The Pharisees were devotees of the Law of Moses – they learn it, teach it and live it; at least in their own way; hence the boldness to think and say about themselves, “…we are Moses’ disciples.” Even Jesus acknowledged that truth that the Pharisees are disciples of Moses when He once said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” (Matthew 23:2).
In a historical account, as recorded in John 9, Jesus happened to heal a man who was born blind, and the Jews, seized with surprise brought this man who was formerly blind to the Pharisees who also interrogated him. Now in the course of the interrogation, the Pharisees, full of jealousy and contempt, openly made some claims –
Then they (Pharisees) reviled him and said, “You are His (Jesus) disciple,
but we are Moses’ disciples. 29 “We know that God spoke to Moses; as
for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” (John 9:28, 29)
The Pharisees rejected Jesus, claiming they are disciples of Moses. Were their action and word justified? Is something wrong with what they said or not? This directs us to the question “Who should I follow? Or “Can one be a disciple of any of the prophets and not of Jesus Christ? To really understand the answer to the question, let understand first the sort of relationship there is between Jesus and the prophets of old? Jesus is not isolated from the prophets of old; neither are the prophets of old isolated from Jesus; they have many things in common. The coming of Jesus to earth was not to render the prophets of old and their works redundant; rather, Jesus was the fulfillment of the messages of the prophets. This is what Jesus Himself had to say about the prophets who were before Him.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)
The relationship between the prophets of old and Jesus is like a storm that precedes rainfall; or it is like a signboard that directs to a church – the prophets of old are a signboard, directing us to Jesus.
The prophets were a signboard, directing us to Jesus Christ.
The prophets of old were called not unto themselves; they were called to God and remained in dedicated service to Him; they did as they were told of God. God employed them in time past for various purposes, the chief of them all was to prepare the way for the advent of the Messiah, Jesus. The prophets never drew people to themselves or sought to honor themselves or sought to steal the glory for themselves – actually, they pointed to Jesus, the ultimate. According to the Bible, all the prophets of old have in one way or the other witnesses or referred to Jesus Christ. The Scriptures says,
- Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45)
- “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His (Jesus) name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43)
Let take a look at a few obvious instances where some very notable prophets prophesied or witnessed about Jesus.
Moses: “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)
Isaiah: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
John the Baptist: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11, 12; John 1:26-36; John 1:7-8; Luke 3:16, 17.) John the Baptist, a contemporary and forerunner of Jesus Christ, testified and spoke highly of Jesus so much that some of his own disciples abandoned him to follow Jesus. It is written –
35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at
Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples
heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. (John 1:35-37)
NB: Other prophets of old such as Hosea, Micah, Jeremiah, etc. did prophesy about Jesus too.
In this dispensation, as it has been since the resurrection of Jesus, prophecy has been embedded in Christianity. It has now become a gift reserved for only followers of Jesus. Therefore, prophets are called only from the Christendom; no prophet is called from outside the Christendom. Do not be misled – self-imposed prophets like Muhammad, Mani, etc. are nothing more than false prophets.
Coming back to the Pharisees’ issue, their action and word were unjustified by the Scriptures. Moses was like a signboard that directed to Jesus. Not only Moses but all the prophets of old. If anyone claims to believe in their teachings, then that person should not miss coming to Jesus for they all testified about Jesus.
Now about these same Pharisees, Jesus revealed that this same Moses whom they trust, whom they claim is their teacher and mentor, will accuse them before God; because they claim to be disciples of Moses, yet they are not obeying Moses’ teachings; for Moses prophesied that when the Messiah comes they should listen to Him. The Messiah came indeed, but they, the Pharisees, rejected him and would not listen to Him. Reference:
Moses: “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)
Jesus: “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you–Moses, in whom you trust.46For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. (John 5:45, 46)
Jesus Himself taught that He is the only one we should follow when He said, ” I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
Conclusion
The ancient faithfuls and prophets are not rivalries of Jesus Christ; they do not contest with Jesus for attention or for disciples or for honor. Rather these prophets of old succumbed to the superiority and the Lordship or the Sovereignty of Jesus; and they testified about Him.
Food for thought
- Which ancient prophet is your favorite and why?
- How do the teachings of the prophets help you to know more about Jesus Christ?
- What is the difference between Jesus and the prophets?
- How is Jesus superior to the prophets?