How useful is the framework of the ‘threefold
office’ of Christ as prophet, priest and king for understanding his saving work?
Prophet: Revealing[1]
l The main task of the prophet was to act as
the mouthpiece of Yahweh, confronting his contemporaries with Yahweh’s
just claims upon them, calling them to be faithful to the covenant
(Luke 4:18 Jesus Rejected at
Nazareth). Jesus did just that and more.[2]
l
Undoubtedly, Jesus did this when he came to do
the will of the Father (Luke 22:42 Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives),
to reveal the Father (Matt. 11:27), and to speak the things of
the Father (John 8:28).[3]
l
In the Gospels (Luke 4:18-21, 24),
Christ’s preaching and sign-acts frequently echoed the ministry
of the OT prophets, and on occasion he explicitly paralleled his ministry
and reception with theirs.
l
Jesus
clearly understood himself to be a prophet: “A prophet is not without
honour except in his own town and in his own home” (Matthew 13:57).[4]
l
Jesus was a prophet was in itself a fulfilment
of prophecy: “The Lord your God
will raise up for you a prophet like me…” (Deuteronomy 18:15).[5]
Yet there is significant difference:
l While prophets always claimed to be speaking
in the name of a higher source than themselves, Jesus claimed his own teaching
to be of greater weight than the Pharisees’. (Matthew 5:17-20, The
Fulfillment of the Law).
l
Not just a prophet but the eschatological
prophet of Isaiah 61.[6]
l His message was the same as the Father’s.
(John 5:17-27, The Authority of the Son).
l
Jesus
had come from the very presence of God, “No one has ever seen God, but
the one and only Son…” (John 1:18). Not just a prophet but a son.
l Jesus also proclaimed good news:[8]
Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven in terms that make it good news. (Matthew
13).
Christ’s revealing work covers a wide
span of time and forms:[9]
l Christ’s revealing works began before his
incarnation, as the Logos. (John 1:9).
l His prophetic ministry during his stay on
earth. Jesus is the highest of all the revelations of God. (Hebrews 1:1-3).
l Future: A time is coming where Jesus will
return. (1John 3:2).
Priest: Reconciling
l
Nowhere explicitly called ‘priest’ but does
perform the ‘priestly’ function of intercession and the sacrificial
ministry of offering his own life.
l There are numerous instances of Jesus’s interceding
for his disciples while he was here on earth. (John 17).[10]
l
Presents himself in John 2:20 as the fulfilment and replacement
of the temple
l
Note also the ‘contagious holiness’ of Jesus’ presence
among the sinners and the unclean
l
Jesus the Great High Priest in the order
of Melchizedek: Jesus as both the priest and the sacrifice, through whom
we enter God’s presence. (Hebrews
4:14-5:10).[12]
l
As a priest, Jesus is our mediator
between God and ourselves (1 Tim. 2:5).[13]
Jesus as both the fulfilment and the end of the holiness system of the OT,
and the one in whom we draw near to God; his death as the ultimate exclusion
and rejection, suffered in our place so that we might be purified and
made welcome.[14]
King: Ruling
l Many in Israel wanted a king who would help overthrow
Roman rule. Jesus refused to comply with these wishes.[16]
Note also the ways in which his mission and rule are distinguished from the
expectations associated with Davidic messianism: he both fulfils and
transcends that category.[17]
l Yet he acknowledged to Pilate that he
was indeed a king, but of a different sort (John 18:36-37).[18]
l The Gospel picture Jesus as a king
(Luke 19:28-40). Isaiah
anticipated a future ruler who would sit on David’s throne (Isaiah 9:7). Jesus
himself also said the Son of Man would sit on a glorious throne (Matthew
19:28).
l There is a tendency to think Jesus’ rule as
being almost exclusively in the future. But there is evidence that Christ is ruling
today:
n The natural universe obeys him: Through
him all things were made. (John 1:3).
n The church: He is the head of the
body, the church. (Colossians 1:18).
n Then there is the final step in his
exaltation, where he returns in power, that his rule will be complete.
l
In the epistles:
n
Connected especially with his resurrection
and humanity (1 Cor
15:12-28, The Resurrection of the Dead)
n
A rule in which we participate (Eph
1:19-23)
l
Note the explicit contrast and collision
between divine rule and human empire[19]
The
inter-relation between the offices:
A threat to
the unity of soteriology?
l
Note the ‘separation of powers’ between priesthood,
prophecy and kingship in ancient Israel: unlike some other nations in the
ANE, Israel did not have priest-kings and Israel’s (true) prophets were not
tame propagandists for the king of the day.
