What Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled in Luke 7:27? Setting the Scene in Luke 7 Luke 7 records Jesus answering messengers from John the Baptist. To affirm John’s mission, Jesus cites Scripture: • “This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ ” (Luke 7:27) The Quoted Prophecy Jesus’ words echo a precise Old Testament promise. When He says, “it is written,” He anchors John’s ministry in a prophecy Israel already possessed and trusted. Tracing the Old Testament Source Two passages lie behind Jesus’ quotation: 1. Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” 2. Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I am sending an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” Luke’s wording parallels Malachi most closely, while Exodus supplies the foundational language of a divinely sent forerunner. Malachi 3:1—Foretelling the Forerunner • Written about 400 B.C. during spiritual decline in Judah. • God promises a “messenger” (Hebrew: mal’ak) who will come immediately “before Me,” indicating the LORD Himself will arrive after the messenger. • The context anticipates the Day of the LORD (Malachi 3:2), placing the prophecy squarely within messianic expectation. Exodus 23:20—The Deeper Backdrop • Spoken to Israel en route to Canaan. • “Angel” (mal’ak) denotes a heavenly envoy guiding God’s people to their promised inheritance. • This earlier pattern—God sending a guide ahead—foreshadows the greater forerunner who would precede Messiah’s kingdom arrival. John the Baptist: Living Fulfillment • Malachi’s “messenger” = John (Luke 7:28). • Isaiah 40:3 supplies John’s self-description: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord…’ ”. • New Testament confirmations: – Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2 quote the same prophecy. – John 1:23 presents John identifying himself with Isaiah 40:3. Why This Fulfillment Matters • Validates Jesus as the promised LORD/Messiah—if the messenger has arrived, the One he heralds must be present. • Demonstrates God’s faithfulness over centuries; a post-exilic promise in Malachi is literally kept in the first century. • Underscores Scripture’s unified storyline: from Exodus, through the prophets, to the Gospels, God consistently prepares His people for redemption. |
    |