Day 86 · Week 13
Passage: Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25–27, 44
Memory Verse: Matthew 5:17
Luke 24:44 (KJV)
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
What did Jesus mean when He said He came to “fulfil” the law and the prophets?
One important part of the answer is that Scripture pointed forward to Him.
After His resurrection, Jesus reminded His disciples that the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms contained things written concerning Him. The promises, prophecies, sacrifices, and patterns of the Old Testament were not disconnected stories. They were part of God's unfolding plan of salvation.
Jesus brought that plan to fulfillment.
The sacrificial system pointed toward the true Lamb of God. Messianic prophecies found their fulfillment in His life, death, resurrection, and ministry. God's promises find their certainty in Him.
But fulfillment does not mean that everything God ever commanded suddenly became meaningless. We must allow Scripture itself to show us how Christ's coming affects different Old Testament laws and institutions.
Some ceremonies pointed specifically to Christ's saving work and reached their goal in Him. God's moral principles, however, express His character and continue to show us what love toward God and neighbor looks like.
Jesus is not the enemy of Scripture. He is the center toward which Scripture points.
What are some Old Testament promises, prophecies, or symbols that point forward to Jesus?
The next time your family reads an Old Testament passage, ask, “What does this teach us about God's character or His plan to save?”
Thank God that the Bible tells one connected story of His work to save us through Jesus.