l
The doctrine of the ‘threefold office’ has the
advantage of bringing together three important strands of the biblical
tradition. It does, however, tend to break up the unity of soteriology,
choosing three categories at the expense of others (e.g. shepherd, saviour and
servant), and scarcely takes adequate account of the extent to which the OT
categories are transformed through Christ: their fulfilment is also in an
important respect their abolition. (George Newlands, ‘Soteriology’, in A New
Dictionary of Christian Theology, ed. Alan Richardson, John Bowden, p. 547)[20]
n The tendency, particularly in Protestant
scholasticism, to view the offices in sharp distinction or isolation
from one another.
n The idea of office has been taken in too formal
a fashion.
n Jesus was commissioned to a task. The
dimensions of that task (prophetic, priestly, kingly) are biblical. In order to
preserve a unified view of the work of Christ, Berkouwer has referred to
the office (singular) of Christ.[22]
A threefold
conjunction:
l
Though a king, he rules not by the
sword but by his Word and spirit. He is a prophet, but his word is
power and really happens. He is a priest but lives by dying, conquers by
suffering, and is all-powerful by his love. He is always all these things in conjunction,
never the one without the other: mighty in speech and action as a king and full
of grace and truth in his royal rule. (Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics vol
3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, p. 368)[23]
l Christ is prophet, priest and king
simultaneously and continuously:
n Christ’s prophetic office reveals him
as both priest and king.
n His priestly sacrifice reveals the
love, grace and justice of God and so it is also prophetic.
The offices
and us:
l
One mediator (1 Tim 2:5): For there is one God and one mediator
between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
l
A royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9): A collective role for the whole
people of God, in relation to the world
l
Eschatological kingship (Rom 8:17): Now but not yet; we share in his
sonship as fellow-heirs, who suffer with him now and will reign with him in the
coming age. But the coming age invades the present, and the power of the
resurrection makes us more than conquerors even in the midst of suffering and
weakness.
l
Prophetic witness (Rev 19:10): Note the finality of God’s
revelation in his Son (Heb 1:1-2); but there is still a place for NT prophecy
within the church (e.g. 1 Cor 14, 1 Thess 5) and speaking in the name of Christ
to the world (Rev 19)
l
Worship outside the camp (Heb 13:10-16): there is still a ‘priestly’ role
for the church outside the camp, going with Christ to where he is present in
the world and acting/serving in his name.[25]
l
Driscoll
summarises the office of Christ as follows: As prophet, Jesus preached
and taught Scripture with authority. As priest, Jesus cares
for people and deals with their sin compassionately.[26]
As King, Jesus demonstrated his rule over creation through miracles
while on earth, and today rules and reigns over his people through church
leaders, principles and systems by the Holy Spirit and according to his Word.[27]
He tries to apply this to church leadership today as a model and believe that
the leadership teams are best served by a combination of gifts so that they are
biblically solid (prophet), grace centred (priest), and actually get
the job done (king).[28]
l
I think
it is important to be aware that although Driscoll’s model may be of some use
in ministry, Jesus and Christians cannot be force-fitted into neat categories.
First we have already seen that Jesus is prophet, priest, and king
simultaneously, and he is also shepherd, saviour and servant. We should not
restrict Christian ministry into these neat little categories. After all,
humans in our limitedness can never fully understand God, and so too with the
power and work Holy Spirit, as “the wind blows wherever it pleases” (John 3:8).
References:
Chung,
Miyon. “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ (Part 2).” Lecture Notes, Morling
College, September 13, 2016.
Christian
Apologetics & Research Ministry. “Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest and
King”. Accessed November 1, 2016. https://carm.org/prophet-priest-king
Driscoll, Mark. On Church Leadership. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013.
Letham,
Robert. The Work of Christ. Downers
Grove: IVP Academic, 1993.
[1]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 698.
[2]
Letham, The Work of Christ, 21.
[3]
“Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest and King”
[4]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[5]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 698.
[6]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[7]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 698.
[8]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 699.
[9]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 699-700.
[10]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[11]
Letham, The Work of Christ, 21.
[12]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[13]
“Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest and King”
[14]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[15]
“Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest and King”
[16]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 701-702.
[17]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[18]
Letham, The Work of Christ, 22.
[19]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[20]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[21]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 697.
[22]
Erickson, Christian Theology, 787.
[23]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[24]
Letham, The Work of Christ, 24.
[25]
Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”
[26]
Driscoll, On Church Leadership, 66.
[27]
Driscoll, On Church Leadership, 66-67.
[28]
Driscoll, On Church Leadership, 68.
