March 3

The Gospel of Matthew alludes to the Old Testament several hundred times. Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of what is cited, although not directly. Much of what Mathew references was not intended as a cosmic prophecy for several generations in the future. For example, the Gospel of Matthew quotes the words of Hosea “Out of Egypt I have called my son” (Mt 2:15). The Gospel proclaims the return of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from Egypt as the fulfillment of the words of the prophet, however, these words did not foretell the coming of the messiah. In actuality, they are not a proclamation of the future, but rather a lament of the past when the people of Israel were not faithful to the Lord during the Exodus. When placed in context, we may thus think that Matthew was mistaken in relating these words to the return of the Holy Family. However, it is still a fulfillment of these words, just not in the original and  obvious sense. While this proclamation references Exodus of the past, Jesus is the fulfillment of these words because a “fuller and final exodus remained—not from any political oppressor but from the one power which really enslaved: sin and death” (Scribes of the Kingdom). The opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke address many elements of the Old Testament that we discussed last class, such as Isaiah 40. In Isaiah 40, God comforts his people and tells them “do not be afraid.” Gabriel likewise tells Mary “do not be afraid” in Luke 1. Mary’s song of praise also echoes much of what is said in Isaiah, such as proclaiming God’s strength and mercy towards Israel.