Jesus, the Prophet - March 1, 2023 - Lent Midweek 2 - Text: Deuteronomy 18:15; John 6:14; John 1:45; Acts 3:19-26

This year during the season of Lent through Easter Sunday morning we are continuing what we started during our Advent season, that is we are looking at some of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, passages including His life, trials, suffering and crucifixion and finding the New Testament passages that confirm their fulfillment in our Savior, Christ Jesus. Today we continue with the prophecies of Jesus as a prophet.
 

In Deuteronomy, Moses prophesied “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—” (Deuteronomy 18:15). As we have often heard, Jesus is our prophet, priest and king. You might recall the gifts of the Magi, gold, frankincense and myrrh, an anointing oil. Gold, the gift for a king, frankincense, the gift for a priest, and myrrh, the gift for a prophet. Here in Deuteronomy we have God’s promise of a Messiah who would be a prophet, like Moses.
 

One of the works of a prophet was to call people to repent. Jesus would be the fulfillment as one who would call all people to repentance and He did. You might recall that when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” one of the responses was they believed He was Moses come back from the grave. Through Jesus’ work, preaching, teaching and the like He was seen as a prophet.
 

Like Moses the prophet, Jesus, the prophet was also the One Mediator between God and man. Just as Moses would go before God and bring back God’s word to the people, so Jesus goes before the Father in heaven and offers Himself for us in our place.
 

In his Gospel John gives “proof” of Jesus as the prophet promised in Deuteronomy. John writes,  “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:14). The Gospel writer John makes much of the signs, wonders and miracles of Jesus which are proofs of His being God in flesh and here in these words are proof of Jesus being the Prophet who has come into the world, in particular the people believing that Jesus is Moses brought back to life. Again, as John relates, the people heard Jesus and spoke, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
 

Earlier in his Gospel John relates the accounts of the calling of the disciples by Jesus to come and follow Him. Jesus calls Philip and Philip’s immediate response is to tell others, in particular to tell Nathanael. Philip’s Biblical knowledge brought him to call Nathanael and attested to him that Jesus was the prophet spoken of by the prophets. John tells us, “Philip found Nathanael and said to him,“ ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph’” (John 1:45). Of course we know the account, Nathanael could not believe it because he did not believe anything good could come from Nazareth. And so, rather than argue with Nathanael, knowing that you cannot argue anyone into faith, Philips’s response is one we put forward as an example even today as to how to evangelize others. Philip simply invited Nathanael to “come and see.” Come and see for yourself and believe.
 

After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension as the disciples met and moved forward in sharing the good news of salvation with others we have Peter’s message, “19Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness” (Acts 3:19-26).
 

Peter points to Moses’ prophecy that God would raise up a prophet from among his people, that is a prophet from among the nation of Israel. He says the prophet will be like him, one who would speak to God and relay God’s message to the people. Moses spoke God’s word of warning and punishment to the people and words of grace and forgiveness. Jesus spoke God’s word of warning and punishment for sin and unbelief and words of grace, mercy and forgiveness to all who do believe. Moses led the Children of Israel out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt into the promised land, just as Jesus would lead all people out of the bondage of slavery to sin into the promised land of heaven.
 

Thus, Peter points to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s word through Moses. Peter reminds the people of Jesus’ words and work, His proclamation of the good news of healing and forgiveness as well as His works, His signs, wonders and miracles, feeding the multitudes, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, walking on water, changing water into wine. Indeed, Peter gives proof of Jesus as the One promised by God.
 

And, just as John the Baptist did, just as Jesus did, so too Peter calls for repentance. Peter calls the people to turn from their wicked ways, repent and believe. John the Baptist’s words, Jesus’ words, Peter’s call are all appropriate in our world today where sin continues to abound. We too are called to repent and turn from our evil ways and unbelief, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
 

What does this mean? Jesus came as our prophet, priest and king. Jesus came as our prophet. The prophet foretells, that is a prophet proclaims what will happen in the future and Jesus did predict. He told His disciples of His impending suffering, death and resurrection and it happened according to the word He spoke.
 

A prophet proclaims or preaches. When the apostles died out so did the signs, wonders and miracles which Jesus gave the apostles the ability to perform as an attestation of what they preached. Indeed, prophecies have ceased in our world today. Do not believe those who do such prophesying, and be sure to know the sign of a false prophet, that is that their prophecies do not come to fruition. Today we say that our pastor’s are prophets not that they foretell, but that they proclaim the word of God.
 

And a prophet calls to repentance and faith. John the Baptist called the people to repent and believe in Jesus. Jesus called the people to repent and believe in Him. The apostles called the people to repent and believe and pastors today still call people to repent and believe. Pastors do not give faith, but proclaim the Gospel so that the Holy Spirit, working through the Gospel gives faith.
 

We know and can believe that Jesus is who He says He is because all of Holy Scripture attests to Him. Not only did God foretell of all that Jesus would do, not only did Jesus proclaim what would happen before it happened, He also fulfills all that was spoken about Him.
 

And Jesus calls us to repentance, gives us faith, forgives us and gives us eternal life. Although Jesus can do what ever He wants and can come to us in any way in which He desires, His usual way of working with us today, coming to us and giving us the gifts He has to give is through the means that He has given, His Word, Holy Absolution and His Sacraments, Holy Baptism and His Holy Supper. He has given us these means to come to us to lavish us with all the good gifts and blessings He has to give.
 

Today we rejoice that Jesus is the Great prophet, indeed, the greatest prophet. Jesus is God in flesh who was with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the creation of the world. He knew all that would happen before He even began creation and in His great love for us He created us anyway and He prepared and accomplished our salvation through His life, death and resurrection. So, we rejoice that Jesus is the great prophet fulfilling all that He has given to fulfill and stirring in us to rejoice and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.