SS03-06-05
“JESUS: MORE THAN A PROPHET.” MARK 8: 27-30, ACTS 3: 17-26.
MARK 8: 27-30; ACTS 3: 17-21, 22-26.
If you had to explain who Jesus is to someone who had never heard of Him, what would you say? Would you say that He is God’s Son, or humanity’s Savior, or the Hope of the world? No matter what you said, you could not adequately describe Him.
A basic O.T. concept is that “God is the Deliverer of His people.” Hebrews did not think of Savior as an official title of God but rather as a descriptive term of His activity.
No figure in all of history is more intriguing than Jesus. History is divided into the time before He came (B.C.) and the time after He came (A.D.). His image has graced the cover of Time magazine at least eight times. If you include Christian institutions and organizations, no one has been more consistently a presence in the news and world events than Jesus. Some people revere Him, and others revile Him: some worship Him, and other war against Him.
In the last few decades Jesus has been presented in blockbuster movies, distorted in Broadway plays, and portrayed in art the world over. Most citizens of industrialized nations know about Him, but pitifully few people actually know Him.
But who is Jesus really? Is He a prophet? The Muslims, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses would say yes. What does it mean to call Him Messiah? How can a carpenter from a little town like Nazareth actually be God?
Jesus has many titles because He has many functions. The Bible portrays Jesus as a Prophet, but He is much more than that. Jesus is a King, but He is greater than any king who ever lived. Jesus is the Lamb of God—the ultimate Passover sacrifice by whose death many are redeemed---but His death was unlike any other before or since. He is the great High Priest, but He is unlike any high priest described in the O.T.
The study theme, “Jesus: Our All-Sufficient Savior,” is designed to help us appreciate that Jesus was more than a prophet---He is the Messiah, the Anointed One who forgives those who repent.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO JOHN 1.
Who is Jesus? John answers this question in the first chapter of his Gospel. Using the words of an early Christian hymn, he calls Jesus the “Word” by which God created everything and by which He gave life to everyone. He shows how John the Baptist announced Jesus’ coming, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” When Philip met Jesus he knew Jesus was “the One that Moses and the Prophets wrote about.” And, in the words of Nathaniel, Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel.
Please follow along as we read from John chapter 1.
TEACHER READ JOHN 1: 1-5, 9-14.
Gal.
4:4 says “God sent His son, and a woman gave birth to Him.
His son obeyed the Law, so He could set us free from the Law, and we
could become God’s children.”
The birth of
the Savior was natural, but His conception was spiritual, by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 1:1 affirms the preexistence of Jesus, therefore it is reasonable to think of Him as belonging to eternity. By the incarnation, the Christ of God took on Himself human nature in order to reveal God to men in a way they could grasp; to become their Savior by ransoming them from their sins and to deal sympathetically with their needs. The One who was in the form of God took the form of a servant and according to Phil. 2: 6-7 was made in the likeness of men. Therefore, when the Scriptures assert from time to time that God sent His Son into the world, this affirmation is not to be treated as though Christ is merely a messenger of God such as the prophets of old. Rather, He is the eternal Son of God now clothing Himself with human nature to accomplish the salvation of men.
In Matt. 27: 22 Pilate asked the Jews, “What shall I do with Jesus which is called the Christ? This is a question we cannot evade. Jesus is such a dominant figure that each person must respond to Him in some way. Some try to ignore Him. Others openly reject Him. Still others claim to honor Him but stop short of yielding their lives to Him. True believers know Him as all-sufficient Savior and Lord of our lives.
This study of the month of March focuses on four names or titles by which Jesus is known in the New Testament. These are highlighted by the titles of the four lessons. This first lesson, “Jesus: More Than a Prophet,” focuses on Jesus as Messiah. He was a prophet, but more than a human prophet. He is the Messiah, but different from the kind of messiah most were looking for. TEACHER READ COLOSSIANS 1: 15-20.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO MARK 8.
The beginning of our lesson in Mark 8 follows the healing of a blind man in Bethsaida. Jesus and His 12 disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they traveled Jesus asked them a question He had never asked before. He was leading His disciples to Jerusalem where He would be crucified. He had spent over three years with these men. It was now examination time. Let’s read the question.
PLEASE READ MARK 8: 27-30.
The towns of Caesarea Philippi were inhabited mostly by Gentiles. Herod Philip had named the major city in honor of Caesar and Philip himself. But the teachings of these verses took place not in a town or city but by the way, (on the road).
