Mensa Otabil - The Scripture Will Be Fulfilled (10/02/2025)
Yesterday we looked at Zakaria’s prophecy concerning the king who would come to Jerusalem, and today we start looking at Jesus preparing to go into Jerusalem. We’ll be focusing our study this week on the account from Luke’s Gospel.
We look at Luke chapter 18, verse 31. Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, «Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.» In the final days of Jesus Christ, he set his face towards Jerusalem because his mission required that he go there, and every step he took was calculated to take him there. The season at this time is the Passover season, the Jewish feast of the Passover.
It wasn’t the first time Jesus was going to Jerusalem during the Passover; if you remember, he had started going there even when he was 12 years old for the feast in Jerusalem. He was familiar with going to Jerusalem, but this visit was very unique because it was going to fulfill scripture in a remarkable way. One of the things you note from this passage is that Jesus knew what the scriptures said about him. He is the Word of God, the Word of God incarnate.
Not only was he the Word of God as a human, but he studied the Word of God, and he knew it well. He understood the word concerning himself and paid attention to everything that had been written about him that pointed to the Messiah. He knew what the prophets of old had said about the Messiah and was in a position to fulfill them. There were over 300 prophecies concerning the Messiah from his birth until his death, and Jesus was poised to fulfill them. He knew that the Word of God concerning him would be accomplished, and that’s what he said.
Not only did he understand the scriptures, but he also believed that they would be accomplished. Many times we know what God has said, but we don’t take the second step to believe that what God has said will be accomplished. In that, Jesus shows us how to live fulfilled lives as Christians: we must know what God has said concerning us, and we must know that those words will be fulfilled.
I know some of you would say, «But Pastor, I’m not Jesus. There is no prophecy about me in the Bible.» Oh, there are prophecies about you in the Bible! Whenever you read the Bible and see a promise of God to «whosoever,» you can fit yourself into «whosoever» because you are whosoever. Or if you see a promise of God to the righteous, if your sins have been forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are the righteous. That prophecy has some relevance for you.
If you read and find a prophecy or statement in the Bible for those who trust in the Lord, then if you trust in the Lord, that word is for you. There are many words in the Bible that don’t have your name on them, and they may not have the same specificity as they do for Jesus, but there is so much that God says to us because of who we have become in Christ Jesus.
You can look into the scriptures and see those scriptures and say, «God has spoken to me.» When you know God has spoken to you, you also have to know he will accomplish what he has said. That’s what Jesus is saying: the prophets said it, but they didn’t throw words into the air; the words will be accomplished.
Many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus were thousands of years old at the time of Jesus, and although the words were spoken most of the time without a specific date, Jesus knew when it was time for the prophecies to be fulfilled. This means that in God’s dealings with us, there must be a sense of timing to know that what God says to you is about to happen. I believe something good is about to happen to you in this season of your life.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I receive what you have written in your Word for me. Accomplish them in my life. In Jesus' name, amen.» God has promised it; he will accomplish it. I am Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.