Fulfillment

“Happy New Year!” I say to myself as I look forward to this coming Sunday. Oh, I’m too early, you say? Oh, I just wrote a scathing blogpost last week about people putting up their Christmas lights too early and now I’m already moving to the New Year, you say? Well, I was talking about the Church year—thank you very much! Yes, I am a Church nerd; however, I am one not merely as an occupational hazard. No, I care so much about the tradition, experience, and practices of the Church because I care about how we as human beings relate to God. As one such Church nerd, it is my duty and great joy to tell you the good news that we begin a new Church year this coming Sunday with a new season (Advent), new Sunday School classes at St. John's (Come learn about why the Church year is awesome!), and a shift in our readings—chiefly we see this in a move from the Gospel of Luke to the Gospel of Matthew.

 

During new student orientation in seminary we had an icebreaker activity with all sorts of nerdy Church questions: Are you high church, broad church, or low church in your worship style? Do you like praise music, hymnal music, or no music? Would you rather use Rite I, Rite II, or Enriching Our Worship? Which Gospel is your favorite: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? I don’t remember my answers to other questions, but I remember that Luke was my favorite Gospel when I entered seminary. If you asked me last week where it stands in my Gospel Power Rankings (GPR) I would reply that it is in danger of missing the four team Gospel Championship Playoff (GCP). Matthew though, does not sit much higher. So part of me rejoiced this morning when I put away my big commentary on Luke, but another part grimaced when I picked up the commentary on Matthew. I especially winced when I read this coming Sunday’s reading (Matthew 24:36-44).

The start of our Church year and the beginning of its first season of Advent when we prepare for the coming of Christ (past, present, and yet-to-come) sounds so scary this year with three distinct admonitions. First, nobody knows when the Son of Man is coming, like those in Noah’s day did not know when the flood would carry them away. Next, when the Lord comes two will be working in the field or at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left. Finally, God will come like a thief in the night. “Keep awake” could be the summary message, or maybe “Let’s get paranoid!” Sheesh, this is how we start the year? It is a little different than a gigantic disco ball, college bowl games, and champagne to ring in the New Year! And yet, I am not giving up hope on the First Sunday of Advent!

While the four canonical Gospels all have much in common—mostly that they are about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—each has its own distinct flavor. Matthew’s distinct essence, according to the scholar R.T. France, focuses upon fulfillment. Jesus came to fulfill! He came to fulfill the law, the prophets, and God’s plan of salvation! Matthew proves this over and over again with fifty-four direct quotations from the Old Testament (OT) and another 262 allusions to the OT. This statistically does not outpace every book of the New Testament, but it does have more OT per verse than any other Gospel (R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, 10-11)! So why are the OT connections important? And, how might this salvage a very direct Gospel passage this Sunday? Fair questions.

The theme of fulfillment is important because it will shape just about every story in the First Gospel, like how the Magnificat’s upside-down worldview provides a key to unlocking an understanding of Luke or how the whole first chapter of John (Logos Hymn) gives insight into knowing the celebratory nature of the Word’s coming in the Fourth Gospel. “All this happened to fulfill what had been written (in some prophet’s book)” will be a commonly heard refrain in Matthew, which will bring the theme of fulfillment to center stage. But, as is the case this Sunday, often the theme of fulfillment will be like an operating software running in the background. This Sunday we surprisingly start the Church Year late in Matthew’s Gospel with a prophetic word about the coming of the Son of Man from Jesus himself, which is to say the least "trippy." This challenging message is still about fulfillment though. 

The Son of Man comes into the world to fulfill all that was written in Jewish Scripture and beyond, and as scary as that moment could be (see: Noah’s flood, left behind series, thief in the night), what Jesus really seems worried about is someone missing that moment altogether! If we truly believe that Matthew wrote his Gospel to help his community and others know that Jesus came to fulfill God’s purposes in this world, then we have the freedom to hear Jesus’ words differently. Jesus urges those listening to pay attention, so that all may be part of the fulfillment that the Son of Man brings. When understood this way these are hopeful words, challenging ones yes, but more than anything (at least according to Matthew) God wants us to be part of the fulfilling of all things! That does make me feel like this is a Happy New Year!