I submitted this paper for Christology (TH 851) at Bob Jones University on February 8, 2004.
The Offices of Christ:
Prophet, Priest, and King
The Offices of Christ:
Prophet, Priest, and King
Ever since Adam plunged the human race into the depths of sin, interaction between God and man has involved mediation. God expelled man from the garden (Gen. 3:22–24), the place of intimate fellowship with Him (Gen. 3:8). No longer did He reveal Himself immediately. The God who once was close and personal was now distant. God’s holiness necessitated a break in the relationship with man because of sin. Nevertheless, God’s love and grace motivated Him to reconcile His rebellious race to Himself. In His divine economy, God designed that only a mediator could remove this estrangement.1 The fellowship and communion that man once enjoyed would only exist again through the work of an intermediary. The implications of this need for mediation occur as early as Genesis 3:21. Very possibly God sacrificed the first animal as a substitute for fallen man when He “made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”2
In the Old Testament dispensation, God chose to mediate His work of redemption primarily through the offices of priest, king, and prophet. God established these offices to bridge the gap between Himself and His rebellious people. Though the priestly office existed throughout the history of Israel, it functioned in a prominent place in the Pentateuchal literature.3 The earliest mention of a priest in Scripture is the mysterious Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18).4 Aaron and his son’s became the first official priests of the organized class (Ex. 28–29). Priests represented the people before God, making atonement and interceding to God on their behalf. Priestly mediation dealt with both man’s sin and God’s righteous displeasure.
The kingly office played most prominently in Israel’s history as recorded in the historical books.5 Scripture records kings as early as the time of Abraham (e.g., Gen. 14). God had made provision for His people to have a king (Deut. 17:14–15). The people, however, did not wait for God’s timing. Rather, they demanded a king to replace Samuel (1 Sam. 8:5). God gave them their wish, installing Saul as the first king over Israel (1 Sam. 10:19–24). The role of the king was to rule in place of God, exercising His sovereignty over the people.
The office of prophet plays a prominent place in the last portion of Israel’s Old Testament history. Though Abel (Lk. 11:50–51), Abraham (Gen. 20:7), and Moses (Num. 11:29) were all prophets; as an organized class, the office of prophet was not in the forefront until the time of the writing prophets. The prophetic literature stresses this particular office.6 Prophets represented God to the people, revealing Him and His will to them and rebuking them for their sin. The work of the prophet was primarily a speaking ministry. He would speak only what God gave to him to speak (2 Sam. 24:11–12). Preaching and predication were the two aspects of the prophet’s message. While people generally think of prophets in terms of predicting the future, the bulk of their ministry was actually preaching.
The Anointed One
These three offices find their unity in the Old Testament in that all prophets, priests, and kings were anointed for their office.7 Other significant functions existed (e.g., judge), but none received a special anointing like these three. The Old Testament records the anointing of priests,8 kings,9 and prophets.10 This anointing set the individual apart to serve a special role in God’s plan of redemption.
The Purpose of the OT
Although these mediatorial offices of prophet, priest, and king did restore man’s relationship with God, so damaged by the fall; at best, their effect was imperfect and unsatisfying. All of these Old Testament mediators fell short of a total reestablishment of the fellowship with God experienced in Eden. The priests, for example, never finished their work (Heb. 10:1, 11). More sin necessitated more sacrifice. In addition to offering sacrifices for the people, the priests would have to offer sacrifices for their own sin (Heb. 7:27; 9:7). Likewise, the prophets failed to bring the people to repentance. Their preaching oftentimes fell on deaf ears. Though the prophets spoke the very words of God to the people, their proclamation lacked the power to effect obedience.
The inadequacy of Israel’s kings was no less significant. A great number of kings were corrupt and did not lead the people in God’s ways. Those who did had their own failures. Saul disobeyed God, and God rejected Him. David committed adultery and murder. Solomon’s love of women led him away from God. The best kings could not effectively rule over God’s people. And surely, the people would not rise above their leadership. Although God granted military success under certain kings, the people failed to occupy their land permanently. They never experienced total rest from their enemies. The successes they did experience were incomplete and short-lived. From priest, to prophet, to king, the Old Testament era was devoid of a perfect mediation between God and man.
