Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 13 - Acts 21-28

Acts 21:20-21 - "When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: 'You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to their customs." Then they gave Paul instructions on what to do (in verses 24-25) so that "everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from teh meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality." It appears that it was good for Jewish Christians to still keep the law (the whole thing), but Gentile Christians were only put under the Noahide laws. This will be clarified later in Paul's writings.

Acts 22:3 - Paul was a Jew and thoroughly trained in Jewish law

Acts 24:14 - "However, I admist that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets..."

Acts 24:17-18 - Paul says he was ceremonial clean when we brought gifts for the poor and presented offerings. If one of the arguments in favor of Sabbath-keeping for Christians is that Paul "kept" the Sabbath, we should be consistent and say that we need to be ceremonial clean since Paul made sure to follow Jewish law. In fact, in verse 8, Paul says, "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

Acts 26:22-23 - "...I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."

Acts 28:17 - Paul says he has done nothing against the Jewish people or the customs of their ancestors.

Acts 28:23 - "They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

Acts 28:26-27 - fulfillment of Is. 6:9-10

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 12 - Acts 11-20

Acts 11:1-18 - Peter explains the meaning of the vision about the unclean animals - Gentiles were no longer to be considered "unclean" and they were to receive the Gospel message as well. It's interesting to note that some people believe there are meats that are still considered "unclean" by God. If that were the case, it would make this story very confusing - the literal meaning of this would be false but the figurative meaning of this story would be true. But the same could be said of, say, the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Would Jesus use a parable that was literally false but figuratively true if it would confuse people about what happens when you die? It seems to me that His parables were based on everyday events and things that really could and did happen (people losing a coin, people finding a buried treasure, a shepherd looking for his sheep, etc.). Anyway, there are many other passages that let us know the ceremonial "clean" and "unclean" meats are done away with, but this is one many people dismiss since it also demonstrates another point.  Fulfillment of shadow in Lev. 20:22-26 (Thanks, Michael M.).

Acts 12:3 mentions the Feast of Unleavened Bread & verse 4 mentions the Passover. Some people argue that because the Sabbath is mentioned in context with the disciples or Jesus that it is evidence we should keep it today. Should we also keep this feast because it is mentioned? It's easy to see how silly that logic is when applied to this. And yes, the Sabbath is mentioned more often because it was a weekly occurrence for the Jews - whereas the other Feasts occurred once a year.

Acts 13:14-52 - Paul went to Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath (since that is when they met to worship) and told them about Jesus. They weren't meeting with fellow Christian believers. It wasn't a Christian meeting - they went into the Jewish synagogues when they were there in an attempt to reach them for Christ. Verse 15 - the leaders read "from the Law and the Prophets." Verse 27 - "The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath." Verse 29 - "When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb." Verses 32-33 - "We tell you the good news: What God promised to our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus..." Verses 38-39 - "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses."

Acts 13:33 - fulfillment of Psalm 2:7

Acts 13:34 - fulfillment of Is. 55:3

Acts 13:35 - fulfillment of Psalm 16:10

Acts 13:41 - fulfillment of Hab. 1:5

Acts 13:47 - fulfillment of Is. 49:6

Acts 14:1 - "At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."

Acts 14:15 - also uses the phrase, "who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them." It's not talking about the Sabbath at all or putting the Sabbath at Creation - simply telling people that God is the Creator!

Acts 15:1 - "Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.'" Verse 5 - "Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, 'The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.'" While the law given by God through Moses was good and holy and served it's purpose, it was not eternal and was decided by the apostles that it didn't apply to Christian. Circumcision was the entrance sign to the entire law. Once you were circumcised, you had to keep the law. If you weren't circumcised, the law didn't apply to you. The Jewish converts to Christianity wanted the Gentile Christians to be circumcised, too, and to keep the law of Moses, but Peter said (in verse 10-11) - "Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." Verse 19-21 - "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." This was all that was asked of Gentile Christians. One may say, "Oh, so it was ok for them to kill and lie and steal???" But that conclusion is made without an understanding of how salvation works. When we accept Jesus and are saved, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us and changes our hearts. When we love God & love others, we will naturally abide by the moral laws. Interestingly, the laws imposed on the new church were the laws given to Noah. Jews believed those laws to apply to all people (Gentiles as well as Jews) since God made that covenant with all of mankind (not specifically the Children of Israel like the Mosaic covenant). Jews, however, did not expect un-circumcised people to keep the law (613 laws) of Moses. In order for Jews to take Gentile Christians seriously, they would expect them to follow the Noahide laws. The Noahide laws are reiterated in verses 28-29. Here's an article on the Laws of Noah - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah

