Do you purchase products or services based on reviews? Have you ever decided to buy something based on an endorsement, only to eventually be disappointed by it? It could have been a movie trailer, a book review, or a single released ahead of the album.

(9 mins. reading time)

Back in the day of post-vinyl and pre-Apple Music, it was not possible to purchase just one song from an album. If you really liked a song and wanted to add it to your collection, you would need to fork out around $20.00 for the entire CD. This could be risky because sometimes the song you liked was the only decent song on the album. This has happened to me on more than one occasion.

There was one rare occasion when I took that risk, and it paid off. The entire album exceeded my expectations. Each song was great and there were even songs that were better than the one I bought the album for. For me, this happened with the song Contact (Complexus) by the band Falling Up and their 2006 album Exit Lights. Falling Up is also my go-to band for the oddest song titles like, “A Guide to Marine Life”, “How They Made Cameras” or “The Dark Side of Indoor Track Meets”!

What does this have to do with Psalm 2?

God’s declaration in verse 6, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain” is like an announcement of something big that’s coming. This would have been a thousand years before Jesus arrived on the scene to fulfill David’s messianic prophecy in Psalm 2. In the waiting time, religious leaders started to paint a picture of what the Messiah might be like based on the clues that were provided in other prophecies. Sometimes they got it wrong – what they expected and what God provided were not the same thing. Just like my expectations with albums based on hearing only a single song.

If Psalm 2:6 is the preview or promise of something great, then the New Testament authors provided the endorsements of Jesus as the ultimate chosen one, the Messiah, the Christ. Matthew, Peter, John and Paul all referred back to Psalm 2 in their writings about Jesus. In fact, Psalm 2 is one of the most prominent psalms quoted in the New Testament.

Thinking about the various New Testament endorsements of Jesus as the promised Messiah reminded me of a live concert experience. Consider Psalm 2 as an advertisement for a concert which builds the anticipation for the event. Finally, the day arrives, you wait in line with your tickets, and you impatiently wait through the opening act’s performance. The purpose of the opening act is to prepare the audience for the main attraction, much like the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah. The emcee comes to the stage with an enthusiastic introduction to main attraction, encouraging the audience to heartily welcome the band. At last, this is what you came for!

The Emcee’s Endorsement

The first endorsement of Jesus occurred at the beginning of his ministry when John the Baptist baptized him. Jesus’ baptism was his anointing as the chosen one. “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, ’This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.’” (Matt. 3:16-17)

In this endorsement, God broke four hundred years of silence by clearly identifying Jesus as the chosen one – the Messiah or the Christ. The audible voice from heaven presented Jesus as the royal, messianic Son of David, the very Son of God from Psalm 2:7 in the phrase “This is my beloved son,” and the suffering servant of Isaiah 42:1 in the phrase “who brings me great joy.” ¹ Notice how the theme of the suffering servant from Isaiah 42 is intertwined with the Messiah right at the outset of Jesus’ ministry. For more details on the suffering messiah theme, please see the post Introducing …

Now the show is officially underway. But the emcee isn’t done. He has a second endorsement at the end of the intermission to prepare the audience for the band’s return to the stage. Similarly, God provided a second endorsement when Jesus is transfigured on a mountain before Peter, James and John.

“As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.’ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground” (Matt. 17:2-3; 5-6). Judging by the disciple’s reaction, this would have been more amazing than any concert’s smoke and light show.

Placing Jesus next to Elijah and Moses confirmed Jesus’ messianic mission: to fulfill God’s law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) who foretold the coming of the Messiah. ² With the words “listen to him,” God made a clear distinction between Jesus and the prophets standing beside him. Jesus so far outstripped Moses and Elijah, that when they are put next to Jesus, the disciples are told to “listen” to Jesus instead of Moses and Elijah. ³ Elijah and Moses are similar to the opening act preparing the audience for the main event. As Jesus joined them on the stage, it became clear who was the main attraction.

