Scripture Reading: The Gospel of John
Explanation: In John's Gospel, we find numerous references to Jesus' role as the Prophet in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15-22. The references either (1) explicitly mention the role using the word "prophet"; or (2) use language that is clearly linked to the descriptions of the Prophet from Deuteronomy 18. There are also in John several occasions where we find the other roles of the promised Virgin-born Deliverer applied to Jesus in combination with His being the Prophet. To illustrate, here is a catalog of references from John:
1:1-2, 14 - Jesus is described as the Word or Message from God
1:17 - Jesus is juxtaposed with Moses, which makes perfect sense seeing that He is the Prophet "like unto Moses"
1:18 - Jesus is said to have seen the Father and to have made Him known
1:49 - John records Nathanael's declaration to Jesus, "You are the King of Israel." With all the emphasis in John on Jesus as the Prophet, this must be taken as one of a few intentionally made links between the two roles as being combined in Jesus.
1:51 - Jesus claims to be the gateway between the heavens and the earth, reminiscent of Jacob's ladder at Bethel in Genesis 28. This is consistent with the proposition that Jesus, as the Prophet, is the one through whom the Father communicates with people on the earth.
2:11 - Jesus' turning of the water into wine is called "the first of his signs". In other words, this miracle was intended as authentication of the message Jesus was about to proclaim. See also Isaiah 55.
2:18-22 - Although the cleansing of the Temple is also a sign by itself, these verses reference the Resurrection as a "sign" that Jesus had the authority as the Father's agent to declare what He (the Father) thought of their merchandising His house.
2:23 - Another reference to the "signs" Jesus was doing with the result that "many believed in his name."
3:2 - Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus' activities are "signs"
3:12-13 - Jesus characterizes His communication as "heavenly things"; that is, things that come from Heaven where the Father is.
3:16-18 - Jesus refers to Himself as "the only Son of God", pointing to His unique role in relation to both the Father and all humankind.
3:31-36 - Jesus states as clearly as ever that He is the One from the Father and that people will be accountable to the Father through Him.
4:25-26 - The woman at the well combines the ministry of the Prophet with the Christ: "he will tell us all things." Not only does Jesus not correct her, He embraces her understanding and boldly declares: "I who speak to you am he."
4:54 - Another intentional use of the word "sign" to describe Jesus' activity
5:17-18 - Jesus declares Himself to be equal with the Father, indicating no division between His activity and message and the activity and the message toward humankind that comes from the Father.
5:19-24 - Jesus explicitly declares once again where His message comes from, while noting that all will either be granted eternal life or judged on the basis of how they respond to Him. In other words, the Father hold people accountable for how they respond to the message of the Prophet, just like Deuteronomy 18:19 says.
5:30-46 - This section is full of Jesus' explanations of the origin of His words. Note how He sets Himself alongside of Moses at the end. In the middle, He declares explicitly: "I have come in my Father's name". He also asserts that the Scriptures predict this role for Him (v.39).
6:2 - Another use of the word "signs"
6:14-15 - John records people actually expressing that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Deuteronomy 18:15-22 passage. These verses also combine their perceptions of Jesus as the Prophet with the expectation that the Prophet would also be King.
6:26-27 - Another use of the word "signs". Jesus also says that the Father "has set his seal on him", meaning that the Father is authenticating Jesus in His role as the Prophet.
6:29-40 - Jesus interacts with the people about "signs" that authenticate His role and message. He also carefully explains the critical nature of listening to Him, since people will be held accountable for His message from the Father.
6:45 - 59 - More of the same
6:68 - Peter confesses: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." In other words, we believe that You are the one the Father has set apart to give the message to us He wants communicated. And we recognize this message means life eternal to us.
I have to stop now because of the time. I'll try to pick up later today or perhaps tomorrow. But I think the point is abundantly clear by now. Jesus not only is the Prophet predicted by Deuteronomy 18:15-22, He knew it. And He clearly claimed it. And people were constantly put in position of having to believe or reject His claim. How about you?
I know when I read through with the emphasis on Jesus as the Prophet in mind, my heart practically leaps out of my chest in excitement to know Him as I do. My prayer, of course, is that I might know Him better each day. Again, I ask, how about you?
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