Acts 16:31 tells us what is required - "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.'"

Acts 17:2-4 - "As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. 'This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,' he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.'" He went to Jewish synagogues to reach them with the Gospel! He was witnessing - not worshipping with fellow believers.

Acts 17:11 - "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." They studied the Old Testament to see if Jesus fulfilled what it said about the Messiah. They also studied every day.

Acts 18:4-6 - "Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.'" It is interesting to note that this is the LAST mention of Paul "keeping" the Sabbath. Once he turned his outreach from the Jews to the Gentiles, there is no more mention of anyone worshipping on Sabbath. In fact, the next time (and only time after this) that the word "Sabbath" is used is Col. 2:16 - "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."

Acts 18:12-13 - Paul was taken to court for "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."

Acts 18:28 - "For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ."

Acts 20:6 - They reference the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Acts 20:7 - Believers were meeting on the first day of the week to break bread.

Acts 20:27 - "For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 11 - Acts 1-10

Acts 1:16 - "and said, 'Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus -"

Acts 1:20 - fulfillment of Psalm 69:25 & Psalm 109:8

Acts 2:17-21 - fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32

Acts 2:25-28 - fulfillment of Psalm 16:8-11

Acts 2:31 - David talked about the resurrection of Christ

Acts 2:34-35 - quotes from Psalm 110:1

Acts 2:41 - 3,000 were saved at the birth of the church; Exodus 32:28 - 3,000 died at the birth of the law. "Ministry of death" versus "Ministry which brings life".  Both took place on the day of Pentacost.  (Thanks, Michael M. for this one!)

Acts 2:46-47 - the believers met every day

Acts 3:18-25 - "'But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets, from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. As you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all people on earth will be blessed.'" - Quoting from Deut. 18:15-19 & Gen. 22:18 & 26:4

Acts 4:11 - quoting from Psalm 118:22

Acts 4:24 uses the phrase - "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them." - I've heard this used in other verses to tie it back to creation to prove it's talking about the Sabbath existing from creation. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Sabbath here.

Acts 4:25-26 - quoting from Psalm 2:1-2

Acts 4:32 - the believers shared everything they had. Verse 34 & 35 - from time to time people sold what they had and distributed it to those who needed it. It wasn't a prescribed amount (for example, 10%), but everything or whatever the Holy Spirit impressed.

Acts 6:11-14 - "Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, 'We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.' So they stirred up the people and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, 'This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.'"

Acts 7:3 - quotes from Gen. 12:1

Acts 7:7 - quotes from Gen. 15:13-14

Acts 7:27-28 - quotes from Ex. 2:14

Acts 7:32 - quotes from Ex. 3:6

Acts 7:33-34 - quotes from Ex. 3:5-10

Acts 7:37 - quotes from Deut. 18:!5

Acts 7:40 - quotes from Ex. 32:1

Acts 7:42-43 - quotes from Amos 5:25-27

Acts 7:49-50 - quotes from Is. 66:1-2

Acts 8:32-33 - quotes from Is. 53:7-8

Acts 8:35 - "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." He showed the Ethiopian man how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah.

Acts 10:9-16 - Peter has the vision about the unclean meats. He was told, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat... Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Verses 13 & 15) Later, in verse 28 Peter says, "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew ot associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean." In the Old Testament (under the old covenant), God made many things ceremonial "clean" or "unclean". They were all symbolic. As Jesus said, it's not what goes into a person that makes him clean but what's in his heart.

