Jesus the Prophet

"Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
 A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation." (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

The eternal Son of God became the Redeemer to deliver us out of an estate of sin and misery and into an estate of salvation and glory. He is not our redeemer and mediator by nature, but by grace. In this capacity and for this purpose, he is a prophet, priest, and king. 

Who were some of the prophets of the Old Testament? 

Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc. 

What did they do? 

They delivered God’s word to the people, speaking and writing his word. God put his words into their mouths (Jer. 1:9). They often received and described visions given by God, and sometimes were given parables or demonstrations to deliver the message (Hos. 12:10). They often did miracles which demonstrated God’s power and mercy, as well as verified the message. They often interceded for the people in prayer.  

How did the ministry of the prophets differ from the teaching ministry of the priests? 

The prophets spoke as oracles of God, delivering revelation to God’s people. The priests received the written word of the prophets and taught it. The prophets delivered new revelations from God by speech and writings, while the priests read and taught those Holy Scriptures (Deut. 31:9-13, 33:10, Lev. 10:11). And while there were some women prophets in the Old and New Testaments, the ministers of the word in both eras have always been men.

Was there a prophetic expectation that the Christ would be a prophet? 

I think it is safe to say that Moses was the greatest prophet in the Old Testament. The concluding postscript of Deuteronomy says that “there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt…” (Deut. 34:10-11). Yet, Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15-16 that the Lord would raise up a prophet like Moses for his people, to mediate between them and the Lord.

When people began to observe Jesus’ teaching and miracles, they realized that he was this great prophet, the Prophet. The Gospel of John makes this clear by noting that John the Baptist denied that he was the Prophet (John 1:21-27), while the people correctly realized that Jesus was the Prophet (John 6:14, 7:40). Peter quoted the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18 in Acts 3:22 as referring to Jesus.

How was Jesus greater than the other prophets? 

Both John and the writer of Hebrews points out that Jesus surpassed the other prophets by being God himself, the eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father (John 1:1-3, 14-18, Hebrew 1:1-3, 3:1-6). Jesus makes his Father known perfectly and completely because he is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). And as the Redeemer who accomplished redemption, Jesus proclaimed the final and permanent administration of the covenant of grace. Jesus is the final word. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Heb. 1:1-2a). This is why Scripture was completed and special revelation ceased once his word, delivered through the apostles, was written down (Heb. 2:3-4).

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet before his incarnation? 

By inspiring the prophets by his Spirit (1 Peter 1:10-11). Not only is Jesus greater than all other prophets, but he was always at work through the other prophets. The Old Testament was given through him, as he worked by his Spirit to prepare his people for his coming and to build them up through faith in him.

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet during his earthly ministry? 

Jesus exercised this prophetic ministry during his time on earth as he preached the gospel, taught his disciples, told parables, pronounced blessings and woes, foretold future events, taught through symbolic actions, and did many miracles, signs, and wonders. He made the Father known, revealed the substance and fullness of the covenant and the kingdom, and established the new covenant administration.

How did Jesus exercise his office as a prophet during the apostolic age?

He revealed God’s will by his Spirit through through his apostles whom he commissioned (John 14:25-26, 15:26-27), as well as by the NT prophets (Eph. 3:5, 4:11, 1 Cor. 12:28, Acts 13:1). The apostles and prophets (OT and NT) are the foundation and he is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). 

How does Jesus exercise his office as a prophet now? 

Jesus continues to exercise this office as he disciples us through Scripture and enlightens our minds by his Spirit to understand it (1 Cor. 2:12-16). He also continues to gift men for the ministry of the word, not as infallible prophets, but as preachers and teachers (Eph. 4:11).

What is it that Jesus makes known to sinners by his word and Spirit? 

The will of God for our salvation. This includes a knowledge of the true God, his works, and his will. The purpose of this revelation is that we might be justified by faith in Christ and conformed to his image by his discipleship (John 20:31, Matt. 28:18-20, 1 Tim. 3:15-17).

He delivered the full and final revelation of this message with his coming, a message that was once delivered to the saints through the prophets and apostles, and which was written down for the church in the New Testament. As this message has been delivered by the Prophet, and we await no greater revelation until his second coming, prophecy has ceased and we expect no further revelation. Let us attend to the written word of God and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.