January 18, 2026 -What Came First
- brooks16055
- Jan 18
- 3 min read
Matthew 13:35 NIV
[35] So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
When I read this I thought. What came first the chicken or the egg? Did Jesus speak in parables because that is what the prophecies said or did the prophets say this because Jesus was always going to speak in parables. I know that the words spoken by the prophets were given to them by God and that God is sovereign and all-knowing so He knew the plan and that Jesus would be speaking in parables. And Jesus being God and being with the Father before coming to earth was also speaking to the prophets. But I can see where the non-believers would think that Jesus was intentionally trying to fulfill the prophecies. Especially the Jews of Jesus and the Apostles time. There were many false Messiah's before Him who did just that. But they were trying to be the kind of Messiah that the people were looking for. A great military leader. Jesus came defying all that they thought the Messiah should be. Also, there were prophecies that they didn't know were prophecies until it was revealed by Jesus and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. So, the false messiahs would not have tried to fulfill them.
So, I know that Jesus fulfilled prophecy because the prophecy was written about Him and was foreknown. But that comes from faith in the foreknowledge, sovereignty and plan of God. Without the Holy Spirit to soften the heart to receive the truth of His word doubters are going doubt, and this is one thing they will question. I love that as a believer it is possible to ponder these kinds of things and not get lost in the distraction and the paradox. Knowing God and remembering your personal experiences with Him strengthens your faith and makes room for these kinds of questions and even doubts because you are not thinking about it on your own.
Genesis 35:14-15 NIV
[14] Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. [15] Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.
Jacob put up a stone pillar to remember who God is and what He did for him. Bethel means house of God. He did many times throughout his life. It is a worthy study to look at all the stone pillars that were set up by the people of God as sacred markers. They would set up the pillars, and anoint them with oil, and pour a drink offering on them. They would name it a name that spoke to what happened there and make oaths to God. We can do the same in our lives. You can make your own physical markers, but it is more about the heart. So, your sacred marker can be different from someone else's. You may physically build one if you are a literal physical person. Maybe you are a reader/writer. Then you might journal them. Maybe you are a talker. So, you keep the name of them written down but you go back and speak them out loud. All these things are way that we can remember what God has done. For us and for others all the way back to Adam and Eve if you want to go that far back. When we remember who He is and what He has done, questions like what came first don't matter.
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