The holy men that came before Christ, and who also preached and foretold the coming of the Messiah, were of the prophets. Now before the incarnation of the Son and Word of God, only a select number of men were granted this lofty office. Though these blessed individuals found favor with God, they many times fell out of approval with the people, and lost grace in the eyes of nobility and even royalty. The mission of the prophets was simple, to obey that which the Lord had spoken unto them, and to stand firm even unto death. Just as the prophets foretold and prophesied the coming of the Messiah, Christ Himself too was a prophet and uttered prophecies concerning future events. Christ spoke as the prophets spoke, for it was the Spirit of Christ speaking through the prophets. For the office of prophet is not just predicting the future, but having a special relationship with God and having a unique mission. Simply put, a prophet is a man of God.
Once in Nazareth on the Sabbath day (soon before Jesus began His ministry) He read from the prophet Isaiah – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted…to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19). After reading from the book of Isaiah, Jesus told those in the synagogue that in the day of their hearing this scripture was fulfilled. However, even though the Jews were expecting the Messiah they could not accept the carpenter’s son to be the King of Israel. Jesus then told them that a prophet is not accepted in his own country. This would prove to be prophetic. For no sooner had Christ opened his mouth, that all those in the synagogue were filled with wrath and tried to throw Him over the brow of a hill where their city was built. But he passed through the midst of them and went His way.
Persecution was a common occurrence for the prophets of the Old Testament, and by the experiences of which Christ suffered it would be evident that persecution was a fact of life for Jesus and for all who would follow Him. But in Matthew 5:12, Christ would give hope to all those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. And that is to rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Christ did warn us however, that there would be trials and tribulations, but also promised that if we be faithful unto death, He would give us a crown of life. Just as many of the prophets suffered imprisonment and even death, so too have countless Christian martyrs walked in the shoes of the prophets on their way before kings to give the testimony of Jesus Christ. Just as in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit strengthened the prophets, and so too now in the age of grace the outpouring of God’s Spirit has strengthened all of the saints and believers throughout the centuries. For though the Spirit of God was only for a select few before the coming of Christ, but now after the resurrection of Jesus, God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh – as spoken by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28).
In His dialogue with the Jewish leader Nicodemus, Christ revealed that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. In response to Nicodemus’ misunderstanding of being born again from his mother’s womb, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5,6). Christ emphasized the importance of the spirit over the flesh. For to be able to enter heaven, the requirement is to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – to be born again. Although it is a great mystery of how God works upon a person towards them being born of the spirit, scripture does reveal how having a carnal mind prevents someone from being receptive to the Holy Spirit. Christ Himself said, “It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing…” (John 6:63). The Apostle Paul would go on to say, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6).
Another attribute of the prophets and specifically Christ, was the word they spoke and the power in which that word was preached. For instance, when Christ began to teach in the synagogues the people, “…were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22). As being in a good disposition to be endowed with the grace of God, the disciples of Jesus were sent out and given power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. One Old Testament prophet – Isaiah – after seeing a most magnificent vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, was distressed because he was a man of unclean lips. Thankfully for Isaiah, a seraphim angel took a fiery coal from off the altar and placed it on Isaiah’s mouth, which took away his iniquity and purged his sin. After this Isaiah would volunteer to serve God, when he heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:1-8). Thus it is evident that only the Spirit of God gives man true power, authority, and everlasting life. As Christ said of God the Father, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28). And as Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
Now that we have looked into the spiritual gifts that God granted unto the prophets, let us now turn to the virtuous character of the prophets and of Christ. A key virtue of character that Jesus demonstrated was meekness. Christ said in the beatitudes – blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. The Lord would go on to say as He drew mankind to Himself, “Come unto me, all ye that labor…and I will give you rest…learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29). So here it is revealed that God is humble, not proud. The Lord is mighty, but also meek. So if we are to know God and receive His Holy Spirit, we too must humble ourselves and work to acquire a character of meekness. Just as Moses was a strong man and one of the most powerful of all the prophets, he was also the meekest of men. (Numbers 12:3).
In the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that, “God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24). The Lord said these things to the Samaritan woman, whom He met at Jacob’s well. Christ also spoke unto her concerning how the Father seeks those that worship Him to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and that those who do so are the true worshipers of God. Just as man cannot live by bead alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God, so we men created in the image of God must live by the words that proceed from our own mouth. The words of the prophets were true, and many times God sent signs unto the people to show that the Lord did in fact send them. For after the raising from the dead of the son of the widow of Zidon, “…the woman said to Elijah, now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” (I Kings 17:24). So here we see that the seal of a prophet, is the Spirit of Truth.
References:
Holy Apostles Convent. The Lives of the Holy Prophets. (Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 1998).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).