#DailyDevotion So Who Is Jesus Really?

Mark 6:14-16 ¹⁴ King Herod heard about Jesus, because His name was now well known. “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead,” he said, “and that’s why these powers are working in him.” ¹⁵0thers said, “He is Elijah.” Still others, “He is a prophet like one of the other prophets.” ¹⁶But when Herod heard about it, he said, “John, whose head I cut off, has risen!”

Well Jesus’ name is getting well known throughout Judea. His preaching and his performing of miracles had even reached the ears of King Herod. The power that Jesus exhibited in his ministry had Herod think that John the Baptizer had risen from the dead. I guess he thought, “How else could he do such miracles?” Yet interestingly, we know of no instance in John’s ministry of him ever doing a miracle. John just wasn’t that sort of prophet.

So was this Jesus? Some though he might be Elijah. Why would they think that? Well, Elijah and Elisha (his disciple) were one of the last prophets that did miracles, as far was we know. Malachi in chapter four prophesied, ⁵“I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the LORD’s great and terrible day comes. ⁶He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” The LORD had not spoken by mighty prophets to the Jews since the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple after the Babylonian captivity for almost four hundred years. People were expecting the Messiah, the promised seed of David to restore the kingdom soon during this time. Concerning Elijah’s return, Jesus would tell his disciples in chapter nine of Mark, ¹²“First Elijah does come,” He told them, “and puts everything in order again. And what is written about the Son of Man? That He must suffer much and be treated shamefully. ¹³Yes, I tell you, Elijah has come, and people treated him as they pleased, as it is written about him.” He was speaking about John the Baptist whose head he had chopped off. Jesus explicitly tells us this in Matthew chapter eleven.

Others thought Jesus may be one of the prophets or a prophet like them. Well Jesus is a prophet. He spoke the word of the LORD to his people. He called them to repentance. Jesus though was more than a prophet. He is the prophet foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy eighteen, ¹⁵“The LORD your God will raise a Prophet for you, one of you, an Israelite, like me; listen to Him.” Jesus is this prophet who is like Moses and more than Moses. Jesus fulfills and replaces Moses. For Jesus is the LORD in the flesh who sent Moses. As the LORD used Moses to deliver his people out of the land of misery (Egypt) from Pharaoh into the Promised Land, Jesus, the LORD, is a new and better Moses. He delivers all humanity out this world of sin into the New Heavens and New Earth, the Kingdom of God, from Death and the Devil.

Jesus delivers us from the hand of the Devil and from Death by his dying on the cross and rising again from the dead, immortal, imperishable and powerful in his glory. He gives us a new covenant which abrogates Moses’. In this covenant he forgives us our sins and remembers them no more. He puts his instruction on our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we live that out by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. Those instructions (Torah) is this, trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins and to love one another as he has loved us. As the Israelites entered the Mosaic covenant passing through the Red Sea, we enter this covenant when we are baptized.

Heavenly Father, grant that we may see Jesus as the Prophet, the LORD in the flesh so we may enter into his new covenant and enter your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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