then he said to them, “these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” [luke 24:44]
here’s the backdrop: Jesus has just appeared to the marys and joanna, cleopas and his companion on the way to emmaus and now, the disciples. after showing them his wounds and eating some fish as a proof that he indeed, has bodily resurrected, and isn’t just a spirit. he then goes on to affirm his words spoken as recorded in matthew:
“do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [matthew 5:17]
the law of moses is fulfilled in Jesus:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” [genesis 3:15]
The prophecies of the prophets are fulfilled in Jesus:
there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. [isaiah 11:1-2]
the psalms are fulfilled in Jesus:
my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? …
posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. [psalm 22:1, 30-31, (open the word and read all of psalm 22!)]
this is just a small sampling! as Christians, we know that the hundreds of prophecies of the old testament were fulfilled in the work and person of Christ. when we read scripture today, we know that we still are promised that though the world groans for a final consummation, those who are in Christ will no longer experience pain and suffering when Christ will reveal himself yet again, redeeming and resurrecting us to our final and ultimate end, worshiping him forever!
for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. [romans 8:22-23]
after this i looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [revelation 7:9-10]
and so we have the mission of taking the good news of the gospel everywhere–we read and speak and proclaim with Holy Spirit power that rests on us, let us open the scriptures, and ask Christ to open minds of the lost people that surround us to the truth that God has by grace revealed to us! it “must be fulfilled!”
~ ce