Question 27: What offices does Christ perform as our
Redeemer?
Christ, as our
Redeemer, performs the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both
in his condition of humiliation and exaltation.
DAY 1: ACTS
The context of this passage is Peter and John coming to the temple at the hour of prayer and seeing a lame man by the gate, they spoke to him and the Lord healed the man. As a result, the man jumped up and leaped and praised God. As he did so, many people recognized this man as the one who sat at the gate and begged for money. This was indeed a miracle and the people knew it. This man had been lame since he was born. Now the opportunity was given to the two apostles to share the gospel with those who had gathered to witness the miracle.
In giving
the gospel, Peter refers back to the Old Testament to the words of Moses, who
was a prophet of God. Our question this
week asks about the offices that are performed by Christ, our Redeemer. The first office mentioned is that of
prophet. However, in looking at this,
let us not forget that Jesus is more than just a prophet. As we saw in the previous lessons, He is God
manifested in the flesh. His office is
important, for the office of prophet is that of one who speaks on behalf of
God. The Old Testament had strict
guidelines for someone who claimed to speak for God (See Deut. 13 &
18). Not only did the prophet have to be
100% accurate, He also had to lead the people to follow the God of
The Greek
word prophetes is the word translated
as prophet. It is used 149 times in the
New Testament and it refers to a prophet sent from God. Peter lets his hearers know that what he is
telling them is part of their recorded history.
For Moses was a prophet of God as well.
Therefore, when he says that Moses told the people that God would raise
up a prophet like unto himself, what did he mean? Unlike other Old Testament prophets, Moses
spoke with God “face to face”. Exodus
33:11 tells us that God spoke with Moses the way a man speaks to his
friend. Other prophets were given their
revelation via dreams and visions, but Moses was given His words directly from
God in his hearing. The same was true of
Christ. There is nowhere that we
discover that Jesus received any revelation in a dream or vision. Rather, we do see His on the spot public
conversations with God the Father and His private conversations with the
Father. His words were out in the open
for all to hear what He said would happen.
Jesus made many prophecies concerning the future. Over and over again He said that He would go
to
Jesus also predicted a time when the world, as we know it, will cease and He will come again and be the judge of every man, woman and child. He is very clear about what the judgment will entail and what the words will be of those involved.
The prophet that was to come, Jesus, was also to be of their brethren. This would be a reference to the fact that he would be a Hebrew. He would not be from a foreign land, nor would be descend from some other line. He would be from the midst of the Jewish people. This would be a key characteristic of his.
Jesus also not only foretold things, but was a forthteller of God’s truths. When He spoke in the Sermon on the Mount, He corrected the people’s thinking about what God had said. The people had been deceived for so long and the truth perverted for so long that He had to come in and take the people back to the original words of God and His original intent in those words.
In conclusion, Jesus’ office of that of a prophet was to be one who was intimate with the Father face to face. He was to foretell future events and speak the truth of God to men.
DAY 2: HEBREWS 5:6
The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ is to be a priest after the order of Melchizadek. He speaks of Christ being a priest. The Greek word hiereus means “one who offers sacrifices and in general in busied with sacred rites.” Melchizadek is a fascinating figure in Scripture. Though he is only mentioned in passing in Genesis 14, he becomes the anti-type of Christ.
There are
some things we can draw from this picture of Melchizadek that will help us see
how Christ fits that pattern. Remember
in Genesis 14, Abram had heard that Lot had been taken captive and so he went
to fight and retrieve
We also
don’t have a birth date or death date for Melchizadek. Though most people, at least important ones
of the Old Testament do tell us their age, Melchizadek is not referenced in
this way. He almost seems to come from
nowhere and leave virtually the same way (cf. Heb. 7:3). We are also told that Melchizadek is the
king of
Verse 20 of chapter 14 also tells us the Abram gave tithes to Melchizadek. The Hebrew term for tithes simply means, “a tenth part”. So we see that Abram tithes to Melchizadek. The Levitical priesthood would be the receivers of the people’s tithe. Though tithes were given to the representatives of God, they were in fact given to God. So we can see that when we give, we give to God through Jesus Christ.
Melchizadek is a priest before the priestly line of Aaronic priesthood. It could also be seen that since he was not in a particular national line of priests that he would have been a priest to all men, since there was not the distinction yet of Jews and Gentiles. As we saw in previous lessons, Christ is the mediator between God and man. So is the task of the priest. He is the mediator between God and man. They are one in the same. Only in the case of Christ, He was not only the mediator, but also the sacrifice.
Melchizadek’s priesthood did not come after the order of the Levitical priesthood. It was independent of it. Jesus, following in the line of Melchizadek came, as Hebrews puts it, “not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.” Therefore, we have a superior and ultimate high priest over the Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant.
DAY 3: PSALM 2:6
Not only is Jesus Christ a prophet and a priest, but He is also a king. Psalm 2 begins by addressing those who would seek to cast of the restraints that God has given them out of his love for the world. They desire to put away any thought of God from their minds. They don’t want to hear His law. They don’t want to hear about His mercy or His grace and they certainly don’t want to hear about His Son being their king.
But what has God said would come to pass? Has He indeed set up His Son as king. Verse 6 tells us exactly that. Though it has not yet become reality in time. God says it in this verse as if it has already occurred. What does it mean to be king? It means that He is the sovereign. He has total control over all things. His word is law. The Bible tells us that when He comes as king, Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron. He will be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will have a coronation unlike any king in history. His rule will be one that will be a monarchy.
Where is
Jesus Christ to be enthroned? This verse
tells us that His rule will be from the prominent hill in
Christ is also referenced in the New Testament as king. Before His crucifixion, He is asked by Pilate, “Are you the king of the Jews?” His answer was, “It is as you say.” Pilate would later write “The king of the Jews” above Jesus on the cross. This writing would usually be associated with the crime for which they were being executed. So we that, according to Pilate, the only thing he can find to write about Jesus is that He is the king of the Jews, which is just what He is.
Jesus
Christ is not just the king of the Jews, but He is the king of the saints (Rev.
15:3). Paul says that he is the eternal,
immortal, invisible King (1 Tim
We look forward to the day when He returns and will establish His kingdom and we will be given rule with Him in His throne. He has prophesied it to us as our prophet, has obtained it for us as our priest, and has granted it to us as our king.
Scripture: Acts