Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying… Matthew 1:22 KJV
The aim of the Gospel of Matthew is to demonstrate that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah/King of Israel. Throughout the book he uses this key phrase, “that it might be fulfilled”, when referring to events in the life of Christ. In the first chapter he traces the legal line of Christ back to King David and then to Abraham. This was to establish a line of promise. He also describes the angel’s visit to Joseph, after he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, quoting Isaiah 7:14 for the virgin birth, to show that the child she carried fulfilled Scripture. The birth of Christ was not a matter of matching a few Old Testament prophecies, Matthew moves from dot to dot to prove that Jesus alone fulfilled them.
Lord, we are grateful for the perspective of Matthew’s Gospel which shows how every event in the life of Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies relating to the Messiah. It provides a solid foundation for us to stand on. Our faith is not empty, but testable and provable by Your Word.
