No Greater Nor Expected Prophet

"The Lord GOD has spoken!  Who can but prophesy?"(Amos 3:8, NKJV). 
"Let us prophesy in proportion to our faith," (Romans 12:6, NKJV).
"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," (Rev. 19:10, NKJV).  
"Desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy," (1 Cor. 14:9 NKJV).  

Basically speaking, prophets comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable; they have a message for all time and for everyone--past, present, or even future in application.  There are no prophets per see in the church today, though the gift of prophecy is often exercised as seen when one offers a word of wisdom or edification to the body.   Actually, when the preacher exhorts his flock and speaks a message given by the Lord, it is a prophetic word to be heeded nevertheless (that's why we must take him seriously).  Jesus was a "Prophet mighty in word and deed," (cf. Luke 24:19).  Jesus was indeed the One whom Moses spoke of when he said, "The LORD will raise up for you a prophet..."   (cf. Deut. 18:15).

But Amos warns of a time when the prophetic word will become rare and people will yearn for a word from the LORD and it won't come (cf. Amos 8:11). If we ignore and don't heed God's Word, He may cease speaking to us and be silent.  Just as the Samaritan woman recognized Jesus as a prophet, we ought to recognize this gift in the church body today--"let all things be done for edification."  "Let him who prophesies edify the church," (cf. 1 Cor. 14:4).

"The law came through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ," (cf. John 1:17).   Jesus came to bear witness of the truth!  Those who heard Him knew that what He taught was of the truth and those of the truth heard Him.  Being the personification of truth, He came to set us free from the lies of Satan, and only a Great Teacher could open the eyes of the blind and be the light that lights every man (cf. John 1:9).  We are to be witnesses of the truth also as we abide in Him and His Word.  This is the chief function of prophets: to show the truth to the blind!   No greater message, no greater truth, no greater teacher, and finally, no greater prophet than Jesus!  We must follow in His steps and make our stand for the truth and not stand in the sidelines of neutrality!

Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king in His threefold offices, but especially as a prophet we see Him as our Great Teacher who shows us our sin, opens our eyes, convicts us, and shows us the way.  Jesus was considered greater than Moses and Elijah, who were the two greatest prophets, by His transfiguration and God the Father telling the disciples to listen to Him. God gave His official stamp of approval on Jesus' ministry--"Listen to Him." Jesus told us He never spoke on His own accord but what the Father had told Him to say--He wasn't out to promote His will or Himself, but the Father's.    What really made Christ's preaching so unique and great was that He always practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced without any duplicity. Most of all, Jesus was a man with a message and a man on a mission to do His Father's will and be about His business.

The people were looking for a prophet to come as well as a king to deliver them, as well as a priest greater than Aaron to bring a New Covenant and sacrifice.  They probably thought that three Messiah figures would come.  Israel had not heard from a prophet in over 400 years and finally, God's silence broke and the people sensed a prophet had arrived--"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD."

We must note that we cannot compare Jesus to any other figure but only contrast Him.  He is greater than Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Melchizedek, David, etc.  To compare them is to do Jesus injustice and to insult His superiority.  It is especially important that Jesus is greater than Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) because they were probably considered the two greatest figures in the OT --there would be no doubt He was "The Prophet who is to come," like, unto God Himself, even His life was a message to heed. In the final analysis, Jesus will never be surpassed.

The people were expecting one "like God," in whom they must listen.  He was greater than John too who had come in the spirit of Elijah and was considered a prophet by the people.  The fact that Jesus was recognized as a prophet doesn't mean they listened to Him and obeyed Him--they were fickle and would only hear what they chose to hear and what suited their agendas or needs.   People want a certain kind of prophet that fulfilled their needs and He didn't quite fit the bill, so eventually, they turned on Him.  That is to say, we may be let down if our expectations are wrong.  People hear what they desire.

His message was a thankless one of repentance and salvation, but they wanted deliverance from Rome and a military hero, not a pacifist.  He clearly wasn't the conventional Messiah they expected and they certainly didn't heed His message to repent and seek the kingdom of God--most people followed Him from curiosity, getting their free meals, or seeing signs and wonders as a curiosity.

Anything less than the truth is a lie, or a caricature and is actually idolatry and not worship.   The great lesson is that Jesus is who He is and we must accept Him that way, He is not who we want Him to be--He's not all things to all people; if you want a genie to fulfill your wants He will not foot the bill.  We must beware of those who preach "another Jesus" and not the Lord who demands us to lay down our lives and follow Him even to the point of death, denying ourselves. He demands obedience:  "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).

He is the Great Prophet in that we must listen or ignore at our peril and He is God's last word to mankind.  We must consequently heed every word, obey His message, and follow Him going on to proclaim His message.  We must be able to practice His message and to apply it to everyday life.  No cross equals no crown!  Christ isn't our enabler in sin but calls us to holiness and loving Him.  Remember, the immeasurable cost He paid for our souls and the least we can do is to obey Him to show our love.       Soli Deo Gloria!