The birth of Jesus as fulfilment of Scripture
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil,’ says Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:17). Part of that fulfilment, as the Gospel of Matthew eloquently shows, is the ways in which the birth of Jesus fulfils Scripture.
It is impossible to review all the prophetic words relating to this extraordinary event in this article, but one example is enough to demonstrate the richness of Jesus’ claim to fulfil the law and the prophets.
When King Herod plots to destroy the holy family, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him to flee to safety in Egypt. This, Matthew tells us, ‘was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son”’ (Matt. 2:15). The quotation comes from Hosea 11:1 and its use in Matthew has caused a lot of confusion. The verse in its original context in the book of Hosea simply does not read as a messianic prediction. It goes: ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.’
Problems with prophecy
There are three problems. First, in mentioning the son of God, Hosea is not talking about the second person of the Trinity. He means the nation of Israel, which in Exodus 4:22 is called God’s ‘firstborn son’. Second, this is not a prediction about the future. Hosea refers to a past event, the exodus from Egypt under Moses which demonstrated God’s love for Israel. Third, Matthew’s geography is odd. Hosea is thinking of Israel’s movement from Egypt into the Promised Land. In Matthew’s story Jesus, the Son of God, moves in the opposite direction – from Judea into Egypt.
What is Matthew doing here? Was he sloppy and imprecise in his use of Hosea’s prophecy? Or was he trying to deceive his readers into thinking that there was this spectacular prediction about the Messiah’s escape into Egypt? Neither of those explanations is likely. The Gospel of Matthew is the most Jewish gospel, relying more than any of the other New Testament gospels on the readers’ knowledge and understanding of the Jewish Scriptures. Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than most other New Testament writers precisely because he writes for an audience that cares about Scripture.
Theological fulfilment
Rather, by using Hosea, Matthew wants to make an important theological point. Jesus fulfils this prophecy because he fulfils God’s call to Israel. Israel was rescued by God to become a light to the nations and a witness to God’s saving power. Israel’s slavery in Egypt also exposed the oppressive cruelty of Pharaoh and his people. It culminated in the confrontation between God and Pharaoh, the Egyptian plagues and the rout of the Egyptian army at the Red Sea. With the redemption of Israel also comes God’s judgement on Egypt.
In the same way, Jesus’ coming into the world exposes its sinfulness and depravity. Much like Pharaoh (Ex. 1:15-22), King Herod orders the slaughter of innocent children because he fears the challenge that the kingdom of God poses to his own power. As the Judean king hears the news of the Messiah’s birth, his heart hardens. He does not submit to the will of God but seeks to thwart his purposes by killing his son.
Jesus is saved from Herod’s clutches, as Moses was saved from death in the Nile (Ex. 2:1-10), and as Israel was saved through the waters of the Red Sea. This is why Jesus’ flight from Judea is placed in parallel to Israel’s departure from Egypt. Judea has become a spiritually dark place, so much so that it has taken the place of Egypt.
By rescuing his son from persecution and death, God affirms two things. One, he will judge human sin. The king of Egypt cannot stand when he refuses to heed the word of God, and neither can the king of Judah. Two, God’s saving purposes will prevail even in the face of human opposition. Pharaoh tried to kill the children of Israel but could not prevent the redemption of God’s people. Herod tried to kill the children of Bethlehem but could not stop the advance of the kingdom of God.
Thus, when Jesus fulfils the prophetic word of the Old Testament, he does not simply act out events that have been foreseen in advance. He does much more. He reveals the true meaning of what God has done in the past and what God is doing in the present. The whole gospel is contained in the fulfilment of Hosea 11:1, as Matthew sees it. The Son of God is called out of Egypt to bring judgement and salvation to the world.
