Jesus Fulfills the Covenant and Salvation History Page | 3
© 2010 by Saint Mary’s Press
Living in Christ Series
Jesus Christ, Perfect King and Prophet
The Gospel authors are clear in their intention to connect Jesus to the line of Israelite kings, particularly King
David (in fulfillment of God’s promise to David, see 2 Samuel 7:16). David’s name is mentioned fourteen
times in Matthew, specifically calling Jesus “Son of David.” In the triumphal entry to Jerusalem, the crowds
say, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!” (11:10). They see Jesus as their new king
who will fulfill their hopes for a glorious Israelite nation.
However, Jesus’ fulfillment of the covenant understanding of kingship completely confounds many of
the Jewish people of his time. He emphasizes that true leadership is found in the sacrificial service of others.
The king of the heavenly banquet will open up the doors to all, especially the poor and marginalized. The
wealthy and powerful of this world will even reject the true king who fulfills the covenant. Christ is the
sacrificing, crucified king who brings salvation to all who believe, and who now reigns in Heaven.
It is hard to find explicit examples of how Jesus is the fulfillment of covenant prophecy because his
every word and action is prophetic; he is the perfect, complete, and final Word of God. One Gospel example
to point out, though, is the account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13–31). In this
account we read how Jesus interpreted former prophecy to apply to his life, death, and Resurrection: “Then
beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures”
(verse 27).
Jesus Christ, the Perfect Sacrifice and Perfect Priest
Throughout their history the Israelites practiced cultic sacrifice in their covenant relationship with God. They
acknowledged the evil of human sacrifice, so they sacrificed the best of their plants and animals to God. In
this way they acknowledged that all they had was a gift from God. The priest who made the sacrifice was a
theological acknowledgment of the need for a mediator between God and the people.
Jesus Christ fulfills this understanding of the covenant by becoming both the perfect sacrifice and the
perfect priest. Many allusions to this are found in the New Testament. The clearest example of Jesus as the
perfect sacrifice is in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus is called the Lamb of God at the very beginning of
the Gospel (see 1:29,36). Jesus is killed on the day before Passover, the day the Paschal lamb is
slaughtered (see 19:14). The clearest teaching on Jesus as the perfect priest is in the Letter to the Hebrews,
chapters 5–10.
Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God
The Old Testament wisdom books speak eloquently of the wisdom of God, sometimes personified with
feminine attributes, who is a gift to human beings to lead us to God. The wisdom tradition emphasizes our
responsibility to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus fulfills this covenant understanding by teaching us how to
fulfill this responsibility. Christ’s parables echo the stories and proverbs of the Old Testament wisdom writers.
At one point he says, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?” and then compares
the person who listens to and acts on his words to a wise person who builds his house on a firm foundation
(Luke 6:46–49; see also Matthew 7:24–27).
Paul has a significant reflection on God’s wisdom at the beginning of the First Letter to the Corinthians
(see 1:17—2:16). In it he describes how God’s wisdom was hidden from our full understanding until it was
revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of God. “It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God” (1:30). Paul emphasizes that human wisdom is folly to God and that God’s
wisdom is foolishness to many people.