Fulfillment of Scriptures

There are two scripture passages specifically that relate to Jesus’ cry, “I thirst.” Psalm 22 begins with one of the other seven last words from the Cross: “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

These words are the lament written by King David 1,000 years before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Somewhat further on in Psalm 22 is an incredibly specific description of Crucifixion when it says: “they have pierced my hands and feet.” The Psalm describes the dividing up and casting lots for His clothing, and then for our focus verse 14 & 15 prophetically:

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Another Psalm that also relates to this (and perhaps Jesus had this one in mind as well), is Psalm 69, verse 21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

Jesus knew that every single thing that He was doing all along the way was for fulfillment of one Scripture passage after another. Every moment, every word spoken would happen as an intentional submission to the Word of God. Nothing was out of His control.

Some would try to claim responsibility and therefore power over Jesus – Judas for example – but Jesus said: “Let Scripture be fulfilled!” (Mark 14:49)

In the Gospel of John, Pilate says: “Don’t you know I have the power to free you?” Jesus replies: “You don’t have any power over me. I will complete the work that the Father has given Me to do.”

Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Scriptures in His life. He completely and faithfully fulfilled all the Old Testament laws in life, and in His death so that He might establish the promise in His covenant. Everything about him was prophesized and proclaimed in the Scriptures before He was ever born.

All of our lives are to be ordered in accordance with the prophetic teaching of the Scriptures. If we are to be a people who follow the Son of God Who gave up his life for us, if we are to be His disciples, we must fulfill the Scriptures. We do this not only in our lives, but in the things which we give up for the sake of His Way found in the Scriptures.

Not all of the things that are written in the Scriptures are easy to apply to our lives. Some of the Scriptures challenge us in ways of which our culture embraces and permits, but the Scriptures say, “All things are lawful for me…but not all things are helpful.” (1 Cor. 6:12)

The Scriptures call us to higher ethics than we would ever call ourselves. Jesus addressed the cultural standards of His day when He said “You have heard that it is said…but I say….” The laws and standards of society would never call us to the character of Christ. Our righteousness must exceed that of the lawyers and Pharisees. With the Fruits of the Spirit there is no law!

Personal sacrifice is required to fulfill and obey the teaching of the Scripture, and Jesus shows us the way with:

I thirst.

He would “drink the cup that the Father had given him.” (John 18:11) His purpose was to fully live the Father’s will—no matter what it entailed; Jesus hungered and thirsted for righteousness. He learned and yearned to submit His life obediently to the upward call of God the Father as it was revealed in the Sacred Word.

Is your singular desire to yield your life to the call of God the Father as that is revealed to you in the Holy Scriptures? Or are you holding back? What is preventing you from truly giving in to the Spiritual thirst for God’s will?

The post Fulfillment of Scriptures appeared first on St. Peter's Lake Mary.