Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Many people may not realize how specific that God was in the Old Testament regarding the coming Messiah. Through Moses, God speaks of a Prophet coming who would be “like unto me”, meaning that this Prophet would speak as God. The words would be placed in His mouth by God, and His words would be life to those who followed.
Jesus claimed this position as the Prophet. All of Christianity hangs on whether or not this is so. If you can believe that Jesus is the Son of God then you can accept the atoning price of the cross and the empty tomb. If Jesus was just another man, though endowed with special gifts, then Christianity ceases to be about a Redeemer dying, and becomes a treatise on how to live a good moral life. Some great minds in history have felt this way, proving that great minds do not always stem from sanctified spirits. Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Gospels called “The Jefferson Bible” which told the story of Jesus without any references to healings or miracles, ending with Jesus being placed in the tomb. His version of Jesus was one of an ordinary man with an extraordinary message who taught us high morals. Jefferson was a brilliant statesman but a poor man of faith!
The Apostle John wrote of Jesus that He was the Word, “and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He further stated, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The disciples that followed Jesus firmly believed that they were not following a mere man, but that all of the Old Testament was robed in human flesh and was walking and talking with them.
Jesus said of Himself, “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father” (John 8:38). These words place Jesus with the Father throughout the Old Testament, seeing all that the Father saw. Again, His words must be either believed as the truth or rejected as a lie.
While seeing Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer and even Friend is not that difficult, it is the title “Prophet” that we rarely equate with Christ. The prophets of the Old Testament were always recalling the sins of the people to them. When Elijah was living in Zarephath, a widow woman and her son were providing for Elijah, as he had provided for them with the miracle of meal and oil. When the woman’s son fell sick and died, she asked Elijah, “What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” (1 Kings 17:18) The common perception of the prophet was one who reminded you of all that you had done wrong.
The New Testament prophet holds a different office entirely. Paul wrote that prophecy was to speak to men to “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). Jesus certainly speaks these three things into all of our lives: he builds us up (edifies), he encourages us (exhorts) and he comforts us with His love and compassion.
When Christ is made out to be cold and distant and harsh, then He ceases to be the Prophet. Every believer can rest in the sweet words of the Master, and find rest for their souls. Remember, it was Jesus who called all of us to Him, for He would give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
While finding Jesus in the Old Testament, remember that He came not to be an extension of the Old Covenant, but to establish a new and living way. Your Prophet, Jesus is speaking words to comfort you today. Allow His abundant grace and mercy to bless you and go in peace.
Many people may not realize how specific that God was in the Old Testament regarding the coming Messiah. Through Moses, God speaks of a Prophet coming who would be “like unto me”, meaning that this Prophet would speak as God. The words would be placed in His mouth by God, and His words would be life to those who followed.
Jesus claimed this position as the Prophet. All of Christianity hangs on whether or not this is so. If you can believe that Jesus is the Son of God then you can accept the atoning price of the cross and the empty tomb. If Jesus was just another man, though endowed with special gifts, then Christianity ceases to be about a Redeemer dying, and becomes a treatise on how to live a good moral life. Some great minds in history have felt this way, proving that great minds do not always stem from sanctified spirits. Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Gospels called “The Jefferson Bible” which told the story of Jesus without any references to healings or miracles, ending with Jesus being placed in the tomb. His version of Jesus was one of an ordinary man with an extraordinary message who taught us high morals. Jefferson was a brilliant statesman but a poor man of faith!
The Apostle John wrote of Jesus that He was the Word, “and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He further stated, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The disciples that followed Jesus firmly believed that they were not following a mere man, but that all of the Old Testament was robed in human flesh and was walking and talking with them.
Jesus said of Himself, “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father” (John 8:38). These words place Jesus with the Father throughout the Old Testament, seeing all that the Father saw. Again, His words must be either believed as the truth or rejected as a lie.
While seeing Jesus as Savior, Healer, Redeemer and even Friend is not that difficult, it is the title “Prophet” that we rarely equate with Christ. The prophets of the Old Testament were always recalling the sins of the people to them. When Elijah was living in Zarephath, a widow woman and her son were providing for Elijah, as he had provided for them with the miracle of meal and oil. When the woman’s son fell sick and died, she asked Elijah, “What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” (1 Kings 17:18) The common perception of the prophet was one who reminded you of all that you had done wrong.
The New Testament prophet holds a different office entirely. Paul wrote that prophecy was to speak to men to “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). Jesus certainly speaks these three things into all of our lives: he builds us up (edifies), he encourages us (exhorts) and he comforts us with His love and compassion.
When Christ is made out to be cold and distant and harsh, then He ceases to be the Prophet. Every believer can rest in the sweet words of the Master, and find rest for their souls. Remember, it was Jesus who called all of us to Him, for He would give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
While finding Jesus in the Old Testament, remember that He came not to be an extension of the Old Covenant, but to establish a new and living way. Your Prophet, Jesus is speaking words to comfort you today. Allow His abundant grace and mercy to bless you and go in peace.