Parallels

The New Testament authors’ endorsements of Jesus as the Messiah parallel each of the main sections of Psalm 2. The beginning of the Psalm 2 speech describing the ranting of the kings of the earth is reflected in Acts 4:23-30. The middle of the Psalm 2 introduction of the Messiah and his connection with the Davidic covenant is reflected by Paul (Acts 13:32-33; Romans 1:2-4; Hebrews 1:1-5; Hebrews 4:4-5). The declaration of the Messiah’s rulership over the earth and the accompanying warning at end of Psalm 2 is reflected by the beloved disciple John (Rev. 2:26-28; Rev. 12:3-5 and Rev. 19:11-16).

The Believer’s Endorsement

Christ’s followers, or the “concert attenders”, were inspired to proclaim their experiences to the people around them. But they were met with opposition from the religious authorities, or the “music industry experts.” On their way to a prayer meeting at the temple, Peter and John healed a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus. Instead of celebrating with them, the religious leaders detained Peter and John for questioning. After being told to never again preach the name of Jesus, Peter and John were released by the religious leaders and they returned to the believers and told them what happened (Acts 4:23-30).

In response, the believers lifted their voices and prayed the opening verses of Psalm 2. The believers saw in Psalm 2 the people and groups involved in Jesus’ crucifixion: “the kings of the earth” corresponded to King Herod, “the rulers” to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, “the nations” to the Gentile authorities, and “the people” with “the people of Israel.” The early believers applied Psalm 2 directly to Jesus and their governing authorities.

Paul’s Endorsement

The apostle Paul, who had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, used the Psalm 2:7 phrase, “you are my son, today I have become your father,” on four occasions to endorse Jesus as the Messiah. Here is an example from Acts 13:32-33: “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’”

Paul depicted Jesus as being born in King David’s family line (Rom. 1:2-4) – a prerequisite for the Messiah. Paul not only endorsed Jesus as the Psalm 2 “God’s son,” but showed him to be superior to angels (Heb. 1:1-5), and the perfect High Priest who became the source of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:1-5).

John’s Endorsement

John’s revelation had three endorsements of Jesus as the Messiah that referred to the conclusion of Psalm 2 (Rev. 2:26-28; Rev. 12:3-5; Rev. 19:11-16). In each of the references John used the language of Psalm 2:9, “He will rule them with an iron rod” to show Jesus as the true messianic king. Jesus is returning as conqueror and king to meet the challenge from the nations of the earth and to execute judgment.

At the beginning of Psalm 2, the kings and rulers of the world drew up their battle lines. The closing of Psalm 2 looked ahead to the end of the age when the king rode out onto the field with the armies of heaven to meet the rebellious nations, to strike them down and to execute judgment.

Glowing Reviews

The New Testament authors showed that Jesus lived up to the Psalm 2 billing of the Messiah. He was not like the Old Testament messiahs who tried, but mostly failed, in their role as the chosen ones – the bridges between heaven and earth.

The transfigured Jesus was superior to the law and the prophets. Paul portrayed Jesus as superior to angels and as the perfect High Priest who was the source of eternal salvation. John looked ahead and saw that when Jesus returns, he will be the ultimate King over all nations. Jesus was far superior to the Old Testament messiahs.

If the New Testament authors were concert attendees and reviewers, and Jesus’ life on earth was the main event, then the reviews are glowing. Based on their understanding of the Old Testament messiahs, the reviews show that Jesus did not disappoint. He far exceeded their expectations.

Back to the Band

After hearing the song, Contact (Complexus), I had the opportunity to see Falling Up in concert. And they didn’t disappoint. The irony is that they were the not the main act but the warm-up for an even better band. Some of you may have heard of the main act – Hawk Nelson!

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Up Next

After Messiah – what then?

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Notes:

1. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament, Copyright 2004.
2. Life Application Study Bible, p 1617
3. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament