Expert: Brenda Martin - 8/18/2004

Question
I am a Christian, and I am interested in ways in which the portraits of Christ in the four gospels are said to be represented in the Old Testament.

  For example in Ezekiel chapter 1, a vision of God's throne is described. The throne is accompanied by cherubim with four faces: the face of a lion, the face of an ox, the face of an eagle and the face of a man.

  The lion is said to represent majesty, pointing to Matthew's gospel where the focus is on Jesus the Messiah King. Oxen served in hard agricultural work, pointing to Mark's gospel where 'Jesus the Servant' is a major theme. The man's face indicates humanity, pointing to Luke's gospel where this aspect of Christ is emphasised. The eagle is said to represent deity, with an example given from Isaiah, pointing to John's gospel where Jesus is God.

  Do you think that this interpretation is correct? For example - is it really the case that Luke emphasises 'Jesus the Man' more than the other gospels, and Mark, 'Jesus the Servant'? What verses can be used to show this? Different commentaries seem to say different things.

Do you know any other "fourfold motifs" like this one?

Thankyou very much indeed for your time.

Answer
Hi Joe, you asked about--"EZEKIEL CHAPTER 1,VISION OF GOD'S THRONE?"

LION--These distinctive living creatures evidently highlight specific godly qualities. First, there is the lion. A lion is used in the Bible as a symbol of courage, especially in the pursuit of justice and righteousness. (2 Samuel 17:10; Proverbs 28:1) Thus, the lion well represents the godly quality of courageous justice. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14)

BULL-- The second living creature resembles a young bull. What quality does a bull bring to your mind? To the Israelites the bull was a valuable possession because of its power. (Proverbs 14:4; see also Job 39:9-11.) The young bull, then, represents power, dynamic energy as supplied by Almighty God.—Psalm 62:11; Isaiah 40:26.

MAN--The third living creature has a face like a man's. This must represent godlike love, since on earth man alone was created in God's image, with the superlative quality of love. (Genesis 1:26-28; Matthew 22:36-40; 1 John 4:8, 16) Undoubtedly, the cherubs display this quality as they serve around God's throne.

EAGLE-- What now of the fourth living creature? This one is like a flying eagle in appearance. God himself calls attention to the eagle's great vision: “Far into the distance its eyes keep looking.” (Job 39:29) Hence, the eagle well symbolizes farsighted wisdom. God is the Source of wisdom. His cherubs exercise divine wisdom as they obey his commands.—Proverbs 2:6; James 3:17.

Significance of LION--Most of the Scriptural references to the lion are figurative, or illustrative. The entire nation of Israel (Nu 23:24; 24:9), and individually the tribes of Judah (Ge 49:9) and Gad (De 33:20), were prophetically compared to lions, representative of invincibility and courage in righteous warfare. (Compare 2Sa 17:10; 1Ch 12:8; Pr 28:1.)

Almighty God likens himself to a lion in executing judgment on his unfaithful people. (Ho 5:14; 11:10; 13:7-9)

And God's foremost judicial officer, Jesus Christ, is “the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah.” (Re 5:5) Appropriately, therefore, the lion, as a symbol of courageous justice, is associated with God's presence and throne.—Eze 1:10; 10:14; Re 4:7.

Significance of BULL--In Bible symbolism the bull is used to denote power and strength. The molten sea in front of Solomon's temple rested on representations of 12 bulls, in groups of three facing each of the cardinal directions. (2Ch 4:2, 4)

The four living creatures seen in vision by the prophet Ezekiel accompanying the chariotlike throne of Almighty God each had four faces, one of which was that of a bull. (Eze 1:10)

In the vision of the apostle John, one of the four living creatures around the throne was like a young bull. (Re 4:6, 7) Hence, the bull would fitly represent one of God's basic attributes, namely, unlimited power.—Ps 62:11; Isa 40:26.

Significance of EAGLE-- This powerful bird of prey was a frequent symbol used by the prophets to represent the warring forces of enemy nations in their sudden and often unexpected attacks. (De 28:49-51; Jer 48:40; 49:22; Ho 8:1) The Babylonian and Egyptian rulers were characterized as eagles. (Eze 17:3, 7

Eagles are used in Revelation to represent creatures attending God's throne and announcing the judgment messages of God for those on earth, doubtless to indicate swiftness and farsightedness.—Re 4:7; 8:13;  Eze 1:10; 10:14.

The scriptures show Jesus possessed all of these godly qualities, however he was NOT and never has been, ALMIGHTY GOD, the scriptures clearly show Jesus to be God's SON, a separate and distinct person created by ALMIGHTY God. Perhaps you would like to discuss this further as it is quite a large subject?

"IS IT REALLY THE CASE THAT LUKE EMPHASISES 'JESUS THE MAN' MORE THAN THE OTHER GOSPELS?"

At times the descriptions of afflictions healed by Jesus are more specific than in the other accounts.—Compare Mt 8:14; Mr 1:30; Lu 4:38; Mt 8:2; Mr 1:40; Lu 5:12. I believe due to the fact, Luke was a Doctor. His background as a doctor is noticeable in his use of medical terms.—Lu 4:38; Ac 28:8.

POINTS OF UNIQUENESS.-- As in the case of the three other Gospels, Luke's account provides abundant evidence that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God. It reveals Jesus to have been a man of prayer, one who relied fully on his heavenly Father. (Lu 3:21; 6:12-16; 11:1; 23:46)

It contains numerous supplementary details, which, when combined with what is found in the three other Gospels, furnish a more complete picture of the events associated with Christ Jesus. Almost all of chapters 1 and 2 are without parallel in the other Gospels.

At least six specific miracles and more than twice that number of illustrations are unique to the book.

You are trying to look for a connection between Ezekiel's vision and Jesus, because I assume you believe Jesus and ALMIGHTY God are one and the same, correct? The scriptures say different, so while I agree Jesus possessed all these qualities portrayed by his Father, I do not believe they are one and the same person, if you would like to discuss this subject I will be happy to do so.

All the best
Brenda