Jesus began by asking, “Who do people say that I am?” Before asking for their own opinions, Jesus asked what others were saying. Some people believed Jesus was John the Baptist. This was the fear of Herod Antipas, who had ordered John’s execution. When he first heard about Jesus, Herod joined others who said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that’s why supernatural powers are at work in him.” Jesus and John had some likenesses. Both called people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was at hand. But John was only the forerunner, not the Messiah.
Other people identified Jesus as Elijah. The prophet Malachi promised in Mal. 4:5 that Elijah would come before the coming of the day of the Lord. Thus some people thought that Jesus was the great prophet. Others did not identify Him with any one prophet, but they said he was one of the prophets.
Being called a prophet---at least a dead prophet---was an honor. Living prophets were often persecuted; dead ones were praised. The true prophets of God in Old Testament times were men of courage and faith. So those who called Jesus one of the prophets intended to honor Him.
Jesus once said of John the Baptist in Luke 7:26, that he was a prophet yet “much more than a prophet.” He was the forerunner of the Messiah. If John were more than a prophet, surely Jesus the Messiah was far more than a prophet.
What these three testimonies about Jesus have in common is their high regard for Jesus. Noticeably absent from their opinions is any accusation that Jesus was a charlatan or a fake. Jesus was not asking for money. He was not greedy. No one claimed that Jesus had taken advantage of them, or had cheated them. To the contrary, Jesus fed the people, healed the sick, lived simply, and never asked for payment.
All over Israel the common people had great respect for Him as a man of God, but many missed the fact that He was the God-Man. Jesus was not just a prophet of Yahweh; He was the Yahweh of the prophets.
In the same way, most world religions today have a high opinion of Jesus. They see Him as a great leader, a moral philosopher, or even a prophet. They admire His selflessness, His simple lifestyle, and His care for the poor and the sick. Still, they stop short of proclaiming Him as the unique Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of the world.
Jesus second question was personal: But whom say ye that I am? This question cuts to the hearts of men and women in the 21st century just as it did in the first century.
The disciples had to learn that in the final analysis the opinion of others is not what matters. Though the entire nation might think a certain way about Jesus, those who had walked with Him needed to know the truth.
Often when Jesus asked questions of the disciples as a group, Peter was the first to respond. Not at all shy and sometimes too quick to speak, Peter often said the wrong thing. This time, however, he got it exactly right: “You are the Messiah!”
Peter’s confession contains significant, theological weight. When Peter called Jesus the Messiah, he was transferring all of the O.T. prophecies about the Anointed One to Jesus. Peter knew that Jesus was more than just a prophet. He was the One whom the prophets had foretold. The account of this same event in Matthew’s Gospel in Matt. 16: 16 relates that Peter added the phrase, “The Son of the living God”, which clearly explains what Peter meant when he called Jesus the Messiah.
God had opened Peter’s mind to receive this as a revelation. For centuries the Jews had been looking for the Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promise to David. For centuries they had neither a kingdom nor a king. But Peter had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
Though Jesus often had to rebuke Peter for speaking before thinking, this time he commended him.
Jesus also explained that Peter could not have figured this out on his own. A person can hear the truth, but only God can impart the truth. “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,” Jesus explained, “but My Father in heaven.”
Peter’s confession lies at the heart of all saving faith in Jesus Christ. While simply knowing that Jesus is the Messiah does not save anyone, no one can be saved who does not accept Him as the Anointed One of God. James warned in James 2: 19 of the emptiness of mere intellectual belief when he wrote, “The demons also believe---and they shudder.”
Verse 30 seems to be a strange command. Jesus had just commended Peter for his confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah: then he charged or strictly warned “them that they should tell no man of Him.” Why did Jesus warn them to tell no one that He was the Messiah?
A number of views have been given, but many feel that the answer is that Jesus did not want people to assume that He was the kind of messiah they were expecting. Even the disciples did not view the Messiah’s role as Jesus did.
Jesus commanded Peter for seeing Him as more than a prophet. Indeed, He was the Messiah. Jesus then began to try and teach them the kind of Messiah He had come to be. Using His favorite title of “Son of man,” Jesus told them that He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and be raised from the dead.
That time would come soon enough, but only at the proper time---the one set by the Father. When He strictly warned His disciples to keep His identity as the Messiah a secret and to tell no one about Him, Jesus was keeping His life on pace with the Father’s will so that His death, burial, and resurrection would come at the proper time----and not a minute sooner.
Jesus was going to lay down His life: no man would take it from Him. His charge to the disciples was further evidence that He was in control of all things including the timing of His ultimate sacrifice for sins. Though Jesus had become Man, He did not cease to be God, and therefore, this made no sense to those---like Peter----who thought that the Messiah would be a victorious general like David.