Within the pages of the Old Testament itself, however, God had revealed the anticipatory nature and foreshowing role of the mediatorial offices. It was by divine design that the Old Testament be incomplete. God was creating anticipation for the perfect Mediator. Since the Scripture is one unified book, Christ being its central, amalgamating theme, the Old Testament offices functioned primarily to pave the way for His coming.
Christ: The Perfect Anointed One
The very title “Christ” has great significance in the role of Jesus as the Messiah. The word Messiah is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew term מָשִׁיחַ, which means “anointed one.” The New Testament equivalent to “Messiah” is “Christ,” which is itself a transliteration of the Greek word χριστός. The Old Testament prophesied of a day when the promised Anointed One (Messiah) would come. That promise found its fulfillment in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who was the Anointed One (Christ).11
When did Christ receive this anointing and begin to function in the offices of prophet, priest, and king? Although He was never anointed with oil in the same way that men were anointed in the Old Testament, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. In the Old Testament, oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. For example, when Samuel anointed David, the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him (1 Sam. 16:13). It seems reasonable to assume that Christ (i.e., the Anointed One) who was the promised Messiah (i.e., the Anointed One) would have at some point been anointed to fulfill the mediatorial offices. It was at the baptism that Christ began His earthly ministry, and it was at the baptism that the heavens opened and the Father announced publicly that Jesus was His beloved Son (Mat. 3:17). Rather than being anointed with actual oil, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit “descending as a dove and lighting on Him” (3:16). Although this passage does not use the terminology of anointing, Peter makes the connection a little more explicitly in Acts 10:38 by saying, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.” Almost certainly did Peter have the baptism event in mind.
It is also worth noting that immediately after the baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Luke records that after the devil left Jesus, He went into the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61:1–2 these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Jesus refers to His anointing in the past tense. Likely the reference was to His baptism.12 In view of all these things, it seems best to regard the anointing of the Spirit at Jesus’ baptism to be His official anointing as Prophet, Priest, and King.
Christ: The Perfect Mediator
The mediatorial work of the prophets, priests, and kings of the old dispensation were inadequate on three accounts. First, the men who filled these roles were themselves sinful and in need of the very work which they performed. Second, these men were merely human and could not fully represent God to man. Finally, these men lacked the power to effect the goal of their office. The prophets could not make the people heed their message, the priests could not effect a lasting atonement, and the kings could not bring the people into joyful and glad submission to their kingship. But when Christ, the long awaited Anointed One, came, He became the perfect mediator between God and man. Paul’s well-known text speaks of Christ in His mediatorial role: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). The book of Hebrews also testifies that Jesus is the mediator of the new or better covenant (8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
Jesus is the perfect mediator because He does not have the weaknesses and inadequacies of former prophets, priests, and kings. He had no sin of His own to hinder the effectiveness of His ministry (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5). He was not a mere man representing men before God. He was the eternal Son of God permanently united to man so that He could perfectly represent each before the other. By virtue of His divine nature and His empowering by the Holy Spirit, Christ could effectually accomplish all three offices. As prophet he had power to sovereignly reveal the Father to man and overcome their ignorance and blindness (Mat. 11:27). As priest He could offer Himself as the sinless sacrifice, once for all accomplished (Heb. 1:3), never to be repeated or supplemented (Heb. 7:27) and perfectly accomplishing eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). As King, He could rule His church and the entire universe with absolute sovereignty, bringing them to their intended end.
Christ: The Perfect Prophet
The Old Testament had laid the foundation for Christ to come as the perfect Prophet through the failures of the prophets of old. It also gave specific prophecies of a future prophet. Moses spoke of a day when God would raise up a prophet that the people would listen to (Deut. 18:15–19). The prophet Isaiah foretold of the Spirit’s role in empowering the Messiah to preach to the needy (Is. 61:1–3). This expectation existed among the Jews in Jesus’ day. When John the Baptist arose on the scene, the people asked him if he was the prophet (Jn. 1:21, 25). When Jesus began His ministry, many people were confident that He was “the Prophet who [was] to come into the world” (Jn. 6:14; cf. 7:40). The Jews anticipated the coming of this perfect Prophet.
