The Promise of Christmas: Prophecy Fulfilled

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What made Jesus’ birth unique wasn’t that he was born in a manger or that he was born in Bethlehem, or even that angles appeared to proclaim he would be born!

It was that he fulfilled prophecy!

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1) The Messiah would be resurrected

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Psalm 16:8–11

“8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

New Testament citations: Acts 13:35–37

Commentary: King David may have seen ahead to his own resurrection—but David’s resurrection was only possible because of the resurrection of his descendant, the Messiah. His vision of his own resurrection and that of the Messiah’s could well have blended into one glimpse of the future

2) The Messiah would bring in a new covenant

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Jeremiah 31:31–34

“31 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.””

New Testament citations: Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 7:22, 8:6–13, 9:15, 10:14–18, 12:24

Commentary: The expression “new covenant” appears seven times in the New Testament, and the new covenant is even more frequently referred to simply as the “covenant,” with the context showing what is meant. The first big question is, when will this covenant begin to take effect?

3) The Messiah would be forsaken and pierced, but vindicated

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Psalm 22:1–31

New Testament citations: Matthew 27:35, 39, 43–44, 46; Mark 15:34; John 19:23–24, Hebrews 2:11–12

Commentary: The first half of Psalm 22 is the psalm of a righteous sufferer, derided by his enemies and feeling forsaken by God. From verse 22 (Hebrew, 23) on, the tone changes radically as the sufferer is vindicated by God and the Lord reigns over all the earth. Beginning with a despondent tone, the psalm ends on a note of triumph.

4) The Messiah would be the rejected cornerstone

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Psalm 118:22–24

“22 The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. 24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

New Testament citations: Mark 12:10–11, Acts 4:9–12, Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6–8,

Commentary: The word “cornerstone” may refer either to the foundation stone or to the keystone holding together an arch. So Jesus is either the foundation or the “stone” holding together the entire structure of Israel.

5) The Messiah would do life-affirming redemptive deeds

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Isaiah 61:1–2

“1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.”

New Testament citations: Luke 4:16–21

Commentary: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,” writes Isaiah, “because the Lord has anointed me.” Commentators have often wondered who the “me” is in this passage. Is it the prophet? Is it the “Servant of the Lord” with whom we meet in earlier chapters?

6) The Messiah would be born of a virgin

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Isaiah 7:14

“14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

New Testament citations: Matthew 1:22–23, Luke 1:31–35

Commentary: More than most others, this prophecy has occasioned seemingly unending debate: was it fulfilled in Isaiah’s time, or was it for a later time? Does the Hebrew word almah refer to a virgin or a young woman? Was Matthew in the New Testament misquoting it and distorting its meaning?

7) The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

New Testament citations: Matthew 8:16–17, Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:28, Matthew 27:59–60, Mark 10:45, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, John 12:37–38, Acts 8:32–35, Romans 10:16, Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21–25

Commentary: Isaiah 52:13–53:12 has been a contentious passage between Jews and Christians over the centuries. Is it about Israel? Is it about the Messiah? Is it about someone else? Because of this, and also because the passage has been so influential for many Jewish people who have come to believe in Jesus, we will expand the usual short commentary into a longer four-part article.

8) The Messiah would come riding on a donkey

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Zechariah 9:9

“9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.”

New Testament citations: Matthew 21:1–7

Commentary: Zechariah 9:9 was therefore understood messianically. According to this Talmudic discussion, if we are worthy, the Messiah will come in the clouds. But if we are unworthy, he will come riding on a donkey.

9) The Messiah would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Zechariah 11:12–13

“12 And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord.”

New Testament citations: Matthew 26:14–15, Matthew 27:3, Matthew 27:9–10

Commentary: Jesus, in the tradition of the prophets of Israel, had rebuked the current leadership of Israel for being false shepherds. Yet the true shepherd, Jesus himself, was rejected by the people and valued as lowly and worthless, just as thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave

10) The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Micah 5:2

“2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”

New Testament citations: Matthew 2:1–6, John 7:40–43

Commentary: In agreement with the thought that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, we find first that Jesus was actually born there, though he grew up in Nazareth. Second, the “chief priests and scribes” cited the prophet Micah in support of this idea.

11) The Messiah would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace

Hebrew Scriptures reference: Isaiah 9:6–7

“6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”  

New Testament citations: Luke 1:32–33, Luke 1:79, John 14:27, Acts 10:36, Romans 9:5, Philippians 4:7, Colossians 2:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Commentary: In these verses, a child is at the forefront of Isaiah’s prophecies, as it was in Isaiah 7:14 (see comments on that verse). This time, the child is given a name consisting of four exalted titles. This name has generated much discussion. Is it a description of the child himself?

Four Exalted Titles. I want to share how Jesus fulfilling these titles should give us great comfort and assurance in this life!

Wonderful Counselor -

He gives us wisdom and insight that makes life easier to deal with.

Consider his comments on loving your enemy - love and hatred grows the more yo feed it, you want to be a loving person like Jesus, love at all costs!

Mighty God -

If he is God and mighty there is nothing he can’t do, even help you love your enemies.

Everlasting Father -

Look at this as the one who always acts as a father

Loves as a father

Disciplines as a father - for your benefit

Protects as a father

Provides as a father

Prince of Peace

He is the governor of peace.

Which means he gives us peace no matter our situation.

Encourage Change

This holiday season, consider all Jesus has accomplished already as ask what does he want to do in and through you!