"I have come not to abolish (scripture), but
to fulfill it, " said Jesus. (Matthew 5:17).
What does fulfill mean?
In Hebrew and Greek (the languages in which the Bible was first written, fulfill means "to make complete or bring out the fullest possible meaning."
- Matthew 1: 18-23
- Matthew 2:16-18
- Matthew 3:1-3
Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. He was making the prophecy complete or bring out its fullest possible meaning.
Think about this:
| Matthew 15:21-39 ex., Divided his clothes (vs. 24) | Psalm 22 ex., they divide my clothes (vs. 18) Was the Psalmist predicting Jesus' death? |
Another complicated word for interpreting the Bible -- TYPOLOGY.
Are you like your mother? Your
father? Your grandmother?
If you are like someone, you're a "type" of them.
Writers of the New Testament looked for examples of Jesus in the Old Testament to prove that he "type" who would be the Messiah. By showing examples of living as God approved, they could show that Jesus was the son of God!
Read Hebrews 11. In this chapter, there is a long list of historical characters who have lived by faith. Look at the stories of some of them:
Abel (Genesis 4:1-7)
Enoch (Genesis 4:17-25)
Noah (Genesis 6:9-22)
Abraham, Sarah and Isaac (Genesis 21)
Moses (Exodus 3:1-12)
Israelite Heroes
Women who received their dead by resurrection
The writer in Hebrews 12:1 says, "since we have all these good examples, let us also live by faith, and finish the race we've begun."
How were these persons examples for living?
Who is an example for living your faith today?
Another way of interpretation was through Allegory. When Christians interpreted the Bible allegorically, they said that each element of a parable, for example, stood for a hidden truth.
Look allegorically at the story of The Good Samaritan:
| The Character in the allegory: traveler robbers Samaritan inn |
What does the character symbolize allegorically? persons going through life sin Jesus the Church |
Try it with another story.
Interpret allegorically The Parable of The Lost Coin from -- Luke
15: 8-10.
| The Character in the
allegory: the woman |
What does the character
symbolize allegorically? ten silver coins |
| the lost coin | |
| friends and neighbors who celebrate finding the lost coin |
What is your favorite parable? Interpret it allegorically.
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