When Jesus began His earthly ministry, everyone knew that He was not an ordinary man. They identified Him as a prophet (Mat. 21:11, 46) whose arrival signified that God was visiting His people (Lk. 7:16). His miraculous knowledge and ability were signs of God’s presence and power. When He knew information about the woman at the well, she perceived that He was a prophet (Jn. 4:19). When He healed the man born blind, he too testified that Jesus was a prophet (Jn. 9:17). These claims were not just the misconceptions of the people. Jesus Himself affirmed that He was a prophet (Mat. 13:57; Lk. 13:33). A significant passage is Luke 4:17–21 where Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1–2 and says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus made clear affirmations of being a prophet by speaking of His commission from the Father. His favorite designation of the Father was “the one who sent Me.”13 The apostles’ testimony was consonant with the assertions of Jesus. Peter quoted the prophecy recorded in Deuteronomy and explicitly connects it to Christ (Acts 3:22–26; cf. 7:37; Lk. 24:19).
Christ’s ministry as prophet took place in different stages. His work in the Old Testament as the messenger of Yahweh and through other Christophanies was, in a sense, the beginning of His prophetic work. He was even at work through the Old Testament prophets by His Spirit (2 Pet. 1:10–11). His primary immediate work as the Prophet of God took place during His life on earth. John’s gospel is especially significant in portraying Jesus as a prophet.14 His identification as the Word of God encapsulates the heart of the prophetic ministry—revealing God and His will to the people. One interesting dimension of Jesus’ prophetic ministry was the fact that He was not only the Messenger, but He was also the very Message itself. Christ’s role in revealing God to man is also clear from His titles as “the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15) and “the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:6; Heb. 1:3). Jesus is the bodily manifestation of the fullness of deity (Col 1:19: 2:9), and through the incarnation He expounds the Father perfectly (Jn. 1:18).
In addition to revealing God through His names and nature, Jesus’ verbal ministry also revealed God to man. His preaching and teaching set Him apart as the greatest prophet of all time. Though He did not function independently of the Father but received His message from Him, Jesus had an authority that no other prophet had ever had (Mat. 7:29). Preaching and teaching was not the only part of Christ’s verbal ministry. He also accurately predicted the future, a sign of a true prophet (Deut. 18:20–22). He spoke often of His own death and resurrection (e.g., Jn. 2:19) and of the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The miracles of Jesus served a twofold role: they identified Jesus as a true prophet of God and they taught men about themselves and about God. Christ truly was the Prophet of God.
In a sense, Christ’s prophetic ministry did not end with His ascension to heaven.15 In all actuality, His prophetic ministry took on a new and higher dimension through the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ continues to teach His people through the Spirit’s ministry and through the inspired Word. Those who faithfully proclaim that Word are themselves the very instruments of Christ for the continuation of His prophetic ministry.
Christ: The Perfect Priest
The priestly work of Christ is inescapable in the teaching of the New Testament. Although only Hebrews explicitly refers to Christ as a priest, the rest of the New Testament gives much attention to the theme of His sacrificial death. The clearest Old Testament passage predicting the priestly work of Christ is Psalm 110.16 Yahweh has sworn that David’s Lord will be “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (110:4). The author of Hebrews quotes this passage affirming that this promised Melchizedekan priest was indeed Jesus of Nazareth (Heb. 5:5–6, 10; 6:20; 7:17; cf. 7:11–16).
There is a sense in which Christ functioned as our high priest throughout the entirety of His earthly ministry. Although He was not performing the work of atonement, He was preparing Himself to be our substitutionary sacrifice by living a sinless live and completely fulfilling all of God’s will. John 17 records His function as intercessor. He prayed for His disciples and for all future believers as well (17:20). It is unquestionable, however, that the most significant aspect of His priestly ministry was the giving up of Himself on Calvary. Although not identifying Jesus as a priest, the New Testament is replete with affirmations of Jesus as the substitutionary sacrifice for sins.
After His death, His priestly work was by no means over. God raised Him up and gave Him the seat at His right hand where He now continues His office as High Priest of His people. Although the atoning aspect of His death was finished once and for all, the intercessory work continues until every last child of God is brought safely home. Hebrews 7:25 makes clear that His intercession is part of His work of salvation. Believers would not be completely saved without it. Christ unceasingly performs this work on behalf of His own.17 Romans 8:34 develops this same point: the believer’s freedom from condemnation finds its basis in the death, resurrection, session, and continual intercession of Christ.
