Jesus is the Christ

Jesus is the Christ

Philippians 2:5-11

            “Jesus is the Christ!”

            To us this doesn’t sound like a controversial statement, but that’s because we’ve grown up with it.  It’s part of our vocabulary.  Often we combine the name and title and refer to God’s Son as “Jesus Christ,” as though it was a first and last name.  Our familiarity with the name of Jesus may cause us to miss the inflammatory nature of this statement in the first century world.

            “Jesus is Lord” was an early baptismal confession.  Affirming the lordship of Jesus made one eligible for baptism, but it also set the person apart from the rest of the world.  Claiming Jesus as Lord, as the Christ—the Messiah—separated one from both Jews and Gentiles.  When Jesus was affirmed as Lord, he was recognized as having three different roles.  Naming Jesus as the Christ meant accepting him as a prophet, a priest, and a king.

            Jesus the Prophet  Jesus stands in the long line of Jewish prophets.  We think of prophesying as telling the future—and there’s a sense in which this is correct, both for Jesus and for the prophets we find in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Jesus foretold his own death and resurrection as well as the destruction of the Jerusalem temple.  We believe he gave us some idea of what the end times will be like, although he was short on details.  Revelation is much more thorough in that regard, yet even that book does not give us a complete picture.

            A prophet is a messenger, one who delivers a word from God.  That word might deal with the present, the future, or a combination of the two, but it always involves the message that God has for the world.  God sent Nathan with a message for David after his adultery with Bathsheba.  Elijah had a message for Ahab and Jezebel concerning their idolatry with Baal.  Isaiah, Jeremiah and others had a message from God for the nations of Israel and Judah concerning the sin of neglecting God.  God would first punish the people, then restore them to their inheritance.

            Jesus is God’s ultimate prophet—the Son sent to restore the vineyard to its Master.  Jesus had a word from God:  “Love God and love your neighbor.  That’s what God expects.”

            Jesus the Priest  A good place to see how Jesus fills the role of priest is chapters 3-10 of Hebrews.  The author says Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice for the whole world.  Where Levitical priests regularly offered animal sacrifices for their sins as well as those of the people, Jesus’ sacrifice assured forgiveness of sins once for all.  Now he intercedes for us in heaven, so that our salvation is not only assured but ongoing.  As we make our way through this sinful life, Jesus continues to represent us before God’s throne.  By accepting God’s grace offered through Jesus’ saving act we acknowledge Jesus as our high priest—our intercessor.

            Jesus the King  In the first century, claiming Jesus as Lord—as king—meant that no one else was king.  To the Jews this was heresy.  In pagan culture, where the Roman emperor was thought to be a god, this statement was not just heresy but treason.  If Jesus was  king, then—for the person making that claim—Caesar was dethroned.  No one can serve two masters—two kings.  When we make Jesus the Christ—the king of our lives—we dethrone every other person, thing, or idea.  If Jesus is king, there can be room for no other master.

            “Jesus is the Christ!”  Jesus is a prophet, God’s messenger to the world.  “Jesus is the Christ!”  Jesus is a priest, the One who intercedes for humanity.  “Jesus is the Christ!”  Jesus is a king—our king and the Lord of our lives.  Nothing and no one else can take his place.  Nothing and no one else can stand beside him.