The Prophet Like Moses   Typical of humanity is the belief that great men who do great deeds must come from great places. When Philip found Nathanael and said to him that he had found the one of whom Moses did write, Nathanael said, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). And when the people began to accept Jesus as a prophet, the Jewish leaders implied that He could not be, because He didn't come from the right place - "Search and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet," (John 7:52). Some prophets, like Amos, came from poor backgrounds and from cities that were insignificant (Amos 1:1; 7:14). Others, like Isaiah, lived in the kingdom's capital. It was God who chose each to be His "mouth," to speak His message. The Jews of Jesus' day claimed that they would respond to prophets differently than their fathers had (Mt. 23:30). But Jesus said, "Fill ye up the measure of your fathers" (vv. 31-32) and Stephen said to his Jewish audience, "…as your fathers did so do ye, which of your fathers did not persecute the prophets" (Acts 7:51). Oh, the Jews yearned for the prophet of whom Moses had spoken - at least, they said they did. But they treated the prophet from Nazareth (Mt. 21:11) just as their fathers had treated all the prophets God had sent (Acts 7: 52). Jesus didn't fit their mold - only the dead prophets, long deceased, were their heroes, for those prophets spoke of their fathers' sins. While being a prophet did not necessarily require that one "foretell" future events, Moses did predict the coming of God's special prophet who would be like him (Deut. 18:15). The primary function of a prophet was to be a "mouthpiece" for God - God spoke to the people through him. A prophet was also called a "seer" (1 Sam. 9:9, 18-27) - one who had insight to things beyond man's knowledge. As Moses was a "mouth" for God, so Jesus was "the prophet of God." He did foretell certain events because, as God, He could see the future as clearly as the present (Isa. 46:8-11; cf. Mt. 24:1-32). However, His prophetic function was not to predict world events in the 21st century as signs of His return, though He could have, if He had so chosen. Rather, He was to be the spokesperson for God. He came to reveal righteousness, to tell men of Heaven's truths and to deliver God's rightful requirements of man (Heb. 1:1-2). Moses said Jesus was to be "a prophet like me"- some similarity must exist. And, while the language necessarily implies likeness, one should never infer that it means inferiority or even equality. Contrariwise, the Hebrew writer makes it clear that Moses was inferior to "That Prophet," in so far as the one in the house is less than the builder (Heb. 3:1-6). At the transfiguration God acknowledge Jesus as His Son and His spokesman. Peter, James and John might have been equally in awe at the presence of Elijah or Moses as prophets, so God said of His prophet Jesus, "…hear ye him," (Mt. 17:7). Later, Peter used Moses' own words to impress fellow Jews with what the voice from Heaven had said about Jesus - "…him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you," (Acts 3:22). God gave Moses signs as proof of his function as a prophet (Ex. 4:1-10). Moses later wrote about a prophet's proof -- if it comes to pass, he is; if it doesn't come to pass, he isn't, (Deut. 18:22). The Samaritan woman was convinced that Jesus was a prophet when Jesus told her, in her own words, "everything she had ever done" (John 4:16-26, 39). She accepted His being a prophet based on His ability to "see," and appropriately identified His prophetic office with that of being the promised "Messiah" (v. 29). Jesus as "a seer" had perfect insight into events and even the hearts of men (John 2:25). He made many predictions that came to pass - some fulfilled in an impending time frame (Mt. 24:1-32); others surely to be completed in the remote future (John 14:1-2). He did many signs that men might know who He was (John 20:30-31). But, the greatest proof Jesus offered the world was the sign of another prophet, Jonah - it was a prediction that His own nation would kill Him but that on the third day, He would rise again (Mt. 12:39-40). Jesus' being God's prophet was not dependent on coming from a significant city or being accepted by His nation. The miracles He performed, the voice from Heaven and the prophetic utterances that came to pass all verify His prophetic office. Not only was He a prophet, He was a prophet like none other, for He was more than JUST a prophet. To reject this Moses' like prophet is to reject Heaven's message; thereby, not only suffering the loss of all that God offers but also receiving Heaven's rightful vengeance. - Jim R. Everett

	Created on May 27, 2002		Page last updated