March 3

Fulfillment in scripture does not necessarily refer to predictions that have come true in latter chapters of the bible. Rather, fulfillment refers to the word spoken by God in the Old Testament being given a new sense of meaning through Jesus to reveal what God truly intends. This idea can be seen in the words spoken by Hosea in Matthew 2, which say, “that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.” This quote reminds the reader of the Exodus as the Israelites were “called” out of Egypt, but it is given new meaning in the New Testament as Jesus returns from Egypt following the death of Herod. Jesus was God’s way of fulfilling what was promised in the Old Testament. There are many aspects of the Old Testament and the nation of Israel that are left unanswered going into the New Testament and the life of Jesus is what brings closure to these questions. For example, God’s entire reasoning for establishing a covenant with Abraham and bringing the Israelites out of Egypt was to bring his people in close communion with him. Jesus fulfills this communion as the gospel of Matthew emphasizes the idea of Jesus as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” There are many other parallels drawn between the Old Testament and the opening chapters of Luke and Matthew, such as the birth of John the Baptist. Zechariah and Elizabeth were both old in age, yet God blessed them with a son, similar to how God blessed Abraham and Sarah with Isaac. These parallels help emphasize the fulfillment of scripture through the life of Jesus.