Current Theme | April 2025
The Cross in the Old Testament
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus spoke to two wandering disciples about all that the Hebrew scriptures said concerning him (Luke 24:27). Warming their hearts with his “Christ-centered” interpretation of the Old Testament, Jesus taught his disciples and us (by way of Luke’s account) how to read all things in Scripture in light of Christ. In this month, we follow our Savior’s lead to see the glory of the cross in the patterns and promises of the Old Testament. From the first gospel promise in Genesis 3:15 to the sacrifice that delivered Isaac, from the Passover to the exile, from the Day of Atonement to the serpent lifted on a pole, we will learn how to glimpse the old rugged cross in the pages of God’s unfolding story. Come join us for the journey.
Table of Contents
Podcast
4.15 Megan Basham • Reading • “Too Busy with Woke Stuff”: The All Too (In)Visible and Inconsequential ERLC
By Megan Basham • Longform Reading • April 2
Photo ops and PR campaigns do not effect policy change; meaningful interaction and work with policy makers does. The word on Capitol Hill is that the ERLC is doing the one and not the other, to the detriment of Southern Baptists nationwide.
Concise
March Intermission: From the ERLC to the Cross in the OT
By David Schrock • Concise Article • April 2
Join us in April as we turn from March's discussion on the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission to the Cross in the Old Testament.
Concise
The Deceitful Snake in Genesis 3
By Andy Naselli • Concise Article • April 4
Who is the serpent of the Garden of Eden? What does he do? What are his aims? More importantly, who will defeat him?
Longform
“You Carry the Fate of Us All, Little One”: The Cosmic Significance of Israel’s Day of Atonement
By Nicholas Piotrowski • Longform Essay • April 7
How is the tabernacle like Eden? And how is Christ the great high priest? The Day of Atonement provides answers.
Concise
The Day of Atonement
By Stephen Dempster • Concise Article • April 7
The rite of the Old Covenant Day of Atonement proved insufficient. The cross of Christ, once and for all, is the better and sufficient atonement.
Podcast
4.16 Nicholas Piotrowski, Stephen Dempster • Combined Reading • “You Carry the Fate of Us All, Little One” and “The Day of Atonement”
By Nicholas Piotrowski, Stephen Dempster • Reading • April 7
Listen to a combined reading of Nicholas Piotrowski and Stephen Dempster's essays on the Day of Atonement.
Concise
The Cross in Genesis 4.7: Cain Rejected and Rejecting
By Joe Gehrmann • Concise Article • April 9
Is sin crouching at the door, ready to pounce on Cain in Genesis 4:7, or is a "sin offering" lying down ready to extend to Cain the very mercy of God?
Concise
The Akedah and the Crucifixion: Luke and Isaac Typology
By Peter J. Gentry • Concise Article • April 10
The story of Abraham's great test to offer Isaac, known in later tradition as the Akedah, meaningfully typifies many aspects of Luke's portrayal of Christ.
Concise
Echoes in the Exodus
By David Christensen • Concise Article • April 11
The Exodus—one of Scripture's most famous stories and the template for Old Testament redemption—is itself a fulfillment of the serpent-crushing promise of Genesis 3:15.
Podcast
4.17 Nicholas Piotrowski, David Schrock, Stephen Wellum • Interview • “You Carry the Fate of Us All, Little One: The Cosmic Significance of Israel’s Day of Atonement”
By Nicholas Piotrowski, David Schrock, Stephen Wellum • Interview • April 14
Listen in as David Shrock and Stephen Wellum interview Nicholas Piotrowski on his Christ Over All essay: “You Carry the Fate of Us All, Little One: The Cosmic Significance of Israel’s Day of Atonement"
Concise
Snakes Alive!?. . . or How Jesus Fulfills Numbers 21
By David Christensen • Concise Article • April 14
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14–15). How does the serpent on a pole relate to Christ upon the cross?
Concise
Michael Morales on the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21
By Michael Morales • Concise Article • April 15
Learn how a major Old Testament scholar connects the serpent on a pole to Christ on the Cross.
