The Flood Story and Jesus

Jesus brings up the Flood story from Genesis just one time (in the recorded teachings we have).

First to set the scene, Jesus and his disciples are visiting the temple, and the disiples are kind of "ooo-ing" and "aaah-ing" when Jesus tells them about about the coming destruction...

Matthew 24:1–2 (ESV):  24 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his
disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he
answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will
not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”  

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 24:1–2). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Matthew 24:37–39 (ESV): 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming
of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered
the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 24:37–39). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

At one point in Jesus' description of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, he brings up the Son of Man and Noah...

Jesus says that the "coming of the Son of Man" will be like when Noah built the ark, and no one understood until the flood (κατακλυσμός | kataklysmos) came and took them away.

In Jesus' mind the flood narrative gives him imagery and vocabulary to talk about when God allows foreign powers to come and bring judgement... This isn't an interpretation of the flood narrative, but it clues us into the idea that the Hebrew bible is full of imagery, like a quilt, that follows a (or several) pattern(s).

Jesus understood the flood story as a pattern - a theological category to talk
about God overthrowing the corrupt power systems of our world - Tim Mackie

I think sometimes we look at the flood and think God is so bad for taking out all of humanity, but we miss the point... God is RESTORING humanity by removing corruption... that's eventually the story we're invited into via faith in Jesus

Types

A type is a category of prophecy, and an antitype is the revelation of the type.

Essentially - a type is a pattern, and the antytype is the revelation of the meaning of the pattern - and without understanding the preceding types (in this case, the flood) then the antitype cannot be understood (in this case baptism)

a trivial example of how a type, or a pattern, can be noticed and even build anticipation is to think 2, 4, 6, 8... what comes next? 10, and we all know that immediately. Types in general, and types in the Bible are no different, albeit not so simple...

Flood and Baptism

Brace yourself...

1 Peter 3:18–22 (ESV): 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous
for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the
spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few,
that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which
corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but
as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with
angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.  

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Pe 3:18–22). (2016). Crossway
Bibles.

Notice verse 21 - "Baptism, which corresponds to this"

Corresponds is the word ἀντίτυπος (antitupos) in Greek, which means "anti-type" This means clearly that the type, or a type, for baptism, is the flood narrative... or that baptism is the antitype for the flood

What does this mean for baptism?

21 Baptism, which
corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but
as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with
angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him

Through baptism, we experience with Jesus, resurrection and rule of the angels, authorities, and power of the world...

Take Away

For the disciples listening... are they arguing about when the flood happened? or if it was a global or local flood?

No... they are listening to Jesus unpack patterns in the Bible and they hear him invite them, through a story they know very well, into rule and reign with him