Therefore, Peter rebuked Jesus, who in turn rebuked Peter. Jesus did not want Peter’s false view to seem to have Jesus’ approval.
How would you answer Jesus’ first question about contemporary opinions of Jesus? Some hold hostile views of Jesus. They call Him a blasphemer and a pretender. Many think that Jesus was a prophet or great teacher, but not Lord and Savior.
Some of the world’s religions accord the honor of prophet to Jesus, but Christians know that He is much more than a prophet or teacher. We need to be aware of the false beliefs about Jesus and about the beliefs that fall short of the biblical revelation.
Each of us also needs to answer the second question. What do you believe and what do you say about Jesus? Our answer needs to move beyond affirming Jesus as the Messiah to declaring Him as Son of God and Savior. We need to base our faith and testimony on what the Bible says.
In addition to the knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah thee must be commitment of one’s life to Him, evidenced by repentance of one’s sins and faith in Him for salvation.
Peter had left all to follow Jesus. He had committed everything to the One he now boldly proclaimed as the Messiah. Though subsequent events would prove that Peter still stumbled on occasion, his life would bear evidence that his faith in Jesus was real and his commitment genuine.
More importantly, Jesus would prove that He is indeed the Messiah, the unique Son of the living God. Not only would Jesus fulfill the O.T. prophecies about His birth, life, death, and burial, but, in the resurrection He would prove once and for all time that He is exactly the One Peter confessed Him to be. PLEASE TURN TO ACTS 3
PLEASE READ ACTS 3: 17-21.
Between the events of Mark 8 and Acts 3, Peter’s world changed. History changed. Because of Jesus death and resurrection, life triumphed. God set in motion a new kingdom, a new reality, and a new people—the church. Energized by the Holy Spirit of God, the small group of believers in Jerusalem began to take the good news of Jesus to the streets. And amazing things happened.
We often hear the greeting “Have a good day.” In Acts 3—4 we read of an occasion when Peter and John had an especially good day. Despite the persecution, the church grew from 3,000 on the day of Pentecost to 5,000. The emphasis here is on men, because in that time the men would have gathered together by themselves to hear the message, and the women would have been in “the court of women.” They are now separated at the Wailing Wall.
Remarkable also was how the day began. Shortly after the day of Pentecost Peter and John went to the temple in Jerusalem to pray when a lame beggar asked them for money. Instead of receiving money, he got something far better. In the name of the living Lord Jesus, Peter said, “get up and walk!” and he did!
The beggar was so thrilled that he went around the temple “walking, leaping, and praising God. The worshipers at the temple were amazed at the man’s healing and gathered around Peter, John, and the beggar. Peter took this opportunity to preach the resurrection of Jesus and forgiveness in His name.
When Peter said, “And now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, just as your leaders did,” he was talking about the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as their Messiah, a rejection so deeply felt that they preferred a guilty murderer released and Jesus crucified. But because they did it in ignorance the implication was that they would be forgiven. Yet what the Jews did in ignorance actually furthered God’s plan that was predicated through the mouth of all the prophets.
Peter probably had in mind that the Messiah, God’s Servant, would suffer based on passages in the Prophets and the Psalms.
The O.T. predicts a suffering Servant of the Lord. Peter knew the Jews wee confused regarding the idea that Gods Messiah would be a suffering Messiah.
Though the Jews had rejected Jesus, Peter knew that hope was not lost. They still could repent and turn back so their sins would be wiped out. Then the seasons of refreshing would come on them from the presence of the Lord. Peter promised his audience two things. First, if they repented their sins would be wiped out and forgiven. Second, the Jews would enjoy the blessings promised by the O.T. prophets.
Repentance is a change of mind. It means to think differently about oneself, sin, and the Savior than one used to think. The Jews of Peter’s day thought Jesus was not the Messiah. But Peter urged them to change their minds and believe Jesus was the Messiah.
Repentance and faith are not two different steps in salvation but one step looked at from two different perspectives. One changes from unbelief to belief. One may look at repentance and faith in this way: You have been trusting yourself for salvation, your back turned toward Christ. But you do an about face. You repent. You reject trust in yourself, and you trust in Christ alone.
In vs. 20-21 Peter promised yet another result of the Jews’ faith in Jesus Christ. One day Jesus will come from heaven. In other words, Peter was saying the coming of the Messianic Age, the future kingdom of God for which the Jews longed, was dependent on their belief and acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah.
