PROPHET

Of Christ’s three offices - prophet, priest and king - John refers most to His prophetic work. In John chapter 7 verse 52, the Pharisees wrongly doubted the Galilean prophet. There were at least three Galilean prophets: Jonah of Gath-hepher, 2 Kgs. 14.25, and Elijah of Tishbi, 1 Kgs. 17. 1, and Nahum of Elkosh, Nah. 1.1. Further, Christ spoke of His rejection in His own Galilean hometown, John 4. 44. Yet on four occasions He was proclaimed as a prophet: by the woman at the well because of His complete knowledge, John 4.19; by the 5,000 who were fed and the healed blind man because of His awesome power, John 6.14; 9.17; by those who heard His wise teaching regarding the Holy Spirit’s coming to satisfy thirsty souls, John 7. 40. Perhaps even Philip referred to the Prophet, John 1. 45.

Moses foretold Messiah’s coming as the Prophet, Deut. 18.15, and thus the Jews continually looked for a prophet. False prophets might come speaking lies, Zech. 13. 3-4, or performing miracles, Deut. 13. 1; Matt. 24. 24, but Christ came telling forth the truth of God, a true prophet’s mark. Peter and Stephen show that Christ was this Prophet, Acts. 3. 22-23; 7. 37. Moses said he would be ‘of your brethren’, referring to Christ’s human nature of Jewish stock, and ‘like unto me’, referring to Christ’s work as Mediator and as initiator of the dispensation of grace, just as the law was given by Moses.

At the Lord’s highest point of kingly recognition, the people applied the messianic song to Him: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord’, Matt. 21. 9, Ps. 118. 25-26. Their King was here! He knew it. They thought they knew it - and they called Him the Prophet, v. 11.

But how quickly they changed. And the sad events of that next week rapidly deflated even the disciples, so that as the Stranger, an appropriate title for the one who was a stranger on earth throughout His life, on the road to Emmaus approached them - their hopes broken into a million pieces - they could only call Him a prophet, v. 19. Thankfully, they changed once again, after the Prophet expounded the prophets, and they discovered He was truly alive.