Acts 10:43 - "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 10 - John 15-21

John 15:9-17 - This is a long passage, but worth reading the whole thing - “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.'" I've heard bits and pieces of this passage quoted and applied to say that if we love God we should keep the 10 Commandments, but that is not at all what is being talked about here. It's crystal clear when read in context - especially in light of the other passages in John we've already covered. Yes, if we love God we will obey His commands - and what are His commands? To love one another! It's repeated in case we missed it the first few times! :)

John 15:25 - "'But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: "They hated me without reason."'" - Quoting from Psalms 35:19 & Psalm 69:4. Psalms was included in the Law. And this is very distinct from the commands of Jesus spoken of in previous verses.

John 17:8 - "For I gave them the words that you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.'" Jesus' words are the Father's words.

John 17:12 - "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.'"

John 17:14 - "'I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the wolrd any more than I am of the world.'"

John 18:9 - fulfillment of what Jesus spoke in John 6:39

John 19:24 - fulfillment of Psalm 22:18

John 19:28 - "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" Verse 30 - "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.'"

John 19:36-37 - Fulfillment of Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12, Psalm 34:20, and Zech. 12:10

John 20:9 - "(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)"

John 20:30-31 - "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - We see how Jesus fulfilled the things that were written about Him.

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 9 - John 8-14

I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure learning a lot through this experience! Many of these passages were already familiar to me, but many are new, too! It's exciting to read the New Testament and see how the Old Testament was pointing to Jesus. It's all about Him! I'm sure there are far more eloquent articles on this subject elsewhere, but for me this is all about reading it straight from the source so I'm sure of what it's really saying - then I share it here. I know these are much different from my usual blogs, but even if I'm the only one reading this, I am learning & growing by reading & writing these passage down. Here we go again! :)

• John 8:1-11 is talking about the woman caught in adultery. Verse 5 - "'In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?'" Now remember, this was the law that God gave through Moses - it included stoning. Instead of abiding by the law that He Himself set, Jesus told them that whoever was without sin could throw the first stone. We are all sinners, but through Jesus we have forgiveness. The law that God gave through Moses was for a specific people for a specific time frame - it wasn't for everyone everywhere for all times!
• John 8:28 - "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.'" Much emphasis is put on the fact that God spoke the 10 Commandments. And yet even more emphasis should be put on everything that Jesus Himself spoke. He was here speaking to us the very things that God the Father wanted Him to say. Talk about direct access to God! And yet somehow that isn't as "big" as God speaking the 10 Commandments to the Israelites...?
• John 8:31-32 - "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.'" We aren't told to hold to Moses' teachings (which was in fact God speaking to the Israelites through Moses since He gave the laws), but to hold to Jesus' teachings. Jesus revealed the will of God to us while He was here. He gave us commands to follow under the new covenant. Keeping these commands won't save us, but because we accept Him and He saves us we want to follow Him!
• John 8:31-41 talks about the Children of Abraham
• John 8:48-59 talks about how Abraham longed to see this day
• John 9 talks about Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. Verse 16 - "Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.'" Sound familiar? Hmmmm.... You know, it's interesting to me that if the Sabbath is so important and is supposed to be the final test at the end times that Jesus Himself broke the Sabbath according to the laws that God set. Yes, some of the Sabbath rules were man-made, but God commanded the Israelites not to pick up sticks on the Sabbath - Jesus told a man to pick up his bed & walk (knowing it would cause a stir). God commanded the Israelites not to gather food (manna) on the Sabbath - Jesus & His disciples picked wheat on the Sabbath to eat. Jesus compared the Sabbath to ceremonial things - circumcision and eating sacred temple bread. He seems to go out of His way to heal on the Sabbath, knowing it would be a big deal. Multiple times, we are told in the Bible that Jesus broke the Sabbath, and it isn't disputed.
• John 10:22 mentions Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication)
• John 10:34-36 - "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods', to whom the word of God came - and the Scripture cannot be broken - what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?..." This passage quotes from Psalm 82:6. Jesus references Psalms as part of the Law, so the Law included more than just the first 5 books of the Bible.
• John 12:13 quotes from Psalm 118:25-26
• John 12:15 - fulfillment of Zech 9:9
• John 12:16 - "At first his disciples did not understand this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him."
• John 12:34 - "The crowd spoke up, 'We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, "The Son of Man must be lifted up"? Who is this "Son of Man"?'" The Law included more than just the actual commands given in the books of Moses.
• John 12:38 - fulfillment of Is. 53:1
• John 12:40 - fulfillment of Is. 6:10
• John 12:41 - "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him."
• John 12:47-50 again talks about the judgement and what it's about - "'As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.'" Jesus spoke what the Father wanted Him to speak. We are to keep the words that Jesus spoke - and those who reject Jesus will be condemned by the very word that Jesus spoke.
• John 13:18 - fulfillment of Psalm 41:9
• John 13:34-35 - "'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.'" In the Old Testament, God set aside His people by a bunch of rituals - circumcision, holy days, priesthood, 613 rules... That is what made them distinct from other nations. Under the new covenant (in the New Testament), Jesus tells us that what sets us apart is love. They will know we are Christians by our love! Not by outward appearances. Not by what day we "keep".
• John 14:10 - "'Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.'" Why do we pay more attention to what God spoke to the Israelites in the Old Testament than to God's instructions to us in the New Testament?
• John 14:15 - "'If you love me, you will obey what I command.'"
• John 14:21 - "'Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.'"
• John 14:23-24 - "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teachingg. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.'" Again and again - If we love Jesus we obey His teachings! He doesn't say, "If you love me, obey the 10 Commandments," or, "If you love me, obey the law of Moses." Remember, He refers to the law of Moses a lot. But here it's something different - we are to obey Jesus' teachings!