What is it that Jesus does as intercessor? It is clear that this includes praying. John 17 gives us a glimpse of what He might be praying. He prays that the Father would sanctify His people (v17), keep them from the evil one (v15), and bring them to behold His glory (v24). Jesus as intercessor also defends His people. Revelation 12:10 speaks of Satan as the accuser of the brethren “who accuses them before our God day and night.”18 Satan is continually bringing accusations—both true and false—before God concerning His people. Christ, as the advocate of His people, comes to their defense. Although He does not deny many of the accusations that Satan brings before the Lord, He does testify to His atoning work on their behalf, having made full satisfaction for their sin. This is the connection that John makes in 1 John 2:1–2. John exhorts believers not to sin, but he recognizes that it is inevitable. Believers will sin, but when they do, they need to remember that they have “an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” John does not stop there with the work of Jesus as our intercessor. He transitions immediately to Jesus’ work as sacrificial substitute: “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.” The Jesus who intercedes and defends is the same Jesus who was perfectly sinless and offered Himself to God as the substitute for His people. Thus, Christ’s continual work of intercession is based on His past work of atonement.19
Jesus was the Perfect Priest, superior to all preceding priests, in a number of ways. He was both the offerer of the sacrifice and the sacrifice being offered. As the offerer, He did not need to atone for His own sins. As the sacrifice, He was able to fully satisfy all of God’s demands once and for all, never to be repeated or supplemented. As to His intercessory work, Christ’s prayers are irresistibly efficacious: they always find hearing with the Father. What He prays the Father will grant. Christ is certainly the Perfect Priest.
Christ: The Perfect King
The Old Testament prepared the way for the coming King by the inadequacy of human kings. It prophesied of a King who would come in the line of David and rule on David’s throne. Psalm 2 is a significant passage in this regard. It records the resistance of the wicked to the Yahweh and His Anointed One. In verse 6, Yahweh says, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” Verse 7 identifies that King as His Son.
It is clear that Christ will be King. But when will this happen? Verse 7 lends some help in interpretation. It seems that the installing of Christ as King takes place in close connection with the day when Yahweh begets Him. Identifying this day would be somewhat difficult were it not for the inspired New Testament interpretation of it. It occurs in Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; and Acts 13:33. The time reference in the two Hebrews passages is difficult to discern, but Acts is unmistakably clear: God fulfilled this promise when He raised Jesus from the dead. So when God raised up Christ to the place at His right hand, He installed Him as King.
Another important text is Psalm 110:1–2. Yahweh says to David’s Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” This verse occurs often in the New Testament (Mat. 22:44; Mar. 12:36; Lk. 20:42; Ac. 2:34; Heb. 1:13). The Acts passage is the one with the most interpretational significance. God raised Jesus up and exalted Him to His right hand. At His ascension to the Father’s right hand, He sits on a throne as Lord. The clear implication of this passage is that Christ currently rules as King.
Jesus clearly identified Himself as the promised King of Israel (Mat. 27:11; Jn. 18:37, 39; 19:3, 12). Nathanael recognized this from the beginning (Jn. 1:49). The sign above Jesus’ head at His crucifixion, though there to mock Him, was ironically a testimony to the very thing the people denied (Mat. 27:37; Jn. 19:19). Matthew identified Jesus as the promised King of Zechariah 9:9 (Jn. 12:13–15). Although Jesus was King, He refused the people’s attempts to make Him their earthly king (Jn. 6:15). The reason for Jesus’ refusal was that His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom. It was internal and spiritual (Jn 18:36).
The question of the kingdom is indeed a challenging one. Certain passages present it as a present reality, while others are clearly future (Gal 5:21; 2 Tim. 4:1, 18). The early church recognized Christ as King (Act. 17:7). That believers have been transferred into Christ’s kingdom must mean that in some sense He is presently King over a present kingdom (Col. 1:13). Of the future passages, some seem to point an earthly reign over the Jewish people, while others connect the future kingdom with heaven. Regardless of how one works out all the eschatological details, the person of the King is still the same sovereign who in some sense fulfills His office for His people today.
