Fulfillment of All Prophecies
one
Ecce Homo!
Pilate, perhaps the most horrendous coward who ever lived, didn’t want to kill Jesus. He was, somehow, afraid to kill this obviously innocent, just, and righteous man. But Pilate was more afraid of the mob, who was demanding Jesus’s blood. So Pilate tried to do what all cowards do – he tried to make an utterly inconsistent compromise, by having Jesus whipped, and then declaring him innocent.
Of course, if Jesus was guilty of insurrection and blasphemy, then no one would be satisfied with scourging him. And if Jesus was innocent, then having Him scourged was a gross violation of justice. But it takes courage and integrity to be consistent, and Pilate had neither.
After Jesus was scourged, and spat upon, and crowned with thorns, Pilate showed Him to the mob and said, “Behold the man!” and then a few verses later, he said, “Behold your king!”
He was trying to be sarcastic. But what Pilate was actually doing was showing the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Savior. He was showing that the promised Savior had indeed come, and that He was Jesus.
two
The Old Testament Prophecies
There are too many prophecies about the coming of the Christ to list in one sitting, but it’s worth reflecting on how magnificently the Gospel fulfills even those prophecies which seem to oppose each other. For instance, it’s promised that the Messiah will be “the son of God,” and that “a virgin shall conceive and bear a child.”[1] What could possibly fulfill both these prophecies? On a first reading, they both seem very mysterious, and it’s not clear how either could be achieved, let alone the two of them together. The Gospel gives us the solution: Mary’s virginal motherhood is the event which testifies to the fulfillment of both.[2]
Or take another example: it was announced that the one who was to come would be descended from David’s line.[3] And yet in Psalm 110, it’s suggested that the descendent of David will be David’s Lord. Jesus himself challenges the Pharisees to explain how it could be that the offspring of David could also be someone David would call “Lord,” but none of them can guess the answer (Matthew 22:41-46). As Christians, we know that Jesus is the answer. He is descended from David: He is “born of Joseph’s spouse into the messianic lineage of David.”[4] He is also the divine Lord, and is given that title with the same fullness as the Father.[5] Thus He is both David’s Son and David’s Lord.
You see, Jesus solves all the problems. He is the resolution of the promises made by God to His Chosen People.
three
The Suffering Servant and the Messiah
Probably the two predictions which are hardest to reconcile are that the one who is to come will be the suffering servant and the messiah. The suffering servant aspect of Jesus, most clearly foretold in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, describes an innocent one, who, like a meek lamb, will suffer and die to remove the sins of the people.[6]
But there is also a continual theme describing the coming one as the messiah-king, the Christ, the supreme ruler, heir to the throne, an anointed one who would victoriously establish and reign over an everlasting kingdom.[7] Who could have imagined beforehand the way these two prophecies would be combined in Christ? And it was the coward Pilate who unwittingly testified to their fulfillment.
four
The Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ
When Pilate brought the beaten, bloody, derided Jesus before the mob, and sarcastically cried out, “Behold your king!” who could have known then how perfectly the two prophecies were at that moment being fulfilled?
When Jesus died underneath the words, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” who could have known then how the Suffering Servant had just achieved victory over the devil and established the unending kingdom of the Church?[8]
The Old Testament predictions consist of a series of puzzle pieces that really can’t be fitted together until Jesus comes.
Then we see how to unite them all, how they integrate and form a single portrait that corresponds to the gospel. Then we appreciate just how unexpectedly all the ancient expectations have been fulfilled.
five
God Always Keeps His Promises
When God promises something, He will come through – even if we can’t see how He possibly can. He promised that the coming Savior would be Son of God, and Son of a Virgin. He promised that the coming Savior would be David’s son and David’s Lord. And He promised that the coming Savior would be a Triumphant King and a despised, whipped, victim put to death in ignominy. And all of it happened. It all came true.
Well, God has promised that all things work together for those who love Him. He has promised that Goodness will triumph over evil, that salvation will triumph over sin. He has promised that all the stories – and the whole human story itself – will be directed by Him to a glorious conclusion.
How will that happen? Sometimes it really doesn’t seem possible. But God has promised. And He’s shown that He is faithful. That’s He’s reliable. That He will bring about what He has promised, in a more marvelous, unexpected way than anyone could ever have imagined. So hold fast, and be of good heart. God will win. Good will win. All will be well. It has been promised.
[1] Cf. CCC #441 and #497.
[2] Cf. CCC #496 and #497.
[3] Cf. CCC #439.
[4] CCC #437.
[5] Cf. CCC #446 and #447.
[6] Cf. CCC #601.
[7] Cf. CCC #436.
[8] Cf. CCC #766.