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Which Books Make Up the New Testament? 55
Isaiah 6. This is the heart of what it means for Jesus to say, “I came to
fulfill.” And this is the basis for how the disciples—and how we—come
to know that his words are true.
Jesus was not just another member in the long line of wise men and
prophets. He was the end of the line. In his own person and work, the
Law and the Prophets were fulfilled. Which is why, six times in Matthew
5, Jesus stunningly confronted Scripture and tradition with his
supremely authoritative words, “But I say to you” (Matt. 5:22, 28, 32,
34, 39, 44).
And just when the Beatitudes are sounding like the words of a lowly,
wise spiritual guide, Jesus tells us that we are blessed for being reviled
on his account. Not God’s, but his! “Blessed are you when others revile
you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely
on my account.” And what’s more, he says we can rejoice in that day,
because we are in the same category with the prophets who were persecuted
on God’s account. To be a follower of Jesus is to be rewarded
with the prophets of God.
The point is that the divine majesty of the person of Jesus is woven
inseparably into every layer of the teachings of Jesus. There is no portrait
of Jesus in the New Testament as a merely human teacher of ethics.
There is only the Lord of glory. The fulfiller of history. The judge of
the universe.
An Authority above the Scriptures
Accordingly, Jesus was recognized by the early church as having authority
equal to and beyond the Old Testament Scriptures.
He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their
scribes. (Matt. 7:29)
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for
a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But
if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
(Matt. 5:38–39)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
(Mark 13:31)