Jesus’ Fulfillment of the Old Testament (Sermon: Matthew 1:18-25)

Matthew teaches us that Jesus’ birth fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament (Matt. 1:22-23), but what does it mean to fulfill something? I believe that we see two prominent ways in which Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament. First, promises made in the Old Testament come to fruition in Jesus and His ministry. For example, Zechariah prophesied: “behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Accordingly, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Mark 11). Psalms foretells of the crucifixion: “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (Psalms 22:16). And so He was pierced as they crucified Him.

A second type of fulfillment is seen in Jesus’ replacement of the Old Testament feasts and institutions. For example, Jesus replaces the Passover lamb. Paul tells us: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). Thus, we do not celebrate the Passover today, because Christ is our Passover. In celebrating Him, we commemorate the Passover.

These are but a few examples of Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament. They teach us that God has been working throughout history to bring about His plan of redemption and that the events of Christ’s life, including the betrayal and crucifixion, were all part of God’s plan.