Theologians state that Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies from Moses and the Prophets. How cool is that? Over the next 3 weeks, I will publish a series listing out some of the prophecies fulfilled. Today, let’s go over 3 specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as a baby.
1.) A Virgin will Give Birth to the Messiah
Old Testament Prophecy:
The Messiah will come from a woman…but not necessarily a man. Huh? I’ll explain. The first prophecy comes very early in the Bible. God foretells that one day, the Messiah will be born of a woman and defeat the Enemy and all sin. Genesis 3:15 states:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
How awesome, that as soon as Adam and Eve sinned, God already had the plan in place for humanity’s redemption. This particular verse in Genesis could have been interpreted at that time as a normal birth, simply leaving out man’s role in the process. However, many years later, the prophet Hosea receives a new (and more specific) prophecy regarding the Messiah’s birth:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Immanuel is a Hebrew name meaning “God with us,” noteworthy as Jesus, fully God, came to Earth to take on human form (with us). So now officially we have the whole story. The Messiah will come from a virgin.
New Testament Fulfillment:
Seven hundred years later, the angel Gabriel approached a young Galilean woman named Mary:
“…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary…the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God…The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:26-35).
While this created a dangerous situation for Mary, God provided for her and her soon to be husband. Through more divine intervention (Matthew 1:18-25), Joseph chose to marry his expecting fiancé. Together, they prepared for the birth of the Messiah.
2.) The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem
Old Testament Prophecy:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).
New Testament Fulfillment:
Joseph and Mary resided in the town of Nazareth, which sounds like a problem, right? Well, at that time, the Roman emperor Augustus decreed that the entire Roman world will participate in a census. As Joseph was a descendant of King David (also a prophecy fulfillment), Joseph and his bride-to-be were required to travel to register in the city of Bethlehem. The Lord’s timing is always perfect: Mary gave birth in a manger during this trip to Bethlehem.
“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David…While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” (Matthew 2:4-7).
King Herod heard from the Magi that the ‘King of the Jews’ had been born. He then asked the experts of the law where the Messiah was to be born. They affirmed that the city was Bethlehem, showing that this was a well-known fact:
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4–6; Micah 5:2).
Two prophecies down, one to go. Ironically, the jealousy of Herod triggered the final of the 3 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as a baby.
3.) The Messiah will Return to Israel from Egypt
The Messiah was prophesied to have returned from Egypt as a child. This is a beautiful reflection of God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt.
Old Testament Prophecy:
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
New Testament Fulfillment:
As Herod intended to kill the young Messiah to preserve his place as King, Jesus was in danger. An angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt:
“So he [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matthew 2:14–15).
Sadly, this event fulfilled another prophecy. After Joseph and Mary’s harrowing escape, Herod gave orders to kill all boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under (Matthew 2:16). This fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15).
Jesus fulfilled at least 3 prophecies from the Old Testament as just a baby. How cool is that! At the age that I was just learning to sit up and eat solid food, the Lord had already fulfilled thousands of years of prophecy! Keep reading over the next 3 weeks as I continue the series researching Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Next up, I will be covering the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus during his early ministry.
