Theology & Doctrine · FaithLogic

Christ Our Mediator — Prophet, Priest, and King

'There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' The church has long organised his saving work under three offices from Israel's story: as prophet he reveals God and speaks God's word; as priest he offers the once-for-all sacrifice and now intercedes; as king he rules his people and, ultimately, all things. His ascension and session 'at the right hand' are where that mediation is now carried on.

In brief

The one mediator. Mediation requires someone who genuinely belongs to both sides: Christ's deity means he can truly represent God; his humanity means he can truly represent us and stand in our place (Hebrews 2:14–17; 1 Timothy 2:5 — note 'the man Christ Jesus'). This is why the incarnation and the mediation are inseparable.

The threefold office (Latin: munus triplex). Calvin systematised it (Institutes II.15), though the three roles were noted by earlier writers (Eusebius, and elements in the Fathers). In Israel, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed for their office; 'Messiah / Christ' means 'anointed one', and Jesus fills all three:

• Prophet — 'God … has spoken to us by his Son' (Hebrews 1:1–2); Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15–18; Acts 3:22–23), who not only delivers God's word but is the Word (John 1:1, 14), and who continues to teach his church by his Spirit through Scripture and preaching.
• Priest — 'a great high priest who has passed through the heavens' (Hebrews 4:14). He is priest 'after the order of Melchizedek' (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5–7), not by descent from Aaron; he offered not the blood of animals but himself, 'once for all' (Hebrews 9:11–14, 24–28; 10:10–14); and he 'always lives to make intercession' for his people (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1). His priesthood is unending and non-transferable.
• King — 'the government shall be upon his shoulder' (Isaiah 9:6–7); the son of David whose throne is forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Luke 1:32–33); now 'seated at the right hand of God' with 'all authority in heaven and on earth' (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:20–22; Philippians 2:9–11), reigning until every enemy is subdued (1 Corinthians 15:25) and returning to consummate the kingdom.

The ascension and session. Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus was 'taken up' bodily (Acts 1:9–11; Luke 24:50–51) and 'sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high' (Hebrews 1:3). The 'right hand of God' is a place of authority, honour, and rest — the finished work accepted. From there he pours out the Spirit (Acts 2:33), rules and defends the church, intercedes, prepares a place (John 14:2–3), and is coming again. The session is not inactivity: it is the present phase of his mediatorial reign.

Debated points: whether Christ's priestly intercession is a continual 'pleading' or the abiding presentation of his finished sacrifice (most Protestants stress the latter, against any idea of a repeated offering); whether the Lord's Supper is in any sense a participation in his heavenly self-offering (Catholic and much Anglican/Orthodox theology) or a memorial and proclamation (much of Protestantism); and how his present kingship relates to earthly politics and the state.

Synthesis

FAITHLOGIC ANALYSIS. 'There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' A mediator has to belong to both sides — which is why the doctrine of the mediator and the doctrine of the incarnation cannot be separated: only one who is truly God and truly man can represent each to the other. The church's habit of describing his work under three headings — prophet, priest, king — is not in the Bible as a formula, but it does something valuable: it takes the three anointed offices of Israel's story, shows all of them converging in Jesus, and covers the whole of the human problem. We do not know God rightly; he is the prophet who reveals the Father and is himself the Word. We are guilty; he is the priest who offered himself once for all and now 'always lives to make intercession'. We are enslaved and the world is disordered; he is the king now seated 'at the right hand', reigning until every enemy is subdued.

The answer to 'what is Jesus doing now?' is: all three, from the throne. He teaches his church by his word and Spirit, he intercedes for his people as the crucified-and-risen one in the Father's presence, and he rules — over the church for its good and over history toward its end. The ascension is not his retirement; it is the present phase of his mediation, and the reason a Christian in trouble can be told to look up.

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