Is Jesus a Prophet?

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Is Jesus a prophet? It is true that according to the Bible, Jesus was called a prophet. But did you know that He was also called as:

1. The Great High Priest
2. The King of Israel
3. The King of the Jews
4. The Son of God
5. The Son of Man (as described in Daniel 7)
6. The Christ or the Messiah
7. The Holy One of Israel

These titles are important to note, because there has been no other prophet in the past or present, who can claim these divine names. You can also study the complete list of the 30 titles of Jesus in this post, or download a free PDF version of the list.

In today’s post, we learn why Jesus is God (the Son of God who is distinct from the Father) and why His identity cannot be limited to that of a prophet alone. While Jesus acknowledged His prophetic role, He also openly declared Himself to be the Messiah—to Peter (Matthew 16:16), to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25–26), and to the Jews (John 10:23–25). To take this deeper, Jesus also referred to Himself as both the Son of God and the Son of Man—the latter carrying a unique biblical significance beyond its general use for humanity. He also identified Himself with titles and attributes reserved for God, including “the Alpha and the Omega,” a designation that Scripture associates with God alone.

THE Son of God and THE Son of Man:

Before we go any further, let us take down a few notes that is often contested. Many might say that the terms “son of God” and “son of man” are often referred to for humans and angels in the Bible. This is true, but with one huge difference.

Son of God: When Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of God, He claims to be the ONLY begotten Son of God (John 3:16 KJV). He was the ONLY One who was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). No human can claim to be a begotten son of God or born of the Holy Spirit. This is attributed to Christ alone.

Son of Man: Again, a term used sometimes for men, but Jesus specifices which Son of Man He is. While Jesus calls Himself the Son of man throughout the Gospels, when He was questioned by the high priest before His crucifixion as to who He was. Jesus explains this in detail, found in Mark 14:61-63.

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need?

Notice how even the High Priest clarifies if He is the Son of the Blessed? This clearly shows us that there is One who is a true and unique Son of God. Next, we see Jesus explaining what He means by calling Himself the Son of Man. What Jesus is quoting is from the book of Daniel Chapter 7 of the Old Testament,

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

This is the SON OF MAN Jesus referred Himself to be. None of us can be called this Son of Man, as this is One whom everyone must serve and His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Jesus only a Prophet? No.

Now back to the topic. NO prophet in the past, present or future, could ever claim these titles that are credited to God alone.

Therefore, when we only focus on the bible passages where Jesus claims to be a prophet and ignore the verses where He claims these other divine titles, we are selecting only part of the Bible’s message. By doing so, we deny the full truth of who Jesus is and this is dangerous because, in Matthew 10:33 Jesus says,

But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

If Jesus were only a prophet, then we must explain why He also used titles that belonged exclusively to God. Likewise, while God the Father calls Jesus His ONLY begotten Son, Hebrews 1:8 also records God the Father also referring to the Son as God.

Does this mean the Father made a mistake by calling His Son God? No. It means that the Son is also God, though He differs from the Father in His role—just as the Holy Spirit has a distinct role. In the same way, just as the Son is considered to be a Prophet, He is also a High Priest, a King and more.

Jesus fulfilled all of the threefold offices as: the Prophet, the High Priest and the King. He embodied all of them, during His earthly ministry which is why His role cannot be limited to that of a prophet alone.

*Note: Bible verses are from the ESV translation

Here is a detailed explanation of Jesus’ role as a Prophet, Priest and the King.

1. Jesus as the Prophet

Old Testament Prophesy about the Coming Prophet:

In the Old Testament, God spoke through Moses about a future prophet who would come from among their brothers, which means this prophet was definitely be a Jew.

Deuteronomy 18:18 – I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

This verse also tells us that this Prophet shall speak all that He is commanded to. Which is why in John 15:15 Jesus said, “all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” Likewise in John 5:30 Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge…” By saying that He can do nothing on His own, Jesus is both fulfilling the prophecy in Deuteronomy and showing that He works in unity with the Father.

New Testament Verses about Christ:

Likewise when Jesus came to earth, He also called Himself a prophet as in the Book of Mark.

Mark 6:4 – And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

However, when the Samaritan woman at the well, recognised Jesus as a prophet, He revealed even more details about His identity saying, “He was the Christ” (John 4:25-26).

