How
is Jesus, prophet, priest, and king?By
Jack Kettler
Introduction:
The
Scriptures are foundational to the Christian faith.
These divinely inspired
texts provide a narrative of God's interactions with
humanity, culminating in
the revelation of God's plan of salvation through
Jesus Christ.
The
offices of prophets, priests, and kings are
significant roles in the Old
Testament that Christ fulfills in the New Testament.
The prophet was a
messenger of God, communicating divine truth and
guidance to the people. The
priest was the mediator between God and humanity,
offering sacrifices and
prayers on behalf of the community. The king was the
ruler of the nation,
exercising authority and power over the people.
Christ
fulfilled
these roles in a unique and ultimate way. As a
prophet, Christ
revealed the truth about God and His plan of
salvation, teaching with authority
and wisdom. As a priest, Christ offered Himself as
the perfect sacrifice for
sin, satisfying the demands of divine justice and
reconciling humanity to God.
As a king, Christ established God's kingdom on
earth, exercising authority and
power over all creation and ruling as the head of
His church.
In
fulfilling these roles, Christ demonstrated His
divine nature and His mission
to redeem humanity from sin and death. His prophetic
teachings guide believers
in the path of righteousness, His priestly sacrifice
provides forgiveness and
reconciliation, and His kingship assures believers
of God's sovereign rule and
protection.
Christ
as
a prophet:
Christ,
as
the anointed one, fulfills the role of a prophet in
several ways. As a
prophet, Christ is tasked with the divine mission of
revealing God's message to
humanity and guiding them toward salvation.
Scriptural
references
to Christ as a prophet include Deuteronomy
18:15-18, where Moses
states:
“The
Lord your God will raise up for
you a prophet like me from among you, from your
fellow Israelites. You must
listen to him.”
This
prophecy is interpreted as referring to Jesus
Christ.
Christ's
prophetic
role is also evident in His teachings and actions,
which are
characterized by wisdom, authority, and a deep
understanding of God's will. For
instance, in Matthew 7:28-29, it is written that the
crowds were amazed at His
teaching, for He taught as one who had authority,
not as their scribes.
Christ's
prophetic
mission is further underscored in His role as the
Messiah, the one
who would deliver humanity from sin and death. His
sacrificial death and
resurrection are viewed as the realization of Old
Testament prophecies about
the arrival of a savior.
In
conclusion,
Christ fulfills the role of a prophet by revealing
God's will, teaching with
authority, and, most importantly, fulfilling the
prophecies about the Messiah.
Christ
is
a priest:
Christ
executes
the office of a priest primarily through His
sacrificial death on the
cross and His ongoing intercession on behalf of
believers. His continuous
intercession provides believers with a sense of
support and care, knowing that
He is always there for Them.
Scriptural
references
supporting Christ's priestly role include Hebrews
9:11-14, which
states:
“But
when Christ appeared as a high
priest of the good things to come, He entered
through the greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this creation;
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but
through His own blood, He
entered the holy place once for all, having obtained
eternal redemption. For if
the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a
heifer sprinkling those who
have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the
flesh, how much more will
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without
blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works to serve the living
God?”
Additionally,
Christ's
ongoing intercession is highlighted in Hebrews
7:25, where it is
written:
“Therefore
He is able also to save
forever those who draw near to God through Him,
since He always lives to make
intercession for them.”
Christ's
priestly
office is also closely linked to His role as the
mediator between God
and humanity, as He alone is able to bridge the gap
between the divine and the
human, offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice
and interceding on behalf of
believers before the throne of God.
Christ
is
a king:
Christ
executes
the office of a king by fulfilling the Old Testament
prophecies about
the Messiah, who would come as a descendant of David
to establish God's kingdom
on earth. This is evident in His role as the ruler
and shepherd of God's
people, exercising authority and power over all
creation.
Scriptural
references
supporting Christ's kingship include Psalm 2:6-9,
where it is
written:
“But
as for Me, I have installed My
King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell
of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have
begotten You. Ask of Me, and I
will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the
earth as Your possession. You shall break them with
a rod of iron, You shall
shatter them like earthenware.'”
Additionally,
Christ's
kingship is highlighted in His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, where
He is hailed as the Son of David and the King of
Israel (Matthew 21:1-11).
This
event is a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, which
states:
“Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of
Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to
you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble,
and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Christ's
kingship
is also evident in His resurrection and ascension,
where He is exalted
to the right hand of God and given all authority in
heaven and on earth
(Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:9-11). This authority
is exercised through His
church, which He builds and rules as the head of the
body (Ephesians 1:22-23).
In
summary, Christ executes the office of a king by
fulfilling the Old Testament
prophecies about the Messiah, exercising authority
and power over all creation,
and ruling as the head of His church.
Answer
24.
Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in
revealing to us, by his word
and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. (1)
(1)
John 1:18; I Peter 1:10-12; John 15:15; 20:31.
Q.
25.
How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
A.
Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once
offering up of himself a
sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, (68) and
reconcile us to God, (69) and in
making continual intercession for us. (70)
Question
26.
How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Answer
26.
Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing
us to himself, (1) in
ruling (2) and defending us, (3) and in restraining
and conquering all his and
our enemies. (4)
(1)
Acts 15:14-16. (2) Isa. 33:22. (3) Isa. 32:1-2. (4)
I Cor. 15:25, Ps. 110.
The
above study was Groked and perfected with Grammarly
AI.
“Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.” (2 Timothy
2:15)
Mr.
Kettler is a respected author who has previously
published articles in the Chalcedon Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife, Marea, are active
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church
members. Mr. Kettler's extensive work includes 18
books defending the Reformed
Faith, which are available for order online at
Amazon.