The first great public utterance of the Lord Jesus Christ on Scripture not only set forth its complete authority, as we saw last week. It also contained the categorical statement that the Scriptures were to be fulfilled in their entirety by him. Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matt. 5:17-18). We are now to ask: In what sense did Jesus fulfill the law and in what sense did he fulfill the prophets?

Sometime later in the early months of the ministry we find disciples of John the Baptist coming to Jesus with John's question, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" (Matt. 11:3). Jesus answers by a second reference to this same section of Isaiah's prophecy. He told them to look at Isaiah and read what he foretold about the Messiah, and then see if he is fulfilling it. In other words, Jesus challenged other people to evaluate his ministry in the light of God's Word. 

The first truth that we find in these verses is the truth that the Scriptures—and of course Christ was referring to the whole of the Old Testament—are absolute. They are eternal and unchangeable. They are the rock upon which the Christian can build. They stand written beyond any alteration or recall. They are the supreme court of all supreme courts. From their verdict there is no further appeal. 

Moreover, when you act as the light of the world, as Jesus said we are, you will also find that the light of Christ will lead you on in love, grace, and righteousness and will keep you from falling as you move along the dark and treacherous paths of this world.

As I have studied this theme throughout the Bible I have been impressed by the fact that most of the images used to convey it make this point clearly. For instance, in the verses from the Sermon on the Mount that we are studying the Christian is described as a lamp or a candle. He gives forth light. But he does so only because he has first been kindled by Jesus Christ. In the same way, in John's Gospel John the Baptist is described as “a burning and a shining lamp” by Jesus. Again, the point is that John's light is secondary to that of Christ; John's is a kindled light and exists only because of him.