Social media (especially TikTok) reveals a rise in those who call themselves prophets. Because prophecy is an exciting subject, today’s so-called prophets predict events of biblical proportion (disasters, political upheavals, etc.). The Bible is full of prophecy, and because Jesus spoke much of what’s in store for the future, we may wonder whether Jesus himself is a prophet. In this article, we will learn the answer is, “Yes!”
What Is a Prophet in the Bible?
Easton’s Bible Dictionary tells us the root word for prophet means, “to bubble forth, as from a fountain,” hence, “to utter.” In the Bible (Easton’s continues), a prophet is one who “proclaimed the message given to him, as the seer (another word used for prophet) behind the vision of God.” So, then, a biblical prophet uttered what was given to him directly from the Lord God. If anything is prophetic in nature, it’s as the Lord wills and not an expression of men’s thoughts. That’s especially true of the Bible. Peter wrote, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
Numbers 12:6 and 8a state, “And He [The Lord God] said, 'Hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream… With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD.'”
The Lord God held prophets to a holy standard of truth, faithfulness, and righteousness. If a prophet claimed he spoke from the Lord God, the Bible states, “'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’— ‘when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
Adam, the first man, served as the first prophet. Sinclair Ferguson says, “much biblical prophecy is not so much foretelling, but forthtelling—applying God’s truth to every situation. It’s about the present as much as about the future. So, in the Genesis narrative, we find Adam being called to the prophetic task of naming the animals, and of course, to pass on, first of all to Eve, and then to his family, what God had revealed to him.”
The entire Bible is about Jesus Christ; therefore, every book in the Bible has some prophetic utterance or implication. Adam served as a type of Christ in his role as prophet, priest, and king over creation (before the fall). The Second Adam—the Lord Jesus Christ—is our perfect Prophet, Priest, and King of all creation (we will explore this more below).
The Old Testament of the Bible (as sectioned by scholars) includes one section specific to prophecy called the prophets. The books of this section contain the major prophets:
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
And the minor prophets:
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
They aren’t minor in importance, just in the size of their books.
Was Jesus Ever Called a Prophet?
It’s most interesting that Jesus was called a prophet in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. The Lord God spoke through Moses the prophet, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,” (Deuteronomy 18:15, c.f., Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7). He also said, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). These verses are explicit in their prophetic voice that Jesus fulfills these prophecies.
In addition to the prophecy recorded in Deuteronomy, numerous narratives in the New Testament reveal Jesus as a Prophet. Notice how when individuals call Jesus a prophet, He does not rebuke them in any way. He accepts their reference to Him as a prophet.
- In John 4:19, the Samaritan woman says, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”
- Upon one of Jesus’s entries into Jerusalem, the crowds were stirred up and said, “This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” Matthew 21:11). The Bible, however, does not indicate whether Jesus heard their words. But given that He is the Author of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), He knew.
- When Jesus raised the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-16), the witnesses were filled with fear and glorified God. They said, “A great Prophet has arisen among us!”
- A very telling narrative happened on the road to Emmaus as Jesus walked with two disciples after His resurrection. They questioned Jesus’s supposed ignorance regarding all that had happened in Jerusalem in the previous number of days. When he said, “What things?” They said, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a Man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,” Luke 24:27 tells us how Jesus expanded on His identity to them, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Jesus called Himself a Prophet:
- Luke 13:33 records Jesus saying, “Nevertheless, I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a Prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
- Jesus again refers to Himself as a prophet in Luke 4:24, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”
How Does Jesus Fulfill the Role of a Prophet?
The very nature of a prophet as disclosed by God reveals Jesus as the perfect Prophet. First, He is a Spokesman for God. A key passage is John 12:49-50, which tells us, “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (c.f., John 12:49-50; 14:10, 24; 15:15; 17:8, 20).
Secondly, Jesus has the words of eternal life. John 12:50 says, "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So whatever I speak, I speak just as the Father told me." (See also John 6:68).
Thirdly, Jesus is unique as the very Word (Logos) of God (John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1-3). He is God’s definitive revelation of Himself and, as Peter boldly spoke in Acts 3:22, “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to Him in whatever He tells you.”
The Lord Jesus's words are supported by God’s power, for His almighty works confirm the truth of His message (Matthew 21:11, 46; Luke 7:16, 24:19; John 3:2, 4:19, 7:40, 9:17). Christ accomplishes the position of prophet by telling us God’s will for our salvation, by his word and Spirit (John 1:18; 1 Pet.1:10,11, 12; John 15:15; and 20:31).
What Do Other Religions Say about Jesus as a Prophet?
Now that we have examined what Christians and the Bible have to say about Jesus as a prophet, we may wonder what other religions have to say about Him in this regard.
Muslims show respect to Jesus (whom they call Isa) by calling Him a God-sent prophet who reveals God’s word. But Islamic adherents claim God’s final, definitive word was given to Mohammed via the Qur’an—thus superseding Jesus as the very Word of God. They say Jesus was but one of many prophets and was a wise teacher, but they do not believe He atoned for sins by dying on the cross. Therefore, they deny His resurrection, too. Muslims also say Jesus was born of a virgin and healed people, but he was not Immanuel—God with us.
Regarding Judaism, the My Jewish Learning website states, “Judaism does not consider Jesus to be a prophet, the messiah, or the son of God.” Rabbi Irving Greenberg calls Jesus a “failed Messiah.” He says, “A failed messiah is one who has the right values and upholds the covenant, but does not attain the final goal.” According to Rabbi Greenberg, the message Jesus brought was a good one, but he could not be the Jewish messiah because he did not shepherd in the redemption of the world that Judaism expects will occur in the messianic era.”
As far as Buddhists, they admire what Jesus taught and what He did, but they do not see Him as the only source of salvation or as a prophet.
Hindus regard Jesus as just another “wise man” they can add to their pantheon of gods. While they acknowledge He taught with wisdom and advised one should love God and his neighbor, they put Him alongside those they consider enlightened wise men. Like Buddhists and Jews, they do not regard Jesus as a prophet.
Why Jesus Is More Than a Prophet
The Lord Jesus Christ is Prophet, Priest, and King. He fulfills all the roles of those who foretold His coming (prophets), who reigned over all people (kings), and who provided an acceptable sacrifice to the LORD GOD (priests). But those who came before Jesus were all sinful men. None could accomplish what their roles mandated, perfect obedience to the Father. Only Jesus accomplishes this.
The Bible tells us the priests had to continually offer sacrifices for the peoples’ sins. When Jesus was on the cross, He said, “It is finished.” His one act did what many years of priestly sacrifices could never do: atone for all sins once and for all (Hebrews 10:8-14). He is our perfect Priest and Mediator (Hebrews 4:14; c.f., Psalm 110).
The Bible tells us Israel had many kings, both “good” and evil. King David is the one king the Lord chose to be “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). But even he wasn’t perfect, as his many sins attest. David, however, was a foreshadowing of Christ, our ultimate, eternal King over the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 19-22).
King David was also a prophet, and he typified Christ. Acts 2:29-31 reveals, “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.” As we have seen, Jesus fulfills the role of the perfect Prophet.
The Second London Confession of Faith (1689) states, “It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the mediator between God and man; the prophet, priest, and king; head and savior of the church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom He did from all eternity give a people to be His seed and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified” (italics added).
We who love the Lord Jesus join the Apostle Peter in saying Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Wirestock
This article is part of our catalog of resources about Jesus Christ and His life, teachings, and salvation of mankind! Discover more of our most popular articles about the central figure of Christianity:
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