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Volume. XXVI, No. 32 Of the Prophetic Office of Christ - Part III...Continued from 22 January 2012.
With authentication (John 6:14, 7:40)
Why? Because miracles were essential to prove that He was sent by God as the promised Prophet in Deuteronomy 18, where Moses said the Lord would send a Prophet like him who performed many signs and wonders during his life time. Had Christ not wrought miracles, there would not only have been no open proof of His divine mission as the Prophet, but He would have been inferior to Moses who gave the law, and to Elijah who restored the law – both of whom proved their commission of God by the wondrous deeds which they wrought in the name of Jehovah! The number of miracles performed by our Lord was perhaps too many for us to cover because of the limited time we have. In fact, in the closing statement, the apostle John wrote in his gospel, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25)
Yet, it will be sufficient to show from two passages the connection between our Lord\'s miracles and the belief that He was the promised Prophet. The first is in connection with the miracle of feeding the five thousand. When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world" (John 6:14). The crowd again said in John 7:40, “…Of a truth this is the Prophet.” The other is the Lord\'s answer to John the Baptist, when he sent two of his disciples to Jesus with the inquiry in Matthew 11:3, "…Art thou he that should come, (that is, the promised Messianic Prophet) or do we look for another?" Instead of chiding John for his unbelief, our Lord graciously told them, “Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Matt 11:4, 5.) There the Lord appealed to His miracles, that He was "he who should come," the Shiloh, the Prophet of whom Moses spoke in Deuteronomy 18.
To send us another Comforter, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 16:12, 13)
As the blessed Lord was about to withdraw His personal presence from His disciples, and go to the Father, there was a necessity that while He still retained His prophetical office there should be a change in its mode of administration. Now, bear in mind that it is the change of mode of administration that I am talking about. Not a change of role or command of administration. In order for this change in the mode of administration to occur, our Lord promised them "another Comforter," even "the Spirit of truth," who should "teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance whatever he had said unto them." The word translated as “another” “allos” means another of the same kind, not “hetros” or another of a different kind where we get our English word “hetero” as in “heterosexual”.
In view of this, though the mode of administration is changed, that it is still Jesus who teaches is plain from his own words. For the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Father. When we sing “since Jesus came into my heart…,” technically it is the Spirit of Jesus who came into our heart but does it matter that it is the Holy Spirit of Jesus? No. Because though the three Persons in the Triune Godhead are distinct, they are never separated.
In Heaven
To reprove the world of sin (John 16:8; Acts 2:37; Ps 94:12)
It is evident, it is the first mark and effect of divine teaching. "When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin.” (John 16:8.) This conviction we see in those who were pierced in their heart under Peter\'s sermon (Acts 2:37) and in the case of the Philippian jailer. Indeed, what knowledge can there be of salvation by the blood of the Lamb if guilt and condemnation have never ploughed up the heart and made deep wounds in the conscience?
To guide us into all truth (John 16:12, 13a; John 14:17; 1 Cor 2:10-13)
To his disciples, our Lord said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Does not this show that Jesus still had many things to say to His disciples? And when else should he say them but from the right hand of the Father when he had baptized them with the Holy Spirit and with fire? Until that full and heavenly baptism, they could not bear the weight of instruction which He had to impart. And to every soul who yet knows Him as his or her Saviour, our Lord said, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me" (John 6:45.)
What is it to come unto Jesus? It is surely more than just coming to church for worship service or coming to a fellowship group for a time of studying of God’s Word and fellowship. To come to Jesus means to come to Him for pardon and peace, for mercy and deliverance, for teaching and instruction! This is the Lord\'s own mark of being taught of God. This is a spiritual coming under heavenly drawings or what reformers called irresistible callings of the Spirit. Our Lord declared, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44) It is by these secret drawings of the Father that we come to Jesus. Would you also come unto Him today?
To testify of Jesus Christ (John 16:13b; John 15:26; 1John 4:6)
Lastly, the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, also testifies of Jesus Christ. Flowing out of and connected with the prophetical office of the Lord Jesus, He has here also a spiritual bearing on the experience of the saints of God. We have before shown that when Jesus went up on high, He received gifts for men, and these gifts He poured forth in sending apostles, prophets, etc., to testify of Himself. Thus every servant of Christ, whom He teaches by His Holy Spirit, and sends into the gospel field to labour in His service, is a witness to the present life of Jesus, still a Prophet to his Church and people from heaven.
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