The Prophetic Ministry of Jesus
The biblical title Christ refers to the anointed one. “In the old covenant, three particular people were anointed for the service of God: the prophet, the priest, and the king. These three dimensions reveal more fully both his person and his work.”
These words are from a chapter that blessed me, this morning, in Name Above All Names by Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson. To reflect on the ministry of Jesus as prophet, the authors employ four R’s.
Required – “Our fallen condition requires us to have Jesus as our prophet….the reason he comes to us as prophet is to deal with our ignorance. Spiritual ignorance is the reason God sent prophets throughout all biblical history—and ultimately sent his true and final prophet, the Lord Jesus.”
Revealed – Hebrews 1:1-2 instructs us that God revealed himself in many ways throughout biblical history, but Jesus Christ, His Son, is the final revelation. “God puts his words in Jesus’ mouth. Jesus reveals everything his Father has commanded him.”
Recognized – “Ultimately, Jesus must be recognized, not merely as a messenger of revelation from God but as the very source of that revelation. Jesus is not only the revealer; he is the revelation!”
Realized – “Jesus’ ministry as prophet needs to be realized—but how? In the preaching and teaching of the Bible. Christ’s prophetic ministry was continued in the preaching and teaching ministry of the apostles. But the same is true of all preachers who stand in the line of the apostolic authority and have been set apart as gifts of the ascended Christ. It is their ongoing task to bring the Scriptures to bear upon the minds of the foolish and ignorant in their own time and generation. If we fail to understand this, then both our preaching and our hearing of the biblical testimony to Christ will be impoverished.”
The authors wrap up these thoughts nicely in the following words: “So the present prophetic ministry of Christ never introduces bizarre or strange or new and fanciful notions. No, it is found in the opening up of the Word.”
Friends, let’s exalt Christ by faithfully proclaiming His Word.