Christ, the Anointed One, who is the promised Messiah, is the perfect mediator between God and man. What the prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament could not do, Christ has perfectly done. As Prophet, He teaches His people with compelling effectiveness, countering the problem of man’s ignorance. As Priest, He has offered the perfect sacrifice upon which basis He continually and effectually intercedes for all His own, having dealt with the problem of man’s guilt so that he may have a perfect conscience (Heb. 9:9). As King, He sovereignly rules over His church, subduing His people and banishing their rebellion, and over the universe ordering the events of history for the good of His people. In doing all this, He addresses man’s problem of weakness and need for power. Jesus is the perfect Revealer, Reconciler, and Ruler who provides His people with knowledge, forgiveness, and power! Truly, the Christian has everything He needs for salvation and sanctification in Christ, the Perfect mediator. The believer needs his sin removed, he needs a knowledge of God and His will, and he needs the power to obey. Christ perfectly provides all these things. What a glorious and perfect Mediator!
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I. Old Testament Revelation: The Need for a Mediator
A. The fall established the need for a mediator.
B. The offices of the mediator
1. Priest
2. King
3. Prophet
C. The anointing of the mediator
D. The inadequacy of the OT mediators
1. The priests failed.
2. The kings failed.
3. The prophets failed.
E. The anticipation of the NT Mediator
1. The Pentateuch showed the need for a perfect priest
2. The Historical literature showed the need for a perfect king
3. The Prophetic literature showed the need for a perfect prophet
II. New Testament Revelation: The Arrival of the Mediator
A. Christ as the Anointed One
1. His titles
2. The occasion of His anointing
B. Christ as the Perfect Mediator
C. Christ as the Perfect Prophet (Revealer)
1. The promised Prophet
2. The ministry of the Prophet
a. Old Testament ministry
b. Earthly ministry
c. Present ministry
3. The work of the Prophet
a. Preaching
b. Predicting
c. Miracles
D. Christ as the Perfect Priest (Reconciler)
1. Christ’s work of atonement
a. Being the Perfect Priest
b. Offering the perfect sacrifice
2. Christ’s work of intercession
E. Christ as the Perfect King (Ruler)
1. The King prophesied
2. The present reign of the King
3. The future reign of the King
Notes
1. The English word “mediator” can be misleading. In common usage, a mediator is one who brings harmony to a broken relationship by seeking compromise from both parties about the conflict or disagreement. This obviously does not reflect accurately the relationship between God and man. God does not compromise or give in at all. ↩
2. Another hint of this mediation appears in the next chapter of Genesis where Abel was offering blood sacrifice to the Lord. It is worth noting in connection with this that the New Testament calls Abel a prophet (Lk. 11:50–51). In addition, an interesting connection exists between Christ, the mediator of the new covenant, who shed His blood, and Abel, whose blood Cain spilled (Heb. 11:24). The blood of Abel, the first prophet, could do nothing but cry out for vindication; but the blood of Christ, the Perfect Prophet, cried out for forgiveness. ↩
3. The Hebrew word כֹּהֵן occurs 773 times in the Old Testament. Over 40% (312) of those occurrences are Pentateuchal. Leviticus alone has 196 occurrences. Nearly 45% (347) of the occurrences are found in the historical books. Less than 1% (6) of the occurrences appears in the poetical literature, while the remaining 14% (108) appear in the prophetic literature. ↩
4. Though Noah is not called a priest, he does offer sacrifices to the Lord (Gen. 8:20). Abraham as well must have known what a burnt offering was for God to command him to offer his son Isaac (Gen. 22). If, as many conservative scholars have held, the date of Job is pre-Mosaic, it is worth noting that Job continually offered burnt offerings to the Lord for his family (1:5). The existence of priests is also clear from Job 12:19. ↩