Concise
The Righteousness Based on Faith: Deuteronomy 30 in Romans 10
By Colin Smothers • Concise Article • April 16
Temples must be holy for God to indwell them. Thus, the cross of Christ cleanses us from all defilement as the Tabernacle and Temple were cleansed for Israel.
Concise
Psalm 22: A Reprise – A Surprising Carol of the King
By Brad Baugham • Concise Article • April 18
From Good Friday to Easter Sunday, Psalm 22 sings the story of Christ, the suffering and successful King.
Concise
Why Easter Sometimes Causes Me to Tremble: A Meditation on Psalm 110 for Good Friday and Easter Sunday
By Matthew Emadi • Concise Article • April 18
May we continually meditate on the horror of the cross and the victory of the empty tomb—Jesus is indeed the triumphant priest-king of Psalm 110.
Longform
Christ Concealed and Revealed: “Did Not the Messiah Have to Suffer These Things and then Enter His Glory?” Luke 24:13–35
By Ardel Caneday • Longform Essay • April 21
Like the men on the road to Emmaus, both our eyes and the Scriptures must be opened. Christ-centered interpretation happens because the entire Old Testament is Christ-centered revelation.
Podcast
4.18 Ardel Caneday • Reading • Christ Concealed and Revealed: “Did Not the Messiah Have to Suffer These Things and then Enter His Glory?” Luke 24:13–35
By Ardel Caneday • Longform Reading • April 21
Like the men on the road to Emmaus, both our eyes and the Scriptures must be opened. Christ-centered interpretation happens because the entire Old Testament is Christ-centered revelation.
Concise
Matters of First Importance: The Work of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13–53:12
By Garrett Wishall • Concise Article • April 23
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a cherished Christian text, for in it we find God the Son incarnate: the solution to humanity's separation from God because of sin.
Concise
True Food, True Drink – The Isaianic Feast of the Cross
By Christopher Powers • Concise Article • April 24
John 6 echoes a feast anticipated in the book of Isaiah. The crucified Christ, received by faith, is the true Food and Drink who gives life to the world.
Concise
A Strong Covenant With Many: Seeing the Atonement in Daniel 9:24–27
By Mitch Chase • Concise Article • April 25
Daniel 9:24–27 is one of the most difficult passages in the entire Bible, but in it we find the good news of a Messiah who makes atonement for sins.
Concise
Jonah and the Resurrection of Christ: From Type to Antitype
By Josh Philpot • Concise Article • April 28
What does the belly of a fish, the heart of the earth, and something-greater-than-Jonah have in common? The answers start with a "J" and a "T."
Podcast
4.19 Ardel Caneday, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • “Christ Concealed and Revealed: Did Not the Messiah Have to Suffer These Things and then Enter His Glory? Luke 24:13–35”
By Ardel Caneday, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • April 28
Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Ardel Caneday on his Christ Over All essay: “Christ Concealed and Revealed: Did Not the Messiah Have to Suffer These Things and then Enter His Glory? Luke 24:13–35"
Concise
“In the Beloved:” Christ as the New Jeshurun in Ephesians 1:6?
By John Meade • Concise Article • April 29
In saying "in the Beloved" to the church, Paul signals that Christ is the New Israel. Digging into the original language unearths more—another beautiful layer of His identity.
Concise
1 Samuel 20 and the Tapestry of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
By Kevin McClure • Concise Article • April 30
The Old Testament prefigures the death and resurrection of Christ in the most unlikely of places . . .
Concise
April Intermission: From the Cross in the Old Testament to Wise Words
By David Schrock • Concise Article • May 1
Join us in May as we turn from April's discussion on the Cross in the Old Testament to Speech.
Podcast
4.21 Clinton Manley, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • “How Then Shall We Mock? Ten Principles for Wielding the Sword of Holy Satire”
By Clinton Manley, David Schrock, Trent Hunter • Interview • May 12
Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Clinton Manley on his Christ Over All essay: “How Then Shall We Mock? Ten Principles for Wielding the Sword of Holy Satire"
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