John 4:19 – The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.“

Jesus states that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Jesus fulfiled them by taking on all the divine titles and roles attributed to Him and Him alone.

Matthew 5:17 – 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.

➡ Now, that we see how Jesus fulfiled being a Prophet. Let’s see how He also fulfilled the roles of a High Priest and King.

Jesus as the Great High Priest

Old Testament Prophecy of the Coming Great High Priest:

These were the words spoken by a man of God to Eli, who was a priest in the Old Testament, stating that God will raise up a faithful priest for Himself. This was fulfilled many years later by His Son Jesus. What is important to note, is the promise of a future priest who will accomplish great things.

1 Samuel 2:35 – And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.

1 Samuel 2:25 – If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

Jesus the Great High Priest in the New Testament

In the New Testament, Apostle Paul confirms that Jesus is our Great High Priest.

Hebrews 4:14 -Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Peter states that we as children of God, are of a royal priesthood and a people for His own possession. 1 John 3:1, tells us that we as believers, get to be called children of God, and as children of God, we are also a chosen race and a royal priesthood, through our High Priest – Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Jesus as the King (of kings/of Israel/of the Jews)

Old Testament verses about God the King

Repeatedly in the Old Testament, we see that God is our Creator and our King, the judge of the whole world and besides Him there is no other God. Here are the reference verses below for these claims.

Isaiah 43:15 – I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

Isaiah 44:6 – Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Interestingly, Jesus also makes the same claim in Revelation 1:17-18).

1 Samuel 2:10 – The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Additional verses on the King who will be exhalted and the Judge of the world:

Psalm 89:23-24 – I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

2 Timothy 4:1 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom.

New Testament verses about the King Jesus Christ

In the New Testament, although Jesus claimed to be a King, He was not accepted as one. In fact, Jesus in John 18:36, tells us that His Kingdom is not of this world, explicitly stating that He is a King and ruler of a certain Kingdom.

Take a look at Jesus’ answer when Pilate asked Him if He was a King.

John 18:37 – Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Jesus states that He was born and come into the world for a purpose, and to testify the truth.

The verse below shows us how those around Jesus at the time of His crucifixion, mocked Him – not realizing that their words actually pointed to the truth.

Mark 15:32 – Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

After Jesus died, several remarkable events occurred: the curtain of the temple was torn in two, the earth shook, rocks split, and tombs were opened (Matthew 27:51–53). Shocked by these signs, the centurion and those with the crucified Jesus, now realize that Jesus, was truly the Son of God (verse 54).

However, even before the crucifixion, one of Jesus’ disciples, Nathanael, had already recognized who Jesus was.

John 1:49 – Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Jesus’ Final Journey before Crucifixion

There is something remarkable about the final week before Jesus was crucified.

During Jesus’ final week before being crucified:

• He stood before the people as the Prophet
• He stood before the high priests as the Great High Priest
• He stood before King Herod as the King of Israel

Yet many did not recognized or believed in Him.

Jesus The Prophet – Matthew 21:10-11

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Before the Council of the high priest – Mark 14:61-62

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Before the King Herod – Luke 23:11

And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate.

Judgment Seat:

While there are many parallel Old and New testament verses about Christ, this one about the Judgment Day will blow your mind!

Before the crucifixion of Jesus, Christ stood before the judgement seat of Pilate. However, we see in the book of 2 Corinthians, Apostle Paul writes that we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. The One who is to ultimately judge us, was judged by man!

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

This is an absolute reversal of what took place 2,000 years ago before Pilate:

John 19:13-14 – So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

Did You Catch This?

I will end this post, paraphrasing 3 very important statement Jesus made in Matthew Chapter 12, about Himself:

1. Something greater than the Temple is here
2. Something greater than Jonah (the prophet) is here
3. Something greater than Solomon (the king) is here

If you didn’t catch it. Let me explain. Here Jesus powerfully claims that He is greater than the Temple in Jerusalem (Holy to the Jews), He is greater than the Prophet Jonah (who brought Nineveh to repentance) and finally, He greater than the wisest and wealthiest king who ever lived – king Solomon.

This means, Jesus is greater than any prophet, Holier than a temple and greater than any king to have ever lived.

So now, was Jesus merely a prophet?

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