To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part One)

To Fulfill What Was Spoken (Part One).  Each of the four gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—draw from roughly the same content of Jesus’ life, ministry, teaching, death, and resurrection, but each one writes to a distinct audience from a distinct perspective with a distinct goal. Matthew writes to the Jews from an Old Testament fulfillment perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Messianic King. Mark writes to the Romans from an action and accomplishment perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Divine Lord who came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many. Luke writes to the Greeks from an outsiders’ perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Son of Man who came to seek and save the lost. John writes to the whole world from a theological perspective with the goal of convincing them that Jesus is the Son of God who possesses and grants eternal life to all who believe.

Zeroing in on The Gospel According to Matthew, the apostle uses at least twenty-four direct Old Testament promises or descriptions that have been exclusively fulfilled in Jesus Christ. By viewing Jesus through the Old Testament, one can and must recognize him as the Messiah. “Virtually every significant event of Jesus’ life is shown to fulfill Scripture” (Andreas Kostenberger, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown, p. 214). Of those examples, ten follow a certain “fulfillment formula” that alerts the reader of Matthew’s cumulative biblical evidence supporting the singular conclusion that Jesus is King. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 1:22).

Fulfillment Formula #1 (Matt. 1:23 + Isa. 7:14)

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’ which means, God with us” (Matt. 1:20-23).

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).

Fulfillment Formula #2 (Matt. 2:15 + Hos. 11:1)

“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matt. 2:13-15).

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos. 11:1).