On a side note, if you have a Strong's Concordance or access to the internet, look up "entole" and "nomos". They are the original Greek words that are translated as law or commands in English. Nomos is used for law (as in the law given to Moses - the whole thing) and entole is used for the commands of Jesus. They are different words completely, even though in English they are sometimes both translated as commandments or similar.

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 8 - John 1-7

John 1:17 - "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

John 1:23 - Quoting from Is. 40:3

John 1:45 - "Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'"

John 2:17 - fulfillment of Psalm 69:9

John 2:22 - "After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken." - Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures, but they couldn't see it until after the fact. They then saw the Scriptures through the understanding of Jesus fulfilling them.

John 2:23 - Jesus observed the Passover (as required by law)

John 3:14-15 - "'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.'" What Moses did was important to the Children of Israel and those that believed were healed. But it was just a shadow of the real thing - Jesus.

John 3:18 - "'Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.'" THAT is what we are judged on.

Confirmed in John 3:36 - "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 4:1-26 - Jesus compared the water from Jacob's well with the living water the He gives

John 5:1-15 - Jesus healed the paralytic on the Sabbath then told him to pick up his bed and walk, even though that was against the law to do on the Sabbath.

John 5:16-18 - "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.' For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." Let me point out that the laws God gave to the Children of Israel were good and had their purpose, but they served to point to Jesus. The Sabbath was the sign of the old covenant and was a shadow of the rest we have in Jesus. It isn't inherently moral or holy - Jesus had no problem breaking it by the very laws God had given through Moses. Remember, even picking up firewood, cooking, or gathering manna on the Sabbath was forbidden to the Israelites by God!

John 5:24 - "'I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (Salvation - yes, this is off my original topic, but I still had to point these passages out since they are so powerful!)

John 5:39-40 - "'You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you posses eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.'"

John 5:45-47 - "'But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?'"

John 6:28-29 - "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'" Wow! That is the work God calls us to do! To believe! Not to keep His law perfectly to show to the universe that He is just.

