As we began our series on the Gospel of Luke, I noted that the focus of Luke and the precedents he followed was on the things that have been accomplished among us (1:1). I mentioned that a better translation of accomplished would be fulfilled. That language more clearly connects Luke’s gospel to the Old Testament. It highlights that, certain discontinuities aside, the Bible is one unified story. Therefore, the events recorded about the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus are meant to be viewed as the promises and prophecies of God come to pass.
Jesus Himself makes this point at the end of Luke’s gospel. In chapter 24, we have the account of the resurrected Jesus walking with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They initially don’t recognize Him as He engages them in conversation. He asks them what they have been talking about and they are incredulous that He doesn’t know what has occurred in Jerusalem. When He asks them, What things? they give an answer that reveals their lack of understanding.
To their response, Jesus offers a word of rebuke. He says, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Note the basis for his rebuke. It is that they have not understood what the prophets of the Old Testament were declaring. If they had, they would have known that the Messiah had to suffer.
Luke then highlights this connection between the Old Testament and Jesus. He writes, And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. The language of Moses and all the prophets is a reference to all the Old Testament. Jesus is declaring that all of the Old Testament is fulfilled in Him. While less explicit, it is not too much of a leap that during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension, when Jesus appeared to His disciples speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), He was teaching them the same thing He taught those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. This is evident in Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, which centers around preaching how Jesus fulfilled certain Old Testament texts (Joel 2; Psalm 16, 110).
There are numerous resources you can find that point out all the ways in which Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. Here are a few with their Lukan parallel:
*Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26-31)
*Messiah would inherit an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Luke 1:33)
*Messiah would proclaim good news to the poor (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18)
*Messiah would offer physical healing (Isaiah 53:5; Luke 7:22)
*Messiah would ride a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:28-40)
*Messiah would be betrayed (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:47-48)
*Messiah would provide atonement for sin (Isaiah 52:15-53:12; Luke 22:63-65)
Saints, to understand the gospel of Luke (and all the New Testament), we must read it in light of the Old Testament. We would then get a sense of the wonder and awe of those original disciples that all those long-spoken promises were finally coming true. But even more important, the voice of the language (things that have been accomplished among us - passive voice) reminds us this is not work that we did. Instead, it was work that was done by someone else for us. Now, who could that be?