The conversion of Israel will mean the return of the Messiah. The restoration of all things is a phrase pointing to the realization of all God had promised through His prophets, mainly the setting up of His rule or kingdom. Although Peter’s message was to a Jewish audience, it applied also to Gentiles as seen in Acts 1:8, 2:17,21,39.
Clearly, Peter preached that Jesus is the ultimate Prophet, sent to bring God’s word to lost humanity. However, he also preached that Jesus is much more than another prophet, one among many, sent by God. He is the one and only Messiah who forgives all who believe in him and repent.
Jesus return, like His Messiahship, is no secret. God has given notice through His prophets, His Word, and the witness of His people. The truth of Christ’s return should be a motivation to repent for the unbeliever and an impetus for both comfort and urgency for the believer.
Believers can take comfort because Jesus is coming back and paradise will be restored. Believers should also be busily engaged in witnessing because Jesus might come back at any time. The same sense of urgency that compelled Peter to peach then should grip our hearts and oblige us now as well.
PLEASE READ ACTS 3: 22-26.
Like all good sermons, Peter’s message was based on Scripture. After reminding his audience that they had ignorantly killed their Messiah, Peter quoted Deut. 18: 15-19, a prophecy God gave through Moses. At the end of Moses’ life none of the Israelites had known life without him except Joshua and Caleb. To alleviate their fears, Moses told them of God’s promise that He would raise up another; a Prophet like me.
We do not normally speak of Moses as a prophet, but vs. 22 says that among his many roles was that of being a prophet. Moses said several things about the prophet God would send. He told his Jewish hearers that the prophet would come from the Lord your God.
Moses’ prophecy probably had a double fulfillment, one local and immediate, the other universal and eternal. The more immediate prophecy likely referred to the prophet Samuel, but Peter made clear that the Prophet Moses promised was ultimately none other than Jesus. Just as Moses had warned that they must listen to Him in everything, so they must obey Jesus. Furthermore, if they did not, they would be completely cut off from the people---a stern warning that Peter intended to mean nothing less than eternal hell.
The future prophet would come from their brethren, and, Moses said He would be like unto me. The Jews revered Moses as their first and greatest prophet, and the Jews viewed “the prophet like him,” to refer to the Messiah; therefore, the Children of Israel should listen to everything this future prophet would say to them. Destruction lay ahead for those who persisted in rejecting Him.
Peter was thinking of the times of refreshing and the restoration of all things when he referred to how the prophets foretold of these days. Although one title of Jesus is prophet, He is much more than Moses or any other prophet. Moses was like a servant in the house in which Jesus is the Son. A prophet speaks God’s word, but Jesus is the eternal Word who became flesh. John the Baptist was a man sent from God; Jesus was the Son of God who came to offer forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Addressing his Jewish audience, Peter reminded them that they were children of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with their forefathers. Foremost among these forefathers was Abraham, and Peter reminded them of one of God’s promises to Abraham: “And in thy seed or offspring shall all the kindreds or families of the earth be blessed.”
Most Christians today are from these other families of the earth. We can rejoice in the blessing of this promise. Jesus was the offspring through whom all people can come to God. Thus the summary of quotations of the promise to Abraham was of great significance for the future of the cause of Christ. O.T. passages predicted the inclusion of all people within the scope of God’s saving purpose.
Vs, 26 is a summary of the key points of Peter’s sermon. The word Son can also mean “Servant.” Jesus is the unique Son and the Suffering Servant. Peter had just referred to the inclusion of Gentiles as God’s children: in vs. 26 he addressed his fellow Jews about them being first to have the opportunity to receive the Christ.
Although they had crucified the Servant/Son of God, God raised up His Son Jesus. God blessed them by sending them the message of forgiveness conditioned on their willingness to turn away from their iniquities. This repeats the call to repent and be forgiven in vs. 19.
God has made many wonderful promises. Many of these have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Our claiming of God’s promised blessings depends on our response to Jesus Christ. Many of those who heard Peter’s sermon on that day believed. God keeps His word: those who repent of sin and trust Jesus are forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life.
IN CONCLUSION: Jesus Christ is the Logos of John 1:1, the image of God, the expression of God the trinity, the Atoning Sacrifice for sin as the Lamb of God offered on the Cross, the Reconciler of men to God, and of men to one another. He is more than a Prophet!
NEXT WEEK FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN WE SEEK THE ANSWER TO “WHY SHOULD I LET JESUS BE KING IN MY LIFE?” A.V. DAUGHERTY <altav@swbell.net>