John 6:25-59 - Jesus tell us He is the Bread of Life and compares Himself to the manna that God sent the Israelites (again, a comparison of Jesus with Moses). He shows how He is superior to the manna that God sent. This just occurred to me. Verse 47 tells us - "'Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.'" God gave them manna which was just a shadow of the real thing - Jesus the Bread of Life. Jumping ahead to Hebrews 3 & 4, we are told that the Israelites kept the 7th day Sabbath (also a shadow - see Col. 2:16-17) but never entered God's rest. Heb. 4:10 tells us how to enter God's rest - by resting from our own works. Jesus tells us that HE will give us rest. I just thought thought the symmetry of these two passages was neat!

John 6:31 - Quotes from Ex. 16:4 & Neh. 9:15 & Psalm 78:24-25

John 6:40 - We are told what God's will is - "'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.'" Verse 47 - "'I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.'" It's that simple!

John 6:45 - Fulfillment of Is. 54:13

John 7:1-13 - Jesus attends the Feast of Tabernacles

John 7:19 - "'Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law..."

John 7:22-23 - "Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?'" This is a very revealing passage. Some people consider the Sabbath to be sacred and part of God's eternal law, and yet the so-called ceremonial laws trumped the Sabbath - even in the law that God gave. Remember, God is the one who gave circumcision and said that it must be done when a child is 8 days old (Gen. 17:12). He also gave the whole Law through Moses. And yet circumcision could be done on the Sabbath so "that the law of Moses may not be broken." How could a "ceremonial" law (circumcision) trump a "moral" law (the Sabbath)?

John 7:38 - "'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'"

John 7:42 - "Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Jesus fulfilled the Law & the Prophets - Part 7 - Luke 17-24

Luke 17:14 - Jesus told the lepers He healed to show themselves to the priests

Luke 17:26-37 - Jesus compares the days of Noah & the days of Lot to the days of the Son of Man

Luke 18:18-30 - Story of the Rich Young Ruler (see notes from Matthew & Mark) - Quotes from Ex. 20:12-16 & Deut. 5:16-20

Luke 18:31-33 - "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'"

Luke 19:9-10 - "Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.'" There seems to be major/recurring themes in Scripture. Along with the covenants, there are a lot of references to Abraham & Moses. Abraham received the promise of the Messiah (apart from the law) and Moses received the law. We are sons of Abraham and receive God's promise apart from the law (more later).

Luke 19:38 - Quotes Psalm 118:26

Luke 19:46 - Quotes Is. 56:7 & Jer. 7:11

Luke 20:17 - Fulfillment of Psalm 118:22

Luke 20:27-40 - The Sadducees brought up something in Moses' law (which again, came from God thru Moses) and Jesus told them how that differed from eternity. This is also an interesting passage on what happens when you die (read verses 37-38 in particular), but that's off topic! :)

Luke 20:37 - Quotes from Ex. 3:6

Luke 20:42-43 - Quotes from Psalm 110:1

Luke 21:23 - Mentions the hardships of fleeing the city - this passage doesn't mention the sabbath

Luke 21:32-33 - "I tell you the truth, this generation (or race, according to the footnote) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Wow! When you read this with Matt. 5:17-18 you start to see the bigger picture. Jesus says that heaven & earth will pass away but His word will never pass away! Nothing would disappear from the Law (the whole Law) until Jesus accomplished it!

Luke 21:37-38 - Jesus taught at the temple EVERY day!

Luke 22:7-8 - Jesus kept the Passover and also ate the Passover lamb since He was born "under the law." Jesus was not a vegetarian. :) Ok, that's off-topic, but I had to bring it up! If some people say Jesus was our example and we should follow everything He did...

Luke 22:19-20 - "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'" Under the old covenant, the continuing "remembrance" sign was the Sabbath - "Remember the Sabbath day..." Under the new covenant, we aren't told even once to remember the Sabbath, but "do this in remembrance of me" (the Lord's Supper).

Luke 22:37 - "'It is written, "And he was numbered with the transgressors"; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.'" (Quotes from Is. 53:12)

Luke 23:30 - Quoting from Hos. 10:8

Luke 24:25-27 - "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to then what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself."

Luke 24:32 - "They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" - Jesus if the fulfillment of the Law & the Prophets (the Scriptures). Unless we look at them with that understanding, we will miss the point and not see the big picture!

Luke 24:44-47 - "He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from teh dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."