As we have discussed in class the incidence of prophecy in Scripture is only rarely specific prediction, such as what happens in Isaiah 2, and the vast majority of the time is more about a recognition/application of the past as a template for the future. Fulfillment doesn’t mean that someone said in exact words what will happen and how, but rather it is when the whole of what has happened previously is realized within a person or event in the future. Obviously in the case of the New Testament, this person is Jesus Christ within whom the whole of God’s work in Israel is realized.
We can see this in the passage from Hosea 11:1 proclaiming “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew says that Jesus fulfilled this passage, but not in the sense that this passage was speaking directly about this specific event that was going to happen in the future. This passage in fact refers back directly to the historical event of God drawing Israel out of Egypt through the Exodus, not forward towards Jesus. And God isn’t simply repeating events. Rather, throughout Israel’s history we come to recognize that what happens once awaits a fuller and more final form. Just as the Exodus is fulfilled by the full and final deliverance from death, so Jesus fulfills this passage as being a more complete and final form of God’s son being called out of Egypt.
That being said, what are some instances in the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke that address elements of the Old Testament narratives already discussed? One instance is that in the genealogy in Matthew we see that Jesus is of the line of King David, harkening back to when God promised David that he would build him a house and an eternal kingdom and his descendent would occupy the throne. Likewise, the conception of John to his barren mother Elizabeth and Zechariah calls to mind Abraham and Sarah struggling to conceive as well as Jacob and Rachel also struggling to bear a child together. Furthermore, John’s circumcision reminds us of the incorporation into the covenant established back in Genesis, and Zechariah’s proclamation outright declares that the salvation long foretold is coming soon.
Introduction to Theology: Charlotte Spraul 
I think your description of the significance of fulfillment is spot-on. You perfectly encapsulate the idea that scripture doesn’t look forward at what will happen, but looks back on what has already happened and attempts to draw comparisons. Similarly, I like your interpretation of the fulfillment of Hosea in the gospel of Matthew. Connecting Jesus to the Exodus and deliverance from death really foreshadows the role that Jesus is going to play. You find examples of the resolution of some of Israel’s desires such as kingship and covenant, but what else might be foreshadowed in these verses, is there any mention made of the reunion of the tribes or the incorporation of the Gentiles?
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I definitely agree with your definition of fulfillment as it does not refer to a direct prediction of what is exactly about to happen. It rather refers to the completion of promises, in a sense, in which the whole of what has previously happened is realized in a person or an event. I like how you drew on this definition to explain Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise of bringing his son out of Egypt. I also like how you acknowledged the circumcision of John to refer back to the incorporation of the covenant as I had not made that connection initially. Due to the immense amount of connections to the Old Testament, what effect do you think the parallels have on the interpretation of the following books?
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Are there inconsistencies with Jesus’ identity as predicted in the New Testament? For example, God talks a lot about smiting the other nations of the world because they are not holy, they do not follow his law. But Jesus makes it clear that people from other nations, like the Good Samaritan, can saved even when they ignore most of the Israelite laws. What do we do with that?
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