give the Bible “spiritual” meanings that can be very misleading and even heretical. This would happen for instance if someone took the comparison between Jesus and Samson to imply that, like Samson, Jesus also sinned; or the comparison between Jesus and Joseph to imply that, like Jesus, Joseph was without sin (Am thinking here of Joseph the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery to suffer at the hands of others, so that in the end he could deliver the brothers who had betrayed him).
So, given the risks of misuse, does it help us to go beyond the boundaries of formal typology (i.e. finding comparisons only when the Bible itself calls them out)?
Again, I’m thinking that it can make our lives better, richer, and fuller to wonder at the way Jesus brings fullness of meaning to everything that is good, true, and beautiful– even as we realize that everything that is wrong, deceitful and twisted is that for which Christ died. But, as I’ve mentioned above, there are risks to be weighed. And I hope you’ll feel free to explore this more with me– or honestly disagree.