5. The Hebrew term מֶלֶך occurs 2884 times in the Old Testament. Only 4% (119) of those occurrences are in the Pentateuch. The bulk of these, 73% (2115), occur in the historical books. Another 5% (134) occur in the poetical books, while the last 18% (516) occur in the prophets. ↩
6. The Hebrew word נָבִיא occurs 316 times in the Old Testament. Only 4% (14) of those occurrences are Pentateuchal. The historical books contain 43% (135) occurrences. The poetical literature has only 1% (3), all of which are in the Psalms. The remaining 52% (164) occur in the prophets. Most notable is Jeremiah with 85. In addition, the verb נבא occurs 114 times. Only 3% (3) occur in the Pentateuch, 21% (24) in the historical books, 0% in the poetical books, and 76% (87) in the prophets. Most notable are Jeremiah with 40 and Ezekiel with 37. ↩
7. The Hebrew word for anoint is משׁח. It occurs 70 times in the Old Testament. The Pentateuch has 29 occurrences, the historical books 34, the poetical books 2, and the prophets 5. The noun form מָשִׁיחַ (anointed one) occurs 38 times. It occurs 4 times in the Pentateuch (all in Leviticus), 18 times in the historical books, 10 times in the poetical books (all in Psalms), and 5 times in the prophets. ↩
8. See Ex. 28:41; 29:7, 21, 29; 30:30, 40:13, 15; Lev. 4:3, 5, 16; 6:20, 22; 7:36; 8:12, 30; 10:7; 16:32; 21:10, 12; Num. 3:3; 35:25; Deut. 28:40; 1 Chr. 29:22. ↩
9. See Jud. 9:8, 15; 1 Sam. 2:10 [?], 2:35 [?]; 9:16 [prince]; 10:1; 12:3, 5 [?]; 15:1, 17; 16:3, 6, 12, 13; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16; 2:4, 7; 3:39; 5:3, 17; 12:7; 19:10, 21; 22:51; 23:1; 1 Ki. 1:34, 39, 45; 5:1; 19:15, 16; 2 Ki. 9:3, 6, 12; 11:12; 23:30; 1 Chr. 11:3; 14:8; 29:22; 2 Chr. 6:42; 22:7 [?]; 23:11; Ps. 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 45:7 [?]; 89:20, 38, 51; 132:10, 17; Is. 45:21 [Cyrus]; Lam. 4:20; Hab. 3:13. ↩
10. See 2 Ki. 19:16; 1 Chr. 16:22 [?]; Ps. 105:15 [?]; Is. 61:1. ↩
11. The Greek word Χριστός, when it occurred without the article, did not carry the full force of the title Anointed One. Rather, it began to function as a personal name for Jesus of Nazareth. However, when it occurred with the article, it usually functioned as the official title for the Messiah (Matt. 16:16, 20; 22:42; 24:5, 23; 26:63; Mk. 8:29; 12:35; 13:21; 14:61; Lk. 3:15; 4:41; 9:20; 20:41; 22:67; 23:35, 39; 24:26, 46; Jn. 1:20, 25; 3:28; 4:29; 7:26f, 31, 41f; 10:24; 11:27; 12:34; 20:31; Acts 2:31; 3:20; 5:42; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28; 26:23; Rom. 9:5; 2 Co. 13:3; Heb. 6:1; 1 Jn. 2:22; 5:1). ↩
12. In Acts 4, Peter makes the connection between Yahweh’s Anointed One (Ps. 2) and Jesus, whom God anointed (26–27). He does not identify the timing of Jesus’ anointing for His mediatorial offices, but He does make clear that Jesus was the promised Messiah whom God anointed to fulfill them. ↩
13. In John’s gospel alone it occurs 33 times (4:34; 5:24, 30, 36, 37; 6:38, 39, 44, 57; 7:16, 28, 29, 33; 8:16, 18, 26, 29, 42; 9:4; 11:42; 12:44, 45, 49; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; 17:8, 18, 21, 23, 25; 20:21). ↩
14. For a fascination study of John’s portrayal of Jesus as the Word see Robert H. Gundry, Jesus the Word according to John the Sectarian: A Paleofundamentalist Manifesto for Contemporary Evangelicalism, Especially Its Elites in North America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2002), 1–50. ↩
15. Some of handled the offices of prophet, priest, and king in a strict chronological order. Christ was prophet during His earthly ministry, and then He was priest at His death, in which office He continues until He becomes king during the millennium. But this is not quite accurate; all of the offices coincide. ↩
16. See also Zechariah 6:13: “Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ↩
17. The present tense participle ζῶν and infinitive ἐντυγχάνειν stress this. The use of the first is progressive and the use of the second is iterative. The connection between the living and the interceding is one of purpose. Christ continually lives for the very purpose of interceding for His own. See also Heb. 9:24 where Jesus appears in the presence of God for believers. ↩
18. See also Zechariah 3:1 where Satan is standing next to Joshua the high priest to accuse Him before the angel of the Lord. ↩
19. See John 17:17–19 for a similar connection between Christ’s atonement and His prayers for His people. ↩