Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Tonight’s Study, Session 31: Priest, Prophet
Introduction: Jesus is both Priest – the one who faithfully brings us into God’s presence by virtue of His self-sacrifice – and Prophet – the one who perfectly communicates God’s Word to us. We are called to listen to Him, to trust in His work, and to take our places as part of a kingdom of priests, who in Christ Jesus offer ourselves on behalf of others. As believers, we need to continually pray and ask Jesus as both Priest and Prophet to help us to understand the deep meaning of these titles so that we can live out these truths in our lives.
Key Scriptures
The key Scripture where the name “priest” is found is Hebrews 4: 14.
The key Scripture where the concept of a “prophet” (messenger of God) is found is Hebrews 1: 1–2.
Understanding The Name
Prophet, priest, and king – these were the three major offices in Israel, titles also ascribed to Jesus. While the king governed as God’s representative on earth, the priest’s role was to represent the people to God by offering sacrifices, prayers, and praise on their behalf. Unlike kings and priests, which were normally hereditary offices held only by males, prophets had to be commissioned by God, and they could be either male or female.
Priest
The role of the priest was to bring the people before God. Moses’ brother Aaron, was the first Israelite priest. Thereafter priests were drawn from among his descendants, and they were given charge of worship, which eventually became centralized in the Jerusalem temple. Unlike worship in many churches today, Jewish worship primarily consisted not in singing songs and listening to sermons but in offering sacrifices as prescribed by the Mosaic law. The priest’s role was to offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of the people. The animals killed for this purpose served as a continual reminder to both priests and people that the penalty for sin is death.
The priesthood consisted of three groups: the high priest, ordinary priests, and Levites. The Levites occupied the lowest rung of the ladder, taking care of the temple service. The priests, who alone could offer sacrifices, were next. At the pinnacle stood the high priest, the only one authorized to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. On his ephod (a garment attached to the breast piece) were stones that bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, a physical reminder that the high priest was bringing the people into God’s presence.
The New Testament identifies Jesus as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (a priest who was a contemporary of Abraham, predated the Levites). This was a way of indicating that His priesthood was both different and superior to that of the Levitical priesthood. Though most priests in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus rejected Him, the book of Hebrews, emphasized Jesus’ role as High Priest.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14).
Some Practical Applications of Knowing Jesus as Priest:
- Confidence in prayer and access to God.
- Unending intercession: As the eternal High Priest, Jesus continually intercedes for believers before the Father. This assures us that we are never alone and can approach God with confidence, bringing our needs and concerns to Him.
- Sympathy and mercy in times of weakness: Because Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin, He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. This means we can go to Him for grace, mercy, and help during our times of temptation and need, without shame.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).
- Freedom from guilt and a cleansed conscience.
- Once – for – all atonement: Unlike the temporary sacrifices of the Old Testament priests, Jesus offered a final, perfect sacrifice of Himself.
So, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:28).
- Rest in a secured relationship: Jesus’ sacrifices ensures that our standing before God is eternally secure and not at risk. We can rest in His finished work, knowing that Jesus is holding onto us and our relationship with God is secure.
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time
waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:11-14).
Prophet
While the primary role of the priest was to speak to God on behalf of the people, the prophet’s primary responsibility was to speak to the people on behalf of God. The great prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures included Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Elisha. While prophets sometimes predicted future events, more often they called people to faithfulness.
Jesus acknowledged that His cousin, John the Baptist, was a prophet – and more than a prophet because he prophesied most clearly about the Messiah. Though the common people acclaimed Jesus as a prophet and though He seemed comfortable with this title, most of the priests rejected this title for Jesus. In a Jewish context, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, when the Spirit descended on Him, would have been understood as a time in which He was commissioned by God as a prophet. But unlike the prophets who preceded Him, Jesus would be the one Prophet who not only perfectly revealed God’s Word but who perfectly revealed God Himself.
Some Practical Applications of Knowing Jesus as Prophet:
- Reliance on God’s revealed will.
- Guidance from Scripture: As the Supreme Prophet, Jesus is the living Word of God, and all divine revelation ultimately comes through Him. When we encounter Scripture, we are encountering Christ, and He reveals all we need to know about God’s will.
- Trusting the ultimate authority: Our knowledge of Jesus as Prophet allows us to center our life on His will rather following personal preferences or the world’s wisdom. It grounds our trust in God’s promises, knowing we find our “Yes” in Christ.
- Discernment through the Holy Spirit.
- Direct access to the truth: Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is present to believers directly, guiding them in all truth. This means you do not need human mediation to understand God’s Word, as the Holy Spirit teaches you.
- Protection from false teaching: Knowing Jesus as the final and complete revelation protects us from deception and false Listening to His voice, primarily through the Scriptures, allows us to discern what is true and what is not.
Conclusion: Knowing Jesus as Priest and Prophet offers peace and security to the believer’s daily life. As Priest, Jesus is the perfect mediator who has offered a final, atoning sacrifice, securing our forgiveness and granting direct access to God. As Prophet, Jesus is the ultimate source of divine revelation and wisdom, guiding a believer’s understanding and decisions. The combined roles of Jesus as Priest and Prophet are truly transformative to all who would acknowledge Him as Priest and Prophet and so much more!
September 17th, Session 32: Lion of the Tribe of Judah