Monday, February 13, 2012

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 2 - Matt. 16-28

I'm continuing my study on how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and "shadows" of the Old Testament.
  • Matt. 17:1-13 is the Transfiguration. Such an incredible story! Moses & Elijah show up and the disciples offer to make altars for all three (including Jesus). But then Moses & Elijah disappear and God speaks - "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (the last half of verse 5). God is getting rid of Moses & Elijah and telling the disciples to listen to Jesus. It's reminiscent of God speaking the 10 Commandments to the Israelites at Sinai, but this time He's replacing the law (represented by Moses) and the prophets (represented by Elijah) with Jesus' teachings! So powerful! That in no way diminishes the importance of the law & the prophets to the people that it was intended for, but once Jesus came they had served their purpose. We aren't supposed to focus on the law or the prophets anymore. God told us to listen to Jesus!
  • Matt. 17:10-13 - Jesus compares John the Baptist to Elijah
  • Matt. 18:16 - Jesus is quoting from Deut. 19:15 and reiterates & expands the command for the church (similar to what he did in the Beatititudes sermon).
  • Matt. 19:1-9 is dealing with divorce. Jesus refers back to Gen. 1:27 & 2:24 speaking for the permanence of marriage. In verse 7, the Pharisees ask why Moses allowed a certificate of divorce (see Deut. 24:1-4). Verse 8 - "Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.'" It's interesting to note that the original law in Deut. was from God (through Moses - the mediator), along with the other 612 laws. They were given to a specific people at a specific time, but when Jesus came He is changing it.
  • Matt. 19:16-26 - the story of the rich young ruler. He asks Jesus what he has to do to get eternal life & Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. He lists off 6 commands - 5 of which are part of the 10 Commandments and one which is in the rest of the law (Lev. 19:18). The young man said he had kept them all (he had kept the law perfectly, apparently), but asked what he still lacked. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and to follow Him.
  • Matt. 21:1-5 - fulfillment of Zech. 9:9
  • Matt. 21:9 quotes from Psalm 118:26
  • Matt. 21:13 quotes from Isa. 56:7 & Jer. 7:11
  • Matt. 21:16 quotes from Psalm 8:2
  • Matt. 21:42 - fulfillment of Psalm 118:22-23
  • Matt. 22:32 quotes from Ex. 3:6
  • Matt. 22:34-40 - When asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was, Jesus didn't quote from the 10 Commandments but instead quoted from other parts of the law (Deut. 6:5 & Lev. 19:18). Verse 37-40 - "Jesus replied: '"''Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments.'"
  • Matt. 22:43-44 quotes from Psalm 110:1
  • Matt. 23:2-3 - "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you..." This fits perfectly with the new covenant beginning at Jesus' death. Until then, they were obligated to keep the whole law given to Moses.
  • Matt. 23:39 quotes from Psalm 118:26
  • Matt. 24:15 refers to Dan. 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11. He goes on to list inconveniences (not impossibilities) - pregnant women, nursing mothers, leaving in the winter or on the Sabbath (they were in a Jewish city whose gates were closed on Sabbath - Neh. 13:19)
  • Matt. 24:29 quotes Is. 13:10 & 34:4
  • Matt. 24:36-41 compares the situation to the days of Noah
  • Matt. 25:31-46 talks about the actions of the saved vs. the actions of the lost. It's not at all about law-keeping (in Matt. 23 Jesus was raking the Pharisees over the coals for keeping the law but missing the point - love), but about loving God and loving your neighbor. Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking the stranger in, clothing the naked, taking care of the sick, visiting those in prison.
  • Matt. 26:24 - "The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him..." (fulfilling more prophecies with His death)
  • Matt. 26:26-29 is the Lord's Supper. Jesus makes it clear that His blood is the blood of the new covenant. Verse 28 - "This is my blood of the (some transcripts say "the new") covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." We will learn more about the new covenant in the rest of the New Testament (it's interesting to note that testament and covenant are interchangeable in the Bible!).
  • Matt. 26:31 fulfills Zech. 13:7
  • Matt. 26:53-54 & 56 - "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?... But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled..."
  • Matt. 27:9-10 - fulfillment of Zech. 11:12-13, Jer. 19:1-13 & 32:6-9
  • Matt. 27:35 - fulfillment of Psalm 22:18
  • Matt. 27:46 quotes from Psalm 22:1
  • Matt. 28:18:20 is the Great Commission - "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

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