BASIC QUESTIONS How is Christ the New Adam? How is Christ the New Noah? How is Christ the New Abraham? How is Christ the New Moses? How is Christ the New David? KEY IDEAS Through his perfect obedience to the Father, the New Adam restored man’s place in Paradise lost by the first Adam. Christ made water an instrument of salvation and founded a Church not only to fill the earth with people but also to make disciples of all nations. Christ became the Savior of the World through whom all the families of the earth are blessed. Christ is the prophet that Moses prophesied would arise in Israel who gave the perfect Law and was the saving Lamb of God. Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God whose universal rule is through the Church. Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
Transcript
BASIC QUESTIONS How is Christ the New Adam? How is Christ the New Noah? How is Christ the New Abraham? How is Christ the New Moses? How is Christ the New David?
KEY IDEAS Through his perfect obedience to the Father, the New Adam
restored man’s place in Paradise lost by the first Adam. Christ made water an instrument of salvation and founded a
Church not only to fill the earth with people but also to make disciples of all nations.
Christ became the Savior of the World through whom all the families of the earth are blessed.
Christ is the prophet that Moses prophesied would arise in Israel who gave the perfect Law and was the saving Lamb of God.
Christ is the Only-Begotten Son of God whose universal rule is through the Church.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
FULFILLING THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS
What did Christ’s disciples still not understand about him even to the time of his death?
They did not understand how God was to bring about the salvation of all people.
What did Christ’s followers likely think he meant when he said he had come to fulfill the Law and the prophets?
They probably thought he meant he would reestablish the temporal, Davidic Kingdom.
What did Christ really mean to fulfill the Law and the prophets?
He meant he would fulfill the Scriptures by suffering and dying as Isaiah had foretold.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
1. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with Adam
What covenant did God make with Adam? Adam was made a son of God who would have
everlasting life if he would obey God.
What was the result of Adam having broken the covenant?
It resulted in spiritual and physical death for all people.
How did Christ fulfill the covenant with Adam? He was the Son who obeyed God perfectly and so
restored life to fallen humanity.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
2. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with Noah
With which Sacrament did the early Church connect the Flood?
They saw Baptism in the Flood.
What covenant did God make with Noah? Noah would be the father of a new human race, purified by
water, and God would never again destroy the whole human race by flood.
How does Baptism fulfill the covenant with Noah? As forty days of rain prepared the world for a new creation,
forty days of fasting and penance (the season of Lent) prepares a person to become a new creation in the waters of Baptism. People are to be fruitful and multiply the number of Christians on the earth.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
3. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with Abraham
How was God’s covenant with Abraham fulfilled partially?
Hundreds of thousands of people could call themselves descendants of Abraham. Abraham’s descendants had dwelt and even built an empire in the promised land of Canaan.
What part of the Abrahamic Covenant remained unfulfilled?
The promise of universal blessing was unfulfilled.
How did Christ fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant? Abraham’s descendant, Christ, brought a universal promise
of salvation available to all people.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
4. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with Moses
What did Moses foresee at the end of Deuteronomy? He prophesied a new prophet like himself.
When did that prophet come? He came about 1500 years later in the Person of Jesus Christ.
How did Christ fulfill the covenant with Moses? Christ is the New Moses, who gave a perfected Law and
personified the Passover as the Lamb of God.
When did the rabbinic tradition expect the Messiah to come?
It expected the Messiah to come on Passover night.
7. Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
Guided Exercise Review the table “Jesus, the New Moses” (p. 216), and
then free write for two minutes about the following question:
Which similarity between Moses and Christ do you find most striking, and why?
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
5. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with David
What about Christ dissatisfied some Israelites during his time? Many people expected an earthly king who would rule Israel and to whom all the nations of the world would show homage and obey. Jesus did not proclaim himself a Messiah (Christ) who would inaugurate the political restoration of the Kingdom of Israel to establish a temporal power protected by God.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
5. Jesus Fulfills the Covenant with David
What kingdom did Christ come to establish? Christ established the Church, the New Israel. This
Kingdom of God is not restricted by temporal domain; it includes the communion of faithful everywhere, living and dead, and so is not of this world. Christ established a heavenly kingdom with the Church as its earthly component.
Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to complete the following table on Christ’s fulfillment of the promises God made to David.
