What did the Old Testament Flood foreshadow in the New Testament?

Answer 1

The people who wrote the story of the biblical Flood knew nothing of the New Testament and so had no reason to foreshadow anything in the New Testament.

However, this need not prevent us from making it foreshadow whatever New Testament event we wish. Burton L. Mack (Who Wrote the New Testament) tells how with a little ingenuity, one can come up with any comparisons between the Old Testament and the New Testament that one wishes. There is a trick that Mack sees happen all the time in the classrooms of the School of Theology at Claremont and which seems to come naturally when studying The Bible. One can ask any question of the Bible and get some kind of answer. At first the study of a text may not seem to support the answer one hopes to find in the Bible, but with a little ingenuity, one can set up the comparison again with other emphases and make the answer come out right.

We can choose, for example, to have the Flood story prefigure the baptism of Jesus. We can note that water is important to both the Flood and to baptism, and that a dove is mentioned in both stories. Using Mack's advice, we can say that the Old Testament Flood foreshadowed the baptism of Jesus.

We can choose instead to have the Flood foreshadow the crucifixion of Jesus. We can compare the sinners that could not be saved in the time of Noah with the sinners who will be saved because of the death of Jesus. In John 19:34, the soldier pierced Jesus' side, bringing forth blood and water, just as the Flood brought forth water from the deep. Using Mack's advice, we can say that the Old Testament Flood foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus. In fact, we can have the Flood story foreshadow whatever event we wish.