Fulfillment Formulae In Matthew's Gospel

In the Gospel of Matthew, there is specific theme of "fulfillment" where the author uses OT texts to prove Jesus is the Messiah. This is know has the "fulfillment formulae" of Matthew. The formulae teaches us two things about the Lord. First, God's saving promises in the OT are being fulfilled. Second, God's saving promises in the OT are being fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Schreiner points out how "the fulfillment theme in Matthew demonstrates that OT prophecy anticipated and pointed towards Jesus." The various Scriptures that Matthew quotes teach us that Jesus is the new King (Matt. 2:1-6), the true Israel (Matt. 2:13-15), the new exodus (Matt. 2:16-18; 4:1-11), and the new covenant (Matt.4:14-16). Jesus ultimately fulfills the Scriptures at his baptism when the Holy Spirit descends upon him to "fulfill all righteousness" and identify him as the Servant of the Lord in the OT who came to suffer and die for the sins of his own people (cf. Matt. 3:15; 8:14-17; 12:18-21; 21:5-6; 26:50-56).

The emphasis on fulfillment in Matthew is important to understand because the author was writing to Jewish Christians who were still trying to live in old law of Judaism and not in the new law of Christ. The defining words by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is the most profound fulfillment formulae usage that is not quoting an OT text to substantiate the claim, "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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matt. 5:17-18). Even thought these two verse to not mention an OT text, they do encapsulate the idea that Jesus came to fulfill the Scriptures because they were always intended for him to accomplish and bring salvation to his people because man could never fulfill and accomplish the law.

The fulfillment formulae reveals how God's saving plans are realized in Jesus Christ. Thus, Matthew's Gospel ranges from Abraham to David, to all of the Law and the Prophets, to showcase how Jesus' birth-life-death-resurrection was not an accident, but was the promised-plan from the beginning. Indeed, the fulfillment formulae displays the inauguration of God's saving purposes that was proclaimed and prophesied from the beginning in order to confirm his messiahship who will consummate all things in the end.

The New Testament Use of the Old Testament in Matthew's Gospel

Since I have been studying NT biblical theology on my own, I wanted to balance myself to personally dig deeper one gospel, one Pauline letter, and a general epistle (i.e. Matthew, Romans, 1 John). I have been studying Matthew because of the dominant usage of the Old Testament in his gospel, and find it fascinating how much more explicit Matthew's Gospel polemically argues and reveals that Jesus is indeed the Messiah through OT references.

New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg points out in his explanation of Matthew in the outstanding book, Commentary On the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, "The Hebrew Scriptures - or Christian Old Testament - permeate Matthew's Gospel. Approximately 55 references prove close enough in wording for commentators typically to label them 'quotations,' compared to about 65 [references] for the other three canonical Gospels put together. About twenty of these texts are unique to Matthew. Twelve times Matthew speaks explicitly of a passage or theme of Scripture being 'fulfilled.' In addition to explicit quotations, numerous allusions and echoes of Scripture may be discerned in every part of this Gospel, roughly twice as often as in Mark, Luke, or John. Virtually every major theological emphasis of Matthew is reinforced with Old Testament support, often by the addition of segments of texts to the sources Matthew employed."

I love this stuff! It goes to show you that there is no mistake in Matthew's Gospel to argue and reveal the correct scriptural and soteriological identity of the Messiah. I will post some things about Romans and 1 John later because there are some really cool OT connections in those NT books to assure their audience of the person and work of Jesus Christ.