5 Things Jesus Did That Fulfilled Prophecy
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Biblical scholars estimate that Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies throughout His earthly ministry. We should expect this too, as He is the fulfillment of all the promises of Scripture. What Jesus did provides powerful support that He is who He claimed to be – the Messiah and Son of God.
But to list all that Jesus did that fulfilled prophecy would require an entire book, if not more! In fact, many such books have been written detailing the promises that Christ fulfilled and will fulfill in the future at His return. A single article could not contain every prophecy our Savior fulfilled or every action He did. As the Apostle John wrote, “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).
Instead, this article will examine five specific things that our Lord did that fulfilled biblical prophecy. So go ahead – grab a Bible or open a Bible app and follow along as we examine Jesus’ ministry and how He accomplished what was promised. This study will hopefully provide greater illumination as to who Christ is and what He did.
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1. He Taught Using Parables
Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught the people using parables, or stories that contained spiritual truth. These stories resembled parables in the Old Testament, such as in Nathan’s story about the ewe lamb (2 Samuel 12:1-7) or the song of the vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7). Using everyday elements that most of His listeners could relate to and identify, Jesus instructed the people through masterful storytelling.
None of this was random, though, as if Jesus only happened to teach in this manner. He was deliberate in His choice. When the disciples asked Christ why He taught using parables, He told them it was to hide the meaning from those who did not want to hear or understand. As Jesus said, “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). The Pharisees and chief priests fell into this category, since they often heard what Jesus taught, and knew it was about them, but did not understand or take the words to heart (see Matthew 13:14-15 and 21:45).
Not only did He tell parables to hide the meaning from those to whom it did not belong, but also to fulfill prophecy. After Jesus shared a group of stories with the crowds, Scripture tells how His use of parables was a fulfillment of prophecy. The Gospel of Matthew explains: “So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world’” (Matthew 13:35; see also Psalm 78:2).
Our Lord was deliberate in His use of parables, which fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
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2. He Healed People of Illnesses and Demon Possession
If we read the Gospels, we find numerous examples of Jesus healing people of illnesses and casting out demons. He could heal a person by merely speaking, but often chose to interact with the individuals. Showing compassion, Jesus touched a man with leprosy to bring Him healing (Luke 5:12-15). Or, when the woman with the issue of blood touched the end of His cloak to find relief from her suffering, Christ deliberately stopped to acknowledge the woman (Luke 8:44-48).
They were not the only ones. Crowds of people regularly flocked to Him to receive healing. During one instance, after having healed Peter’s mother-in-law, He encountered masses of people seeking relief from illnesses and demonic oppression. As Matthew records, “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases’” (Matthew 8:16-17; see also Isaiah 53:4).
Jesus fulfilled these words by bringing physical healing during His ministry, as well as spiritual healing through His sacrificial death to provide salvation from sins to all who believe (1 Peter 2:24).
Sickness and demonic oppression had to bow to God the Son, who has power over all. He had come to set people free and to give a glimpse of the Kingdom He offered. Through His healing work, He fulfilled what the prophets had written about Him.
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3. He Proclaimed Good News to the Poor
Jesus surprised the people at the beginning of His ministry. In His hometown of Nazareth, He stood in the synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21). The people were amazed when Jesus declared that He is the Messiah and they saw the fulfillment of the prophecy that day. Luke recorded how the people were amazed and talked among themselves – “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?” (Luke 4:22).
What Jesus read from the scroll that day was Isaiah 61:1-2, which says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He stopped, though, before finishing verse two, as the day of God’s vengeance had not yet come. Instead, salvation had come.
The Lord fulfilled this part of the prophecy, and we see this in His ministry as he traveled around to different areas to proclaim the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23; 9:35). When the people of Capernaum tried to detain Him, not wanting Him to leave, He declared His intention to preach the good news to other places. As He said after the crowds sought Him, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43).
Throughout Israel, Jesus brought the good news that He, the Messiah, had come. He had come to bring freedom, hope, and healing to the people. And the Kingdom was offered to the nation through His preaching. Although the nation chose to reject Him at that time, Jesus’ message of good news would also spread to the Gentiles (Luke 4:23-27). As the Lord’s Anointed, Jesus had come to proclaim good news to Israel, which would also impact the entire world.
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4. He Rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey and a Colt
On the Sunday before He was crucified, Jesus entered Jerusalem as Israel’s promised Messiah and King. Known as the Triumphal Entry, the Lord rode into the city riding on a donkey and her colt. He had instructed the disciples to go into a village and bring back the donkey and her colt that were tied there (Matthew 21:1-3). They followed the Lord’s instructions and found everything as He had said (Matthew 21:6-7).
Christ rode on the donkey into Jerusalem with crowds shouting “Hosanna,” waving palm branches, and laying cloaks and branches on the road. People praised Him and sang, declaring Him the promised Son of David (Matthew 21:15-16). Through this, He showed that He was (and is) the promised King (Matthew 21:8-9). He fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy, which states “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” (Zechariah 9:9; see also Matthew 21:4-5).
Although Israel was expecting a mighty warrior who would overthrow Roman rule, Jesus was the humble King that had been spoken of by the prophets. He did not come riding a warrior’s horse, but a simple donkey.
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5. He Died for Us and Rose from the Dead
The reason Jesus came to earth was to save His people from sin. This had been the Father’s plan all along, and we find this promise about Jesus’ saving work directly after the fall of Adam and Eve. The Lord cursed the serpent that had tempted them and said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). God had never intended to leave us hopeless or without rescue. The offspring or seed of woman would crush the head of that serpent, the devil.
Other verses in Scripture also show how Christ fulfilled prophecy by dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead. Isaiah 53 describes the Suffering Servant who would bear our sufferings and be pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:4-5). When Jesus was crucified, He did not retaliate or say harsh words to His oppressors. He remained silent like a sheep before its shearers (Isaiah 53:7; see also 1 Peter 2:23). And when He had freely given up His life and died, He was buried in a tomb owned by a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:46).
Jesus’ death on the cross was also prophesied through Psalm 22. This song of David spoke of how Christ would be pierced and surrounded by evildoers who would divide up His clothing (Psalm 22:16-18). Not only would His strength melt away, but the Savior would grow thirsty (Psalm 22:14-15; John 19:28). He would feel the weight of being forsaken as He bore the sins of the world. His cry fulfilled the opening words of the Psalm: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1; see also Matthew 27:46).
In addition to His death, Scripture foretold Jesus’ resurrection. In Peter’s Pentecost sermon, he mentioned how Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled Psalm 16:10. He explained, “Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay” (Acts 2:31). This was also a fulfilment of the sign of Jonah – to spend three days and nights in the body of the earth before rising to life (Matthew 12:40).
The Law, Prophets, and Psalms spoke about Christ’ death and resurrection, and it all happened exactly as promised (Luke 18:31; 24:44). Our Lord came to save us – like He said He would.
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